Tastemakers: Taste the local difference/Kilkenny‘s Cask Conditioned Ale

Oct. 10, 2007

Taste the Local Difference

Recently I raved about the Epicurean Classic and the many things I personally took away from that weekend. One important lesson was “local,” and, as I reviewed nearly three years of Tastemakers and Bottoms Up columns, at best I would give myself a C+ grade for my focus on “locally” grown or produced culinary items and beverages. In past columns I have asked readers to step up their support of local products and have called on restaurants and retailers to do the same. It occurred to me that I should write what I preach and keep these columns focused on the “local.”
That doesn’t mean from time to time I won’t look beyond our Northern Michigan backyard; but when I do, I will be sure to connect it with something local. A lot of people share my passion for things local, and certainly near the top of that list would be the Michigan Land Use Institute and their Taste the Local Difference project. They launched the program in 2005 by producing a guide and a website that features 232 farmers from 10 Northwest Lower Michigan counties. Included in the guide and the companion website are wineries and artisan food producers who use locally produced foods.
Taste the Local Difference has also been connecting the agricultural community to school cafeterias and summer camps as well as grocers, restaurants, caterers and area resorts. Patty Cantrell and Dianne Connors, who have been working tirelessly on behalf of improving the local agricultural economic climate, lead the program, and the bottom line is: fresh is best. Recent e-coli and food contamination issues have brought to the forefront consumers’ concerns on where their food comes from; Northern Michigan is loaded with farms using environmentally safe agricultural practices that result in products safe for free of contamination and safe for human consumption.
So look local first, and get to know the people who grow and raise the food you eat; you can start with Taste the Local Difference as your resource guide. For more info, a searchable database, or to locate a hard copy of their current guide, visit www.localdiffernec.org or call 231-941-6584.


Kilkenny’s Cask Conditioned Ale

The memorial tribute for Michael “Beer Hunter” Jackson at Shorts Brewery in Bellaire brought out all sorts of beer enthusiasts, including Ray Wise and Matthew Blakely of North Peak/Kilkenny’s who came with a contingent from Traverse City. Wise is the new assistant brewmaster at North Peak Brewing Company and Kilkenny’s Irish Public House, and Blakely is an enthusiastic bartender at Kilkenny’s - he’s passionate about the brews and the people he serves them to.
Kilkenny’s opened a few months ago below North Peak, and is quickly becoming a favorite hangout for the after work crowd. They open at 4 pm and the darkened environment creates an authentic Irish pub feel. The menu differs from their sister pub upstairs, with a strong focus on Irish cuisine, so be sure to check out the corned beef sandwich and the bangers & mash (beer steamed sausage, char-grilled and served over gouda cheese mashed potatoes). No Irish pub is complete without beer, of course - and Wise and Blakely invited me to check out their offerings. I have always been a fan of the cask-conditioned ales at North Peak and was pleased to learn that Kilkenny’s was continuing the tradition.
Currently on the cask tap is the Oak Conditioned Bourbon Stout. Cask conditioned beers are allowed to mature naturally, with live yeast left in to continue to condition the beer in the cask. The result is a natural carbonation and a more intense flavor profile. According to Wise, they serve their cask ales around 55 degrees, versus the standard 34 degrees for beers on tap (ice cold beer masks several flavor profiles). The Bourbon Stout is fantastic. Wise and head brewmaster Kim Schneider have created a perfect synergy between the malt and bourbon flavors. I was surprised to learn that only one shot of bourbon was used in the oak chips to produce the 20-gallon cask because the bourbon flavors come through quite well. Be sure to get in and order a pint before it’s gone (both Kilkenny’s and North Peak change their cask ales often). Another brew that was quite pleasing is their Marble City Red, the same red ale they serve upstairs; but this a nitrogenated version that creates a creamy texture to the ale. For a complete listing of beers and their menu, go to www.kilkennyspub.com, or better yet, just stop in.