Oyster stout, the oyster beer that will amaze you

Every St. Patrick’s Day the shop windows fill up with dark beer from the British Isles, but we’re not going to talk about the ultra-famous Guinness, rather about a much more curious stout variant: oyster stout. In the 20th century, some English breweries experimented with adding oysters during the production of their dark beers. What was once more of an anecdote than a trend is now being revived with renewed strength by the craft beer movement, offering limited releases and exclusive batches.

The idea comes from a typical Victorian pairing that consists of accompanying stout with oysters, which in Spain would be like having a small beer with mussels in vinaigrette, for example. However, there is no standard recipe for producing this interesting beer. The key is to add oysters during the mash or the boil, but each brewer has their own way. Some choose to immerse only the shells, others include the mollusk meat as well, and there are even those who keep it simple and add oyster concentrate directly.

So what does an oyster beer taste like? The truth is, it doesn’t taste like oyster. Make no mistake about that. You’d need an enormous amount of oysters to achieve that result. Oysters add a more saline, mineral profile to the beer. This is especially interesting in beers with very roasted malts such as stouts, because it pairs wonderfully with roasted notes. Not for nothing does English tradition rely on its hard, mineral-rich water to brew dark beers.

So that anyone can understand it, the mineral content of oysters enhances the flavor of beer. The sensation is similar to the combination of chocolate and salt. Haven’t tried it? You don’t know what you’re missing…

As for food pairing, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. An oyster stout pairs beautifully with oysters by affinity, but also with other types of shellfish. In Spanish culinary terms, it would go wonderfully with Galician-style octopus with plenty of paprika, which in turn ties in with the smokiness of the malts.

If you’re curious to try an authentic oyster stout, some brands like Porterhuse (Republic of Ireland) or Martston’s (United Kingdom) are easy to find at an affordable price. In Spain, some microbreweries have also brewed batches of this recipe, such as El Ayla (Cantabria) and La Cibeles (Madrid).