The brewery flies in 80,000 oysters and 25 shuckers to the Schlafly Tap Room on March 23 & 24

(St. Louis, MO) — Schlafly Beer will host the 19th annual Stout & Oyster Festival on Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24 at the historic Schlafly Tap Room (2100 Locust). This year, the event pays tribute to the individuals who make it so memorable: the shuckers. Limited edition cans of Schlafly’s Oyster Stout will be available (at the festival only) with photographs and profiles of the brewery’s bivalve-loving buddies.

Named as one of Food Republic’s 12 Ridiculously Cool Food And Drink Fests Around The World and most-recently, one of Departures magazine’s top March events, Stout & Oyster Festival is much more than just a food or beer festival. Every year, the largest, locally owned brewery flies in almost 80,000 oysters (overnight to be the freshest possible) from both coasts and brings in 25 shuckers for the weekend. Known as the “StarShuckers,” the cast of characters work with oysters in a number of different ways outside the festival as chefs, oyster farmers, seafood suppliers and more. See footage of the festival here.

Founding Brewer Stephen Hale explains, “These men and women are family at this point. We also hear from guests that they look forward to the festival for the fun, but also to see and catch up with their favorite shucker. What better way to celebrate them than to raise a beer in their honor?”

Last year, Schlafly commissioned Photographer/Blogger Spencer Pernikoff (Whiskey and Soba) to capture photos of each of the shuckers. The brewery’s marketing team selected eight shuckers to be featured on the cans–many of whom have traveled to the festival every year since its inception.

Hale says, “We had these beautiful photos, and someone jokingly said we should make baseball cards. It wasn’t a bad idea! Stout & Oyster Festival is a big love fest so we hope these cans encourage guests to collect them and meet others at the festival. Go ahead and trade them with a neighbor, introduce yourself to your featured shucker and maybe grab a photo with them.”

All shucker cans will be filled with Oyster Stout (5.7% ABV with 30 IBUs). Schlafly’s Oyster Stout was crafted with toasty flavors of oatmeal, barley and oyster broth that complement the briny, juicy flesh of the mollusks quite well. In addition to the Oyster Stout cans, they will have several bars with a variety of beers on tap from stouts such as Irish Extra Stout and Oatmeal Stout to year-round beers such as White Lager and Pale Ale. They also brew 15 stouts – some exclusive for the event and available as Stout Samplers, five, five-ounce beer samples. This year’s flavors include everything from a Maple Bacon Stout to Mango Ancho Stout.

Guests can also enjoy oysters in a number of different ways from raw from both the East Coast (Bluepoint, Beaver Tail and Bay Shore) and West Coast (Sunset Beach, Wild Cat Cove and Dabob Bay), fried, Rockefeller and roasted. Additional specialty menu items will include oyster chowder and hushpuppies.

Live music and the grand finale of the East Coast vs. West Coast Shuck Off provides entertainment for attendees. The Shuck Off features three shuckers from each coast going head-to-head in a relay-style race to shuck, slurp and then chug a stout. The fastest time crowns the winner. The full schedule includes:

Friday, March 23rd
5:30 – 7:30pm: Falling Fences
8 – 10pm: Hazard to ya Booty

Saturday, March 24th
11am – 12:30pm: The Scandaleros
1 – 2:30pm: The Grooveliner
3 – 4:30pm: Big Mike Aguirre & the Blu City Allstars
5 – 6:30pm: Boudin Brothers Band
7 – 9:30pm: Funky Butt Brass Band
9:30- 10:00pm: East Cost VS West Coast VS Mid-Coast SHUCK OFF!

Stout & Oyster Festival takes place on Friday, March 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday, March 24 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Schlafly Tap Room. The festival is free to attend, and all food and beverage is available for purchase. For the ultimate Stout & Oyster experience, guests can purchase a Pearl Pass for $150 here for unlimited oysters and Schlafly beer (responsibly). For more information, visit www.schlafly.com/stoutandoyster or call 314-241-BEER.

About Schlafly Beer:
Schlafly Beer, St. Louis’ largest locally-owned, independent craft brewery, proudly offers over 60 unique styles of beer. Each is handmade at the Tap Room in Midtown St. Louis or Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood. Utilizing 102 hop varietals, 77 malts and grains, 59 different spices and fruits and 10 separate yeast strains from around the globe, Schlafly also works with local suppliers for everything from farm-fresh food to packaging and labeling. As part of its commitment to sustainability, Schlafly donates spent grain to local farmers to feed their livestock and utilizes 100% renewable energy throughout its operations. The largest Missouri-owned-and-operated beer maker offers free tours of the Tap Room (2100 Locust Street) every Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the hour and Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue) from noon to 5 p.m. every half hour on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The brand continues to define craft across 12 states and throughout countless fine establishments, backyards and basement bars. Join us at either of our locations and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For a full listing of seasonal and year-round beers and for information on distribution, visit Schlafly.com.