Greenport Harbor Brewing Company is hosting a shellabration at the Peconic brewery location on Sunday, Oct. 12.
The 12th Annual Oyster Festival was set to hit the streets of Greenport, but due to unforeseen weather circumstances, it will grace the business’s large event space for the first time.
This year’s event is expected to boast 10 local oyster farmers, free admission, a shucking contest, a specially brewed beer and an energetic performance from one of GHBC co-founder Rich Vandenburgh’s favorite jam bands, Portside Hustle.
As one of the only places oyster-lovers can buy direct from farmers, the festival’s got a great anticipated lineup to try from: Blue Island Oyster Company, Davy Jones Shellfish Co., Founders Oyster Farm, Great Gun Oysters, Hampton Oyster Company, Little Creek Oyster Farm and Market, Little Ram Oyster Company, North Fork Big Oyster, Oysterponds Shellfish Co., and Peconic Gold Oysters.
“I think it’s all just understanding the story,” says Vandenburgh. “And I think what’s great is, people come to the festival and they chat with the owners or the people who work for them about the work that goes into this.”
Both Steve Schnee, owner of Founders Oyster Farm and Phil Mastrangelo, owner of Oysterponds Shellfish Co. have years of GHBC festivals under their belt.
“This brewery event is like the highlight of the year for me and for my fellow farmers,” says Schnee. “We have a really nice group, a good camaraderie of collaborative spirit.”
It wasn’t always easy to coordinate, but since its start the festival has turned into a great direct-to-consumer model thanks to GHBC’s organization.
“Embracing the fact that aquaculture and these growers are an important part of the economy and working waterfront out here, the Department of Health has allowed them to kind of maintain a standing permit to sell,” says Vandenburgh.
Schnee and Mastrangelo agreed that this is one of the best places to compare different oyster flavor profiles and talk to farmers about the growing process.
“It’s a good opportunity for people to see the folks that are actually doing the work that’s really beneficial to our bays,” says Mastrangelo.
Each farmer’s table will look a bit different as many bring condiments like homemade mignonette, horseradish or other creatively named sauces, like Little Ram’s “bam bam sauce.”
The brewery will also sell glasses of Unhinged Oyster Stout beer. This dark, smooth, easy-drinking beverage is made from dumping pounds of oysters into the boil while brewing. Vandenburg says it has roasted, deep chocolate notes to it with more salinity than a typical stout.
The festival, which started with about 100 attendees and two farmers, now averages almost 1,000 attendees. Initially, it was a way to raise money to support the local environment at a time when the bays were suffering.
“We understood the relationship of where we live to the water, and how important the water and the bays were to enjoying everything that makes this place so special,” says Vandenburgh.
Since then, it’s continued as a celebration of the North Fork’s aquaculture — a day to drink beer, dance to live music and bring oyster-lovers together.
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