Description
Founded in 1888 as the West End Brewing Company by Francis Xavier Matt, F.X. Matt Brewing Company is the forth oldest brewery in the United States. In 1920, Prohibition under the 18th Amendment of the US Constitution prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcohol in the United States. While many other breweries went out of business as a result, F.X. Matt’s West End Brewery survived producing Utica Club line of soft drinks and several other non-alcoholic beverages. With the appeal of Prohibition in 1933, the West End Brewing Company is the first in the nation to obtain a license and the first to sell beer using the Utica Club label. Walter J. Matt followed his father taking the helm of the company in 1951. The second generation family made the Utica Club brand a household name through very popular advertising campaigns featuring “Schultz & Dooley” beer steins voiced by comedian Jonathan Winters in the 1960’s. Walter Matt expanded the product line with new brands including Matt’s Premium, Maximus, and Fort Schuyler. In the early 1970’s, FX Matt’s introduced an innovative new concept; the Beer Ball and its popularity quickly takes the northeast by storm. A third family generation; FX Matt II takes over in 1980 and begins to focus on the burgeoning craft beer movement and releases a new lager called “Saranac 1888”, named for the upcoming 100th anniversary of the brewery in 1985. The brewery’s Saranac Adirondack Lager is judged the top premium lager at The Great American Beer Festival in 1991 and it becomes the company’s flagship brand. Five years later, F.X. Matt introduces the first variety craft beer mixed pack called Saranac Adirondack Trail Mix, which featured 4 distinctly different styles of beer based on heritage recipes. In 2000, the brewery reintroduced its Saranac 1888 Soft Drinks based on original recipes earning awards and gaining new fans around the world. In 2019 a $56 million dollar brewery expansion was completed adding a new brew house, tank farm and additional can line. In 2022, “Clouded Dream IPA” wins 4 Gold Medals. Most recently F.X. Matt purchased a long-time contract partner “Flying Dog Brewery”.
This Jr Junction Train & Hobby exclusive model advertising billboard is extremely limited in quantity and will not be produced again. Join us by commemorating our 25th year as Syracuse and Utica's local and upstate New York's premier full-line model railroad and hobby store with this and many other exclusive model railroad collectibles. This fully assembled lighted billboard is pre-mounted on a base for easy placement anywhere on the layout. For those looking for a more prototypical look, the base can be quickly removed and the billboard legs can be easily inserted into soft styrofoam ground cover for a more realistic appearance. The three overhead lamps cast a soft glow on the bright and realistic looking graphics and are sure to make any layout's dark scenes really pop. The lamps are powered by any AC or DC model railroad power supply including the MTH family of transformer's using their accessory ports.
This 1:48 (O scale) Utica Club Billboard Model Features: •Intricately Detailed ABS Construction •Fully Assembled •Operating Lights •Self-Standing Or Mountable •Unit Measures: 7 1/2" x 5 3/4" x 6"