Come "Raise the Dead"
Popular Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra is back for another year.
With an awesome light display and Grateful Dead-inspired tunes, DSO is always one of our favorite shows. What Grateful Dead set will they recreate this year? Or will it be an original? Buy some tickets and join us to find out. We'll have your favorite Saranac Beers on tap, and Saranac Soft Drinks will also be available. Hope to see you tomorrow night. Cheers!
Time flies..when you're enjoying your favorite beer!
Another Boilermaker 15K Road Race has come and gone, and many records fell, both on the course and at the after-party. 40,000 runners, family and friends, 250 kegs of Saranac Pomegranate Wheat and great music all added up to a great time. Thanks to all the volunteers, spectators, and of course runners, for making this the largest Boilermaker ever. We shot this time-lapse footage of the party from the Brewery’s roof (see if you can spot yourself in the crowd!) Remember to keep the party going all year long by enjoying Saranac in your hometown. Tell a friend how much fun you had at the Boilermaker, and bring them along next time. Cheers to another successful race. See you next year!
The Right Stuff: putting on the country's biggest 15K
The flags are up along the route and atop the finish line, and painted footprints line the roadways from start to finish—Boilermaker Week 2010 is underway. As the site of the official finish every year since its inception, we're looking forward to another great race this year and raising a glass to all the people who make it possible. Despite setting records for entries (more than 13,000 this year), and drawing tens of thousands of spectators, the Boilermaker Road Race runs smoothly year after year. So well, in fact, that runners the world over look forward to returning here to Central New York every July. It’s a testament to the more than 6,000 volunteers who make all the hard work look easy. Isn't it amazing that a race in Utica, NY has as many volunteers as the Boston and New York Marathons? We’re proud to join our city in the effort, and put on one of the best post-race parties in the world, with more than 250 kegs of cold, refreshing Saranac beer, music and more. If you see one of those hard-working volunteers in a Boilermaker Volunteer t-shirt, be sure to thank them for allowing us to host one of the best 15K races in the world, and feel free to offer them a cold Pomegranate Wheat as well.
Only Running For The Saranac
Whatever your reason is for running, spectating or volunteering, we like to think it's for the beer! Since its inception in 1978, we've been proud to sponsor the Boilermaker Road Race, the best 15K in the country. We believe community is one of the most important entities in owning a business. Supporting those around us is something we strive to do every day at the Brewery. The Boilermaker is an amazing display of how a community can come together to put on an event so special to everyone involved. We invite you to join us on race day; there is a place for everyone! Run and have fun, grab a spot on the course and start cheering, or lend a hand and volunteer. Most importantly, don't forget to enjoy a Saranac along the way. We'll be serving over 250 ice cold kegs of Pomegranate Wheat at the finish line on race day, July 11, 2010. Cheers to 32 years and the best 9.3 mile beer run around!
The secret's out, and we have the last 2 tickets
A few fans of jam band moe. heard about their upcoming, unannounced show in Saranac Lake, and were lucky enough to score tickets. Their date at the Waterhole (a small but legendary venue) on Thursday, July 29th quickly sold out (in 5 hours to be exact.) Luckily, we have a tiny little connection with moe. (it might have something to do with the beer) and we grabbed the last 2 tickets to the show! We want to give our fans (and moe.’s) an opportunity to go, so we’re giving you a chance to win them! Stop by the Waterhole this Saturday, June 26th, for a Saranac with our sales rep Damon. You might be a lucky winner. We hope you'll be joining moe. in Saranac Lake July 29th, to tip a few of our brews, and enjoy a great day in the north country.
The show isn’t even listed on Waterhole’s website (it’s unannounced, after all), but you can get directions there.
F.X. Matt Wins Record Medals!
Held in Melbourne each year, the Australian International Beer Awards, Australia’s most prestigious beer event, has become firmly established on the international brewing calendar as a renowned and recognized barometer of diversity in beer brewing across the world. The F.X. Matt Brewing Company is certainly no stranger to the AIBA, winning 9 awards from 2007 to 2009. This year, the Brewery is proud to have received seven medals, breaking a personal record for number of medals won at a competition!
Here's what we won: Saranac Pale Ale-Silver Medal, Saranac Black Forest-Silver Medal, Lake Placid Ubu Ale-Silver Medal, Saranac Adirondack Lager-Bronze Medal, Saranac Irish Stout-Bronze Medal, Lake Placid IPA-Bronze Medal, Utica Club-Bronze Medal.
“It is an extreme honor to be awarded medals at the Australian International Beer Awards, the largest annual beer awards in the world,” said Fred Matt. “Saranac is great beer and the fact that our beers continue to be chosen by judges and colleagues as some of the best beers, both domestically and internationally is a testimony to just how good our beers really are. Simply put, we are making some of the best beers in the world!"
Are you ready to get hot?
We're participating in a contest run by the Brewing Newspapers, the third annual Global Warming Open. Here is some homework for you: get hot, then cool down with a Saranac Summer Brew! After you enjoy, visit the GWO official website and enter the Locker Room to start your bracket. Help us predict Summer Brew as the most refreshing beer in America! You can even take a tip from the judges and relax in a hot tub (or in an adirondack chair like our furry friend to the left) while doing it.
See Ya, at SAVOR!
This weekend, Nick, Meghan, Chris and Steve will be traveling to Washington, DC to represent Saranac at one of our favorite events, SAVOR. We're one of 70 breweries representing eight regions of the country at the nation’s premier craft beer and food pairing event. How hot are the tickets? They sold out in 10 minutes! Find out more about this event at the official website. Be sure to check back next week for photos and news on the event!
Gimme some moe. Saranac
This is a big year for us. Saranac turns 25. And a few short years after we introduced it, a group of guys at University of Buffalo got together and started playing great music, and coincidentally, drinking our new brew. The members of the band loved music, and they loved Saranac, and so began a long and successful journey for each. Saranac has even been featured in their songwriting. Ah, great inspiration. This year the band is celebrating 20 years together. Our paths and fortunes have brought us together many times over the years, and in so many ways we just go together well. Great music and great beer.
Of course, we’re talking about legendary progressive rock band moe., and we’re psyched to have them return after a year’s hiatus to kick off our 2010 Summer Concert Series. They’ll play two nights, something we’ve only let moe. do before, on Friday and Saturday, June 4th and 5th, so you’ll have plenty of jam to go with your beer. Tickets are available at the Brewery Shop and here. Get yours soon—they’re going fast—and join us and a few thousand friends to kick off summer with Saranac and moe.
Do you want to be Mayor of Saranac Thursdays?
Effective immediately, we're searching for the Mayor of Saranac Thursdays. Want the job? Sign up for Foursquare and download the app for your phone. Check-in each time you come to Saranac Thursdays. If you check in more than anyone else, you'll become the Mayor - which comes with its own set of perks for that week.
We will determine who the Mayor is by who holds the title each Thursday at noon. We'll announce the winner online via Twitter and Facebook. It's the winner's responsibility to let the folks at the gate know that you have arrived by showing your Foursquare profile.
The Mayor will receive free admission to Saranac Thursdays for that week (as well as get to wear the Mayor's sash and be acknowledged at the event). Mayorships can change from week to week so each check-in counts! The Official check-in spot is Saranac Thursdays.
So what is Foursquare? It's a great app for your smartphone that uses your location to show your friends where you are and helps you discover cool places around town. Even after the festivities at the Brewery, you can use the app to check-in at your favorite places and connect with friends to let them know where you're sharing a Saranac. More info can be found on the Foursquare website. Good luck!