The Best Beers Brewed At F.X. Matt Brewery In Utica – Greg’s Top 5

By Greg Splashin' McShea July 13, 2011 11:10 AM

Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

We are very fortunate to have a great local employer and civic-minded company based in Utica – the F.X. Matt Brewing Company. And it's a big plus that they make the best beer in the world, right in our own backyard. As a former F.X. Matt Brewery Tour Guide and beer connoisseur, I thought you might appreciate what are the five best Matt Brewery beers, in my humble opinion.

Now in ascending order:

Saranac.com

Saranac Black Forest

A Bavarian black beer with distinctive carmel malt sweetness and rich creamy trademark head. Flavorful, yet smooth; it is very drinkable! I like this one because it’s a dark beer that isn’t overpowering, and I recall from my tour guide days that F.X. Matt Sr., the brewery founder, learned the art of making beer at the Duke of Baden Brewery in the Black Forest region of Germany.

Saranac.com

Saranac Irish Stout

Saranac Irish Stout is a lavish beer blended with dark malts to create a coffee like taste. Look for a roasted character that is surprisingly smooth and refreshing, pint after pint. I’m not a big stout guy (although my waste size has gone up a bit since college), but this stout isn’t bitter as some, and it is very refreshing for a black beer.

Saranac.com

Saranac Irish Red Ale

Irish Reds get their deep garnet color from carefully selected batches of 2 row malts that are specially kilned to develop their sugars and then roasted to produce the wonderful, caramel and toffee notes that accompany the rich color. I’ve sampled plenty of Irish red ales, and most are much too malty. Saranac has a pleasant combination of maltiness with a hint of hop flavor.

Saranac.com

Saranac Adirondack Lager

This is a classic German lager with perfect balance of caramel malt sweetness. Look for a rich, amber color and medium body. I recall that F.X. Matt II traveled to Germany several years ago, and when he returned came up with this recipe. Of all the Saranacs, this one is my favorite, and it’s the first beer to be produced under the Saranac brand.

Saranac.com

Utica Club Pilsener Lager

Utica Club is a premium pilsener-lager made from the finest natural ingredients and aged to perfection. U.C. was the first beer licensed for sale at the end of prohibition and quickly grew to become a legend among beer lovers all across the country…its popularity fueled in part by the television exploits of famous U.C. “spokesmugs” Schultz and Dooley. “UC for me” is still a phrase you hear in taverns, and as this was the biggest selling beer produced by the brewery when I was a tour guide, it’s my sentimental all-time favorite.