fishtowne brewing

Fishtowne

Brew House

By Karen a. Mann

There was a time when people who inhabit the coast of North Carolina wouldn’t dare eat a green gill oyster. According to local lore, a green gill, which gets its distinct color from algae in local waters, would almost certainly make the consumer sick. All the while, the same species of oyster was eagerly sought after across the ocean in France, where the bivalve’s distinct, briny flavor made it a delicacy. Joey McClure, one of the owners of Beaufort’s Fishtowne Brew House, was among those Carteret County natives who were taught not to eat green gills, but changed his mind after a local marine biologist, who had created a company selling the “Atlantic Emerald” oyster, told the oyster’s story and explained why they are actually the cream of the crop of local shellfish. “I was fascinated because I grew up thinking they were inferior,” McClure says. Next thing you know, the lowly Green Gill was the starring ingredient in the brewery’s “Atlantic Emerald Oyster Stout.” “We power washed them, got them all nice and clean. Of course you put them in boiling water so it’ll kill whatever’s in there anyway,” says brewer Schuyler Munden. “We separated them out into three onion sack bags and put them in the last 10 minutes of the boil. You just ease them down in there.” The result is a balanced beer with a good mouthfeel that’s not overly roasty and a nonaggressive salinity. It’s guaranteed to impress craft beer afficionados while satisfying the random tourist who finds his or her way into the tiny brewery, centrally located in America’s favorite small

town. Fishtowne came to life after McClure and Munden, two local homebrewers who got to know each other over Facebook, took first prize at the annual Mill Whistle Home Brew competition with their “Love the One You’re Wit.” Mill Whistle, of course, was the first brewery in Beaufort, and its annual competition has become an eagerly awaited showcase of local homebrew talent. “I had wanted to do a brewery for years,” says McClure, who owns the restaurants Aqua and Clawson’s in town. Then McClure’s business partner found out that the owners of a local seafood restaurant had decided to sell their centrally located building and get out of the business. After crunching some numbers and realizing they could rent two-thirds of the space to Turner Street Market, the group decided that the idea was viable. For McClure, there was only one choice for a brewer. “It was natural to have Schuyler be the brewer,” McClure says about his partner. “That’s what he wanted to do. We still do things together but Schuyler is the one who brews and runs the brewery.” McClure, for his part, helps with the recipes. A large part of Fishtowne’s success can be attributed to the camaraderie many North Carolina brewers feel toward each other. “The whole process of us opening up was like this brotherhood of brewers,” says McClure, noting help from Deep River Brewing, Mother Earth Brewing, Atlantic Brew Supply and Crystal Coast Brewing. At one point, the Fishtowne team road tripped to Deep River in a camper and helped brew a 15-barrel milkshake IPA. Though the brewery has only been open since May 2018, they’ve already built a solid following. Business climbed over the winter, signifying a strong local following. Meanwhile, the brand new Beaufort bridge and a new upscale hotel down the street are bringing tourists into town to tour the sights and sample the beer. Signature brews include the Munden Fog, a hazy New England style IPA and the Three Sheets tripple. Even people from outside the county are beginning to notice. The Oakwood Pizza Box and Daily Pint in Raleigh are carrying the brewery’s beers. Having the beers available to an outside audience is especially meaningful to McClure. “Being in the restaurant business, people come and eat and enjoy your food, and that’s neat,” McClure says. “It’s different when people are like, ‘I want to take your product and sell it in my business.’ It’s just different — not only do you want to come and have something, but you want to take it and showcase it in your business. That’s kind of special to me.”Atlantic Emerald Oyster Stout 30

Munden and McClure.