Clams and Guinness

[chefmegan]

A classmate mentioned the combination of clams and Guinness yesterday. Has anyone heard of this or had it. I love steamed clams and I love stout… I prefer Murphy’s to Guinness. I am having a hard time deciding if I would like this combo however. Clams are briny and sweet while stouts are smoky, and deep. This seems like a poorly matched combination in theory, but I am willing to try it.

Can anyone who has consumed this combo let me know what they think of it?

Cheers!

[studentofbeer]

well oysters and dry irish stouts have a long history and tradition of being eaten together. so much so in fact that there are a number of stouts called oyster stouts, some of which actually use oysters in them!

to me clams doesn't seem to match quite the same way. just not the right texture or exact flavor. i guess it would depend on your preparation. it might be worth a try tho. i wouldn't consider guinness or murphy's very smoky actually (maybe roasty is better) and both are pretty light in body. if you try hard you can pick up a little salty flavor that hooks up with the shellfish pretty well.

stouts sound good with oysters, mussels, etc. a pilsner, duvel or maybe a nice english bitter or something like Youngs SLA sounds good with steamed clams.

Also, after consulting The Brewmaster's Table, here's what Garrett Oliver has to say: "Irish stout is also wonderful with mussels, lobster, crab, clams, scallops and calamari. All of these have a cerain sea sweetness that Irish stout accentuates wonderfully." This comes after him talking about how awesome Irish stout is with oysters, and how it is all about contrasts when pairing dry stout with shellfish (he doesn't recommend fish, except for really salty, fishy ones).

So if Garrett says it's ok, it must be ok.

[steveh]

You sure he didn't mean oysters and stout? There's a huge oyster festival in the north of Ireland every year, the stout flows and the two together are considered a delicacy.

I've tried the combo myself, but since I'm not a huge oyster fan anyway - I never got the bug.

S.

[studentofbeer]

i can personally attest that oysters and stout is super yummy. goose island used to serve free oysters on friday afternoons. grab that and a pint of stout and it was a very happy time.

i know there are all kinds of oysters that have different flavor profiles. i wonder if anyone has ever gone so far as to try and match a particular oyster to a particular beer.

[fretlessman71]

Oysters and clams taste like fishy erasers to me. I guess there's no accounting for taste (Hey, I like Heinz Ketchup, so who am I to talk? ;)).

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Oysters and clams taste like fishy erasers to me. I guess there's no accounting for taste (Hey, I like Heinz Ketchup, so who am I to talk?).

I'm not a raw oyster fan, but fried clams (mmmmm!) or mussels sauteed in butter and garlic (ooooo!). Prepared right, mollusks (including squid) are damn tasty!

And I agree that on first glance (taste), Stout may seem a strange companion, but give it a try. Don't like? Grab a nice Wit to wash them down.

Cheers!

p.s. and please, whatever you do, don't drown your mollusks in ketchup. God made tartar sauce for that! ;)

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Oysters and clams taste like fishy erasers to me.

Not steamed clams - with drawn butter at the Fisherman's (Lobsterman's?) Co-Op dock in Booth Bay Harbor in July -- yummy! A little Geary's on the side...

S.

Student - wish I'd known that about G.I., do they still have it? I'd be willing to try the combo again.

[studentofbeer]

Originally posted by steveh
Not steamed clams - with drawn butter at the Fisherman's (Lobsterman's?) Co-Op dock in Booth Bay Harbor in July -- yummy! A little Geary's on the side...

S.

Student - wish I'd known that about G.I., do they still have it? I'd be willing to try the combo again.

not sure-- im trying to remember what time of year it was. I just remember being there on a couple fridays and having them be there.

I did some googling and am wondering if it was related to this oyster festival (http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/events/festivals/summer/35323,0,3046798.event). (obviously the year before that one for me).

it is probably unfortunate that any restaurant that serves good oysters won't have the beer to complement them. Stout and oysters would make a nice lunch or appetizer I would think.

[steveh]

Originally posted by studentofbeer
I did some googling and am wondering if it was related to this oyster festival (obviously the year before that one for me).

This is the one that's hosted by my favorite DJ (there may even be 2 a year now), but there was a Guinness Oyster Fest a few years ago on (in?) Wells Street, from North Avenue south a few blocks. It was alright, my friend said the oysters were too small for the price, though. But free ones, hey...

S.

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by studentofbeer
it is probably unfortunate that any restaurant that serves good oysters won't have the beer to complement them.

Au contrair. Here's one in Boston:

http://www.bandgoysters.com/

Unfortunately, didn't see a beer list, but I've heard a few people mention this place and one post on BA states Don de Dieu and Saison Dupont available on the small, but quality, beer list.

Cheers!

[BluesHarp]

When in New Orleans...a plate of raw oysters, a bottle of hot sauce, and a glass of Abita Andygator....:cool:

[SoxyinMO]

Tease me now that I've developed an allergy to shellfish :(

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by BluesHarp
When in New Orleans...a plate of raw oysters, a bottle of hot sauce, and a glass of Abita Andygator....:cool:

I live just a couple hours from New Orleans and I'ev never heard of AndyGator - love many of Abita offerings but haven't seen this one

[noby]

Originally posted by steveh
You sure he didn't mean oysters and stout? There's a huge oyster festival in the north of Ireland every year, the stout flows and the two together are considered a delicacy.

There are several oyster festivals in Ireland, the biggest of which is probably in Galway on the west coast. For obvious reasons these are usually in towns or villages on the coast. In fact the village where I live has their festival in august,. As there are oyster farms in the bay, you know what you are getting is local and fresh.
Obviously most of these are heavily promoted by Guinness.

While I'm not a big fan of oysters, I do like a pint of stout with a seafood chowder.

Cormac

[steveh]

Originally posted by noby
There are several oyster festivals in Ireland, the biggest of which is probably in Galway on the west coast.

Some friends visited one around September one year and said it was outrageously fun. I thought they said it was in the north-west of the country, County Mayo somewhere..?

S.

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by HogieWan
I live just a couple hours from New Orleans and I'ev never heard of AndyGator - love many of Abita offerings but haven't seen this one

Here is what ratebeer has to say:

Andy Gator (http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer/abita-andy-gator/3/)

BTW...Turbodog is a fine brown ale!

[axis714]

During my 5 year stay in Pt. Charlotte Florida it was insanely popular to drink Killians red with steamed clams. So by my best guestimation a weaker flavor shellfish paired with a weaker Irish ale..Oysters and Guinness were also common. My personal favorite was the Friday night Blue crab & Hefe.

[MeridianFC]

Stout and oysters is a pair ordained by God. I'm not as big a fan of clams, but I could see it working.

BTW for those in this area the Old Ebbit Grill has an oyster happy hour and they have Guinness Stout and Tupper Hop Pocket Pils on draft.

Oh, yeah!

[Seymour]

Much as I love raw oysters, the microbiologist in me just won't let me eat 'em that way anymore; I can rationalize fried oysters as okay, though. From personal experience at Hal and Mal's Brewpub in Jackson, Mississippi, I can attest that a huge platter of fried awstahs paired with their Pilsner (sorry, name escapes me just now) is sublime...

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by Seymour
I can attest that a huge platter of fried awstahs paired with their Pilsner (sorry, name escapes me just now) is sublime... Pilsner Prospere?

[chazwicke]

Oysters raw are superb and the best way to eat them. Our region has many oyster festivals each fall and I attend and enjoy them with any beer but stout is the best. Clams, mussels, well just about every seafood is excellent with beer. I love all of it. Man! I'm getting hungry for a nice plate of Chincoteages or Blue Points. And those from up near Nova Scotia and Price Edward Island are good too but a little smaller. I love raw oysters!

[fretlessman71]

Remind me not to be in the same room as you for about 3 hours after you're done with your dinner, okay? :rolleyes:

[chazwicke]

Oysters are great. My son still won't admit it even after the $40.00 though.:rolleyes:

[guildofevil]

After reading this thread a little while back I realised that I had never actually tasted raw oysters. Not wanting this gap in my culinary experience to persist, I went out to the Porterhouse, my local brew pub, and had some oysters and a pint of Wrastlers XXXX Stout (http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/popwrassler.html)

To be frank, I was not that impressed. I am a huge fan of muscles, especially with a nice Belgian Double, so it's not a shellfish thing. I just thought they tasted like seawater with a hint of fish.

Séan

[steveh]

You didn't have the notion to try the Porterhouse's Oyster Stout (http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/popoyster.html) with your plate? Theirs was the first I'd ever tried...but I agree, I never have developed a taste for raw oysters.

S.

[guildofevil]

I have tried all of the Porterhouse beers and Wrasslers XXXX is my favourite of their stouts, second favourite overall, after An Brainblásta (http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/popblasta.html)

Séan

[steveh]

I think TSB is the only other I remember trying - possibly the Temple Bräu. Great pub, though.

S.

[chazwicke]

Oysters are wonderful. Sometimes I will put a small amount of cocktail sauce or a vinegrette on them. But not much.