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!
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!
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!"
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!
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!
Drumroll Please...
Here it is, what you've all been waiting for. Summer is near, and we've got the beer (and some pretty awesome music too!) Don't forget, the first Saranac Thursday is May 27th. Only 27 days away!
2010 Saranac Thursday Band Line Up
May 27th- Dashboard Nixon
June 3rd- Showtime
June 10th- Earl Pickens
June 17th- Last Call
June 24th- Gridley Paige
July 1st- One Hard Krank
July 8th- Custom Taylor Band
July 15th- Crazy Fools
July 22nd- Enter the Haggis
July 29th- Fulton Chain Gang
August 5th- The Bourbon Mothers
August 12th- Jimkata
August 19th- Capital Zen
August 26th- Three Inch Fury
September 2nd- Pre moe.down Throwdown
Lucky #7 in Craft Brewers
Yesterday, The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group that tabulates production statistics for U.S. breweries, released its annual lists reporting the top 50 brewing companies in the country, based on 2009 beer sales volume.
The two lists are the Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies, comprising small and independent craft brewers, and the Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies. We are proud to announce we were ranked #7 out of 50 Top Craft Breweries and #14 out of 50 Top Overall Breweries! Cheers to YOU for drinking lots of Saranac! As always, we appreciate your support. Read the whole story...
Cheers to Craft Beer!
This weekend, the Brewers Association is hosting the Craft Brewers Conference in Chicago. Both Nick and Fred are attending this awesome event which educates the entire community of craft brewers and of course, celebrates craft beer! Every year they get excited to learn along with their fellow colleagues. The whole weekend is dedicated to their ultimate goal, brewing you great beer! For professional brewers, the Craft Brewers Conference is the number one environment in North America for concentrated, affordable brewing education and idea sharing to improve brewery quality and performance. Read more about the Craft Brewers Conference on their website!
Create your own bucket list: One beer to try before you die
From some 20,000 beer brands and many more varieties worldwide, a team of international beer writers has chosen one of our favorites to include in their book, “1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die,” Saranac’s very own Black Forest. The German-inspired dark lager, a Bavarian-style black beer, is described by the reviewers as having "an inviting dark brown body...filling the mouth with a pleasing balance of bready malt and earthy hops."
We would add only one caveat to their review: grab your opener and work your happy way through our other exceptional core and seasonal brews, and create your own bucket list. We’ll start counting.