American Heritage Berkshire pigs are mid-sized, weighing around 200 pounds at market weight, and standing knee-high. The pigs at Blackbird Farm live in a ½ acre wooded lot, with sheds for shelter, and plenty of room to run and play. On our tour they also seemed to be enjoying a game of hide and seek with us- a few of the younger pigs hid in the trees, darting out now and then to come almost close enough for us to touch them.

photo by Ellen Slattery

Ann Marie believes in allowing her animals to live in a natural environment, treating them humanely, and with respect. Yes, many of these animals will end up at the Blackbird Farm farm stand, or at a local restaurant. That is more reason to “let them live a nice, happy life.” Happy pigs and cows produce better meat, but there is more to it than that; it is a matter of conscience.

The cows, pigs, and chickens on Blackbird Farm deserve to be treated well. All animals deserve to be treated well, but Ann Marie is very clear about the rarity of this philosophy. There is a distinct frustration in her voice when talking about the living conditions for animals of industrial farming.

“A lot of these big farms keep their chickens indoors, with artificial lights. Normally, chickens go through stages, like molting, where they are not laying eggs.” Keeping them in a controlled environment for their entire life eliminates these cycles, allowing for greater production. This might make economic sense, but it doesn’t make ethical sense to Ann Marie. “I just tell my restaurants that I won’t have eggs for a couple of weeks.”

Photo by JWessel Photography

This same quality of life ethic applies to the Blackbird Farm cows. “We have 42 cows, but they’re not all here.” To ensure that the cows have plenty of space to graze, some of them live on rented pasture in other parts of Rhode Island. Even though they are not all at Blackbird Farm, they are all “Rhode Island raised.” When you buy meat from Blackbird Farm, it is guaranteed to be born and bred in Rhode Island, and it is also guaranteed to be 100% heritage Black Angus Cattle. In fact, Ann Marie follows the processing so closely that she can tell you exactly where your steak comes from.

Out in the pasture, a dozen cows graze under the blue skies of late spring. A dense thicket of pine, oak, and maple frames the field. From within the trees, a bull is keeping his eye on us. As we walk back along the gravel and dirt road, I ask Ann Marie if she feels successful. “You’re out in the fresh air, in nature. It is a lot of hard work, and it has taken years to be noticed for that work. But at the end of the day, I can open a beer and watch the sunset. There is nowhere else I would want to be.”

We are proud to work with Blackbird Farm. Our breakfast sandwiches at Ellie’s are made with eggs, sausage, and bacon all from Blackbird, and we are always excited to get Blackbird beef at Gracie’s. It seems pretty normal to us to work with local farmers and producers, but an afternoon on the farm helps us remember how special that working relationship really is.

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Golden Oyster Mushrooms – courtesy of RI Mushroom Company

The process begins with the arrival of stuffed growing bags (usually filled with straw) from a company in Pennsylvania. These bags are the growing medium for the mushrooms, and are placed into greenhouses. There are three factors crucial to the successful growth of mushrooms: temperature, humidity, and ventilation. All of these factors are controlled in the greenhouses through a phone app (which is way cool). The mushrooms are continually monitored to ensure they are growing healthy and properly.

Mike and Bob have a lot of passion for their product, and we are excited to use their mushrooms on menu items at both Ellie’s Bakery & Gracie’s.

The next stop was to the RI Mushroom Company’s neighbor, Proclamation Ale Company (located in the same building). This nano-brewery is a one-man show, run by President and Brewmaster Dave Witham.

Proclamation Ale Tap Handles – courtesy of Proclamation Ale Company

Proclamation Ale Company focuses on creating bold & complex beers that are unusual and outside of the typical style box. Dave plans to experiment with unusual brewing techniques such as barrel aging, as well as some unusual ingredients (we hear they may borrow some mushrooms from their neighbors).

Our last stop was at the Sons of Liberty Spirits Co., located in South Kingstown, RI. Two questions gave rise to this company:

“Why is no one distilling single malt whiskies from the beers we love?” and “Why are there so many seasonal beers, but no seasonal whiskies?”

Sons of Liberty was founded to redefine American Whiskey by challenging centuries old traditions. Sons of Liberty creates American Single Malt Whiskies from flavorful beers and has created the first ever line of seasonal whiskies. During our trip we were fortunate to taste their Seasonal Summer Release: Hop Flavored Whiskey.

“This whiskey started its life as an IPA; brewed under the guidance of Cottrell Brewing. After retaining the IPA flavors through distillation we aged the whiskey in American oak barrels. Once the aging process was complete, we finished the whiskey by dry hopping with Citra and Sorachi Ace hops for bright and complementary floral notes. The nose is hop forward with hints of lemon and grapefruit. With a malty first sip, light mouth feel and a hoppy finish the Summer Release will quickly become a warm weather favorite”.

Additionally, during our experience we were able to taste the three byproducts of the distillation process: the head, the body (whiskey) and the tail. Both the head & tail are discarded due to distasteful impurities & flavors. Tasting all three side by side gave us a great perspective on the whisky’s flavor.

All in all, a great day! We love learning more about local food and drink, and we especially love getting to know the people we partner with to share Rhode Island’s goodness with you!

Enjoying Battle Cry at Gracie’s – courtesy of Sons of Liberty Spirits Co.

The post RI Mushroom Company, Proclamation Ale Company & Sons of Liberty Spirits Co.– Field Trip | 3.09.14 first appeared on Gracie's Providence.

The post RI Mushroom Company, Proclamation Ale Company & Sons of Liberty Spirits Co.– Field Trip | 3.09.14 appeared first on Gracie's Providence.

The two met working for a corporation in New Jersey, and put their plans on hold for more than a decade. A move to Rhode Island and 4 kids later, the dream finally came to fruition in the Autumn of 2010. By 2011, the building had been purchased, the renovation completed, the equipment installed and the beer brewed and distributed.

Jennifer Brinton, Owner and Operator

“Finding our home at 63 Canal Street came to be a big part of who we are. Built toward the end of the 1920s as The Westerly Macaroni Factory, grain once again courses through the building. We have been fortunate to meet many local residents who still recall the days of purchasing their fresh pasta here. After WWII, the United States Post Office ran their parcel service out of the building until 1989 when NAPA Auto Parts moved in. After their relocation in 2010 the building was once again available for purchase. On April 4, 2011, Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island moved in. After seven short months the renovation was complete and we brewed the first batch of Flagship Ale on 11.11.11.”

The brewery is cozy & humid. It smells like a warm bread basket. Condensation drips down the insides of the windows and steam wafts throughout. We started our morning off with an ice cold glass of Grey Sail’s signature Flagship Ale…  Flagship is a golden-colored cream ale, brewed in a similar manner to the crisp lagers of continental Europe, offering great balance between malty sweetness and noble hop bitterness. This gold-medal winning cream ale is the perfect session beer for any occasion (like touring a brewery at 10am)!

Jen has put together quite an A-Team at Grey Sail, and beams with pride when introducing them. We spent some time with the brewer and assistant brewer dubbed: MONSIEUR JOSH LETOURNEAU | Head Brewer and Yeast Wrangler FRAU MICHELLE KIRMS | Assistant to the Brewer and Computer Goddess

Michelle brought us down to the main floor to see where the magic happens.

We are so excited to be featuring this amazing beer at our beer dinner on Thursday, January 23, 2014. Come and join us!

 Thanks so much to our friends at Grey Sail!

The post Grey Sail Brewing of RI – Field Trip | 1.16.14 first appeared on Gracie's Providence.

The post Grey Sail Brewing of RI – Field Trip | 1.16.14 appeared first on Gracie's Providence.