Standing Stone Brewing Company

Sustainability

By in Ashland Oregon, Community, Food, Other Good Stuff, Standing Stone Farm, Sustainability 1

Streamlining Operations at Standing Stone Brewing Company

Since 2011 we have raised free-range cattle and sheep on our farm, aptly named One Mile Farm for its location to our brewery, to serve in our restaurant. This endeavor has been both a rewarding and positive experience over the past 8 years. After careful and thoughtful consideration however, it is with content hearts that we have made the decision to close One Mile Farm. Many of you may ask “why?” Simply put, we are streamlining operations as well as increasing our support of local farmers by putting the task of raising our cattle in the capable hands of Ashland rancher Dave Westerberg of Valley View Farms.

Dave Westerberg of Valley View Farms, Ashland, OR

As all members of our community can attest to, recent summers of heavy smoke and hazardous air conditions have resulted in a significant decline in tourism.  Some of the hardest businesses hit? Local restaurants such as ours.  Farm operations are costly, and as we focus our attention on strengthening our relationships with local farmers to produce farm-to-table food, it was the right decision to close our farm and transfer the responsibility of raising our cattle to esteemed rancher Westerberg.

The cattle we had previously raised on One Mile Farm were purchased from Westerberg as calves and brought just a quarter of a mile from his farm to ours.  Essentially, the only difference between Standing Stone raising these cattle and Westerberg is that they will be grazing on grass just a short distance away.  The manner in which they are raised will remain the same: 1) The land and cattle are chemical-free – no fertilizer or hormones are used.  2) They graze freely on open pastures using a management-intensive rotational system that helps rejuvenate the grass and soil, with the herds moved from one section to another sequentially. 3) These cattle are raised holistically using organic, responsible and sustainable farming practices.

Adolescent Bull, Valley View Farms

Standing Stone management met with Westerberg recently to take a tour of his farmland and its operations.  It was during this tour that Westerberg shared he and his family have raised purebred Black Angus cattle here in Ashland for more than 70 years on 80 acres of family-owned property.

From left to right: Lauri Westerberg, Elizabeth Westerberg, Dave Westerberg, Nathan Steele

Westerberg has 31 permanent pastures under his care and these are often divided with temporary electric fencing to facilitate their managed intensive grazing goals; the main goal being to improve the biological life of the soil.

Farm Tour with Standing Stone

Westerberg is currently raising approximately 100 cattle and separates them into various groups.  These include cows with their offspring, adolescents on an intensive nutrition plan and mature cattle nearing processing time. Just as they were on One Mile Farm, these animals will continue to be processed humanely, and the quality of the resulting product will remain the same: grass-fed, grass-finished beef that has health benefits such as higher Omega 3’s as well as lower saturated fat and cholesterol versus conventional beef.

These cattle graze on a wide variety of grass species including rye grass, orchard grass, timothy, 3 types of clover, birds foot trefoil, meadow foxtail and plantain.  During our tour with Westerberg we witnessed many cattle “mooing” for his attention while gathered at various gate entrances.  When asked what they were mooing about he shared that they were trying to get his attention in order to be let into other nearby pastures with enticing grasses.  To say these cattle live a happy life appears to be an understatement by our personal accounts.

As we continue to work with local farmers, our menu will also reflect even more farm-to-table choices than ever before.  We currently partner with RA Farms, Happy Dirt Farm, Wandering Roots Farm, Mushrooms All Year and Fry Family Farms, keeping it local while sourcing vibrant, wholesome ingredients.  The next time you dine with us, check out our Weekly Specials Board to see the current items sourced from these farms.

SSBC Steakhouse Burger

As a sustainable, environmentally conscience brewery and restaurant, we are excited for this next chapter in our story and look forward to bringing you, our loyal customers, all things “local.”  Thank you for your continued support and patronage.  We couldn’t do it without you!

By in Ashland Oregon, Food, Other Good Stuff, Restaurant & Menu, Standing Stone Farm, Sustainability, Uncategorized 0

Standing Stone’s Rooftop Garden Embraces Responsible, “Green” Gardening

Standing Stone is constantly striving to serve food sourced from farms that are not only local, but who also grow their products with environmental awareness in mind.  We want to do our part to keep the planet as healthy as possible in a time of global climate change and harmful farming practices.  It’s why we choose to partner with local businesses such as Wandering Roots Farm, Happy Dirt Farm, Fry Family Farm and RA Farms, to name a few. Recently, we also turned a small area of our rooftop into our very own garden to grow as many ingredients as we can here at the restaurant.  It was assembled with the goals of repurposing materials that would ordinarily go to the local landfill and using materials that we already have here in the restaurant.

The structure itself is comprised of wood from an old deck, old burlap sacks we had on hand, fruit bins, drip system parts we already had and finally, compost from our farm down the road.

SSBC Rooftop Garden

Eggplant, Anaheim chilis, summer squash, chives, various types of basil, parsley, purple jalapenos and cherry tomatoes are just some of the vegetables and herbs recently planted. Various types of edible flowers were also planted, which will eventually be used as garnishes.

Purple Jalapenos

 

Cherry Tomatoes

All of the items planted were either purchased locally from the Grange Co-Op & Ashland Green Houses, grown from seed and/or donated.

A Garden Promoting Environmental Awareness

We look forward to harvesting our garden’s bounty, and will be using these fresh, organic ingredients in both our food menu items and cocktails from the bar!  The next time you dine with us, it’s quite possible you’ll be sampling the fruits of our rooftop garden’s labor.

By in Ashland Oregon, Community, Employees & Partners, Food, Other Good Stuff, Sustainability 0

Keeping it LOCAL with RA Farms, Rogue Valley

“Keeping it local.” This is one practice we continually strive to accomplish here at Standing Stone Brewing Company.  While we proudly serve our very own beef and lamb, we don’t currently raise pigs at “One Mile Farm.”  As such, we’ve partnered with local pig farm, RA Farms, to locally source the pork that we currently serve on our menu.  These pigs are raised in the most humane and environmentally friendly manner possible.  Not only that, the most interesting aspect of partnering with this farm is the fact that it’s founders are two teenagers who are taking steps to make a positive difference in our local community.  Meet Alyson Scheffler and her brother Reagan.

From left to right: Reagan Scheffler, Standing Stone Executive Chef Raider Babcock, Alyson Scheffler

In her own words, Alyson shares their story:

“My name is Alyson Scheffler, and my brother Reagan and I are the owners of RA Farms. I am a senior at Eagle Point High School and Reagan is a sophomore. We both became involved in agriculture through 4-H and FFA programs here in the valley. However, our love of agriculture started far before we owned our first hog.

We are sixth-generation hog farmers here in America. Our great-great-great grandparents moved their families to the United States from Switzerland and Germany, and began raising hogs. The first three generations had traditional farms: hogs, cows, chickens, crops, a little bit of everything. In the late 60’s and early 70’s, our grandparents expanded their hog operation where they raised 2,000 hogs per year, taking them through their entire life cycle. Though my father raised hogs through 4-H and FFA, our immediate family has moved away from farming, compared to past generations. Our parents are not involved in agricultural careers, and my grandparents also retired from farming. We have made multiple trips to visit my Great Grandma Betty on the family farm in Minnesota, which was established in 1874. We got to see the barn and the same house my grandpa grew up in. Seeing this heritage inspired my brother and I. To maintain our connection and the value of a farm upbringing, my brother and I began raising hogs through 4-H. Our business, RA Farms, began in 2011 after my first year of raising a 4-H hog to sell at the Jackson County Fair. After raising our first hog, we decided that this was something we would do year-round. My dad brought up the idea of raising butcher hogs in the off-season, and we raised our first two hogs in the winter of 2011. We have been raising and selling hogs for eight years now, and it has grown from raising just two animals per year to 40.

RA Farms, Rogue Valley

The amount of animals we raise per year depends on the demand; we usually base it off of how much pork restaurants and individuals in the community need. This business has become hugely successful for us in the past couple of years because of the farm-to-table practice that many restaurants are now adopting.

Humanely & sustainably raised pigs, RA Farms.

People want to know where their food is coming from, who’s raising it, how it’s treated and what it is eating. Consumers and restaurants count on us, and we don’t take this responsibility lightly. We focus on the local aspect as much as we can: we source all litters of pigs as close to home as possible, and we buy feed that was milled within the state of Oregon. Keeping everything in our business local is a large part of our business marketing strategy & mission.

Alyson gives a tour of RA Farms to Standing Stone employees.

Outside of our business, my brother and I are also involved in sports at the high school: Reagan competes in football, basketball and track, and I compete in volleyball.  Balancing school, our activities, and the farm isn’t always easy. However, one guiding statement that has been passed down through the generations of Scheffler families is: “The animals come first. They can’t take care of themselves.” My brother and I have to coordinate our schedules to ensure we balance out the workload and complete commitments we have made to our hogs, our business and our school activities. Three hours are devoted each weekend to cleaning pens at both locations- our home and a barn that we rent down the road to accommodate extra groups of pigs.  Added time is put on for moving pigs, extensive cleaning (with new pigs), and taking care of the pigs throughout the week. I have seen firsthand how hard work through RA Farms has paid off and want to continue to grow the business by supplying more high quality local pork to families and restaurant customers.”

Standing Stone will continue to partner with local farms like the Schefflers’ in order to accomplish our mission of supporting local businesses, as well as maintaining sustainability and environmental awareness to build a better future for tomorrow.  When you choose to dine with us, you are joining us on this mission.  Thank you, to our loyal customers, for your continued support.  Stay tuned for an upcoming video feature that takes a closer look at our partnership with RA Farms.

If you are interested in contacting RA Farms, you may reach them at rabaconandeggs@yahoo.com

By in Ashland Oregon, Community, Restaurant & Menu, Standing Stone Farm, Sustainability 0

With the Changing Season Comes SSBC’s New Winter Menu!

Showcasing our own One Mile Farm, as well as locally owned farms and purveyors, our Winter Menu is sure to please!

Our new menu items contain fresh, vibrant ingredients that are farm-to-table in every sense of the phrase.  Some of the house-made ingredients in our new menu items include kimchi, Tempest IPA BBQ sauce, Gochujang BBQ sauce, French onion beef broth from the bones of our cows and a vanilla & marionberry vinaigrette, to name a few. * As always, we offer gluten-free options to include pizza dough and burger buns.

 

Fall Ratatouilli

 

Pear & Beet Salad

 

SSBC Bean Burger

 

One Mile Farm Korean Burger

 

Roasted Pear & Chevre Pizza

When you choose to dine at Standing Stone Brewing Company, you’re not only supporting our mission of sustainability and environmental awareness, but you’re also giving your support to the local economy. And for that, we sincerely thank you!

Be sure to check out our weekly specials as well; they change every Thursday, and bring variety and creativity to your dining experience.

For a detailed description of these items, as well as to view the rest of our menu, please click the following link: https://www.standingstonebrewing.com/menu/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By in Pints for a Purpose, Sustainability 0

“Pints For A Purpose” Season is HERE

 Fall is in the air, and Standing Stone Brewing Company is currently accepting applications for our 2018/2019 Pints for a Purpose. Rogue Valley not-for-profit organizations who concentrate their efforts in education, environmental sustainability, community, or local food production are encouraged to apply. We will accept applications through our website (http://www.standingstonebrewing.com/about/donations/) until October 10, 2018.

The objective of Pints for a Purpose is to support local organizations by opening our doors for them one night a month, from November through March, in an effort to raise funds to support their work. On its designated evening, Standing Stone Brewing Company donates two dollars from every pint sold to the beneficiary organization and provides a meal to their staff and volunteers.

Each beneficiary organization of our Pints for a Purpose is selected by staff members at Standing Stone Brewing Company. All staff members are given the opportunity to vote for their top five choices.

The 2017/2018 Pints for a Purpose season raised over $2,000 for local not for profits and provided a space for them to educate our community about important local projects. The beneficiary organizations of last season were Modern Roots Foundation, Ashland Food Project, Rogue Riverkeper, Rogue Farm Corps and Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon.

The 2017/2018 season was a success and we look forward to selecting the applicants for our 2018/2019 season. We encourage you to partake in supporting our local organizations by getting involved or donating when possible. At the very least, join us next season for a craft brew in support of a good cause.

 

Contact

To learn more about Pints for a Purpose, please contact:

Joan Seybold Standing Stone Brewing Company

101 Oak Street, Ashland, Oregon

Office: (541) 494-8334

joan@standingstonebrewing.com

About Standings Stone Brewing Company

Standing Stone Brewing Company is a family-owned, full service restaurant-brewery committed to craft beers, great food, happy customers, fulfilled employees, community and sustainable business. We seek to ensure customers feel like friends, employees feel like family, our community values us as good neighbors and we leave the world a better place. Handcrafted beer is our passion and we love to share it.

By in Sustainability 0

Skip the straw at Standing Stone

You may have seen the viral video on You Tube showing a single-use, plastic drinking straw being removed from the nose of a Costa Rican Sea Turtle. If not, you can go to www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org to check it out. The video is painful to watch because the afflicted creature is clearly suffering and the cause is so obviously generated by wasteful human habits.

According to the Plastic Pollution Coalition, over 500,000,000 plastic straws are used each day in the United States. That is a huge number of straws; enough to fill 125 school busses! Once found mostly in Soda fountains of the 1930’s, straws have come to be expected with every beverage served. And while there are some legitimate reasons that some people need single-use straws, for the most part, they are unnecessary.

Because of their size and light-weight, straws do not usually make it into plastic recycling streams. They go into landfill where they take centuries to break down and emit toxic pollutants into the earth and ground-water. Or they go into the oceans where they become dangerous to marine life.

Plastic straws are just the tip of the plastic iceberg. And the issue of plastic straws has been taken up by environmental activists as a “gateway” to raising awareness about the monumental, global problem of single-use plastics in general. Choosing not to use plastic straws is a first step that we all can take in the direction of curbing the use of single-use plastics.

At Standing Stone Brewing Company we have a commitment to sustainability and environmental conservation. Long ago we gave up on petroleum-based, plastic drinking straws in favor of biodegradable, corn-based straws. However, the biodegradable straws still require an inordinate amount of time to break down in landfill and are still at risk of being washed into the ocean.

Now we are going a step further. Standing Stone Brewing Company has joined with the City of Ashland and Recology in participating in the “Straws on Demand” program.  This pilot program will be kicked off on May 14. Participating restaurants will make straws available on request. The pilot will run from May 14 to August 14, 2018.  Participating businesses are requested to take notes of the reduction of number of straws, on customers’ reactions, and to staff reactions.

We recognize that as food-servers we have an opportunity to help educate people about the dangers of single-use plastics. So, while we will continue to give straws to guests who prefer to use them, we will not be bringing a straw with every beverage. We welcome our patrons and guests to join with us in reducing unnecessary, single-use plastic waste.

For more information about the “Straws on Demand” pilot program, visit www.Recology.com/Recology-Ashland.

 

 

By in Ashland Oregon, Food, Restaurant & Menu, Standing Stone Farm, Sustainability, Uncategorized 0

Our One Mile Farm – As Local As It Gets!

Farm Entry

 

At Standing Stone, we are all proud of our commitment to local, organically grown and raised foods.  We especially appreciate the hard work of all the local farmers who provide the raw ingredients for much of our fare. Whether it’s hops from Alpha Beta Hop Farm  going into our handmade ales, or veggies from Fry Family Farms finding their way into one of Chef Javier’s awesome specials, we nurture relationships with like-minded food producers throughout the Rogue Valley.

When Standing Stone moved to make sourcing even more local by raising our own beef, we were especially excited and proud to work with Dave Westerberg of Valley View Farms . For years, Dave has used holistic, organic and sustainable farming practices raising cattle here in Ashland.  These practices are better for the cattle, the environment and consumers, and Dave’s farm presented the model we wanted to follow raising our own beef

Dave has brought his expertise and care to our One Mile Farm, 265 acres of pasture just down the street, where Standing Stone produces ALL of the beef products served in our restaurant, along with almost all of our lamb as well (Not to mention our buzzing bees producing honey used in our ales and sauces). The 50 or so cattle and 30 plus ewes we’re raising graze freely on open pasture using a management-intensive rotational system that helps rejuvenate the grass and soil, with the herds moved from one section to another sequentially.

One Mile Cow

The land and the cattle are chemical free – no fertilizers, antibiotics or hormones are used. This means that we only serve a very full-flavored grass-fed beef that’s humanely raised and free of chemicals. Not only does our grass-fed beef have health benefits such as higher Omega 3’s and key vitamins, it also contains lower saturated fat and cholesterol versus conventional beef.  On the environmental side, pastured beef systems have lower carbon emissions than feedlot-raised cattle, and help sequester carbon.

When it is time to take the cattle to slaughter, we bring the meat back to the restaurant in halves and quarters. Our trained kitchen staff performs all the butchering in house. It takes a full day of two or three chefs working around the clock to properly cut the beef. The burgers are fresh-ground and the steaks are specially cut.

So the next time you come down to the Standing Stone for a refreshing ale and dinner, and see the specialty steak of the day on the specials board, you can dine assured that the cut is freshly prepared and the meat came straight from a sustainable, humane farm right next door.

 

 

By in Ashland Oregon, Brewery & Beer, Community, Employees & Partners, Events, Food, Sustainability, Uncategorized 0

Pints for a Purpose-Rogue Valley Farm to School

We are ecstatic to welcome Rogue Valley Farm to School into our brewery this Tuesday, February 9th as the beneficiaries of our Pints for a Purpose program. On this evening, from 5-10pm, we will donate $2 from every pint sold to this amazing organization.

What about this makes us so excited? We have a chance to do what we do best (pouring great craft beers) to support local food, farms, education, and children. It’s a chance for us to give back to our community on our turf and a chance for our community to show their support for the great work the Rogue Valley Farm to School does.

“Rogue Valley Farm to School educates children about our food system through hands-on farm and garden programs, and by increasing local foods in school meals. We inspire an appreciation of local agriculture that improves the economy and environment of our community and the health of its members.”kids-768x576

But lets be real here: How AWESOME is this organization? We give them an 11 out of 10! They are working tirelessly to educate tomorrows generation about the importance of diet and how that connects to local food and farms.

As part of our mission at Standing Stone, we are committed to providing delicious craft beer and fare that utilizes locally grown ingredients and in turn supports small, local farms. We would like to thank Rogue Valley Farm to School for helping to support our mission and making it possible for the Rogue Valley to enjoy the rich bounties offered by our local farms.

For more information please visit Rogue Valley Farm to School’s website.

 

By in Ashland Oregon, Brewery & Beer, Community, Employees & Partners, Events, Other Good Stuff, Sustainability, Uncategorized 0

WEEKEND for WATER: JANUARY 30TH AND 31ST

Weekend For Water Posters 2015.compressed (1)

As proud partners of the Oregon Brewshed Alliance, we will be hosting “A Weekend for Water”. During January 30th and 31st, $1 from every pint of I ♥ Oregon Ale will be donated to Oregon Environmental Council and the Oregon Brewshed  Alliance (an Oregon Wild Alliance).

Why? Why would a brewery be so interested in donating money to help keep Oregon’s rivers and lakes clean you may ask? The answer is simple; beer is 90% water and CLEAN WATER MAKES THE BEST OF CRAFT BEERS.

“Since water comprises 90-95% of the liquid in your glass of beer, we need clean water to brew clean beer,” says Standing Stone brewer Larry Chase.

Besides our addiction to creating great craft brews, we here at Standing Stone Brewing Company feel that as apart of our community it is our responsibility to help maintain the health of our ecosystem. By supporting great organizations like Oregon Environmental Council and Oregon Wild we can do just that.

Please join us January 30th and 31st to show your support for Oregon’s clean lakes and rivers.

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LOCATION
Standing Stone Brewing Co.
101 Oak Street
Ashland, OR 97520 View Map

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CONTACT
541.482.2448
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