Southern Tier has a holiday beer! Wait, let me qualify that. Southern Tier has a lot of holiday beers, so I should say Southern Tier has a new holiday beer! New to me anyway, and that beer is Holiday Cran Cran Cranberry Orange Wheat Ale. This now in addition to their classic 2XMAS and Old Monter Winter Ale.
I saw this beer at Half Time Beverage, and immediately added it to my cart. This was in mid-December of 2025, and truth be told, I did not get to drink it before the holiday season ended. So many beers, so little time after all. That presented an opportunity however; save it for Christmas in July! So, I did.
Southern Tier Holiday Cran Cran Cranberry Orange Wheat Ale has an alcohol content of 7% by volume and my can is stamped BEST BY 21 APR 2026, but hey, who ever heard of Christmas in April? I drank it in July.
About Southern Tier Brewing
In 2002, founders Phineas DeMink, Sara DeMink and Allen 'Skip' Yahn started the brewery with the vision of reviving small-batch brewing to a region rich in brewing tradition. With equipment from the Old Saddleback Brewing Co. in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the Southern Tier Brewing Company began production in the woods just outside of Lakewood, New York.
Southern Tier Holiday Cran Cran Cranberry Orange Wheat Ale in a 2XMAS Glass
Tasting Notes
Southern Tier Holiday Cran Cran Cranberry Orange Wheat Ale pours to a bright yellow orange color with a thick fluffy, rocky white head and a nose of bright orange citrus and a hint of cranberry. Taking a sip, the beer is medium in body, about what I expect for a fruit/wheat beer. It’s very juicy upfront with bright citrus orange but quickly displays the darker, tarter cranberry fruit as well. The latter really pops at the last and leaves the beer super tart, quenching and refreshing.
Value & Verdict
I paid $5.49 for my can from Half Time. That is the only pricing that I have, so I asked Copilot to find prices, and it could not find any either.
Perhaps better suited for Christmas in July than December, it makes a fitting refresher in the recent heat wave we have been having
