Expert: Ed Westemeier - 8/27/2006

Question
I took a tour of the Anhauser-Busch plant in Merrimack, NH recently.  The guide was talking about past beer styles, and said �there was an oyster lager, actually made with oyster meat.�  I thought that sounded like Clydesdale droppings.  What do you think?

Answer
Actually, he was close. There used to be ales (stouts, actually) known as Oyster Stout. The first thing you should realize is that in the 19th century, oysters were much, much more common on the dinner table than they are today. Porters and stouts were also far more common in beer glasses at the time, so the combination came naturally.

The oyster stouts of the time were not (as far as anyone knows) made with oysters, but were designed to accompany them with your meal. Nevertheless, a few enterprising breweries have attempted to revive the style, and have actually included a very small quantity of oysters, sort of in the "truth in advertising" mode. The amount used would not make much of a difference in the flavor of such a distinctive beer style, but it's a fun idea.