One of his great grandfathers homesteaded near Highwood, Montana. Another was a bootlegger in Butte. The legacies of both are featured prominently at Trailhead Spirits in Billings, Montana. That's where we take you next, as we wrap up Ag Celebration Week with the Billings Chamber of Commerce and Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative.

Distilleries dot the landscape across Montana these days, adding to the list of weekend road trip ideas. Trailhead Spirits is definitely one of them. They started downtown and then now occupy a very cool spot on the Billings West End, right next to the huge indoor trampoline park.

For our ag celebration week coverage we definitely got to celebrate beef- with great steaks and burgers along the way. With Trailhead Spirits we get to celebrate grain around the table. Casey McGowan uses wheat from the family farm in Highwood for his Highwood vodka, chocolate whiskey, and other spirits. And Healy's gin is named after his great grandfather Healy from Butte.

Check out our conversation with Casey McGowan from Trailhead Spirits:

 

 

Prior Ag Celebration Week Reports: Inside the Kitchen at the Buffalo Block and the Windmill | 

 

Credit Billings CVB Youtube video screenshot.
Credit Billings CVB Youtube video screenshot.
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Check out the crank and the open flame from the Argentinian grill at the Buffalo Block in the photo above. That's where we're taking you today with our latest "Experience Ag Around the Table" series from the Billings Chamber and Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative. We'll also take you inside the kitchen at The Windmill in Billings, as they preview their steak and king crab Valentine's Day special for us. It's all part of the Billings Chamber's Ag Celebration Week. First up- The Buffalo Block in downtown Billings:

Watch Aaron Flint as he experiences the science behind cooking the perfect Montana Prime steak with Buffalo Block Prime Steakhouse chef James Bramlett. Wet-aged, dry-aged and butchered in-house, these wood flame grilled regionally sourced cuts will have you ready for dinner! Learn the seasoning and grilling tips for getting the perfect sear and maximizing the flavor of your favorite cut of Montana beef.

https://youtu.be/-cLYwrtP_14   Next up- The Windmill on the Billings West End as chef Elias Banderas previews their Valentine's Day special- king crab legs and steak. We know a lot of you farmers and ranchers get some good steak at home, and you still want a good steak when you go out, but you want to mix it up with some great seafood as well. That's what the Windmill has been know for ever since their early days in downtown Billings when they got their start as a night club in the 1930s. Now they're on the West End, but brought the same great recipes with them. https://youtu.be/1ow-lenFLQk         Prior Report: "Ag Around the Table" Videos Highlight Ag Celebration Week |

Credit Billings Chamber CVB YouTube video screenshot.
Credit Billings Chamber CVB YouTube video screenshot.
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Let's take you inside the kitchen of the Fieldhouse...and the Bull Mountain Grille. Earlier this week we told you about the Billings Chamber's "Ag Celebration Week" sponsored by Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative. I have the great honor of hosting their "Experience Ag Around the Table" series where we take you inside some of the coolest kitchens in Billings as we talk Farm to Table. Check out the Billings Chamber's website for all of the content, here's some of the latest video features. (Side note: watching these videos makes me really glad I am in the radio business, and no longer on TV...ha) First up- The Fieldhouse in downtown Billings:

Watch this video to learn about the fresh Montana products the Fieldhouse uses in their amazing dishes. Join Aaron Flint and Fieldhouse chef Matt Makowski as they create a delicious burger, fries, and salad made from fresh ingredients grown and raised right here in Montana.

 

https://youtu.be/TTbItmo_Jg0   Next up- The Bull Mountain Grille in the Billings Heights:

  Watch Aaron Flint and chef/owner Duane Haugen of Bull Mountain Grille as they talk about Montana raised beef, how to properly season and cook a great steak, and then of course, that first delicious bite! “Bringing Montana to your plate since 2009.” #greatsteaksnobull

 

 

 

 

Credit Aaron Flint
Credit Aaron Flint
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The prime steaks were cooked over an open flame on an Argentinian grill. That was the view from inside the kitchen at the Buffalo Block in downtown Billings. Across the tracks at the Fieldhouse, we chowed down on a burger that was Montana through and through, from the Montana grain in the bun, to the Yellowstone County beef, the Swanky Roots lettuce, the potatoes from Manhattan, the cheese from the Bitterroot Valley, and the beet salad with beets from Northwest Montana. Then, we traveled to the Heights and the Bull Mountain Grille. Not only were the steaks killer, but they were one of the most military veteran-friendly restaurants I've ever visited. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we got a preview of the Windmill's steak and King Crab legs special. And then we decided to wash it all down with some Montana wheat products, with a toast at Trailhead Spirits. Casey McGowan introduced us to his Highwood whiskey, with grain right from the family homestead. What better way to celebrate agriculture than to take you inside some of the coolest kitchens in Billings, Montana? That's exactly what we did, and it's all coming up this week as part of the Billings Chamber of Commerce's "Ag Celebration Week." Normally, we get to enjoy the annual Ag Celebration Banquet. But with no banquet planned in this crazy year, they're shifting it up another gear and dedicating the whole week to celebrate ag. KULR8-TV shared the official release from the Billings Chamber of Commerce:

    • Follow our Ag. Celebration Week host, Aaron Flint. He's an agricultural advocate and host of the radio talk show “Montana Talks” on (News Talk KBUL), as he guides our awareness of this essential industry. Flint will be interviewing various ag. industry influencers throughout the week.

 

For more, and to check out our videos from all of the locations above and more, follow the Billings Chamber on Facebook and Instagram daily for opportunities to engage, win prizes, and learn about the ag industry. Here are some previews:  

 

 

 

 

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