Three Boys brewer Ralph Bungard dives into the history of craft drinkers’ latest darling, dark beers, and what goes into them – in his case, Bluff oysters.

Black never goes out of style – especially when it comes to beer! Discussing the evolution of beer styles is a great way to clear a party or get rid of those overstaying dinner guests. To clear that party, start with this: Did you know that stouts are a sub-group of porters? In the distant past these dark-beer gems were referred to as stout porters, simply meaning that they were heavier versions of that old British classic. The porter part of the name got dropped and stouts grew up and left home to create a beautiful life and offspring of their own.

Stouts were always considered a bit of a health tonic. They were popular aids to increase the appetite of the elderly and sickly, and even prescribed as a heath supplement to pregnant woman! The health benefit angle grew and even in the ancient history of beer, competition between brewers meant that they took to adding other ingredients to stout to increase the potency of these health-giving tonics! Milk was added to produce milk stout, oats for oatmeal stout and – you guessed it – oysters for oyster stout.

In fashion, what goes around comes around and that is certainly the case for stouts. Dark beers are back in style and are rapidly becoming the latest darling of craft brewers and punters. Without blowing our own trumpet too much, it was probably Three Boys Brewery who were the first to bring back dark beer from the brink of extinction in New Zealand. Three Boys Oyster Stout is a modern classic in the craft brewing world. What sets it apart is that it’s not just an oyster stout by name – real Bluff oysters are added to the early stages of this brew, bringing something magic to this multi award-winning beauty.

Three Boys Oyster Stout is brewed only during the Bluff oyster season and it has become tradition at the brewery on Ferry Road that the brew team eat at least one of the oysters after it has been through the brewing process. They call them “floysters” because they are oysters that end up as waste on the brewery floor! After an hour of boiling amongst malt and hops I can tell you that these chewy treats are not destined to take the culinary world by storm – not like the final product, which is a delicious, dark, roasted and rich chocolate-tasting treat! Get it while you can.

threeboysbrewery.co.nz