BROOKLYN, NY—Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recognized F.X. Matt Brewing Company Chairman and CEO Nick Matt for his leadership in growing the craft beer industry at a special Oktoberfest Celebration, Thursday, Oct. 3 at Brooklyn Brewery. Nick was awarded the “Pioneer in Industry Award.” This is the first award of its kind given by the Governor.

The F.X. Matt Brewing Co., brewers of Saranac beer, was founded in 1888 in Utica, N.Y. Today, under the leadership of Nick and Fred Matt – the third and fourth generations of the Matt family – the brewery is celebrating 125 years of brewing.

“We appreciate that our role, not only as a craft brewer but also as a brewer helping others, has been recognized by the Governor,” said Nick Matt. “We’re gratified to have received an award honoring our historical importance to growing craft beer in New York State.”

The Governor’s office invited more than 20 craft breweries from across the state to showcase their Autumnal offerings at this private event. The goal of Thursday’s celebration was to educate and engage buyers from the hospitality and tourism industries on the quality, diversity and accessibility of New York State craft beer.

The F.X. Matt Brewery has long worked to support the New York State economy by partnering with other State-based companies, supporting local agriculture, giving back to local charities, and sourcing local ingredients whenever possible. The company is pleased that Governor Cuomo is taking an active role in trying to develop the craft beer business in the State. At the Governor’s Wine, Beer & Spirits Summit last October, Nick was very vocal about the lack of support for NYS Beers at the State Fair. At this year’s fair, as a result of Nick calling attention to this issue, several venues were created to highlight New York State products and several incentives were put into place. This helped increased F.X. Matt sales at the fair by 50 percent.

“New York State has so many wonderful, home-grown products,” Nick said. “We were very pleased to see the Governor’s office strongly advocate for the enhanced promotion of New York State products at the fair.”

Saranac continues to showcase the superior offerings NY has to offer, whenever possible. They currently offer two brews that feature New York State-sourced ingredients, Tramonay Vineyard Saison and Farm to Tap – Fresh Hop IPA.

Tramonay Vineyard Saison is the first in the recently re-staged High Peaks series. This unique brew features a full-flavored grape hybrid from Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, highlighted by three distinctive hops (hallertau blanc, madarina bavaria, and huell melon), bred at the Hop Research Institute in Hull, Germany.

Farm to Tap – Fresh Hop IPA is a true testament to supporting local. This beer uses fresh heirloom hops picked by Saranac fans at local Wrobel Farms to boast an excellent aroma with a dry, citrusy taste and fresh leafy greenness brought on by the unique fresh-hop brewing process.

For more information, hit the F.X. Matt Brewing Company and Saranac up on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Saranac) or Twitter (@SaranacBrewery). Better yet, show us some love on Instagram (@SaranacBrewery).

The F.X. Matt Brewing Company in Utica, N.Y. was founded in 1888. Today, under the leadership of the third and fourth generations of the Matt family, the brewery is celebrating 125 years of brewing. The company has earned a reputation as one of the country’s most respected brewers of specialty beers, including their line of premium Saranac craft beers. In each bottle of Saranac, you’ll find a commitment to quality, the finest ingredients and patient attention to detail – the signature of the F.X. Matt Brewing Company.

You don’t swill mass marketed beer and you don’t listen to Top 40 music. So this summer, when plotting your getaway, soak up the best of both worlds and head somewhere with a soul-lifting music fest staged adjacent to wellsprings of spirit-enhancing brews. Here are four such destinations that are melodically and zymurlogically in tune.

Telluride

Located in the southwest corner of Colorado and tucked into a picturesque box canyon―there’s only one road into town and it dead-ends―Telluride is a perennial world-class playground. This former gold-mining town discovered that outdoor sports is the real goldmine. It’s a ski resort all winter long and from the moment the mountain town thaws to the last long day of warmth, it hosts an endless array of festivals celebrating everything from hot-air ballooning to plein air painting, to a gamut of music fests including jazz, Americana and bluegrass. Best of all, this year marks the 17th Annual Telluride Blues & Brew Festival.

Telluride, set into the San Juan Mountains, not the Rockies, has a small airport serviced by just a couple commercial carriers (United, Frontier, US Airways) but driving there makes for a breathtaking road trip. If it’s not ski season, a mountain bike or your own two feet are the best way to get around, or the gondola that soars up to Mountain Village, one of the ritziest enclaves in the country. Just ask homeowners Oprah and “TomKat.”

For all the pizzazz, a friendly local I met at a Blues & Brews past named Lordog (most locals are friendly and most go by one-word nicknames) says, “There three main staples for getting a beer in town and they go from dive to divier to diviest.” Up in the village, there’s Hop Garden (Mountain Village Boulevard), a biergarten with 10 taps at almost 10,000 feet. Down in town, the most craft-centric watering hole is Smuggler’s Brewpub (225 South Pine). The first of three locations including nearby Montrose and Grand Junction, Smuggler’s brews up the (excellently named) Rocky Mountain Rye served alongside meat, meat and more meat (ribs, steaks and the hearty Mountain Burger). The New Sheridan Chop House and Bar (233 West Colorado) on the main drag has been serving drinks at the same location since 1895 (when it was rebuilt after a fire, hence “new” Sheridan) from the same hand-carved bar, making it a must-see/must-drink. For more off-the-beaten-path imbibing, stroll over to the Cornerhouse Grille (131 North Fir Street) housed in an actual house. It’s no wonder Lordog loves their house burger. Here you’ll find local brews on tap such as Ska Brewing from Durango.

Of course, if money is no object and you’d rather not dine with any locals, there’s 221 South Oak (221 South Oak Street) where the $42 Elk Short Loin is to die for. Be aware the emphasis is on their wine menu.

Both to earn these hearty plates and to burn them off, other than shaking your beer-loving mash off at an all-day or three-day music fest, head for the mountains. “The first trail you should hike (if you are new to altitude and not in good shape),” says Lordog, “is Bear Creek. You can hike right from town and it’s around a five-mile loop. The scenery is unbeatable.” For a whole day out, point your boots toward Sneffels Highline, “especially in July for the wildflowers,” he says.

When it’s time to rest your weary head, the budget traveler would do well to check into the Victorian Inn (401 West Pacific Street, rooms start at $118) whereas those with five-star bank accounts would enjoy the new Capella (568 Mountain Village Boulevard, rates as high as $1115), the only stateside branch in this international chain of jet set digs. Of course, don’t overlook the Sheridan if you want to sleep with some history.

Come morning, “if you can’t get behind the wheel,” Lordog suggests you “breakfast at Maggie’s [217 East Colorado].” But if you’re able to motor, she’ll direct you to the Blue Jay Café (22332 Highway 145, Placerville) 20-minute drive down the valley. Since this is Colorado, the breakfast burrito comes with either a beefy red chili or a chickeny green chili, both legit.

Before you leave town, make sure to pop into The Sweet Life (115 West Colorado), a burger joint and sweet shop where many locals have flavors named after them, so be sure to order a scoop of “Lordog’s Candle Scramble,” no matter what’s in it.

And since this is a beer trip, whether you’re driving home or simply returning to the airport, if you head north to or through Montrose, stop in at the tiny Colorado Boy Brewery (602 Clinton Street, Ridgeway) and/or the even tinier Ourayle House down in Ouray (215 7thAvenue, Ouray). If heading south toward Durango, which itself is beercation-worthy, the towns of Dolores and Silverton have eponymous brewpubs.

But before he was established as an iconic illustrator—before his style evolved into its familiar simplicity—he produced a book that unwittingly documented the end of an American era, The Speakeasies of 1932.

Hirschfeld and Gordon Kahn, who co-wrote the text that Hirschfeld illustrated, were in their twenties. The country was twelve years into the disaster that was National Prohibition, and three years into the Great Depression, and Manhattan made adjustments to both.

The two friends frequented the illegal establishments that had sprung up all over the city; they drank and ate in them, and got to know the bartender and the specialties of the house. But unlike the other habitués, they took their observations away with them. The result is a magical book, with drawings and short descriptions of 36 saloons, bars and speakeasies. A page of text and a single drawing of the barman—and here and there a cocktail recipe—is enough to conjure a lost world.

Many of these were not refined lounges, but gritty joints concealed behind false store fronts or anonymously located on the upper floors of office buildings.

Lew Bryson is quite well known and respected among beer aficionados, especially on the East Coast. He currently writes for the Malt Advocate and Ale Street News and has another book to his credit, Pennsylvania Breweries. His love of and knowledge of beer are undeniable. His skill as a clever and entertaining writer, however, makes this book a much better read than most guides, regardless of theme.

Up front, Bryson dedicates a few pages to a brief discussion of the history of New York brewing, how the author developed his infatuation for beer, and how to utilize the book. The introduction also includes a state map pinpointing the location of each establishment. From there, Bryson devotes himself to individual assessments of each of the state’s 54 breweries, with each review encompassing four or five pages. The book is divided into eight sections. Seven are regionally descriptive segments with their resident breweries/brewpubs; one section is reserved for “The Big Guys.”

Bryson begins every review with a couple of pages of simple text filled with anecdotal information from his personal experience of the place, as well as some historical and regional content. He deftly paints a vivid word picture for the reader; there are no photographs in the book, allowing beer hunters to decide for themselves if this particular venue is appealing. Sidebars present all of the brews produced, along with the author’s personal favorite, which he refers to as “The Pick.” He then lists all of the other pertinent information like barrelage produced, hours of operation, local lodging options, tour information, and other area attractions.

For brewpubs he gives a thorough rundown of the food choices and miscellaneous considerations. A detailed street map accompanies each review. Knowing that a dedicated brew hound is never satisfied, Bryson reveals other nearby watering holes and restaurants serving quality craft beers.

For a little icing on the cake, he adds a few pages called “A word about…” after the eight sections. These are short treatises on brewing, bars, beer traveling, and local foods, to name a few. You will be able to order a spiedie or beef on weck just like a local, and actually know what you’re getting.

Bryson takes us on an ambitious beer tour of the great state of New York, diverting us from the usual guidebook dryness with a personally affected and attentively composed effort. He reminds us not only that New York was once a New World brewing Mecca, but also that it is again worthy of respect among beer hunters and travelers.