We’re having our summer party on July 27! And true to form, we’ll be serving oysters. Oysters are kind of our thing—they’re unexpected, local and classy all at the same time. But this year we’re throwing in some historical flavor by pairing our oysters with a roasty stout.
If science weren’t so busy solving real problems, it would probably tell us it’s a fact that oysters and stout make mouth magic together. In the words of Michael Jackson, the beer hunter himself, “the earthy intensity of stout is a perfect foil for the gamey brineyness of oysters.”
We were intrigued by this mighty duo, and the deeper we dug, the more we learned and loved about this pairing. Turns out, it’s slowly crawling back onto menus at hip restaurants and making waves among food connoisseurs. While oysters and stout are still working toward a Macklemore-and-Ryan-Lewis level of pairing fame, just 200 years ago this beer and shellfish combo was center stage at the local pub. As the storytellers that we are, the history and lore of this revived pairing appealed to us immediately: part pioneering, part plentiful and all-around Victorian.
In the era of Queen Victoria, the preferred pub beverages were the malty porters and stouts, and the bar snack was oysters, because they were everywhere! Oysters were common enough to be a food of the Victorian poor, at a cost of three for a penny. Even Guinness, first established in the late 1700s, has used the famed pairing to market its beer. In a 1930s ad the company claimed, “Guinness brings the oysters out of their shells.”
Over time, however, oysters became less plentiful and beer tastes transitioned toward lighter beers. Then, somewhere around the mid-90s, people woke up to the rich world of beer they had abandoned. We would all be drowning in Budweiser if it weren’t for the beer renaissance! And people like Michael Jackson the beer hunter fueled the revival with his stories of beers and traditions we had mostly forgotten.
Today, with oysters back on the menu—now with a brand that’s less pauper and more prince—and world class stouts readily available from local craft brewers, it’s time, again, to enjoy the delicious pairing that once was! This summer, we’ll say cheers with Taylor Shellfish oysters and Reuben’s stout.