A win-win situation for Buffalo's Flying Bison and Utica's F.X. Matt

Flying Bison Brewery of Buffalo recently voted on a deal that would mesh Flying Bison with the F.X. Matt Brewing Company of Utica, NY, makers of the Saranac line of beers and the 7th largest craft brewery in the U.S.

According to a Flying Bison's website, the agreement will allow Flying Bison President Tim Herzog and his staff to "do what they do best - brew beer, talk beer and support the community. The only difference the community will see is that our beers will more readily available.”

Flying Bison had difficulty producing beer at a profit, as ingredient prices continued to rise, while recession-driven retail prices remained flat and beer consumers curtailed their spending. In October 2009 Flying Bison stopped bottling their beers and decided to only sell their beer in kegs. By December, some taverns could not receive keg beers.

Originally, rumors circulated that under the agreement, F.X. Matt would move production of Flying Bison bottled beer to it's bottling plant in Utica where it has excess capacity.

But the Flying Bison website assures that, instead, the Ontario Street facility in Buffalo will be expanded "to brew, bottle, keg, promote and distribute more beer out of the facility than in the past."

According to Herzog, Flying Bison will begin by focusing on stocking local retail stores with bottled Buffalo Lager and Aviator Red, while trying to win back taps at local pubs and restaurants.

The Utica Observer-Dispatch reported that ideas that were discussed for the future included partnering to produce some Flying Bison beer in Utica if the brand became more popular, while testing new Saranac beers in smaller quantities at the Buffalo microbrewery, instead of having to make larger quantities in Utica.