Oysters and alcohol are a timeless pairing. The briny bivalves are typically served alongside a crisp glass of Muscadet, a flute of bubbles, or a strong Martini. These orders aren’t just aesthetically pleasing, but also classic complements for seafood, providing the perfect edge to cut through an oyster’s silky texture and emphasize its minerality.
But at several bars across the country, people are swapping out these delicate aperitifs for a hearty, dark pint of Guinness. Proprietors at neighborhood spots and dive bars have noticed more creamy pints of the Irish beer staple going out with raw bar towers, whether they’ve recommended the pairing or not. Some restaurants are leaning into the pairing with playful menu items, like Dean’s, a leveled-up British pub in New York City that serves a mini pour of Guinness with an oyster plopped on top to nearly every table.
For many people, a heavy stout seems like an odd match for raw seafood, but bartenders insist the beer’s rich mouthfeel and slightly bitter chocolate notes are actually the perfect foil to the oyster’s intense oceanic flavors.
“Guinness and oysters are a fabulous contrasting combination,” says Laurel Delany, head bartender at Dean’s. “The delicate salinity and mineral notes from oysters balance the malty richness of the Guinness, while Guinness can mellow the saltiness of the oyster. This in turn can highlight the perceived sweetness of an oyster.”
This newfound appreciation for accompanying oysters with Guinness can be attributed to the iconic Irish brand’s recent surge in popularity — thanks to online trends like “splitting the G” — but the pairing is far from new. This tradition actually dates back to the 19th century. Back then, oysters weren’t considered a luxury dish in the United Kingdom and Ireland; bivalves were affordable and easy to come by, so oysters and a draft beer quickly became a staple for the working class who frequented pubs after a long day of work.
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According to the team at Guinness, the first person to document ordering the beer with oysters was far from a blue-collar worker. It was Benjamin Disraeli, a British statesman who would go on to serve as prime minister of the U.K.
When Disraeli served in Parliament, he wrapped up the day Queen Victoria made her first official speech with a pint and a few oysters at the iconic Carlton Club in London. He wrote a letter to his sister about what it was like to witness the address and also included details on his after-work order, calling it the “most remarkable” day of his life.
“I supped at the Carlton, with a large party, off oysters and Guinness, and got to bed at half-past twelve o’clock. Thus ended the most remarkable day hitherto of my life,” Disraeli wrote in 1837.
Guinness later used a quote from that letter in a 1937 ad campaign, but by then, the pairing was already popular in pubs across the U.K. “It wasn’t creating something new so much as putting a spotlight on something people already knew and loved,” says Ryan Wagner, the brand’s national ambassador and head of beer quality.
The beer brand continued to highlight the pairing in several advertisements over the years. Early ads published in the 1930s showed glossy depictions of the pairing as well as humorous illustrations of animated oysters crying at the sight of a clock that said it’s “Guinness time.” The brand later published a stateside ad in 1951 showcasing how several oyster varieties from across the U.S. are accentuated by the stout.
Nearly two centuries after it was first documented, it’s clear that this pairing has stood the test of time. For Lynn Stout, general manager of Gill’s in Portland, Maine, the allure of this combo goes beyond just flavor. “The velvety texture of the stout mirrors the smooth, creamy texture of the raw oyster,” she says.
According to Wagner, that’s because Guinness carbonates its beer with a gas blend of about 70 percent nitrogen and 30 percent carbon dioxide. “Nitrogenation gives the beer its iconic silky-smooth, creamy mouthfeel,” he says. “It’s that characteristic that makes it a brilliant pairing for oysters, which also have a touch of creamy richness when served raw.”
The duo is delicious together, of course, but for Jen Murphy, an Ireland native and the owner of NYC’s Banshee, it’s all rooted in tradition. She notes that this is “one of the oldest pairings on record,” which is why she knew she had to list a pint of Guinness with oysters on the menu of her East Village bar.
Murphy has reveled in the opportunity to share this homeland tradition with guests, from plastering vintage Guinness and oyster ads on the wall in the bar to recommending a perfectly poured pint of Guinness with every order of oysters that goes over the pass.
“The flavor combination ends up being a no-brainer. People have been really surprised how well they go together,” Murphy says. “I think we’ve introduced it to a lot of curious people and they’ve really taken to it.”
