How they did it, part of brewery lore
Utica Club was the first beer sold after Prohibition ended--just an hour and a half after the 18th Amendment was repealed
On April 7, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the repeal of Prohibition into law, and within minutes, literally, the beer was flowing in Utica.
F.X. Matt Brewing got the first permit, nationwide, to start selling beer---within an hour and a half of the 18th Amendment repeal.
Meghan Fraser, marketing coordinator for the brewery now, says no one's saying how they knew to be ready back then--it certainly takes more than an hour and a half to brew the beer. She does say that the Matt family was checking regularly with Washington on the timetable.
The first beer sold was Utica Club, which had been the name for the company's ginger ale during the 'dry' years. The company got by during Prohibition by selling soft drinks, like root beer, and malt tonics---a tradition that Saranac continues today.
And, the brewery will be throwing a Prohibition Party in Utica later this month (April 27th), a benefit for St. Elizabeth's Hospital.
More details on the Saranac website.
