Sydney Craft Beer Week: The Lord and the Oysterman at The Lord Nelson

The Lord Nelson provided visitors with a unique experience for Sydney Craft Beer Week 2016. Coincidentally, 2016 also marked the Lord’s 175th birthday. The sandstone venue claims the title as the longest continually-licensed hotel in Sydney. Its current owner, Blair Hayden, received the ‘Legend’ award for his overall contribution to craft beer in New South Wales at the inaugural Sydney Craft Beer Awards. (If you ever get the chance, ask Hayden to tell you a story from the 1980s about his experience as the new Lord Nelson publican and his encounter with a fleet of U.S. Navy sailors.)

The historic building is also Australia’s oldest pub brewery and has brewed traditional style beers for over 30 years. The Lord’s commitment to ‘share the love and passion about what [they] do’ was highlighted at The Lord and the Oysterman masterclass.

Sydney Craft Beer Week Lord Nelson

Self-proclaimed ‘king of oysters’ Jerry Fraser provided a serious lesson on the shellfish, while four varieties of oysters were paired with four of the Lord Nelson’s craft beer. Jerry was out from Perth for the occasion – where he normally shucks between 6-7,000 oysters a week.

At the masterclass, ‘Jerry the Oysterman’ waxed poetic about all things bivalve. (There was so much oyster trivia the one-hour event extended to nearly two.) He described the fresh, live shellfish as ‘the best sashimi there is’. Of course, oysters and beer are a winning combination, and Lord Nelson’s beers were on hand there to quench our thirst. The event started with One Eyed Rye, a dry rye ale, paired with Pacific oysters (Fraser’s preferred variety for ‘oyster virgins’). Next, the easy-drinking Quayle summer ale met Sydney rock oysters.

Sydney Craft Beer Week Lord Nelson

We were particularly intrigued by our third beverage: the aromatic Peking Poppi was spiced with fennel and star anise, but was nowhere to be found on craft beer website/app Untappd. We learnt that this beer was a special one-time brew to be enjoyed during the Craft Beer Week festivities.

The event concluded with a pairing of two memorable flavours: Angasi oysters and stout. Angasi’s deep water habitat creates a robust flavour, but many chefs avoid stocking them due to their brittle, fragile shells, which Jerry expertly shucked. These expensive delicacies were matched with Anileation, an award-winning Irish stout.

Both Jerry and the Lord’s staff embrace the ‘fresh is best’ motto. The Lord Nelson’s range is brewed on-site, while Jerry’s oysters are freshly shucked (never frozen) then served raw with just a dash of vinaigrette or a squeeze of lemon. The cold, clean waters of Southern Australia and New Zealand are yet another reason to celebrate the local geography – these conditions are perfect for oyster production.

Sydney Craft Beer Week Lord Nelson

While we sipped our beers and watched several audience members trying their hands at shucking oysters, we counted ourselves very lucky that Jerry made the trip out for Sydney Craft Beer Week. Here’s hoping he’ll come back for round two next year.

– Jenny
Jenny S. loves the magic of fermentation and supports local craft beer alchemy.        

Sydney Craft Beer Week runs from October 21st to October 30th 2016. Read our guide to the Top 10 must-do events this week.

The Lord Nelson is located at 19 Kent St. The Rocks, Sydney. Follow the Lord to stay up-to-date on their quarterly craft beer dinners.

Disclosure: The Plus Ones were invited guests of Cardinal Spin.
Image credit: The Plus Ones and The Lord Nelson.