Courtesy of Schlafly Beer
Courtesy of Schlafly Beer
With 80,000 oysters and 25 shuckers in its arsenal, the Schlafly Stout & Oyster Festival returns to St. Louis on March 23 and 24 for its 19th year.
The oysters flown in for the festival are chosen with care. Eleven-year veteran of the festival, shucker Pat Westcott (pictured at right) from Rhode Island, explains how important it is to choose oysters from different regions.
“Oysters take on the flavor of where they are grown,” Westcott says. Shuckers from both the East and West coasts get their oysters from three different harvest areas. “Otherwise, you’re eating pork chops from the same farm—they’re all going to taste the same.”
Along with the oysters, the festival will feature Schlafly stout flavors complementary to the mollusks’ briny and buttery taste. And in recognition of all of the hard work the shuckers do each year, Schlafly is honoring eight shuckers with their pictures and profiles on the cans of the Oyster Stout.
Courtesy of Schlafly Beer
“It’s so exciting,” Westcott says. “I’ve got to get my hands on some of these six-packs… It’s nice to profile those of us that come out and work our tails off.”
The Oyster Stout, featured for the first time at this year’s festival (and only available at the festival), utilizes oatmeal, barley, and oyster brine to make a salty, creamy brew perfect for festival-goers to pair with their bivalve stash.
The event also features nonstop live music and an East Coast versus West Coast shuck-off, where three shuckers from each coast will race to shuck, slurp, and chug the fastest. The team that does so wins. Westcott has competed in the past and, despite his team's loss last year, he's confident in their talent.
“That was just a fluke, and we’re going to take it back this year,” he says with a laugh.
Despite the multitude of events, shuckers, oysters, and people at the festival, Westcott says it runs “like a well-oiled machine.”
“I go to a lot of festivals and oyster shucking competitions and seafood shows throughout the year," he says. "Schlafly is by far the best.”
The Stout & Oyster Festival takes place at the Schlafly Tap Room on Friday, March 23 from 5:30 p.m.–10 p.m. and Saturday, March 24 from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. The festival is free to attend, but guests who want a VIP experience can purchase a $150 Pearl Pass for unlimited oysters and Schlafly beer.
Editor's note: This article has been updated from an earlier version.
