Grayton Beer Company – Franklin County Oyster Stout – Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Stout season is nearing an end here in Alabama, but there’s always time for one last hoorah; especially when the last hoorah is this good. I heard Grayton Beer was working on an Oyster Stout a while back, but then I guess I forgot about it and went on about my business. A few weeks later, as I was scrolling through Instagram, I saw a “Franklin County Stout – Oyster Stout” written on their draught listings in their taproom. Once again my interest was peaked and I desperately wanted to try it. I commented on the picture asking if the beer would be making its way to Birmingham, because we only get about two to three of their offerings at a time. Andrew, Grayton’s Birmingham rep, replied and told me to email the brewery with my question; I did and waited on a response from someone. A few days later I got an email from Andrew saying that he had a few bottles and would be willing to let me have one so that I could try the creation. So, we met up at Hop City, Andrew explained the beer in a greater detail, and then I was on my way. I took it home, threw it in the fridge, and then waited until I couldn’t stand it anymore (that same night) before I drank it. Let me tell you, this is a force to be reckoned with. Here are my thoughts:

Alright, so I know that a lot of people hear the words oyster stout and are immediately turned away. I’m here to say that you absolutely shouldn’t be, because the flavors blend so well, especially if it’s done right, and you get a beautiful bouquet of aromas that really just put you right on the coast with a platter of empty half-shells. Andrew informed me that Grayton’s head brewer, hilariously named Shank, wanted to recreate the experience of eating a raw oyster, and what better place to do that in than the Gulf Coast of Florida. Everything from the lemon, to the pepper, to the brininess is present in this one and it makes for an interesting, yet extremely enjoyable beer.

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, immediately I noticed the pitch-black color, and the thickness from when it poured. Honestly, I was nervous about how thick the beer was, because I didn’t want it to be super heavy and overwhelming, because that I didn’t want this to falsely represent the experience of eating oysters. The aroma was one of the most complex areas of the beer, because like I stated earlier, you pick up some lemon and some peppery notes. It was one of those moments where you close your eyes and you can actually picture yourself in a different setting, but in a beer and you’re in your living room… you get the idea.

The flavor aspect of this beer drops a bomb on your taste buds. Seriously, Andrew wasn’t joking when he said that they had simulated the experience of eating oysters. Upfront you get a lot of that classic stout flavor, coffee and some roasted maltiness, but then you start to get notes of lemon and a slight salty brininess that instantly puts the thought of saltwater in your mind. Towards the end of each sip, you get a little bit of a peppery burn on the back of your tongue that makes it just that more addictive. With all of these complex and nontraditional flavors from the oyster-like additions, it shouldn’t be overlooked that there is a great stout base here that allows everything to build off of those core flavors that everyone is used to. Nothing is too overpowering here and the flavors are all pretty mild which makes for an extremely easy to drink stout. That’s probably for the best, because it gets hot as Hell in Grayton during the summer, but I wouldn’t have a problem throwing back a few of these at sunset.

The mouthfeel of the beer continues the streak of excellence and takes those great flavors to the next level. The carbonation level is on point and could not have been better; any more and it would have been too rough on the tongue and any less and it would have felt uncarbonated. A velvety feeling on the tongue and a nice bit of foam towards the end of each sip make it really smooth and easy going. I would even go as far to say that it has a nice dry finish with a little more of that brininess, albeit faint, on the back of your tongue mixed with a little black pepper. This beer is something special on so many levels.

Overall, this is something that needs more attention, because of the beautiful craftsmanship that went into making it. From taking almost every aspect of eating a raw oyster and then turning it into a briny, peppery bottle of malted goodness, the Franklin County Oyster Stout blends a plethora of magical flavors into something you really have to taste to believe. Lucky for us, Grayton is releasing some bottles at Hop City in Birmingham very soon, so, I suggest everyone take a trip up and grab a four-pack before they’re gone, because you do not want to miss out on this.

If you would like more information on Grayton Beer, visit their website here.
Rating: *****

Grayton Beer – Original Golden Ale – Santa Rosa Beach, FL

The heat has been somewhat unbearable lately in Alabama, but sometimes I am able to get some relief from the sweltering temperatures. My parents recently took a trip to Pensacola to see my brother, so I seized the opportunity to have them pick up something that I’m not able to get here. I have been following Grayton Beer for a while and knew that they only distributed in Florida, which is a serious bummer. Although, they did recently announce that they were going to being distributing towards Birmingham and Georgia, so that’s some good news for everyone! Ideally, I would have rather had the Pale Ale or the 30A Beach Blonde Ale, but we can’t all get what we want all the time as we have discussed before. I was brought back the Grayton Beer Original, which doesn’t really tell me anything from the name alone. Original what? Original, man, just go with it. Ultimately, I discover that it is a Golden Ale and also referred to as a Kolsch. I think these titles are used quite loosely which isn’t really something I’m in favor of. Any who, it’s a Golden Kolsch, yeah… we’ll go with that, that was made for the heat and humidity; if you’ve ever been to South Walton, you know what I’m talking about. So, I waited until the hottest day of the week, cracked one open and went outside to really put myself into the full effect. Smart, right? You bet your ass it was smart!

The beer pours a faint gold color; like a mix between straw and copper. There was a little haze in the beer, probably from age, but it was that stage of not being clear and being cloudy. The head retention was nice for such a crisp beer; a nice two or three finger width frothy head that stuck around for a while and left some nice, splotchy lacing on the glass as I drank. There wasn’t really anything exciting going on in the scent department; it was quite bland on the nose actually. It had the usual notes of grain, slight hop aroma (a little more than I would expect from a Kolsch style beer) and a faint pick-up of citrus, which was more than generic for me. There wasn’t really anything to hang onto when smelling the beer, but what it lacked in scent, it made up for in taste.

The first aspect of the flavor that I noticed was the subtle creaminess that I picked up on from the beginning. A lot of beers that claim to be refreshing are really just over-carbonated in my opinion and leave my mouth drier than before and I just want to stop drinking beer and move to water. This beer, however, is really light, but still with some body to quench your thirst and make you feel like you’ve actually drank something. At the same time though, there wasn’t really anything in this beer that really jumped out at me other than the refreshing quality. The grains were tamed and smooth, and the hop character was subtle and gave a slight bite to the beer. I could easily see myself drinking this all day long on the beach, but only if I didn’t plan on doing anything because I could also see myself starting to feel a little tight in the stomach after about three or four. Just food for thought, I guess. The mouthfeel is really smooth and, like I stated before, really easy to drink; leaving your mouth feeling refreshed with a clean finish.

To say I was surprised by this beer would be a small understatement. I had high expectations and they were met. I can only imagine what the other brews are like and with the brand expanding to my neck of the woods, I can’t wait to get my hands on another style or two. So, here’s to sitting outside in the Alabama heat with a couple of easy-drinking beers and a brewery that appreciates every person that drinks there beer!

If you would like more information on Grayton Beer, visit their website here.
Rating: ****