Family businesses that have been going for generations are always cause for celebration, and there are some well known examples in Ireland in their sixth or seventh generation and going strong. But 13 generations takes some doing and it's hard to get your head around the story of a place like Ballykilcavan Farm in deepest Laois where the Walsh family has worked the land since 1639. To thrive over more than four centuries innovation must be in their DNA and it seems that the drive to meet changing times with diversification has never been stronger than it is in the current generation.
Now home to David Walsh-Kemmis and his wife Lisa, Ballykilcavan was a traditional mixed farm with barley grown for malting as the main crop when David took over from his father in 2004. But, like many other farmers, he soon felt the need to diversify for longterm viability - and the happy result is their unique Ballykilcavan Brewery, which now delights visitors from far and wide and is an inspiring example of sustainable development.
It's a big property with a mix of farmland and wooded areas and a traditional farmhouse and gardens - and beautiful stone outbuildings that provided an atmospheric setting for the new brewey and visitor experience.
While we're all familiar with restaurants that take pride in local sourcing, and claims such as 'the 15-mile menu', the provenance of the ingredients used in the beers produced at Ballykilcavan is remarkable by any standards. Aside from the barley grown on the farm (which also supplies other businesses including Waterford Distillery) they use their own well water, and have 'a small but expanding' hop garden, and the October harvest is used to brew their Fresh Hopped pale ale, in which all of the barley, water and hops come from within 500m of the brewery. They are members of Bord Bia's Origin Green sustainability programme and, exceptionally, hold the highest possible Gold membership rating.
The constantly evolvng range of beers produced includes a number of styles - pale red and brown ale, session ales, a traditional Irish stout, and 'Clancy's Cans' a limited edition range of cans with seasonal styles varying from IPAs to strong stouts. They're available online and stocked locally, also at some excellent pubs, hotels and restaurants - and at some of the country's most prestigious speciality shops, including the wonderful Ardkeen Quality Food Store in Waterford city.
David is a warm and enthusiastic host and the experiences offered include a Highlights Tour (a guided walk through the historic farmyard and the brewery, finishing with a tutored tasting of four different Ballykilcavan beers in the 240-year-old brewery building) and the Terroir Tour, which also includes a walk around the barley field and hop garden where the ingredients are grown.
All round, it's a fascinating place and both the tours and the products are well worth seeking out.
