The Flow Must Go On

“We lost some material things,” said Matt, “but the thing we keep on saying is that we didn’t lose any employees or any members of public safety. All the things we did lose can be rebuilt, but the main thing is that everyone’s healthy and OK.” Matt mentioned that there have been reports in several media outlets that $10 million in damage was incurred, and he won’t be surprised if it doesn’t approach $10.9 million or more.

Utica’s West End Brewery: Much of the original structure, as pictured, remains even after the May 29 fire.

Oneida County fire officials determined the accidental flames were ignited by sparks from a welder conducting repairs just inches from the highly flammable conveyor belt on the canning line. Since the belt was revolving at that time, the flames were then conveyed alongside the bottles, touching off every flammable object in its path. Several employees in the area attempted to control it with fire extinguishers, but it spread so quickly that they were forced to make a run for it.

The section of the building that stationed the canning and bottling lines was a total loss. But because of what Matt called the “extraordinary efforts of the local fire departments,” the brew house and storage facilities were unaffected. Structural engineers will determine if the supports surrounding the bottling line are safe for reuse. If it is, he hopes production will continue as normal by July 1, or not too far afterward. If the structure was weakened beyond repair by the 1,500-degree flames, it could be months without bottles. 

{mospagebreak}Meanwhile, to maintain a semblance of normality, all scheduled Saranac events will go on as planned. Saranac Thursdays take place weekly from 5 to 8 p.m. throughout the summer and feature live music and house beer on tap; the event has seen record turnouts on the two Thursdays after the fire. The national acts scheduled to kick out the jams in the brewery’s Tour Center Court Yard will also still roll into town. On both June 13 and 14, jam-band favorites moe. played to a crowd of several thousand; the next concert is Robert Randolph and the Family Band on Friday, July 18. Call 472-0700 for tickets. And reportedly, the famous party that takes place outside the brewery at the end of the July 13 Boilermaker road race is still on.

With countless hours and rebuilding stages ahead, Matt noted he didn’t have to look too far for help. “People’s true colors come out during disasters and our employee group has been phenomenal,” he noted. “A lot of guys had vacation and are using it now so there’d be enough work to go around, and the remaining people are helping with cleanup and other tasks. It’s really been a team effort so far. This place is not only my life but also our 130 employees’ life,” continued Matt. “And to see it literally flash before your eyes kind of takes the wind out of you, because we’re talking about many people’s livelihood.”

Since the brew house was unaffected by the fire, Matt’s still has the ability to produce all of the beer and soda varieties. Bottles and cans may be on respite, but the capability to keg it and serve it draft-style remains. And some longtime, good-time buddies let it be known they’ll tap it up a notch or two until the caps come back.

“A number of local bars immediately asked how they could help,” said John Latocha, on-premise manager for the Onondaga Beverage Corporation, local distributor of all F.X. Matt products for the last 20 years. The Empire Brew Pub, Limp Lizard, Clark’s Ale House, Bull and Bear Pub and a few others have all proclaimed that they would take in and tap out as much Saranac as they can until things are running smoothly again.

Every year, the brewery ships 3.5 million cases of bottled Saranac from Maine to Ohio and down through Florida. Latocha estimated that they have enough bottled product stocked from before the blaze to last until the end of June. If Matt’s July 1 target date of commencing bottle production is somewhere in the ballpark, things might not fall too far behind.

For their Tuesday, June 24, game against the Toledo Mud Hens, the Syracuse Chiefs will be selling all Saranac beers for $2, while Saranac soda products will be free for designated drivers; all profits from Saranac sales will benefit the Utica Fire Department. In this instance, you can truly say that what goes around, comes around. In 1969, a fire damaged MacArthur Stadium beyond use, forcing the Chiefs to play their remaining home games in Oneonta.

{mospagebreak}“My grandfather {then owner Walter Matt} was there the next day with a sizable check which helped them rebuild,” continued Matt. “I think one of the nice things about upstate is there is still a since of community, and when disaster strikes, the community comes together to help those who have been hurt and that’s what I think is the best thing about this area. As we go forward, I think that sense of togetherness will help the area grow and make people want to live here more than anything else.”

—Tom Kahley