For more than a decade, I’ve celebrated New Year’s Eve with fresh Maine lobster. But, I have to admit I can eat lobster any time of the year. I also admit that I’ve never considered which beer I would pair with my lobster as I’ve usually turned to whiskey or cocktails on New Year’s Eve. But, Wellspent Brewing Company has forced my hand with a unique event this weekend at their Olive Street brewery.
This Sunday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wellspent Brewing (2917 Olive St., 63103) is the only St. Louis stop of the Cousins Maine Lobster food truck. Cousins is here to introduce St. Louis beer lovers to the miracles of the lobster roll.
“Beer with lobster?” you may ask. To which I say, “Absolutely!” In fact, once I did some quick research I now wish I had put my whiskey away and instead grabbed the right beers.
Do you enjoy the content here on Drink314? We’d love it if you’d please consider tossing a few bucks in our Tip Jar. Please find us on Venmo – @Drink314.
The Right Beers
I’ve written about pairing beers with oysters (stouts) and pairing beer with crawfish but never lobster. Pairings with seafood tend to always be on the lighter side with good acidity and minerality. Seafood by itself is delicate and tends to be paired with butter or cream, which deserves a light beverage to compliment those flavors.
“We do very little to our lobster meat for our lobster rolls because we want people to really enjoy the flavor of the lobster,” said Annie Tselikis, the marketing director for Cousins Maine Lobster. “Our lobster tacos, shrimp tacos, lobster quesadillas, and lobster tots are all accompanied by fresh pico de gallo — so a lighter beer would do well here.”
I agree and it’s no surprise that is I what I found for crawfish. Think lagers and pilsners, but don’t be afraid to experiment.
Wellspent’s recommendations
Knowing what’s on the menus before pairing food and beer can be helpful. Here’s what you can expect at the food truck.
I reached out to Wellspent, and they shared with me what they plan to have on tap that day. (Please excuse the format issues in the image)
From the available beers, Wellspent recommends the following pairings.
- Keller Pils, our Unfiltered Pale Lager with the Lobster Grilled Cheese.
- Hoosier Hammer, our Pre-Prohibition Style Lager with the Lobster or Shrimp Tacos.
- Settin’ the Pace, our IPA with the Lobster Tail & Tots
- Dad Jorts, our Dry Hopped Saison with the Lobster Quesadilla
- Dark, our Czech-Style Dark Lager with the New England Clam Chowder
Cousins Maine Lobster at Wellspent Brewing Company
Wellspent Brewing Company
Sunday, January 8
3:00 – 7:00 PM
2917 Olive St.
St Louis, MO 63103
