Jelly King - Cranberry Tangerine
Bellwoods Brewery

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From their Jelly King Gift Pack at Real Canadian Superstore on Walker Rd. in nearby Windsor. Canned September 8/25. My 29th beer from the Toronto, Ontario brewery, and 4th for 2026. With Gracie the cat's awestruck admiration...

Poured no foam. Orange brown color that smells primarily of citrus juice, but with a slight fermented twist.
Taste is light and easy to drink with mostly tangerine flavors. Citrus fruits naturally tend to steal the show in any drink. Getting a small amount of cranberry at the end, not enough in my opinion and I think would be better with a little bit more cranberry and a little less tangerine to balance the berry flavor more but overall it's still a good drink and I like it.

 

Bottle: Poured a murky reddish color ale with a medium size foamy head with good retention and light lacing. Aroma of light tart notes with some cranberry and tangerine notes clearly identifiable. Taste is also a mix of tart notes with some cranberry and tangerine notes with some faint residual sugar notes and very limited acidity notes. Body is full for style with good carbonation. Solid fruited sour with good drinkability.

 

A 473ml can, canned on 8th February 2022. Poured into a winebar glass.

Appearance: A darkish but very orange colour with a one finger off white head that dissipated quickly to nothing and left very sparse to no lacing.

Aroma: Cordial like. Tangerine forward, apricot, grapefruit zest, with maybe notes of cranberry.

Taste: Sweet and sour, tart, tangerine, candied grapefruit, nectarine, and a hint of cranberry if any.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

Overall: Not a complex beer, but the aroma and flavours do work for me. It went down really easy and was enjoyable. A thirst quencher for a hot day.

500 mL bottle from the LCBO; listed at 5.6%, dated Oct 14 2021 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a hazy golden-orange colour, producing nearly a finger of frothy, foamy white head that fizzles within two minutes or so, leaving behind a tight collar and some filmy wisps on the surface. There's a fair bit of unventilated gym bag funkiness on the nose; the tangerine pops nicely, while the cranberry is considerably more subtle. Hints of wheat husk, straw, lactic acidity, lemon and grapefruit.

Ooh, that's nice - fairly sour at the forefront, with mild funk and lots of lactic acidity that soon gives way to juicy tangerine, lime zest and cranberry tartness. Hints of wheaty grain, peach and lemon on the back end, with tangerine and cranberry lasting through the finish and briefly into the aftertaste, where there's a hint of that telltale cranberry astringency. Medium in body, with moderately lively carbonation that feels prickly and reactive on the tongue, lending some crispness to this brew's smooth, soft texture. I found it quite drinkable, but one bottle is enough.

Final Grade: 4.15, an A-. Cranberry Tangerine isn't my favourite Jelly King variant, but it's still a damn tasty sour that you'd be foolish to pass up. The natural tartness of the cranberry works extraordinarily well alongside the dry hop flavours of the base beer, and the tangerine adds a nice, juicy citrus dimension. A little funkier than the other Jelly Kings, and cranberry is not a favourite fruit of mine, but the experience was splendid nonetheless, and I'd revisit this one any time.

 

500 ml bottle served cold into a pint glass. LCBO purchase for $7.50 CDN and a bottling date of December 16, 2021.

Appearance - peach colored brew with hues of pink and orange. A finger of white head rests on top and gradually fizzles away. A white collar stays with the brew for the duration of consumption.

Smell - Tart tangerine but with a definitive cranberry spin. Organic smelling and subtle yet sufficiently intense.

Taste - Tart, but not overly so. Straddling a really fine line that makes this a great offering. Peasant tangerine with some tartness, also some sweetness and cranberry adds a different tart but only mildly so flavor. Excellent combo. A bit of a wheaty background.

Mouthfeel - Light and spritzy, just astringent enough to soothe the tongue but not overwhelming. Body is medium to medium-light.

Overall - Another excellent Jelly King flavored offering combining an unusual but delicious combination of flavors. This might not be my absolute favorite from Bellwoods but still remains a standout in the field of Fruited Kettle Sours.