Oysters and stouts have a long-standing history. A weird combination for some, but for those in the know, there’s a rich history behind the pair and an even more interesting beer style to go along with it. The oyster stout.
In a surprising twist, oysters are actually added to the beer – yes, you read that right. This practice may seem unconventional, but it has roots that trace back to the early 1800s when oyster shells were utilized as a filter bed in brewing. Brewers would pour the mash over crushed shells to separate the spent grain from the wort. This was initially a technical process, but it eventually led to the creation of the Oyster Stout in New Zealand a few decades later.
Across the globe in Athens, Georgia, and many years later, Athentic decided to do our take on an Oyster Stout with a little help from the experts. We had our friends, Patrick and Noah, over from Seabear and we started throwing around ideas for our next collab beer. On the brew day, we had an excellent day hanging around, talking shop, and enjoying each other’s company. The Seabear team provided the oyster meat and oyster shells, and we all crowded around the boil, excitingly throwing out potential names and planning the beer release party.
Noah and Patrick from Seabear helping out on the brew day.
A few days went by and we finally landed on the very appropriate name, “Get Shucked.” There are loads of Oyster Stouts on the market, but this is the first-ever Georgia-brewed oyster stout made with Georgia oysters! Except we hadn’t made a beer like this before, so we were all but biting our nails to the quick hoping the batch turned out well. Luckily ales don’t take very long to brew, and 3 weeks later we got to try it for the first time.
Derek adding the oyster shells to the brew.
Noah and Patrick joined us on a dreary January morning to tap the keg and get a first taste, and we couldn’t have had it turn out any better. It’s mineral-driven yet perfectly balanced and has a light mouthfeel so more than one can be enjoyed, and the best yet? It’s a sweet little 5%. We were pumped, and the matter was settled. Athentic would throw a release party with half the kegs, and Seabear would have one just a few weeks later with the other half of the batch.
Paul, Noah, Patrick, and Derek watching the boil.
We had our first event for the release on February 4th, and the pocket-sized shuck truck from Seabear adorned our patio for people to enjoy their beer with some half-shelled raw oysters. We knew the town loved oysters and beer, but Y’all drank us out of house and home— we only had 1 keg left by the end of the day!
Needless to say, we love collaboration beers. The energy and curiosity that folks approach us with when a collab beer is being born is second to none. The creative energy of Athens comes alive when like-minded people come together to make something beautiful. And this collab reminded us that risks are oftentimes worth taking with the right people.
Get Shucked on Seabear’s bar, ready to be enjoyed.