农场酿酒厂收获高附加值的烈酒
野猫蒸馏皇冠hga010安卓二维码., Duncombe, 爱荷华州, 用玉米酿造Planter’s Pride和其他威士忌, 谷物黑麦 and other crops grown on the farm where the distillery is located.
作者:马修·王尔德
野猫蒸馏皇冠hga010安卓二维码. 以野猫洞命名, where infamous outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow hid out after robbing a nearby bank. 至少邓库姆周围的人是这么说的, 爱荷华州, 酿酒厂老板布拉德·莱姆克和艾丽莎·尼尔森兄弟姐妹说.
“我们的祖父母给我们讲过邦妮和克莱德的故事，”尼尔森说. “我们不确定这是不是真的, 但这是有道理的, since they often hid out in secluded areas and robbed three gas stations in the area. The story is part of local lore and it’s fun to tell to customers who ask how the distillery got its name.”
另一个农场酿酒厂与一个独特的声称成名是远北精神. 距离加拿大边境只有几英里，在明尼苏达州的哈洛克附近., the business lives up to its name as the northernmost maker of liquor in the contiguous United States.
“We take ownership of the claim since part of our farm where we grow rye for our whiskey is a few degrees farther north than a distillery in Baudette, 明尼苏达州.和丈夫迈克尔·斯旺森(迈克尔。斯万森)共同拥有Far North的谢里·里斯(Cheri Reese)说. “我们是为数不多的几家美国皇冠hga010安卓二维码之一.S. 自己种植谷物的酿酒厂.”
Wildcat Distilling started making whiskey in 2020 and Far North began seven years earlier with the same goal: to bolster revenues to preserve the family farm for future generations. 这是最好的方法, 每一个决定, 是通过把谷物变成威士忌和其他酒类来增加谷物的价值.
“We’re a smaller farm [460 acres] that can’t compete on volume alone,莱姆克说。. “如果你回顾历史, the primary use for grain that wasn’t sold for food or livestock feed has been alcohol.”
He says customers appreciate the farm-to-glass story, which they call “till, mill and distill.”
非法的方式
莱姆克从2014年开始耕种自家的土地, 在他祖父几年后, 阿尔文•艾萨克森, 退休. 莱姆克记得，2017年玉米卖到了3美元.每蒲式耳10美元，远低于政府的盈亏平衡.
那艰难的一年深深地印在了莱姆克的记忆中. “我们需要另一个稳定的收入来源来生存.”
Lemke, Nelson and their spouses decided to use their talents and the marketing hook of the cave to cash in on the artisanal spirits craze. U.S. 精酿烈酒的销量正在增长.美国精酿烈酒协会(American Craft Spirits Association)的数据显示，这一比例为每年4%.
Lemke, 一家化肥制造商的前业务经理, 酿酒师是由于他的化学工艺知识吗. His wife, Amanda Lemke, runs the Wildcat Distilling tasting room in nearby Webster City, 爱荷华州. 纳尔逊和她的丈夫, 托尼·纳尔逊, 有创意设计、市场营销和销售方面的全职工作吗, 分别, 并利用他们的技能来促进和支持业务.
农场大约20%的土地用于种植酿造威士忌的谷物, 包括黄玉米, 吉米红玉米, 硬红冬小麦, 谷物黑麦, 大麦和高粱. 玉米是主要的谷物.
“我们为自己是一家从农场到瓶子的酿酒厂而感到自豪. It doesn’t take much grain to make a batch of whiskey — about 600 pounds or just over 10 bushels,莱姆克说。. 一批通常装满24至48瓶750毫升的瓶子，有时更多. 威士忌的产量因玉米淀粉含量和发酵性而异.
“(把谷物变成威士忌)有相当大的价值，”他继续说. “If corn is worth $3 per bushel, we can make it worth almost $80 per bushel.”
There’s a learning curve to adding specialty crops and small grains to what had been a simple corn-soybean crop rotation, Lemke说. Landus合作社的澳门皇冠赌场平台家, 总部设在艾姆斯, 爱荷华州, 帮助操作获取种子, 化肥和其他投入，并提供农艺咨询.
“今年我第一次种了高粱来酿造一种新的威士忌. 当我对播种深度、播种率和作物保护有疑问时, 兰多斯成功了,莱姆克说。.
Helping farmer-owners succeed is the primary goal, says Matt Carstens, Landus president and CEO.
“We’re farmer-focused and our job is to provide them with everything they need,” he continues. “不管这是不是一个增值项目, 我们将继续努力为家庭农民提供帮助.”
Wildcat Distilling sells six whiskeys ranging in price from $28 to $42 per bottle, 计划扩大生产，包括波旁威士忌和其他烈酒. 该团队的生产目标是每周380瓶. 野猫产品由地区零售商销售，包括Hy-Vee商店.
野猫蒸馏皇冠hga010安卓二维码.
产品:
- 丰收之月，一种用苹果和肉桂制成的白玉米威士忌
- 蜜月，一种用爱荷华蜂蜜制成的白玉米威士忌
- 木棚红，一种百分百由吉米红玉米制成的玉米威士忌
- Planter's Pride, Plow Point和Tillman的小批量威士忌
奖项: 蒂尔曼斯小批量威士忌, 铜牌, 美国蒸馏协会国际烈酒大赛, 2023
有趣的事实: Wildcat Cave is a limestone formation carved out of sandstone bluffs by the creek running below it. 据报道，美洲狮和山猫在里面筑巢. 在美国战争期间，在野猫洞顶部的谷仓里经营着一家地下酒吧.S. 20世纪20年代和30年代初的禁酒令.
遥远的北方之梦
里斯在小哈洛克长大，斯旺森在小镇附近的一个农场长大. 而他们喜欢红河谷的宁静之美, both dreamed of living in a bustling city with rewarding careers and endless entertainment options.
在经历了二十多年的梦想之后，最近一次是在圣路易斯市. 保罗,明尼苏达州.这对夫妇渴望过一种“更简单的生活”.” Years of stressful work in public education consulting for Reese and pharmaceutical marketing for Swanson caught up with them.
“我们需要一些东西来滋养我们的灵魂，”里斯回忆道. “我们想在农场做点什么, 但是用1是很难盈利的,200英亩，我们不想扩大规模.”
A business plan for a craft distillery that Swanson wrote for an MBA course in 2009 sparked another dream: turning homegrown grain into world-class spirits. The couple quit their jobs, moved to the family farm and built a distillery, which opened in 2013.
“The idea is to take grain from a fraction of the acreage to make and sell a finished product that generates as much or more revenue than the entire farm can make selling grain,斯旺森说. 一个邻居租下了剩下的土地.
斯旺森种植了几种黑麦——主要是黑麦, 是什么赋予了威士忌独特的风味——以及200英亩土地上的祖传玉米. “远北”生产几种威士忌、杜松子酒和朗姆酒. All products have Scandinavian names, like Roknar, to embrace their heritage. 它们的零售价为每瓶30至50美元.
“我们的品牌是稳固的. The farm is our differentiator, which helps us compete nationally and internationally,” Reese says.
产品在美国各地的零售商和餐馆有售.S. 并通过第三方供应商在皇冠hga010安卓二维码网站上发布. 维京皇冠hga010安卓二维码在美国经营远洋和内河游轮.S. 和欧洲，是一个远北的客户.
Sales are strong, the couple notes, but increased competition and regulations are a challenge. U的数量.S. 手工酿酒厂几乎翻了一番，达到2家,290，从2015年到2021年, 根据美国工艺烈酒协会的说法.
Getting up to date on farming techniques and technology was daunting, Swanson says. CHS农业服务在哈洛克提供咨询和农业投入. CHS also 供应 14,000 gallons of propane annually to heat the distillery and its stills.
里斯说:“当气温降至零下30度时，丙烷是不会耗尽的。. “我们的蒸馏器几乎一周都在运行，以满足需求. 哈伦·艾弗森，丙烷送货司机，不让我们用完.”
这对夫妇欣然接受了回归故土的生活, 运动衫上写着, “谁是你的威士忌农夫??”
“We have a unique Midwest story,” says Reese, “and a lot of people want to hear it.”
远北精灵
产品:
- Roknar，一种明尼苏达黑麦威士忌
- 波达伦波旁威士忌
- 四种限量发行的Roknar威士忌
- Solveig和Gustof gins
- 三种Alander朗姆酒(五香、白、陈酿)
奖项:
- 明尼苏达州最佳波旁威士忌，2019年Heartland威士忌大赛
- Four-time winner Good Food Awards, 2016 (gin), 2021 (rye), 2023 (bourbon and rum)
- 2023 best buy, Wine Enthusiast, 2023 (Alander spiced rum and Alander white rum)
有趣的事实: The Swanson century farm’s rich soils are thanks to the vast Ice Age body of water called Lake Agassiz, formed from meltwaters of a glacier that covered much of central North America 10,000 to 30,1000年前. 远北是美国第一个.S. farm distillery to be Bee Friendly Farming-certified by Pollinator Partnership.
请查看完整的 2023夏季C杂志 随着这篇文章和更多.
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