Matt Takes First Step to Acquire Lake Placid Craft Brewing

Matt Brewing of Utica, N.Y., has announced a deal that will make the company the exclusive marketer and distributor for Lake Placid Craft Brewing's line of Adirondack-themed brews.

The agreement has an option clause allowing Matt to buy Lake Placid Craft and its brands. Christopher Ericson founded the company in 2001. Lake Placid's brands include Lake Placid Ubu Ale, Lake Placid India Pale Ale and 46'er Pale Ale. The deal would involve the company's Plattsburgh location and Ericson would continue to operate the brewpub in Lake Placid, the home of the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Games.

The move unites Matt's Saranac brand with the Lake Placid brews. Matt plans to start producing Lake Placid Craft brand's in Utica at some point during the next year. The company would then use it distribution network to spread the beers around the Northeast and elsewhere.

Matt Brewing holds fond memories for me. First of all, it was my Father's favorite beer, especially while fishing on Oneida Lake or the St. Lawrence River. When I came of age in Upstate New York, before the era of brewpubs hit the east, the brewery was my "local" just a few exits down the New York State Thruway. And, the advertising agency I work for, Eric Mower and Associates, had the Matt Brewing account for a number of years back in the 1980s and 1990s. I was on the team that named the Saranac brand -- Matt had been planning to call the brew Freeport USA. The late F.X. Matt II was a true gentleman and a huge proponent of small brewers in America. It was a fun piece of business to handle. It helped that the brewery also made some pretty good beer.