Saranac - Beer is our Craft
We're very excited to share details about our latest creation: a brand new Saranac commercial. After much planning, filming, editing, and Saranac Pale Ale (our creative juice!) it’s ready to make its debut.
Early this summer, we started thinking about all the ingredients that go into making Saranac so special. In addition to the beer itself, we love the unique place we work every day: our Brewery. Unlike any in the brewing world, it’s a sacred place to us, with a long history and a character as distinctive as Saranac itself. We thought about how amazing it would be if the walls of this historic brewhouse could talk…and our theme was born. Our new commercials (this one and more to follow) tell you what we believe these walls would say—what they’ve seen and continue to witness today—about the people, the beer and everything that goes into our delicious hand crafted brews.
We think this commercial really captures the Brewery, the beer and our brewing philosophy—to make high quality beers that are distinctive but drinkable. We produced the spot using a phenomenal new cinema-style format, referred to as HDSLR. For all you non-techies, it starts with the video output from a Canon 5D Mark II camera—this is essentially an advanced professional version in the DSLR family of cameras that many of us use to take great still shots. Now professionals are using them as an alternative to actual film. With high-end prime lenses and a few extra add ons we can capture fine details and reveal some of the true beauty of the beer and Brewery. We also exclusively used resources and talent from our home state, New York. From the filming to the music, we're supporting local and regional businesses like ours!
Without further ado, enjoy our new commercial, titled "Beer is our Craft." We hope you love it (and get a little thirsty while you’re watching, like we did). As always we’d appreciate hearing your feedback. Cheers!
The Saranac Hop Harvest
Join us for the first ever Saranac Hop Harvest.
(That’s right folks, we’re having a good old-fashioned, hop pickin’, hootenanny!)
But first, a little history:
In the 1800's and 1900's, our family traditionally used local hop farms for ingredients to brew our famous award-winning beers. Nick Matt can remember as a child, his grandfather, F.X. Matt, visiting farms every Sunday to pick out and purchase his hops for the week. One of these popular hop farms originally owned by the Shaul Family, is still in existence today. Founded in the 1860's, this hop farm was later purchased by the Hittleman family to supply their Brewery, Edelbrew, in Brooklyn, NY. Currently owned by Jim Wrobel of Wrobel Farms, this farm which is right outside of Utica, in Bridgewater, NY is equipped with an original hop kiln, and is blooming with hops! A rich background in growing and harvesting these delicate flowers is what enticed us to explore the idea of brewing with local hops. There is already a deep connection since the farm dates back to the 1860's, not far from when F.X. Matt founded our Brewery in 1888. It has always been our goal to brew beer using as many local ingredients as possible. With these hops grown less than 20 miles from the Brewery, we’re going to be able to support yet another local business while brewing our beer.
For the past several years, Jim has been testing different varieties of hops with hopes of expanding his crop so we could make a brew. Recently our brewmaster, Jim Kuhr, paid Jim Wrobel a visit and he couldn’t have been more thrilled to see what this year’s crop has to offer. We immediately formed a partnership to brew a special Saranac beer made with these local heirloom hops dating back to 1872.
By now you’re probably thinking this is pretty cool, and you want to get involved, right? We have good news…we’re looking for your help!
On Sunday, August 28, 2011 from 2-6PM we’re inviting our friends of Saranac (that means you) to help us harvest the hops. When we’re done picking, our brewers will head to the Brewery to start the beer, and you'll stay at the Farm hanging with us while we cook you a backyard barbeque right at the Farm. Of course we'll toast to a job well done with some cold Saranac, too!
If you want to be part of our first ever Saranac Hop Harvest, and say you helped brew the first ever locally hopped Saranac beer, be ready to get your hands dirty, and click the link below. We hope you can come share this special day with us!
small changes. BIG IMPACT.
We're teaming up with the awesome folks at Rust to Green and Enter the Haggis to make a "small change" before we kick-off Great American Irish Festival weekend! Rust to Green, a Action Research Initiative founded in 2010 by five professors at Cornell University, came up with the idea of "small changes" which are little projects planned throughout Utica that add up to make a big impact. At Saranac, we always believe in helping our local community, so we decided a "small change" would be a perfect way to begin our "green" weekend. Our friends from Enter the Haggis agreed! We're going to help Rust to Green spruce up an area near Franklin Square by cleaning, planting trees and painting a mural. Anybody who attends is invited to join us in the 1888 Tavern immediately following. We'll provide an ice cold Saranac Beer or Soft Drink, and you'll be able to hang with the guys from Enter the Haggis before they play! They'll continue the party at Saranac Thursdays where we'll be serving up lots of Saranac Irish Red Ale. We hope you can join us on Thursday for some fun, philanthropy and beer. It doesn't get any better than this!
Rock on with the Sounds of Saranac!
Tomorrow we're continuing our Saranac Summer Concert Series with Yonder Mountain String Band and Umphrey's McGee. For the first time on the Saranac stage as a double bill, these two bands are expected to create one of the best live performances we’ve seen at the Brewery!
Yonder Mountain String Band has always played music by its own set of rules. Bending bluegrass, rock and countless other influences, Yonder has pioneered a sound of their own. With their traditional lineup of instruments, the band may look like a traditional bluegrass band at first glance but they’ve created their own music that transcends any genre. Visit their website and click "listen now" in the upper right hand corner to hear some of their tunes.
Chicago-based Umphrey's McGee is no stranger to Saranac, having played here for our very first concert at the Brewery. Plus they put on an awesome show last summer! Umphrey's McGee describes their singular style as, “virtuoso playing with acrobatic tempo changes and rhythmic shifts complemented by dazzling song craft and composition, memorable hooks, and anthemic guitar lines.” Say that five times after a few ice cold Saranacs! To hear their sound, check out their Live Recordings Archive for some recent shows and samples from their new album, Mantis.
To experience these shows in Brewery style, visit our Trailwear site for info on our Sounds of Saranac Packages. Grab a pair of tickets, do a tour, get awesome beer gear and more for one all-inclusive price! Offers for tomorrow's great show and our next concert, Robert Randolf on August 5th, are available.
Cheers to music and great beer!
A Better Vibe!
Looking for a better vibe this summer? We found it for our latest sponsorship: this year’s Gathering of the Vibes Music Festival in Bridgeport, Connecticut. We got the perfect feeling from this one, and partnered with the Vibes to create an exclusive brew to be served at this year’s event. We asked Saranac fans and members of the “Vibe Tribe” and to help us name the beer, and the suggestions and votes came flowing in. The overwhelming winner was Saranac Liquid Vibes. The new official beer of Gathering of the Vibes will be a refreshing lager, perfect for this laid back summer event. Saranac Liquid Vibes will be sharing space in the beer tent with Saranac IPA and Saranac Summer Ale. We hope you can join us!
Gathering of the Vibes began in 1996 as a celebration of the life of Jerry Garcia, who had passed away the previous summer. Now in its 16th year, Vibes has grown into a four-day festival that has featured such world-class talent as Crosby, Stills and Nash; all living members of the Grateful Dead; the Allman Brothers Band; James Brown; the Black Crowes; Buddy Guy; Jimmy Cliff; Primus; George Clinton and P-Funk; Bruce Hornsby; Les Claypool; and many, many more, while continuing to showcase extraordinarily talented young up-and-coming bands. With its great line-up of headline bands, new bands and local favorites, the Vibes attracts 25,000-30,000 people per day.
We’re looking forward to this popular fest and serving up lots of Saranac Liquid Vibes. We hope you can join us!
Hey Saranac, lookin' good!
Saranac is rocking a whole new look in stores this month. You’ll be transported to the open skies and breathtaking scenes of the Adirondacks when you pick up your next Saranac. We're introducing beautiful new label and package artwork for our award-winning Family of Beers. The labels feature ingredients of each handcrafted beer surrounding a scene from Saranac’s Adirondack watercolors. Throughout the background, Adirondack inspired sketches complete the look. New artwork is also featured on our new high-sided 6-pack carrier, with larger, more vivid images, a strong complement to the Saranac experience.
Our artist, John Stewart, put a lot of thought into the new designs. “My main focus in designing this packaging was to highlight the quality, depth and detail that the beer itself deserves,” said John. “The Brewery is located at the foothills of a beautiful region in New York State, the Adirondacks. This packaging almost transports you to the outdoors to enjoy a deliciously refreshing and authentic quality beer. People from this region of New York get a sentimental feel from the Adirondacks, which is what I wanted to capture for our beer drinkers near and far.”
You'll see the new look integrated into Saranac Pale Ale, our award-winning flagship beer, along with our entire line of acclaimed core brews. Also, after reading all of our Club Saranac Member feedback (over a couple of ice cold brews), we decided to change our Trail Mix to feature four beers: Saranac Pale Ale, Saranac Adirondack Lager, Saranac Black Forest and Saranac IPA. Saranac Trail Mix will continue to be available in 6-packs and 12-packs. In addition, our four seasonal 12-packs, What Ales You?, 12 Beers of Summer, 12 Beers A Falling, and 12 Beers of Winter, have been given extra attention to highlight each appropriate season. Watch for the new look on packaging for these unique Saranac beers made especially for their respective seasons.
We hope you enjoy the new designs. Cheers!
Yes, we can
This summer, Saranac is going portable. Now available in cans, Saranac Pale Ale and Saranac Summer Ale are perfect companions for your favorite outdoor activities. On the golf course, on a boat, or on a beach -- enjoy our flagship Pale Ale and our refreshing summer seasonal, Summer Ale. There's nothing more refreshing than the sound of that can cracking open and enjoying your first sip of an ice cold Saranac. Available this summer while supplies last.
Saranac Pale Ale
Saranac Pale Ale is an English style pale ale that is rich and fruity yet finishes crisp. With copper amber color and medium body, it is very drinkable. More on Pale Ale...
Saranac Summer Ale
To celebrate summer in the Adirondacks, we've brewed a beer with generous amounts of wheat malt for a light, refreshing taste. Look for subtle hints of lemon. More on Summer Ale...
Saranac Craft Beer Week Tour
To celebrate American Craft Beer Week Saranac is going on the road! We'll be making three stops on the Saranac Craft Beer Week Tour: Albany, Syracuse and Utica. Visit Fred Matt and our Saranac Brew Crew at any of the tastings below for a chance to win an Ultimate Brewery Tour (we'll be giving out one in each city!)
Albany-Wednesday May 18, 2011
Complementary Saranac Beer Tasting
Washington Tavern
250 Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12210
4-6PM
Complementary Saranac Beer Tasting
Wolfs 111
111 Wolf Road, Albany NY 12205
7-9PM
Syracuse-Thursday May 19, 2011
Complementary Saranac Beer Tasting
Wegmans
4722 Onondaga Blvd, Syracuse, NY 13219
5-7PM
Complementary Saranac Beer Tasting
The Retreat
302 Vine Street, Liverpool, NY 13088
6-8PM
Complementary Saranac Beer Tasting
Al's Wine & Whiskey
321 S. Clinton Street, Armory Square, Syracuse, NY 13202
9-11PM
Utica-Friday May 20, 2011
The Session: A Food & Beer Pairing Experience
F.X. Matt Brewing Company Tour Center, Corner of Court and Varick Streets, Utica, NY 13501
$40 includes 6 beer and food pairing stations, live music, brewery tours and complementary Saranac Beers and Soft Drinks
Click for more Session information and to purchase tickets.
Saranac Thursdays 2011 Band Schedule Announced!
The wait is finally over and the countdown to May 26th is on...only 22 days to go! We're excited to announce this year's line-up with 8 new bands, plus we've extended the season by two weeks to lead right into Utica Music Fest. Thank you to everyone who submitted your music. It was a tough decision with lots of awesome bands to choose from.
| May 26th-Crazy Fools June 2nd-Dashboard Nixon June 9th-Time Trooper June 16th-Matt Chase & Thunder Canyon June 23rd-Showtime June 30th-Jimkata July 7th-Syndicate July 14th-Sassafrass Jenkins July 21st-Gridley Paige |
July 28th-Enter the Haggis August 4th-Three Inch Fury August 11th-Dusty Puppies August 18th-Strung Sideways/Rusty Doves August 25th-Sirsy September 1st-Lynch September 8th-Fulton Chain Gang September 15th-Utica Music Fest Kickoff |
Two beers perfect for summer: A highlight of our refreshing seasonals
Every year at the Brewery, we take great pride in selecting beers we think complement each season perfectly. Summer is one of the most relaxing seasons of the year, so we need some thirst-quenching and refreshing libations. Here is a look into two of our beers made especially for summer. Though they both have the word "Summer" in their titles, they’re two very different and delicious beers.
Summer Ale
With more than 2,800 bodies of water in the Adirondacks, it's not hard to find a sunny place to relax, rest your feet and look out over the water. To celebrate those moments, we’ve brewed this filtered wheat-style beer with a special kind of wheat, resulting in a nice tanginess that perfectly with it's citrus background. Made with a special blend of spices including citrus peel, lemon, ginger, hibiscus flower, lemongrass and rose hips, Saranac Summer Ale is very refreshing!
Summer Brew
What are two of the best ways to quench your thirst on a hot summer day? Lemonade and beer, of course. For nearly 100 years, Europeans have mixed lemonade and beer as a refreshing beverage during the summer months. We continue this tradition with Saranac Summer Brew—a perfectly balanced blend of lemonade and lager. Very different from any of the other beers we make at Saranac, Summer Brew has just the right sweet and tart lemonade taste to complement our smooth lager. Kick back, relax and cool down with a Saranac Summer Brew!