Hooligans On The Halfshell

Back in September we had a visit from our Romanian friends Hop Hooligans, who were very keen to brew something weird and whacky with us. Suggestions for saisons and sours and all manner of other ideas were passed back and forth, but in the end the concept that excited us all the most was probably the most outlandish beer either of us have ever dreamt up.

Hooligans On The Halfshell has quite a simple malt base, somewhat loosely based on a Baltic porter grist; lager malt provides the majority of the fermentables and a robust body, with a hefty dose of brown malt bringing chocolate and biscuit notes back up by a small dose of Caramel Aromatic malt. For the deep black hue and smooth espresso finish of this beer we used Midnight Wheat, a newly available variety of de-bittered and roasted wheat which gives none of the acrid bitterness roasted barley can impart.

During the boil we used a small addition of Magnum hops for bittering, followed by Perle and Bullion for subtle notes of orange peel, cedar wood and hedgerow fruits, before finally adding 40 kilos of freshly shucked whole oysters sourced from our local fishmonger in Cardiff. The shells from the oysters provide a massive dose of calcium carbonate which raises the pH of the wort, thus ensuring the finished beer won't become too acidic and thin-bodied, while the oyster meat brings a subtle umami quality that works brilliantly in tandem with the roasted malts.

Once tucked away in the fermenter, we pitched a culture of Brettanomyces Claussenii, a wild strain of yeast most commonly associated with spontaneously fermented Belgian farmhouse beers. A long, slow fermentation with Brett C will give Hooligans On The Halfshell a dry finish with complex and funky notes of leather and tobacco. Show Less