According to Saranac, winter is here

Wooo!

It's that time of year again. A time when those clingy little leaves lose grip of their trendy little "green" lifestyle and fall helplessly to their deaths. A time when the sun goes to bed before Jeopardy even comes on. A time when I sit in my room, curled up depressed and crying in the fetal position next to the space heater, for days at a time.

Yes, wintertime is rapidly approaching. The calendar doesn't know it. But I know it. You know it. And Saranac knows it. Which is why, within a matter of days, their annual 12 Beers of Winter box will be sitting pretty on store shelves next to dusty bottle of Pumpkin Ale after forgotten Pumpkin Ale.

What has me excited is that this year's offering includes three new brews. Along with oldtimers like Extra Special Bitter, Belgian Ale, and Season's Best, this box of tastiness will include Vanilla Stout, Indian Brown Ale, and Bohemian Pilsner. Now, I know what you're thinking. No I don't. But I know what I'm thinking.

I'm thinking this will be getting my unemployment money. Let's face it, I like me a good stout. And while I'm a bit apprehensive about a vanilla stout (thanks, Southern Tier), the India Brown and Bohemian Pilsner sound intriguing. At the moment, not much information seems to be available about these new beers, other than the names. But the names are new, and the location is local, which is pretty much an automatic "I'm gonna try this" in Kevin's Book o' Beer.

Expect reviews of the three newcomers by the end of the month, assuming Hegedorns puts these out before Halloween.