About Saranac Brewery (Matt Brewing Company)
The Saranac brewery on Varick Street in Utica has been run by the Matt family for four generations; Fred Matt is president and Nick Matt is chairman. The company describes its home as one of America's first breweries, and it has been making beer for 138 years. The lineup today ranges from Adirondack Lager and Legacy IPA to the Growler Hazy IPA, lower-strength Weekend Warrior beers and a fall Oktoberfest pack.
The best way to see the place is a VIP Tour, a 45-minute walk behind the scenes that ends with a tasting of four beers. Tours run Fridays and Saturdays at 3, 4 and 5 p.m., cost $20 per person, are for guests over 21, and require closed-toe shoes. Reservations are made by email through the tour page.
The 1888 Biergarten and Tavern is the brewery's public face: an outdoor garden with ten beers on tap, a full bar, lawn games and a full food menu, open seasonally from May until the snow arrives. A tasting room and gift shop selling steins and brewery merchandise sit on the first floor of the tavern. Concerts and events fill the calendar in summer. Street parking is on Varick Street, and on weekends and after 6 p.m. you can park in the shipping lot.
Spring Creek Lavender in Remsen is about 25 minutes north of the brewery, and its summer u-pick and lavender festival pair well with a late-afternoon biergarten visit on the way back through Utica.
What to do
- Take the 45-minute VIP brewery tour, Fridays and Saturdays (21+)
- Taste four beers at the end of the tour
- Sit in the 1888 Biergarten, May until the snow
- Browse steins and merchandise in the tavern gift shop
- Catch a summer concert in the biergarten
Season, hours and prices
- Season
- 1888 Biergarten open seasonally from May until snow; VIP tours on Fridays and Saturdays
- Hours
- Posted on their website (2026): tasting room and gift shop Thursday 3-7 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; biergarten hours vary by season, so check their website
- Admission
- Free to visit; VIP Tour $20 per person (as posted in 2026)
Good to know
- Age
- 21 or older to taste or drink alcohol
Tips for your visit
- Wear closed-toe shoes for the tour
- Weekend and after-6 p.m. parking is in the shipping lot; cars left overnight may be towed
- Check their website for event days, when biergarten hours change
- Plan a designated driver
Pair it with a lavender farm
Spring Creek Lavender · about 25 minutes away
Spring Creek Lavender in Remsen is about 25 minutes north, so a summer u-pick morning can end with the biergarten in Utica.
Getting there
Questions
How long is the Saranac brewery tour?
About 45 minutes, ending with a tasting of four beers.
Can kids take the tour?
No, tours are for guests over 21.
When is the biergarten open?
Seasonally, from May until the snow arrives.
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
