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Friday, October 1, 2021
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 8, Edition 31
A farm-to-ferment
collaboration Osakis distillery fueled with local grains BY DIANE LEUKAM | STAFF WRITER
O
SAKIS – Standing by the former Pollard’s grain elevator in Osakis, Brett Grinager can point to the north across Lake Osakis, and in the distance, cornfields are visible. In just a few weeks, that freshly combined corn will be stored in the elevator. Not only that corn, but many other fields from local farmers, all within fewer than 20 miles, will be added to the store. Grinagar is a farmer, and his corn will be there, as will that of Tim Collins. “The fresher the corn, the higher the starch content, the higher the conversion rate on the distillation side,” Grinager said. “In the fall, we run a lot of straight corn whiskey; it’s high-yielding at that point.” In addition to farming, Grinager is the master distiller and general manager at Panther Distillery in Osakis; Collins works in commodities, maintenance and as a distiller’s assistant. The operation, at its base, relies on relationships with nearby farmers, producers of the corn, wheat, rye and barley needed for their whiskey mash. Each year, they need 50,000 bushels of corn, along with 5-10,000 bushels each of the small grains. All of the recipes at Panther are at least 70% corn; some recipes are straight corn, some corn and wheat, corn and rye and corn and barley, or a combination of the four. As with any company that relies on farm commodities, the drought has affected them this year, requiring them to purchases additional corn beyond what the farmers could grow on their own acreage. But, it’s still nice to keep it local. “It’s a big benefit for the company to be able to source our own grain and control drying and milling,” Grinager said. “It makes us unique too, to know exactly where our grain comes from.” On Sept. 24, the two men gave a tour of their facilities around Osakis, beginning with the landmark, iconic grain elevator that is now solely owned and used by the distillery. Since 2014, it has been the first stop of the grain on its journey to becoming a Minnesota spirit. “It’s a love-hate relationship,” Grinager said with a smile. “It comes with a lot of quirks; it’s an old elevator.”
Panther Distillery page 2 PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM
Brett Grinager (left) and Tim Collins stand outside the Panther Distillery grain elevator Sept. 24 in Osakis. The two farmers collaborate as staff members at the distillery, while also growing grain used in the mash to make whiskey.
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Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
This month in the
COUNTRY:
Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on Oct. 15
7
Thank U for the apples Diane Leukam column
9
Rebuilding history Alexandria
12 American Dream on a glacial hillside Glenwood 16 A barn becomes a unique home Villard
21 Country cooking 24 The Harguths’ retirement plan Osakis 26 FFA student
