Another selection from the Marston family, this was a pretty decent stout. I'm typically reluctant to try a stout these days that doesn't have a draughtflow widget in it, but this one was very smooth. It says on the back of the label that it goes well with oysters, but my friend and fellow beer appreciator Jeff Dillinger may have told me that some of these stouts are actually made with ground oyster shells. Jeff, can you weigh in on this?Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A Decent Stout
Another selection from the Marston family, this was a pretty decent stout. I'm typically reluctant to try a stout these days that doesn't have a draughtflow widget in it, but this one was very smooth. It says on the back of the label that it goes well with oysters, but my friend and fellow beer appreciator Jeff Dillinger may have told me that some of these stouts are actually made with ground oyster shells. Jeff, can you weigh in on this?
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I have heard a few different stories about this, so please forgive the long response.
ReplyDeleteFirst a note on the Marston's Oyster Stout. It's not actually made with oysters or oyster shells, but as you mentioned on the label, it is thought to go well with oysters. This pairing goes back a while, but it was made famous in an ad by David Ogilvy for Guinness:
http://www.appellationbeer.com/images/20080213-oysters.jpg
Dry Irish stouts such as Guinness seem to be the ones that do pair well with oysters so I would expect the Marston's to be similar in style.
There has been beer brewed for quite some time, though, that actually does use oysters, usually in a concentrate form. I have also heard of people adding a splash of liquid from a jar of oysters to their stout after it has been poured. More recently, though, the shells have been used in the brewing process. The minerality is thought to counter any acids in the stout which can give it a bit of a sour character. For anyone still stuck in LA, I would recommend seeking out the version of this made by Craftsman.