Utica’s Saranac Brewery Makes List Of Most Successful Craft Breweries In America

In 2018, Americans drank about 6.3 billion gallons of beer. Here in Utica or Central New York, chances are that beer came from the Saranac Brewery.

A big congrats goes out to the Saranac Brewery. They recently made the list of "35 Most Successful Craft Breweries in America" coming in at number 16:

16. F.X. Matt Brewing Co. / Saranac

German immigrant Francis Xavier Matt founded the West End Brewing Co. in 1888. During Prohibition, the brewery survived by making soft drinks, and upon Repeal, obtained the nation’s first license to make and sell beer. Now renamed in honor of its founder and run by fourth-generation members of the Matt family, it is best known for its Saranac beers — including Adirondack Lager and S’more Porter."

Every year, the Brewers Association releases two lists of the top brewing companies in the U.S. according to the previous year’s sales volume. One list covers companies overall, while the other concentrates on craft breweries.

Who came in at number one? D.G. Yuengling and Son, Inc. of Pottsville Pennsylvania. They are currently the oldest brewery in America, founded in 1829.

Even though it’s a large-scale producer, it is independently owned and ships fewer than 6 million barrels a year, so Yuengling meets the Brewers Association definition of a craft brewery. Its sales are particularly impressive considering that it is distributed only on the East Coast and in the South. "

From the list, it is estimated that 7,500-plus craft breweries shipped 25.9 million barrels of beer. We clearly like our ice cold beverages here in the states.