On this edition of Ag Matters Radio, Amys’ guest is David McCarthy, co-owner of 49th State Brewing Company. They discuss Davids’ passion for local food & beer, his commitment to the community, and their upcoming collaborative event Drink Beer, Save Farms!
https://www.radiofreepalmer.org/2018/02/09/ag-matters-02-07-2018/
AUTHOR | Kerry Nelson
In 2009, 49th State Brewing Company officially opened its doors to the Denali Borough community. Nine years and a second Anchorage location later, the full restaurant and brewery boasts a myriad of locally procured seasonal products on its menus and offers large selections of craft beer. Co-owner David McCarthy sat down with host Amy Pettit to share how he has utilized his business to become a major advocate for Alaskan farmers and the local food movement.
Chicago Boy With Big Alaska Dreams
Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, David became aware of “the last farm in Chicago” when he was very young. It referred to a tract of land in his neighborhood that held the remaining semblance of agricultural production, a concept that really resonated with him. That, and having a professionally trained chef for a grandmother, David grew a passion and love for food that propelled him on the journey that brought him here to Alaska.
After obtaining his culinary arts degree at Kendall College in the midwest, David began work in the restaurant industry on the West Coast. Taking advantage of a small leave of absence, he hopped on his motorcycle and headed up to Alaska, somewhere he had always dreamed of seeing. Luckily for Alaska, he never left.
Struck with the state’s indescribable beauty and overwhelming sense of home David decided to stay, taking the opportunity to become involved with Prospectors Historic Pizzeria and Alehouse in Denali. The alehouse focused on highlighting as many local craft beer options as Alaska could offer. The demand was so high that his business partner suggested it seemed worth brewing their own beer. An avid home brewer for years, David decided to go back to school for a degree in brewing technology, and 49th State Brewing Company was born.
Strengthening Alaska’s Food System Starts with Drinking Good Beer
Moving to Alaska really heightened David’s connection to the food that we eat, and he really wanted to be an integral part of it. “The question wasn’t if I should get involved, it was when I should get involved”, he explains. As it turns out, beer became the catalyst for the connections he began to build with local producers. Recognizing the spent grains produced in beer manufacturing held value, David reached out to livestock farmers in the surrounding community to offer it as feed and they happily accepted it. This was just the start of what has turned into a mosaic of relationships with local producers that allows 49th State Brewing Co. to boast local farm-to-table offerings.
All of the small connections David made with local farmers eventually culminated into what he has deemed the ‘full circle identity’ of who they are as a brewery. Like any major change in the status quo, it’s a business model that has not come without challenges. It’s very difficult for any restaurant to coordinate bringing in local products the way customers have become accustomed to: streamlined meals offering the same produce year round. It’s easier for the restaurateur to click a simple key to order products from major distributors rather than deal with multiple farms. David decided this was a challenge he was happy to face in order to live up to their identity as a community driven business, and started to offer a seasonal menu at both locations.
Supporting Farmers Pays Off In Alaska
It paid off. For the farmers, and for 49th State Brewing Company. The actual cost of the local products are reflected in the prices on the menu to ensure the farmers are getting fair compensation. The more expensive, local menu items are being offered alongside less expensive, outsourced menu items. The customers are overwhelmingly choosing locally sourced, and the restaurant often sells out of its local offerings. The people have spoken – the demand for local food is real, the movement is catching on.
Perhaps people are also catching on to David’s keen sense of community. He takes great joy in sharing products that have been raised by someone in the community with other Alaskans and those who come to visit. To him, it makes good business sense. If you want to grow your local economy, it’s about moving the resources around within your community rather than outside of it.
David’s commitment to the local food movement is a true labor of love. He is using his business as a vehicle to educate consumers about where their food comes from. He is also creating a sorely needed additional outlet for farmers to sell to while tightening the learning curve between the restaurant and local farming industries. “Most people that are in the farming business are not in the restaurant business. It’s been a good lesson in communication between both,” he says.
What’s in store for the future of 49th State Brewing Company?
David, of course, has a vision. As the brewery grows, he would love to see it expand into other Alaskan markets. Expansion of the brewing facilities in Anchorage is already underway, and adding operations south to Kenai or closer to Fairbanks would be ideal. The way he sees it, the closer they are to the product the easier it is for them to realize their ‘full circle’ identity. More breweries means more outlets for farmers, and David never wants to hear about “the last farm in Alaska.”
The 49th State Brewing Company has also collaborated with the Alaska Farmland Trust as a host for the upcoming Drink Beer, Save Farms! fundraiser on Tuesday, March 27th at 6:00pm. David and his staff are really excited to share a specialty beer brewed for the event that features unmalted wheat from VanderWeele Farm in Palmer, as well as a special menu item that will feature Alaska Grown. Come and grab a taste while you listen to local music from the Super Saturated Sugar Strings to support a good cause!