Flying Dog Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout

Brewed By: Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, Maryland  

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Binny's Illinois; 2012

Style/ABV: Oyster Stout, 5.5%
Reported IBUs: 35

Who doesn't love aphrodisiacs...blueberries, oysters, your mom...OH NO YOU DI'INT!!! Oyster Stouts aren't really an official style of beer...but who dictates style guidelines anyway. The history of Oyster Stouts is pretty murky...but it seems that the style originated in England, where pub-goers were already enjoying the complimentary pair that is oysters and Stouts. The original "Oyster Stout" wasn't even brewed with oysters, and was simply called an "Oyster Stout" to indicate that it pairs well with oysters. It wasn't long before someone was like: "HEY! Asshole! You can't call it an Oyster Stout unless you put oysters in it!" And so some brave brewer threw oysters into the mix...the first example appearing sometimes in the late 1920s, and up until just after World War 2. I'm looking for some good citations on this, but I'm not coming up with much. 

Labrador Stout...Rogue, get on this shit.

Today, meddling craft brewers are doing all sorts of crazy shit, including brewing beer with Oysters. "Oyster Stout" doesn't necessarily mean the beer was brewed with oysters (it could simply be a nod to the suggested pairing), but if I call my beer a "Labrador Stout" it better be brewed with Labradors. Modern Oyster Stouts don't necessarily incorporate raw oysters in the recipe. You can use the oyster brine, or the shells, and still get some texture or briny flavor in your beer. My understanding is that most Oyster Stouts are basically brewed like a Dry Stout, and then the oysters are added during the last 10 minutes of the boil (see: brewing). 

Flying Dog are a bunch of crazy mother fuckers....but we already knew that. Any brewery that idolizes Hunter S. Thompson is crazy. They actually incorporate ENTIRE raw oysters into their boil. That makes this beer pretty unique. Word on the street is that the brewers eat the oysters after they are done with the boil. I'm sure it's tasty. About Flying Dog:

Flying Dog was founded by George Stranahan, who is known as being a bit of a rebel and adventurer. The company began as a brewpub in Aspen, Colorado, which eventually became a brewery in Denver, Colorado. As Flying Dog expanded, they opened a second brewery in 2006 in Frederick, Maryland. In 2008 the brewery shut down their Denver location. Flying Dog is known for their controversial beer labels, courtesy of Ralph Steadman, and founder George Stranahan is known for his friendship with the late Hunter S. Thompson. 

If you check out the Pearl Necklace page, you can get some basic info on this beer. This beer is brewed with local Rappahannock River Oysters, and is described as the perfect compliment to "everyone's favorite aphrodisiac." This beer clocks in at 5.5%, 35 IBUs, and is brewed with Perle hops. The malt base includes Roasted Barley, Midnight Wheat, Cara-Pils, and Black (for color, I'm sure). One thing that is cool as hell is that proceeds for this beer go to the "Oyster Recovery Partnership," which coordinates oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay. This beer is pretty legit....so let's glass it up. 

Flying Dog Pearl Necklace

The beer pours surprisingly dark, with a dark, squid-ink-black body, and one finger of coffee/brown-colored head. The head doesn't hang around for too long, but a nice cauldron effect sets in. When held to a bright light, you do catch a bit of that ruby red/brown in the body, but this is still really dark stuff. There's some lacing, and nice pull from the head. You can't see through the beer, so I can't comment on carbonation.

The aroma on this stuff is out of this world for the style. This takes the Dry Stout foundation...and blows that shit up. Really fantastic stuff on this beer's nose. I'm getting big roasted barley, hints of sweet meat and smoke, hints of chocolate, and hints of sweet, earthy coffee. And then...there is just a hint of briny, sea salty, sweetness. You get big hints of salty/briny on the aroma, and it compliments the sweet malts, and the big roast and coffee. Salty and sweet are best friends.

Dry Stouts aren't supposed to be huge beers, and this beer is not. This is light, has nice supporting carbonation, and has a bit of a grainy quality in the mouth. I'm getting a lot of roast, coffee, chicory, hints of smoke, elusive raisins/fruits, molasses and malt sweetness, and just a touch of salt/brine. The finish is big on the roast and coffee. 

The head dies on this after a few minutes, and try as I might, I can't kick it back up. This is a medium-light to medium beer as far as mouthfeel goes. This is smooth and watery, with a hint of grainy goodness, and lively carbonation. Palate depth is good for the style, and complexity is good as well. Up front is carbonation, roast, coffee; this rolls into molasses, elusive raisins and fruits, chicory, brine; the back end is roast, brine/salt, and a huge coffee finish. There's some smoke in the mix. 

Rating: Divine Brew

I'm feeling a light Divine Brew on this. This is a refined, much-needed, sessionable, Dry Stout. The price is good (like 9 or 10 bucks a 6-pack), the flavors are balanced (nice roast/sweetness/hint of salt), and it all comes together nicely. It's certainly a lighter affair...but that's how the style is supposed to go, in my opinion. If there is one style of beer that gets a lot of shit for no good reason, it's Dry Stouts. Food pairings: oysters, and anything playing with the salty sweet dynamic. I bet this beer would go great with chocolate dipped pretzels. 

Random Thought: You didn't think we'd get this far without discussing the name of this beer, right? For those who haven't been enlightened: Pearl Necklace. I suppose the next logical step is to brew a Sake, and call it the Flying Dog BuSake. Hahaha! Get it?