Nick The Foodie Boston

 Wellfleet Oyster Fest (Oct. 15-16)

http://www.wellfleetoysterfest.org/

The Foodie: Strongly Recommends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch out Munich, salty Cape Cod has something going on that your little celebration called Oktoberfest cannot match.

Sure, you’ve got chesty dirndln-wearing beer maidens, world-class beer and sausages, but you don’t have:

• Wellfleet oysters overflowing into the streets served by the producers themselves from a multitude of makeshift raw bars.
• All manner of crustacean-inspired treats from fried clam cakes to New England clam chowder to fritters.
• A rare special brew from Sam Adam’s called Oyster Stout – only unveiled at this occasion since it may be a turn-off out of context for the average beer snob.
• BBC (Berkshire Brewing Company) selling off the season’s latest brews such as a delightful classic Oktoberfest and a refreshing, crisp, Harvest Lager.
• An oyster-shucking contest that spans two days and features local shuckers from all over
• All manner of local artisan crafty-work and live music (think bluegrass, Cape Cod indie rock)

In fact, after sucking down more oysters than I could count along with a few of the aforementioned beers and sitting in the sun-drenched vine-covered outdoor terrace at Winslow Tavern (the Hofbrauhaus of Oysterfest), I realized that Wellfleet really has created something special here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the play-by-play of our day at the ‘Fest:

11:00AM

We arrived early and just barely snagged walking-distance parking. By the time we hit Wellfleet center, the festival was already bumping and packed with oysterfesters.

11:30AM

Our first action was buying a half-dozen raw oysters at the paltry cost of $9 – which was the standard price set by every raw bar oyster-slinger at the festival. Amazing.

12:00PM

We then navigated the crowds to scope out some of the goods and festival tents, scarfed-down some fried clam cakes from Harmon’s then made our way to the central tent near the main stage for, of course, some beer.

1:00PM

The alcohol spread at the festival featured delicious Sam Adams “Oyster Stout” for $6 and wine from the nearby Truro Vineyards. Oyster Stout was a deep dark dry stout brewed using oysters and possibly the best tasting brew I’ve had from Sammy A. I grabbed an oyster brew and enjoyed the musical vibes emanating from center stage while wandering to scope out more oysters. In the process, I chanced upon a grilled baked oyster with spinach and cheese and some other goodness…totally different yet amazing.

1:30PM

By the early afternoon the bulk of the crowds had arrived and the penguin-shuffle became the only way to get through the streets, so we hit Winslow Tavern where they had their own little party going down, which featured bloody-mary’s, BBC beers, live music, and awesome seafood. We chilled at Winslow in the sun for what became a long time and enjoyed the respite from the masses.

3:00PM

After Winslow, we made our way back to center stage to check the oyster shucking contest. Man I’ve never seen someone shuck 24 oysters in under 3 minutes…incredible. I had to try another oyster stout, and then we sampled a few more oysters (thicker this time, grown in deeper waters) before heading out early to beat the crowds.

I left with a good buzz, a belly full of some of the best oysters anywhere, and a T-shirt that said “The Joy of Shucking…and what a joy it all was.

Peace, Love, and Oysters,

Nick the Foodie