When it comes to straightforward, descriptive titles, we think Revival Foods wins the blue ribbon here. The heritage meat distributor is partnering with Charleston Beer Exchange to host their first-ever Meat Beer Fire on LJ Woods Farm, a 680-acre wooded farm in Sylvania, Ga. that’s home to around 600 cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. It runs from 2-6 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, and tickets are $75.
Bradley Taylor, the farmer behind LJ Woods and founder of Revival Foods, got into the farming biz because he’s passionate about preserving locally-adapted heritage livestock breeds like the Pineywoods cattle and Ossabaw hog. These and the other breeds that wander LJ Woods are smaller and hardier than commercial livestock — as Taylor says, they haven’t had the survivability bred out of them. They’re also adapted to every aspect of living in the Lowcountry, from the humidity to the bugs to the short winters.
These are the animals that will make up the meat portion of Meat Beer Fire. The menu will feature Pineywoods Rose veal, Gulf Coast Native lamb, Spanish goat, and Ossabaw Island pork, all of which offer unique flavors that you simply can’t get from a grocery store. And that’s not to mention that you’ll be significantly cutting your environmental impact, as well as supporting humane livestock practices and the local food economy, by eating LJ Woods meat. There’s honestly no down side here.
Now for the beer. Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø of EvilTwin Brewing is creating two special craft brews specifically for the event. EvilTwin Fire is a pale ale brewed with jalapenos, and EvilTwin Meat is brewed with Pineywoods beef jerky. There will be other options too if spicy, meaty beers aren’t your thing.
And finally, the fire will be tended by Cypress chef Craig Deihl, who’s a big fan of Taylor’s heritage meats and uses them in his restaurant. Deihl will be cooking everything outside using grilling, fire roasting, and smoking methods. The bluegrass group the Mosier Brothers Band will be playing throughout the afternoon.
The trip to Sylvania will run you about two to two-and-a-half hours each way, but if you don’t want to do the driving yourself, Revival’s reserved a party bus that will take you from the Beer Exchange in downtown Charleston to the farm. And they do mean party bus: along the way, you can enjoy EvilTwin beer and Deihl’s famous charcuterie.
There are only 150 spots total for the dinner, and 50 spots on the bus, so make sure you get your tickets soon. Reserve them online.
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