Good Spirits - 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers - page 351

( Boston Logan International (8 miles/

sideinnboston.com). $$$ The Charles
Hotel, 1 Bennett St., Cambridge ( & 800/
882-1818 or 617/864-1200; www.charles
hotel.com).

13km).
L $$ Harborside Inn, 185 State St.,

Boston ( & 617/670-6015; www.harbor

Breweries

394

Saranac Brewery
Time-Honored Regional Brew
Utica, New York

While most microbreweries are young
upstarts, the Saranac Brewery has been
producing beer since 1888, when F. X.
Matt I, a German-born immigrant, founded
a brewery in the foothills of the Adiron-
dack Mountains of New York. Today, Sara-
nac produces a wide variety of beer and
soft drinks, including Utica Club, the first
beer that the government permitted for
sale after Prohibition. It remains a popular
mainstay and, like all Saranac beers, it is
made from high-quality, natural ingredi-
ents, right down to the locally harvested
grains and pure water that flows from the
Adirondacks. Safeguarding the tradition of
brewing with only the freshest ingredi-
ents, a Matt family member has been at
the helm of the Matt Brewing Company for
four generations.
Like most small breweries, Saranac
offers a wide variety of brews throughout
the year, with limited editions and sea-
sonal brews on tap at various times. Sara-
nac Imperial Stout is part of a line of beers
rich in complexity, flavor, and—as should
be noted—alcoholic content. These are
beers to sip, rather than gulp. Most aficio-
nados stick with the excellent ales and
lagers (Three Stooges Ale being the wacki-
est). Saranac's line of sodas includes favor-
ites such as root beer along with more
unusual offerings like Shirley Temple and
orange cream.

Although Saranac is an old brewery, its
commitment to recycling and the environ-
ment is thoroughly up to date. They sell
used grain to farmers as cow feed and
recycle all materials used in brewing and
packaging, including aluminum, glass,
plastic straps, and cartons. The brewery
itself employs a system to cut down on
energy during peak times and has elimi-
nated air-conditioning and other nones-
sential energy consumption in the
company offices (when you're lucky
enough to be working in these deliciously
cool north woods, air-conditioning is
decidedly optional).
Tours are available June through
August, 7 days a week; September through
May, tours are available on Fridays and
Saturdays. Set aside 2 hours to take the
tour and visit the gift shop and tavern.
Naturally, two samples of either beer or
soda are offered at the conclusion of the
tour.

830 Varick St., Utica, New York
( & 800/765-6288 or 315/732-0032; www.
saranac.com).
( Syracuse Hancock Intl (58 miles/
93km).
L $$ Hotel Utica, 102 Lafayette St.
( & 877/906-1912 or 315/724-7829; www.
hotelutica.com).