Smith Island Oyster Stout

As one would expect, oysters have a special place along Virginia's eastern shore. This year provided me with opportunities to learn about that special place, whether it was the tour of the Lambert Shellfish oyster farm in Vaucluse Shores or a more general look at the work of the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences in Wachapreague. And, of course, given my family's love of oysters, we ate a lot of fresh, local oysters. We sampled oysters straight out of Hungar's Creek; we ate fried oysters out of the local fixture, the Machipango Clam Shack, and I shucked a couple dozen from Cherrystone Aqua Farms, whose operations are centered in Cape Charles, Virginia, for us to enjoy at our leisure. 

And, as we sat in the only brewpub on the eastern shore of Virginia, Cape Charles Brewing, I had to try the Smith Island Oyster Stout. I am a big fan of oyster stouts. The combination of a dark, robust style of beer with the very subtle salinity elements of oysters is a combination that seems just natural. 

And, indeed it is, because the oyster stout style has a relatively long history, at least one that dates back to 19th century England. At that time, porters and stouts were popular, everyday beers. As one sat at the bar in the pub, they would have been served a stout alongside oysters. Indeed, although in Ireland, Guinness would advertise that its famous stout paired perfectly with the shucked bivalves. 

At some point, most likely around the end of the 19th century, brewers discovered that oyster shells, which are rich in calcium carbonate, could be used to filter beer. And, it was only a matter of time before the oyster meat would also make its way into the brewing process.

The first brewery to produce an oyster stout was not in England or the United States. It was the Dunedin Brewery in New Zealand, which offered the first oyster stout in 1938. They did not use fresh oysters, but canned oyster concentrate. To be sure, others followed in Dunedin's footsteps, such as Castleton Brewery on the Isle of Man and the Manx Brewery in the United States. 

The brewers at Cape Charles Brewing describe the oysters' contribution to the Smith Island Oyster Stout as follows: "We gave it an Eastern Shore twist by adding hundreds of fresh, local oysters to the boil," adding "you won't taste the oysters themselves, but rather a subtle, pleasant salinity."

To be sure, the Smith Island Oyster Stout checks off all of the markers of a typical stout: a dark, nearly impenitrable color, aromatic elements of roasted malt, and a flavor profile that hints at earthier tastes, like a little chocolate or coffee. As for that salinity, I could sense it a little, especially as the beer warmed and opened up. 

I have tried several of Cape Charles Brewing's beers, including but not limited to, the Assateague Island IPA and the Cobb Island IPA. Yet, while all of the beers are very good, the Smith Island Oyster Stout is my favorite. Both the brewery, and the opportunity to drink a pint of this beer, are reasons enough to visit Cape Charles. Until next time ...

PEACE.

Great Lakes Imperial Oyster Stout

The oyster stout has always perplexed me.  I am not a brewmaster. I have never brewed a beer. However, I have shucked many an oyster.  And, with a deep knowledge of the oyster, I have a hard time picturing how a brewer can add oysters to a beer to make an oyster stout.

Of course, this style of beer has existed for quite some time.  Back in the late 1800s, oysters were added to beer to "promote clarity."  Whether that clarity was ever achieved, it was undeniable that oysters provided a subtle, smooth mouthfeel and a briny flavor to the beer. To be sure, there is a difference between an oyster stout and a run-of-the-mill stout.  The mouthfeel and brine that is provided by oysters is perhaps the reason why brewers have continued to add oysters to beer. After all, what does clarity have to do with an oyster stout?  An oyster stout beer is supposed to be as black as pitch darkness. 

Anyways, if I had to choose what would be the best oyster stout that I have ever had, it would be the Great Lakes Imperial Oyster Stout.  The brewers at Great Lakes used "East Coast oysters," which is a useless label, given the wide variety of oysters along the eastern coast of the United States. For example, there is a huge difference between oysters found in the estuaries in Maine and the oysters found in the Chesapeake Bay.  Whatever oysters were used, they clearly did add a smoothness in the body of the beer and a slight briny element in the finish. 

As for the other ingredients, the brewers used an interesting combination of malts and hops.  The malts include Harrington 2-Row, Roasted Barley, Oats, Chcoolate, Cara 45.  The hops were both Simcoe and Mt. Hood. The other ingredients included the obvious -- oysters -- and the less the slightly less obvious -- cacao nibs and salt. The end result is a beer with an IBU of 37 and an ABV of 11%.

The Imperial Oyster Stout pours pitch black, the blackness one would expect when he or she  was floating in the middle of deep space, far away from the light of any star.  A slight tan foam appears as the beer is poured in to the glass.  The foam recedes rather quickly to the edges of the glass, exposing the beer to the nose.  

The aromatic elements, along with the taste of the beer, of the beer heavily emphasize the roasted malts.  There are notes of chocolate, as well as some mild coffee flavors in the taste of the beer.  The thing that sets this oyster stout apart from the others that I have had in the past is that there was truly a "softness" in the beer, which could only be attributed to the oysters.  

This beer is definitely worth the purchase. My only regret is that I did not buy an extra bottle.  Until next time...

ENJOY!