FX Matt Brewery Burns and Burns
As of this morning, firefighters were continuing to battle a fire at the historic F.X. Matt brewery in Utica, New York.
Utica fire officials said that hotspots remain in the brick building more than 12 hours after the fire began. Flames were first discovered around 5pm Thursday during a weekly outdoor concert hosted by the brewery. No concertgoers were injured, according to reports, but two employees at the brewery were treated for smoke inhalation.
The fire appears to have started in a canning and processing building on the brewery’s Saranac brand compound. There is no word yet from officials as to the cause of the fire.
The brewery, now more than 120 years old, began in 1885 when F.X. Matt I left the Duke of Baden Brewery in the Black Forest region of Germany to travel to the United States. After a stint working at the Bierbaur Brewery, F.X. Matt re-organized the brewery as The West End Brewing Company in 1888. It is the oldest brewery in the state of New York and the third-oldest family-owned brewery in the US, behind my own state of Pennsylvania’s Yuengling Brewery and August Schell Brewing Company.
If you’re wondering why you feel like you know the brewery but just can’t place it… it’s likely that you’ve had a Saranac, the most popular of the lines produced by the brewery. The brewery, then West End Brewing Company, also produced Billy Beer (hubby still has a full can).
F.X. Matt Vice President Fred Matt has said the company will rebuild.
You can watch some amateur footage of the fire here:
Tags: Billy Beer, fire, FX Matt Brewery, Saranac, West End Brewing Company
1 opinion for FX Matt Brewery Burns and Burns
The Friar
May 30, 2008 at 4:13 pm
In teh form of Saranac Matt’s provided the first craft brew I ever had and I have many fond memories of the 1859 taproom at the end of the brewery tour. Here’s hoping they rebuild quickly!
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