Made in Crewe: The story behind the UK's only mussel beer
By Alex Greensmith
4th Nov 2022 | Local News
Did you know the UK's only beer containing mussels is made in Crewe?
Oysters have been used in brewing processes for centuries, so the idea isn't as farfetched as you'd think.
The mussel stout is a 4.5% dark ale you can enjoy at SAVAGES Mussels, a mussel bar at The Picturedrome in Macclesfield.
Macclesfield food entrepreneur and chef Jamie Savage came up with the concept, but wanted to choose a local brewer to make it a reality. And he settled on one from Crewe.
Thomas Street brewers, Tom's Tap and Brewhouse, make the seafood-twinged drink at their on-site brewery, but you can't buy the cans of mussel stout there, making it a Picturedrome Macclesfield exclusive.
The Crewe brewers has been a thriving family business since Sean Ayling (55) took it over in 2018.
He explained how the Crewe-Macclesfield collaboration came about.
"Jamie came to me as I have a reputation of brewing dark beers", said Sean.
"He wanted it to be local and on a small scale, and we fit that bill. While I knew oysters were traditionally used in making beer, this was the first time I had used seafood in beer before.
"The most interesting thing about it is that I would say the biggest contribution of the flavour comes from the shells, not the mussel meat."
Sharing their love of beer and their respective towns' lack of coastline, a strong relationship has been formed between the two businesses.
Chef Jamie Savage (36) was recognised for his creativity and ingenuity which saw him feature on a Gordon Ramsay TV show earlier in the year.
The Macclesfield resident explained how the concept for the drink came about.
"I've always wanted to do it," said Jamie.
"There are loads of oyster stouts out there, so I thought why not do it with mussels.
"It has an incredible umami, meaty and salty flavour to it. It is smooth easy drinking.
"It goes really well with my chilli lemon and garlic mussels with bread. The spicy food pairs perfectly with the stout.
"We had someone come to try my food the other day who said they drove 160 miles to come here", added Jamie.
"And they had a mussel stout!
"There's nowhere in Manchester that specialise with mussels, so to have people come here to The Picturedrome for our niche product means a lot to me."
And while you can't buy the mussel stout at Tom's Tap and Brewhouse, there are 36 draught beers for you to choose from, with about half being made on-site.
The mussel stout follows a similar brewing process to many of their dark ales.
"It is a really fun brew to do, but a bit messy to clean up afterwards," added Sean.
"First we weigh the English grains and turn the hot liquor tank on. We then recirculate the water and mash it to convert the starch into sugar.
"Then we rinse the sugars off the grain and bring it to the boil. Once it comes to temperature, we add hops for bittering to off the sweetness of the wort and sterilise it.
"Now it is time to add the mussels. We put them in a net bag and put it in the wort for the last 15 minutes of the boil.
"What that does is again sterilises everything, without driving off all the flavour. Boiled at 104 celsius.
"You then go from that into a fermenter and chuck the yeast in, which as a byproduct creates the alcohol. From raw ingredients to can the process takes three weeks.
"The taste is predominantly a saltiness from the shells, and umami from the meat.
"The dark grains really carry other flavours well, that's one of the reasons why I love dark beer.
"You can get halfway down a can and think, I could do with another one of those.
"I also get notes of chocolate, coffee and a bit of burnt toast from the roasted barley."
While it is made in Crewe, the novelty beer can be bought only at the The Picturedrome Macclesfield or online - and would make a great stocking filler this Christmas.
So whether it is a present for Christmas or just curiosity for yourself, why not support this Cheshire product when you next fancy an adventurous beer.
You can buy individual cans for £4.50 at SAVAGES at The Picturedrome Macclesfield.
Alternatively, you can buy six for £27 online and get them delivered to your door.
And if you want to support the Crewe brewer, Tom's Tap and Brewhouse is open four days a week.
They open on Thursday and Friday from 4 to 10pm, Saturday from 12 to 11pm and Sunday from 3 to 10pm.
Follow SAVAGES and The Picturedrome Macclesfield on Facebook, and support the Crewe-based mussel stout brewer by clicking here.
Like Savages, Tom's also have an online shop.
READ MORE: Crewe-born artist expands prints range of hometown landmarks.
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