Oystermen and Brewers Combine to Reinvent a Traditional Pint with a Difference
The Mumbles Oyster Company and the Mumbles Brewery Ltd have joined forces to produce a traditional oyster stout…..made with real oysters
Contrary to the modern day perceptions of oysters as the food of the rich or as a rare treat, in Victorian times oysters were an everyday food for people living around British coasts. More often than not Victorian oysters were washed down with a good pint of stout, and not a delicate French Chablis or Champagne, hence the term “oyster stout”.
Moves to restore the derelict oyster beds off Mumbles in south Wales has triggered a resurgence of interest in all things oysters in the picturesque ex-fishing village of Oystermouth. To celebrate the restoration of the Mumbles Oyster and to mark the beginning of the traditional oyster season The Mumbles Brewery has teamed up with the Mumbles Oyster Company to brew an oyster stout much like those enjoyed when the shellfish were more common fare.
Oystermouth Stout follows a recipe researched and developed by Head Brewer at Mumbles Brewery, Rob Turner with the support of Dr Andy Woolmer of the Mumbles Oyster Company. Although stout is more commonly associated with Ireland and a certain brewery in Dublin it was once brewed by local breweries around the British Isles each with its own character.
Moves to restore the derelict oyster beds off Mumbles in south Wales has triggered a resurgence of interest in all things oysters in the picturesque ex-fishing village of Oystermouth. To celebrate the restoration of the Mumbles Oyster and to mark the beginning of the traditional oyster season The Mumbles Brewery has teamed up with the Mumbles Oyster Company to brew an oyster stout much like those enjoyed when the shellfish were more common fare.
Oystermouth Stout follows a recipe researched and developed by Head Brewer at Mumbles Brewery, Rob Turner with the support of Dr Andy Woolmer of the Mumbles Oyster Company. Although stout is more commonly associated with Ireland and a certain brewery in Dublin it was once brewed by local breweries around the British Isles each with its own character.
Brian Davies (local historian and author of Mumbles and Gower Pubs) states “Dark beers and oysters were very commonly consumed in the Swansea Bay area at the time the Pilot Inn of Oystermouth was opened in 1849.”
In addition to a few tricks of Rob’s own, Mumbles Brewery’s Oystermouth Stout has a special addition which adds a certain character of its own: oysters, to be supplied from the Mumbles Oyster Company. A secret number of whole oysters are dropped into the heating ‘copper’ containing the ‘wort’ (the boiling hot liquid containing hops and natural sugers extracted from the barley mash).
What do the oysters bring to the beer? Anyone who has enjoyed eating an oyster will understand that they are the only food that really can evoke the taste and smell of the sea with their fresh iodine bouquet and slightly salty aftertaste. The local surfers will understand. We think that the addition of oysters to Oystermouth Stout will add just that suggestion of bracing seashore freshness and the shell a mineral note missing in other stouts. Andy of Mumbles Oyster Company thinks that oysters may add an unquantifiable element to the beer “Eating Mumbles oysters makes me feel buoyed up and joyful, I feel ebullient. I hope that the oysters convey that gift to Oystermouth Stout, that same sense of magic.” Head Brewer Rob expands: “Whole oysters are added but remain solid and do not end up in the casks. The effect on the flavour of the beer is very subtle but is an essential twist that helps it go well with oysters.”
The brewing of Oystermouth Stout marks the beginning of Mumbles Oyster Company’s work to restore the now derelict historic oyster beds a Mumbles. Once a thriving oyster fishing community, much of this heritage has been lost but the reintroduction of native oysters to the historic beds may provide the impetus to encourage other local businesses to rediscover their oyster related recipes and spark something of a gastronomic revolution in Mumbles.
Head Brewer Rob agrees and said “When I heard about oysters being reintroduced into Swansea Bay I was inspired to brew a beer to drink with them. The reintroduction of oysters really have been the catalyst for the ideas behind this recipe.”
Oystermouth Stout will be premiered this week at the Mumbles Oyster and Seafood Festival and at the brewery pub, the Pilot in Mumbles, run by Richard Bennett, Rob’s partner in Mumbles Brewery.
