Want to brew an oyster stout

Sunfire96 said:
Lol it's not like I'm making up a pulled pork porter or something for the first time, this is an established style!
Click to expand...
Hmmm. Pulled Pork Porter.
Y'all are getting me both hungry and thirsty!

No, seriously: it'll probably taste good. Kinda like haggis, once you get over the idea and actually taste it, you just might like it. (I'm 61 and still learning that. Sheltered childhood).
 
Sunfire96 said:
Anyone brewed one?

I've only found a few recipes... I think AHA published two in an article from 2014. Found one in a book called "The Secrets of Master Brewers" but it's mostly a hey look at this kooky part of Irish beer history! Not an actual helpful recipe.

I'd like to start with a dry Stout. @Megary @Ward Chillington @Josh Hughes @Nosybear I wanna say you all have some killer Irish stout recipes.

And then add some oysters right? I think for my batch size (3.5 gallons) I only need 6 fresh oysters. I'll shuck them open and toss in all the meat, shell, and brine into the boil. Probably 10-15 minutes from the end to ensure the oysters are fully cooked (I don't fuck around with hepatitis lol, no oyster shooters for me)

Any other considerations do you think I'll need to keep in mind? I know the shells can contribute extra calcium and phosphate and the meat/brine adds salinity. Would I condition the water for a dry stout, or keep it neutral and balanced and let the oysters add what they will?
Click to expand...

When and where and what temp do you use the ph meter? After having much problems getting a drinkable beer brewed, posted asking for be!p from the fine fellow brewers here. A couple of responses was I needed to have a analysis of my well water! Turns out, ph wss at 8.1. Started adding ro water to mash and beer is much better! Purchased a ph meter and ph was right where I think I wanted it! Turns out, seems like the temp for doing said test is at a specific temp, much lower than the water of the mash? By the time the mash water cools enough for a good reafing, its too late? Same with the floaty thingy to measure what's in the wert. Gave up on both, beer has been incredible since adding ro water to the mash!. Oh yea, love them oysters (in gulf shores soon). How does oyster taste in beet?
 
Dogwood said:
When and where and what temp do you use the ph meter? After having much problems getting a drinkable beer brewed, posted asking for be!p from the fine fellow brewers here. A couple of responses was I needed to have a analysis of my well water! Turns out, ph wss at 8.1. Started adding ro water to mash and beer is much better! Purchased a ph meter and ph was right where I think I wanted it! Turns out, seems like the temp for doing said test is at a specific temp, much lower than the water of the mash? By the time the mash water cools enough for a good reafing, its too late? Same with the floaty thingy to measure what's in the wert. Gave up on both, beer has been incredible since adding ro water to the mash!. Oh yea, love them oysters (in gulf shores soon). How does oyster taste in beet?
Click to expand...
Water pH is not significant, the mineral content is. It's better to take the pH reading at room temperature, the electrode will last longer.
 
Dogwood said:
When and where and what temp do you use the ph meter? After having much problems getting a drinkable beer brewed, posted asking for be!p from the fine fellow brewers here. A couple of responses was I needed to have a analysis of my well water! Turns out, ph wss at 8.1. Started adding ro water to mash and beer is much better! Purchased a ph meter and ph was right where I think I wanted it! Turns out, seems like the temp for doing said test is at a specific temp, much lower than the water of the mash? By the time the mash water cools enough for a good reafing, its too late? Same with the floaty thingy to measure what's in the wert. Gave up on both, beer has been incredible since adding ro water to the mash!. Oh yea, love them oysters (in gulf shores soon). How does oyster taste in beet?
Click to expand...
I don't use a pH meter, but others here do and they can point you in the right direction
 
Definitely interested, but I think I would also eat the oyster, with a little hot sauce, and then toss in the shells as already mentioned.
Then again, maybe a little Frank's in the stout would work too.
And as far as meat in a brew, didn't Charlie P do a beer with Chicken? Cock Ale or something like that?
 
Lol you're not the first to suggest eating the oysters then tossing in the rest. I don't fuck with raw shellfish. My microbio teacher in college got hepatitis from oysters shooters. Nah I'm good :)

I've been chatting with the head brewer at my favorite brewery in my hometown about the recipe so I've got some changes/updates to make to the recipe before I brew. Mostly lowering the amount of flaked barley from 20% to 10%
 
Megary said:
Did you eat them afterwards? :)

Curious if you took a post boil sample and were able to detect any unique aroma/flavor etc?
Click to expand...
I did eat them afterwards! They tasted like smoked oysters :D slightly sweet and roasty. Didn't need hot sauce or lemon juice.

I didn't pour myself a true sample, but tried a few drops and didn't detect any oyster flavor, which is great news! If any brininess/saltiness is contributed I don't think it will be noticeable until the yeast take care of the sugar that's present. My prediction is that the oyster shells contributed minerals that impact mouthfeel and some flavor (calcium, magnesium, and sodium), but the meat/brine will have a lower contribution to the final product. The fermenters smells very slightly oystery but not in a concerning way, and I'm assuming any oyster aromatics are currently being driven off and won't be detected in the beer, similar to hop aromatics that don't survive fermentation.
 
Alright @Sunfire96 you have me intrigued. Now I want to try to find some oyster stout to taste, in order to determine if it’s something I want to brew. I like beer, and I like oysters, maybe I’ll like oyster stout. It appears Total Wine has an oyster stout by Hen House, certainly there could be others. Thanks for the spark, and I hope your brew exceeds expectations.
 
Herm_brews said:
Alright @Sunfire96 you have me intrigued. Now I want to try to find some oyster stout to taste, in order to determine if it’s something I want to brew. I like beer, and I like oysters, maybe I’ll like oyster stout. It appears Total Wine has an oyster stout by Hen House, certainly there could be others. Thanks for the spark, and I hope your brew exceeds expectations.
Click to expand...
Hen House is great, I bet any of their beers are good. I say go for it. If it tastes like oysters I'd say it's a bad example of the style
 
I'm really enjoying the final product. Next time I would add either 1 large oyster or 2 small oysters for a 3 gallon batch. The aroma definitely has a briny quality to it, but that's not necessarily bad. Just might turn some people off of a delicious tasting stout :D

The roast flavor and aroma is really subtle. I really love how silky and smooth this one is; whether that's the flaked barley or minerals from the oyster shell, or both. Part of me also wants to increase the roast and flaked barley for next time. I wonder if I should omit the chocolate malt and replace it with roast, or keep the chocolate and add more roast on top.
 
Sunfire96 said:
I'm really enjoying the final product. Next time I would add either 1 large oyster or 2 small oysters for a 3 gallon batch. The aroma definitely has a briny quality to it, but that's not necessarily bad. Just might turn some people off of a delicious tasting stout :D

The roast flavor and aroma is really subtle. I really love how silky and smooth this one is; whether that's the flaked barley or minerals from the oyster shell, or both. Part of me also wants to increase the roast and flaked barley for next time. I wonder if I should omit the chocolate malt and replace it with roast, or keep the chocolate and add more roast on top.
Click to expand...
Glad to hear it turned out well for you! Sounds like we will be hearing about changes and improvements, look forward to it!
 
Sunfire96 said:
I'm really enjoying the final product. Next time I would add either 1 large oyster or 2 small oysters for a 3 gallon batch. The aroma definitely has a briny quality to it, but that's not necessarily bad. Just might turn some people off of a delicious tasting stout :D

The roast flavor and aroma is really subtle. I really love how silky and smooth this one is; whether that's the flaked barley or minerals from the oyster shell, or both. Part of me also wants to increase the roast and flaked barley for next time. I wonder if I should omit the chocolate malt and replace it with roast, or keep the chocolate and add more roast on top.
Click to expand...
Having never added an oyster to anything in my life, I would still bet your smoothness is coming from the Flaked Barley. I’ve settled on about 17% of FB for my house Stout, so I think you can push it a bit further if you want, at the expense of your base malt. The roastiness is very relative to the beer drinker…one drinker’s “just a touch of roast” is another’s ashtray. :)

Just my opinion, ymmv.

So glad to hear you are really enjoying it! If your name ever gets pulled for a quarterly recipe, I hope you put forward this one!
 
Megary said:
Having never added an oyster to anything in my life, I would still bet your smoothness is coming from the Flaked Barley. I’ve settled on about 17% of FB for my house Stout, so I think you can push it a bit further if you want, at the expense of your base malt. The roastiness is very relative to the beer drinker…one drinker’s “just a touch of roast” is another’s ashtray. :)

Just my opinion, ymmv.

So glad to hear you are really enjoying it! If your name ever gets pulled for a quarterly recipe, I hope you put forward this one!
Click to expand...
Haha I think I'd get kicked out if I picked this for the community brew :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Copyright © 2007-2024 Brewer's Friend, Inc. - Send Feedback - Terms - RSS Feed - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Back
Top