Wagyu-style beef from Northern Ireland farm business
Wagyu-style beef has been developed by Hillstown Farm, an award
winning Northern Irish artisan meat processing business.
The enterprise, based on a family farm near Ballymena in country
Antrim, has already started supplying the beer flavoured beef to
leading chefs in Northern Ireland and aims to expand sales further
afield.
The beer-fed beef has been developed by farm/entrepreneur Nigel
Logan, a fourth generation farmer on 200 acres. The beer is used in feeding the herd of Aberdeen Angus and Shorthorn cattle. The beef
from grass-fed cattle is dry-aged and hung for at least 28 days.
The company has now developed its range of beer-fed beef to
include silverside/topside, fillet, sirloin, rib-eye and
rib-on-the-bone. The products are available on Hillside's e-commercesite. It is the only business in Northern Ireland producing
Wagyu-style beef.
The beer used in feeding the cattle is produced in a microbrewery onthe farm, which primarily rears beef cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, goats and llamas. It also uses the meat in its successful farm shop and restaurant.
"We began brewing on the farm for our cattle in a beer-fed beef
project to offer a premium meat with a uniquely delicious flavour.
Influenced by the Japanese experience, the beer relaxes the cows to produce a more tender and succulent piece of meat.
"We then decided to take this a stage further by creating in the
micro-brewery to produce craft beers," he says. "The process
produces succulent, marbled beef renowned for its superior eating
qualities, considered to be a delicacy because of its unique texture
and depth of flavour," he adds.
Hillstown Farm has also won UK Great Taste awards for its products
including Wagyu rib-eye steak and the craft beers. It's also been
listed in the UK Top 10 for sausages and has won five Northern
Ireland Pork Sausage Champion titles. It's also been placed in the
UK Top 10 for sausages.
"The beers are brewed in a converted barn. It's not automated.
They are all hand crafted. It's a brewery that we built ourselves
and we sourced all the kit locally, re-using and a lot of old dairy equipment. We strive to use the best quality ingredients available
to ensure outstanding flavours," he says.
The family farm has been supplying beef, sheep meat and pork from
rare breed pigs such as Gloucester Old Spots to the local consumers for decades.
winning Northern Irish artisan meat processing business.
The enterprise, based on a family farm near Ballymena in country
Antrim, has already started supplying the beer flavoured beef to
leading chefs in Northern Ireland and aims to expand sales further
afield.
The beer-fed beef has been developed by farm/entrepreneur Nigel
Logan, a fourth generation farmer on 200 acres. The beer is used in feeding the herd of Aberdeen Angus and Shorthorn cattle. The beef
from grass-fed cattle is dry-aged and hung for at least 28 days.
The company has now developed its range of beer-fed beef to
include silverside/topside, fillet, sirloin, rib-eye and
rib-on-the-bone. The products are available on Hillside's e-commercesite. It is the only business in Northern Ireland producing
Wagyu-style beef.
The beer used in feeding the cattle is produced in a microbrewery onthe farm, which primarily rears beef cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, goats and llamas. It also uses the meat in its successful farm shop and restaurant.
"We began brewing on the farm for our cattle in a beer-fed beef
project to offer a premium meat with a uniquely delicious flavour.
Influenced by the Japanese experience, the beer relaxes the cows to produce a more tender and succulent piece of meat.
"We then decided to take this a stage further by creating in the
micro-brewery to produce craft beers," he says. "The process
produces succulent, marbled beef renowned for its superior eating
qualities, considered to be a delicacy because of its unique texture
and depth of flavour," he adds.
Hillstown Farm has also won UK Great Taste awards for its products
including Wagyu rib-eye steak and the craft beers. It's also been
listed in the UK Top 10 for sausages and has won five Northern
Ireland Pork Sausage Champion titles. It's also been placed in the
UK Top 10 for sausages.
"The beers are brewed in a converted barn. It's not automated.
They are all hand crafted. It's a brewery that we built ourselves
and we sourced all the kit locally, re-using and a lot of old dairy equipment. We strive to use the best quality ingredients available
to ensure outstanding flavours," he says.
The family farm has been supplying beef, sheep meat and pork from
rare breed pigs such as Gloucester Old Spots to the local consumers for decades.