Looks like Otter Creek in Vermont is putting out a new Winter Release. From the label:

This Winter Ale Special Release is a smooth brown ale with a touch of raspberry, brewed with Crystal and Chocolate malts. Rich and toasty with a warming body and light hops, this malty beer is perfectly fruited. Just right for wintertime.

Ale brewed with Natural Raspberry Flavor
5.8% abv
12 oz. bottle.

Unfortunately, the label print is too grainy to read. This is the He’Brew Eleventh Anniversary offering. Brewed with 11 malts and 11 hops.

11% abv
22 oz. Bomber
Kosher Beer

These are two new beers coming from Magic Hat in Vermont. There is no info on either label, except that they'll be out in 12 oz. bottles. Odd Notion appears to be the Spring '08 Seasonal and 7.5% abv.

Looks like a new beer from Crabtree Brewing. Who's Crabtree Brewing? I don't know. But they have a beer named after me, so I figured why not. From the label:

Jeff’s Pale Ale is brewed with hops in mind, well balanced and designed to awaken you senses. Smooth, crisp, and cold conditioned. This is a pale ale that ensures pure refreshment.

58 IBU’s
5% abv
12 oz.

Earlier this month, Manhattan Beer Distributors Inc., the fourth largest beer wholesaler in the country, acquired the rights to distribute Sly Fox beers in the metropolitan New York City area. It was the second time in six months that a major wholesaler acted to acquire distribution rights for the brand. Sly Fox distribution in the five-county Philadelphia area was taken over by Origlio Beverage, the region's largest wholesaler, last April.

The fact that these major distributors have clearly shown that they want Sly Fox as a part of their speciality beer portfolios in what are considered two of the major markets in the nation points up the underlying strength of the already rapidly-growing brand, says managing partner John Giannopoulos. "We didn't approach them, they came after our rights on their own, based on what they'd recognized in the marketplace. Both Origlio and Manhattan formed Specialty Beer divisions this year and both of them saw the potential for Sly Fox beers to help them become major players in the craft beer segment."

Giannopoulos said that Sly Fox is looking into ways to expand its current production capabilities quickly in light of these developments and that the company might consider building its own new plant in the future. "We are negotiating to lease a off-site location nearby where we can install a second, much larger cold box we've just acquired. We will use that facility to hold packaged beer awaiting distributor pick-up and our packaging inventory of yet-to-be-filled cans and bottles, along with some of our hops, malt and other supplies. Hey, maybe some day we'll even have the pleasant problem of having to find room for some empty kegs instead of always scrambling around to find enough of them to meet our distributors's needs."

"Having that additional storage space will give us the room to add two JV Northwest 40bbl fermenterss and a 40bbl brite tank which we are buying this month for delivery by the end of the year. We're also adding another brewer who will start in October and we will consider running a second brewing shift if we need to."

For more on this story, and for all Sly Fox news, visit www.slyfoxbeer.com/news.asp

Sly Fox Black Raspberry Reserve was released in early September and is currently available in 750ml, corked and caged bottles, individually or by the case, at our brewpubs in Phoenixville and Royersford. You should also find it on retail shelves and behind the bar at all the better beer venues in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.

This popular annual late summer release is a Wheat Ale brewed with German Pils & Wheat malts and Tradition hops. A pound of red and black raspberries is added to the brew per every gallon of beer to help create a sugary sorbet aroma and a pleasantly tart fruitiness on the palate and in the finish. Its easy drinkability belies an 8% abv which makes Black Raspberry Reserve one of the bigger fruit beers available.

Black Raspberry Reserve is a beer well suited for pairing with a wide variety of foods. For example, a plate of mixed cheeses would be an ideal match, as would either a vinaigrette or mixed fruit salad. It goes particularly well with chocolate and many of its devotees have been known to squirrel away a bottle or two to be brought out for a special moment every Valentine's Day. This seasonal is a particular favorite of many of the women in Sly Fox Nation, who enjoy not only the flavor but also the striking beauty of the beer's rich red color in an aperitif glass. Members of both sexes appreciate this tasty brew's warming qualities when sipped from an after-dinner snifter.

"Fruit beers are among the most interesting and challenging styles to brew," says Sly Fox brewmaster Brian O'Reilly. "Using real raspberries rather than a fruit extract allows us to strike just the right balance with the aroma, flavor and character of the fruit so that those characteristics don't become so dominant that the beer is too soft drink-y, if I can coin a word."