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!
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!
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!
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!
Nick Matt on Fox and Friends
Joined by Fox and Friends Co-Anchor Steve Doocy, Nick Matt, Dan Kopman, Co-Founder of Schafley Beer and Leslie Henderson, CEO and Head Brewmaster of Lazy Magnolia Brewery discussed how this legislation would help craft brewers to create more jobs, improve their facilities, and grow their businesses.
For more information and to learn how you can get involved, visit the Brewer’s Association’s resources on the Excise Tax Bill:
Cheers to you Fox, for helping us bring awareness to this important issue! We were honored to have Nick on the show.
Sausage anyone?
Save the date for "The Session: Oktoberfest (It's a Sausage Party)"
On Friday, September 10, 2010, we'll be hosting the second "Session" event. For those of you who attended “The Session: A Saranac Beer and Food Pairing Experience” back in May, you know our "Session" events are a little different from most events at the Brewery: we focus on craft beers and the perfect food to pair with each. Join us this September for "The Session: Oktoberfest (It's a Sausage Party)" to celebrate locally brewed craft beer (featuring our fall seasonals, Pumpkin Ale and Octoberfest), and lots of authentic German sausage. There is no better combination. Get your tickets at the Brewery Shop or on online now. Check our events page often and "Like" us on Facebook to be among the first to know what Brewery events are going on.
Two more weeks of great Saranac music!
After two great events, our Summer Concert Series continues: Night Ranger will be here Friday, August 13, 2010, and we’ll host STS9 on Wednesday, August 18, 2010. Don't miss these phenomenal shows on the Saranac Summer Concert Series Stage. Check their links below to listen to some of their music and warm up for the shows (try it with a Saranac in hand to get the full effect). Then get your tickets online or at The Brewery Shop, and get ready to Drink With Us (and hundreds of our friends).
We’ll see you there. Cheers!
Night Ranger: 80s hit rock band with tunes you'll know and sing along to...
http://www.myspace.com/nightranger
STS9: Instrumental electronic rock band at the forefront of the electronic music scene...
http://tour.sts9.com/?p=62
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!