Ozzy2001 said:Theres actual oyster shells crushed up in it.
It's quite possible I just saw it on a menu and didn't have one but I thought I did. But I don't recall a briny stout. Shit it seems some brewers don't just use the shells but actual oysters.
Magnolia Brewing in San Franciso is a veteran producer of the style, and I recently spoke to head brewer Dave Mclean on brewing the beer:
“We started out using just the shells, like some other brewers do. But, by the second batch we were adding whole oysters to the boil and letting them open, spilling the liquor into the wort and cooking the meat a bit, too. We were using a bushel (10 dozen) local Hog Island Sweetwaters, but this last batch we upped it to two bushels (though we opened and ate quite a few during the boil, too). I really like the subtle brininess that the oysters add to the stout. As a base, we use a fairly dry stout, around 6% abv.”