FAQs
Q: Where Can I Find Saranac?
Saranac Beer, as well as Saranac 1888 Soft Drinks (Root Beer, Diet Root Beer, Orange Cream & Ginger Beer) are available in 26 states.
These states include: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. Saranac Soft Drink Products only (not Saranac Beer products) are available in Arizona and California.
For more detailed information on where you can find Saranac in your area, please check out our Find Saranac page for the names of retailers near you that carry Saranac. If that doesn't give you the results you want, you can contact us by email or by phone (315) 624-2417.
Q: What is the meaning of the word Saranac?
Saranac is an Iroquois word meaning “Cluster of Stars.” This name is fitting for a beer brewed in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, home to the Iroquois Native Americans. They lived with the beauty and serenity that was inherent to Saranac Lake and the surrounding area. We borrow that name in the spirit with which it was created, and we brew our Saranac line of beers from the pure water that flows from the Adirondacks and the grains that grow in its unspoiled soil.
Q: What is the meaning of the word Adirondack?
From http://www.catskill.net/purple/sulavik.htm:
The word Adirondack was used by the Iroquois Native Americans to refer to the Algonquin Native Americans. The term literally means “tree eaters” or “bark eaters.” This was meant to be an insult to the Algonquin, since they were frequently at war with the Mohawk Native Americans (a tribe of the Iroquois). However, the Algonquin Native Americans did literally eat bark from trees in order to survive long winters in the mountains in Upstate New York and Canada.
Q: How is “Saranac” pronounced? How is “Adirondack” pronounced? How is “Utica” pronounced?
From Dictionary.com and dictionary.infoplease.com:
Saranac: [sa-rə-nak]
Adirondack: [ad-uh-ron-dak]
Utica: [yoo-ti-kuh]
Q: How Can I Tell When My Beer Was Packaged?
To help ensure freshness, Saranac bottles and case cartons utilize what is called the Julian date coding system -a simple method for identifying when the bottle was produced. The Julian date code assigns a three-digit number to each day of the year, from 001 (January 1st) to 365 (December 31st). A fourth digit designates the year, such as the number 0 to represent 2010.
So...a bottle of Saranac produced on January 15th 2010 would carry this Julian date code: 0150 (015 = January 15th and 0 = 2010)
You can find this code just above the label on the bottle shoulder. The Julian date code is the first four digits. The next four digits represent the time of day.
Q: How Can I Find Out If A Certain Saranac Brand Is Still Available?
We brew a variety of beers - just one advantage of owning our own brewery! We often hear from consumers that they fell in love with a certain Saranac brew and now they can't find it. To keep our fans guessing we keep adding new Saranac Beers on a very limited basis. Unfortunately we cannot brew them all, but if you have a Saranac favorite or a brew you would like us to consider, e-mail us at info@saranac.com. To help whet your appetite, we have listed our current selections, along with past and present Saranac Limited Releases.
SARANAC YEAR-ROUND FAVORITES:
Saranac Adirondack Lager (the original Saranac)
Saranac Black & Tan
Saranac Pale Ale
Saranac Black Forest
Saranac India Pale Ale
Saranac Pomegranate Wheat
SARANAC LIMITED RELEASES 2010:
Saranac What Ales You? Variety Pack
Saranac Irish Red Ale
Saranac Irish Stout (new for 2010)
Saranac 12 Beers of Summer
Saranac Summer Brew
Saranac 12 Beers A Falling
Saranac Pumpkin Ale
Saranac Octoberfest
Saranac 12 Beers of Winter
Saranac Season's Best
LIMITED RELEASES OF THE PAST:
Saranac Scotch Ale
Saranac Mountian Berry Ale
Saranac Winter Wassail
Saranac Wild Berry Wheat
Saranac Nut Brown Ale
Saranac Chocolate Amber
Saranac Mocha Stout
Saranac Single Malt
Saranac Oatmeal Stout
Saranac Black Diamond Bock
Saranac Hefeweizen
Saranac Kolsch
Saranac Vanilla Stout
Saranac Traditional Lager
SARANAC 12 BEERS OF SUMMER 2009:
Saranac Pomegranate Wheat
Saranac Summer Ale
Saranac Rye Pilsener
Saranac Pale Pale Ale
Saranac Helles
Saranac Amber Wheat
SARANAC 12 BEERS OF WINTER 2009:
Saranac Maple Porter
Saranac Big Moose Ale (New for 2009)
Saranac Winter Lager (New for 2009)
Saranac Rye IPA (New for 2009)
Saranac Black Lager (New for 2009)
Saranac Belgian Ale
SARANAC VARIETY PACKAGES:
Saranac Adirondack Trail Mix
Saranac Twelve Beers of Summer
Saranac Twelve Beers of Winter
Saranac What Ales You?
Saranac 12 Beers A Falling
SARANAC SOFT DRINKS:
Saranac Root Beer
Saranac Ginger Beer
Saranac Diet Root Beer
Saranac Orange Cream
Saranac Shirley Temple
SARANAC SPARKLING ORGANICS SOFT DRINKS:
Saranac Mandarin Orange
Saranac Pomegranate Berry
Saranac Acai Berry
Q: What If Saranac Is Not Available in My State?
Unfortunately, we do not have distribution of our beer in every state yet. We are hoping to be able to expand our distribution area in the future, and we may have distributors for beer all throughout the United States someday. We regret that we also would not be able to ship beer directly to you due to federal regulations on alcoholic beverages. We are only authorized to ship beer to wholesalers/distributors. Please see above for a list of states that we currently have distribution in. You may be able to visit one of these states in order to purchase Saranac Beer. We are happy to ship Saranac soft drinks if you are having difficulty finding them in your area (please see below for information on ordering Saranac Soft Drinks). You are also invited to come visit us and the beautiful region in which we live, for a tour of our operations and a visit to our Brewery Shop, where you can purchase Saranac Beer.
Small breweries like ours face many obstacles in fulfilling the demands of distribution for our interested consumers. Aside from the widely varying state alcohol regulations, we also do not have the capital that larger breweries do, which affords them widespread advertising opportunities. Consumers like you can help us by continuously pushing your local retailers, bars and beverage distributors to carry Saranac products. With the help of Saranac fans like you, we are working very diligently on expanding our distribution, and we hope it won’t be long before we are in all the states and cities in the United States!
We apologize for any inconvenience you have in finding our products, and we appreciate your interest in Saranac.
Q: Can I Order Saranac Soft Drinks?
Yes, we can ship our Saranac 1888 Root Beer, Diet Root Beer, Orange Cream, Shirley Temple, or Ginger Beer, as well as Saranac items from the Trailwear catalog anywhere in the U.S. For complete ordering and shipping information, please call our Brewery Gift Shop at 1-800-765-6288.
Q: Who are Schultz & Dooley?
Schultz and Dooley are talking beer steins that represented our Brewery and its products for many years. The "spokesmugs" are a favorite of stein collectors all over the world. If you own an original pair of the steins, they are said to be worth up to $2000. No visit to our Brewery is complete until you visit the Brewery Shop, where all members of the stein family are on display. You can also order our character steins online at www.schultzanddooleyonline.com
Q: Where is the Brewery located? Are tours offered?
Our beautiful, historic brewery, founded in 1888, is located in Utica, NY at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Take exit 31 off the New York State Thruway and follow the aroma of fresh hops and malts! Signs will direct you to the Brewery, just 1 ½ miles from the exit.
Our very "hands-on" tour will help you to become a more discerning beer lover; then visit our 1888 Tavern to sample the beer and try out your new skills.
We offer tours: June through August, Monday through Saturday at 1:00PM and 3:00PM, September through May, Friday and Saturday at 1:00PM and 3:00PM. Closed Sundays and all major holidays.
Gift Shop hours: Monday through Saturday 10:00 AM-5:00PM
Except for the summer months, we do request that you call in advance to make reservations for tours, which typically run 1 hour. For more information, call: (315) 732-0022 or 1-800-765-6288.
Q: Where can I find nutritional information on Saranac products?
To obtain information on Saranac products such as calories, carbohydrates, etc., you can e-mail us at info@saranac.com
Q: How Do I Apply For A Job With Saranac?
Summer Positions?
Join our team! Matt Brewery is seeking outgoing, ambitious, well-spoken individuals to help spread the word about Saranac and our Brewery.
This temporary, full-time position for tour guides at the Brewery's Tour Center will make for a summer you will not forget! No prior experience is necessary, but a love of beer and prior public speaking experience is helpful. Must be available June 7th through September 1st for the entire summer and some weekends. You may send a resume by April 1st to:
Mrs. Leigh D'Agostino
Subject: Tour Guide Positions
Via fax (315) 624-2452 or
email to: info@saranac.com
Q: How do I contact Saranac to sponsor an event?
We ask that all information be submitted in writing to:
Event Sponsorships
Matt Brewing Company
811 Edward St.
Utica, NY 13502
The necessary information is as follows: date/time of event, contact person, number of people expected to attend, location, beer sale opportunities, signage opportunities, media coverage expected. Use your best judgment to include any information that may be relevant. Requests must be submitted at least 3 weeks in advance.
Our company is proud to support our community in many ways, and we try to participate in as many charitable causes as possible. While we would like to be able to honor all donation requests, considering the volume that we receive it just is not possible, however worthy we feel they may be. With this in mind, we have established guidelines regarding our consideration of donation or sponsorship requests that we feel will allow us to accommodate as many worthwhile organizations, charities, and fund-raising events as possible:
- We can only accept donation requests from non-profit groups or organizations in our local area (Oneida County/Mohawk Valley/Central New York)
- We are unable to consider donations to individual cause events (benefits, dances, sports sponsorships, etc.)
- We generally donate Saranac product on a buy-one-get-one free basis rather than contributing monetarily
- Because of the nature of our business, we are also unable to support or make donations to groups or organizations (schools, etc.) that benefit children under the legal drinking age of 21. This avoids any appearance of improper influence of underage drinking
Q: Can You Send Me Labels/Coasters/Banners/Posters?
If you send a self-addressed envelope, along with $5.00 and a note indicating your request for LABELS or COASTERS, we will mail you 4 coasters or an assortment of 50 labels, in continental United States only. Orders with payment will be filled. All other requests will not be sent.
We do not offer banners or posters at no-charge, simply because we cannot incur the cost for all requests. However, we do have posters available at no charge if you visit the Brewery Shop in Utica, and at most Saranac promotional events.
If you are a retailer that carries Saranac and are in need of promotional materials, please contact your local distributor. If you still have problems, you can e-mail us and we will put you in touch with the Saranac Brewery Representative in your area.
If you wish to purchase any Saranac point of sale material, contact our Brewery Gift Shop at 1-800-765-6288.
Q: I Still Need Answers To My Questions? Can I Leave You A Note?
Yes. You can e-mail us at info@saranac.com
Questions
If you have a question about Saranac, check our FAQ page. If your question doesn't appear here, please email us at info@saranac.com. Cheers.
Comments
If you would like to comment on our beer (or read what others are saying), visit our comments page. Thanks for the kind words.