Brewery, together with the Mumbles Oyster Co., have released Oystermouth Stout, a beer inspired by the town of Oystermouth, a nearby ex-fishing village, and new efforts to restore derelict oyster beds off the Mumbles coast.“When I heard about oysters being reintroduced into Swansea Bay I was inspired to brew a beer to drink with them,” said Rob Turner, the brewery’s head brewer. “The reintroduction of oysters really have been the catalyst for the ideas behind this recipe.”
The brewery, in announcing the new stout, noted that in Victorian times, diners often drank beer with oysters, as back then the oyster was a more common food, and not known as a delicacy to be enjoyed with fine wine, as it is today.
The beer, according to the brewery, includes an undisclosed number of whole oysters added during the brewing process. The hope, according to the brewery, is that including the whole oyster will bring an iodine bouquet, a slightly salty aftertaste, and a mineral note from the shell, all elements that drinkers don’t get from traditional stouts.
“Whole oysters are added but remain solid and do not end up in the casks,” Turner said. “The effect on the flavor of the beer is very subtle but is an essential twist that helps it go well with oysters.”
The brewery will debut the Oystermouth Stout this week at the Mumbles Oyster and Seafood Festival and at the brewery pub the Pilot in Mumbles.
