Beer Burnley Brewing Oyster Stout

When brewery owners plan their holidays around sourcing ingredients, you know one of two things. Either they’re highly committed to every aspect of what they brew, or they really want that holiday to be tax-deductible. It’s why when I saw Burnley Brewing were releasing an Oyster Stout for winter 2021, I’d assumed Michael Stanzel and Chloe Hoiberg’s recent holiday to regional South Australia was a way to book a cheap getaway. But given the actual oysters used in the beer are from New South Wales’ Sapphire Coast, it turns out the holiday was just for fun and the oysters weren’t fit for restaurants, so Burnley have actually helped someone else’s bottom line.

As for the beer itself, the stout is a highly-balanced dark drop. From the aroma, you can tell there’s a slight hint that a seafood-based adjunct may have been inside, as along with the rich air of chocolate, there’s a touch of ocean spray. There’s a clear touch of brine that runs through the beer that proves a comfortable counter to the beer’s warming and slightly sweet molasses notes, while a slight hint of tobacco and espresso make their presence known too. To understand the exact way the oysters have contributed to the beer, you’d probably actually have to travel to the Sapphire Coast and if you've already written about the beer, is there a way it can become a tax deducation?

Will Ziebell