Cranberry Chaos Cranberry & Orange Lager

Review Date 1/4/2025  By John Staradumsky

  Style: Fruit Beer   Brewery: Jack's Abby   Country: USA   State: Massachusetts   $ Per OZ: $.20 (B)   ABV: 4.5%

What’s more New England than cranberries? If there is anything, I’m sure I don’t know what it is. Growing up in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, I have find memories of riding through cranberry bogs in the Bay State, especially while on the way to Norwood to buy beer. Then too, I recall the glee I experienced drinking my first bottle of Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic which was, if not a true lambic, the first cranberry beer I ever experienced circa mid-1990s.

Fast forward 30 years and New England, cranberries, and beer are together again in every glass of Jack’s Abby Cranberry Chaos Cranberry and Orange Lager. This delightful holiday favorite went right into my cart the moment I saw it available at Half Time Beverage.

Jack’s Abby says:

Introducing ‘Cranberry Chaos,’ a lightly tart lager that’s a whirlwind of flavor. It’s the festive chaos you’ll welcome at family gatherings, a wild dance of cranberry and orange goodness that’ll leave you reaching for seconds. Embrace the beautiful chaos and make your festivities even more lively.

Jack’s Abby Cranberry Chaos Cranberry and Orange Lager has an alcohol content of 4.5% by volume and I paid $4.99 for my can from Half Time. Total Wine sells it for $12.99 a 4-pack in Richmond, Va, though they are currently out of stock. My can was stamped CANNED 10/23/24.

Jack’s Abby Cranberry Chaos Cranberry and Orange Lager pours to a bright orange color with a hint of pink and a light fizzy head and a nose of tart cranberry fruit. Taking a sip, the beer is bready up front, with the crusts and all. It pops with citric orange but simply explodes with tart cranberry goodness. The beer finishes with a nigh-puckering sourness that is oh so refreshing and delicious.

I really enjoyed this refreshing holiday treat, and I would love to do so again. I’ll be all over it the next time I see it.