Sometimes, wild inspiration just isn't the ticket to success. Accidents, time constraints, and even laziness, have all lead to scientific, geographic and brewing discoveries that would have otherwise gone unknown. Such is the case with oyster stout, whose history could point fingers at any of these aforementioned reasons. When bridging the gaps of brewing history, though, we're convinced laziness played an important role in the development of oyster stout as a beer style.

There was a time when all beer was either cask or bottle conditioned. Pressure capable tanks, CO2 draft systems and kegs, counter pressure bottle fillers and other technology have evolved over the last century to eliminate the necessity of re-fermentation in casks and bottles as a way to carbonate beer. Tradition and our sensory organs, however, lead us back to the beauty of bottle conditioning. At Atwood Ales, we bottle condition all of our beers, with only a very small percentage of our beers finding their way into kegs. We find that for the styles of beer we enjoy brewing for you, the mouthfeel,...

Breweries come in all shapes and sizes. Some fit on the kitchen counter, compiled from parts and pieces bought and found. Some fill up six story buildings with big, shiny, impressive tanks and miles of piping. Our brewery looks a bit more like the one on the kitchen counter, and even functions similarly in some ways. The farm and our brewery fit comfortably on some lush, green acres just east of the Blaine city limits. Not too big, not too small -- just right. Beers are born and raised inside an old barn where the beers adapt to the micro climate of the farm, of the barn itself, and of the steel...