Oyster Stouts

[akimbo78]

i learned something new so i'd thought i would share. Yards makes a terrific oyster stout. harpoon made a limited batch oyster stout a while back and i also enjoyed it. now that i brew, i was looking to make one. There didn't seem to be much help on the subject on here. mostly people saying how gross it was. well i went straight to the source to get an answer, and Yards answered. apparently oyster stouts do not contain the oysters themselves at all. it is an ode to an English style which used the shells to add calcium carbonate into the mix. boil the shells only for the first 10 minutes and you have an oyster stout.

 

[ayoungrad]

I looked into this previously. It was my conclusion that you put whole, unshucked oysters into the boil. Maybe not everyone does this but it made sense to me - essentially you are cooking oysters in the wort. You would get carbonate from the shells I suppose but you should also get something from the oysters after the shells open. If I do one, I will definitely add them, whole, to the boil.

The reason I researched it and didn't ended brewing one yet is because I've been pretty disappointed with the commercial ones I've tasted... maybe because there were only shells in them???

 

[frailn]

How many shells would you put in for a standard five gallon batch?

 

[akimbo78]

How many shells would you put in for a standard five gallon batch?

i was told 3 oz by the guy at yards. he looked at my recipe told me how to change it. i won't post it until i brew it though.

 

[akimbo78]

I looked into this previously. It was my conclusion that you put whole, unshucked oysters into the boil. Maybe not everyone does this but it made sense to me - essentially you are cooking oysters in the wort. You would get carbonate from the shells I suppose but you should also get something from the oysters after the shells open. If I do one, I will definitely add them, whole, to the boil.

The reason I researched it and didn't ended brewing one yet is because I've been pretty disappointed with the commercial ones I've tasted... maybe because there were only shells in them???

have you ever had Yards? it is only available on tap, which is why i think he was so liberal in giving the info. i emailed Brooklyn Brewery about their Local 2 and they basically told me that they wouldn't be answering any of my questions.

 

[Cambone]

Just to clarify, the Harpoon Oyster stout DOES have oysters in it. However, in the UK it is very common to call a stout an "Oyster Stout" suggesting that this particular stout will pair well with oysters, regardless of whether or not it contains any oysters.

I will say the Harpoon stout, tasted in no way fishy or gross. Just like fresh oysters don't fishy. More of a refreshing minerality.

 

[FooFan]

A buddy of mine gave me one yesterday. He brewed it up last month ago or so. I drank it last night... pretty good. He used canned oysters.

 

[ayoungrad]

have you ever had Yards? it is only available on tap, which is why i think he was so liberal in giving the info. i emailed Brooklyn Brewery about their Local 2 and they basically told me that they wouldn't be answering any of my questions.

Never had yards. Had one of the Harpoons and one from Great Britain (can't remember the name)...

 

[ghack]

Abita is putting one out with LA oysters
http://www.nola.com/drink/index.ssf/2011/10/abita_beers_latest_seasonal_fl.html

My guess it the salt in the oysters is what will make the biggest impact. Fresh Oysters throw off a lot of liquid when cooked. But boiled in stout wort? I bet those are pretty tasty oysters.

 

[rpbaldwin]

I'll add that I'm going to be doing one of these soon with oysters from my father's oyster lease. There's a recipe from BYO that calls for 10oz shucked oysters in the last 15 of the boil:
http://***********/stories/recipeindex/article/recipes/114-stout/2375-black-pearl-oyster-stout- Hope that helps.