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Hours
This Labor Day weekend we are open:
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Thursday
4 PM - 8 PM
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Friday - Sunday
12 pm - 8 pm
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CLOSED Monday 9/2
southern illinois microbrewery & farm
open for on-site enjoyment Fri-Sun. See our hours.
info@scratchbeer.com cash only
we do not allow buses. parties of 12 or more please call ahead
ABOUT
Scratch Brewing Company is a farmhouse brewery located five miles from the Shawnee National Forest in Ava, Illinois. Named one of the top four breweries for foraged beer by Outside Magazine, and one of the most beautiful places to drink beer in the world by All About Beer Magazine, Scratch Brewing Company focuses on farmhouse beers and other styles brewed with home grown and locally farmed and foraged ingredients. The brewery has an ever rotating selection of styles enhanced by the innovative addition of local ingredients, such as nettle, elderberry, ginger, dandelion, maple sap, hickory, lavender, juniper, and chanterelle mushrooms.
Owners Marika Josephson and Aaron Kleidon create beer whose aim is to showcase the “terroir” of Southern Illinois. For their efforts, they have been nominated for three James Beard Awards: a 2020 Award for Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Producer; and again in 2022 and 2023 for Outstanding Bar. Their book, The Homebrewers Alamanac, has become an indispensible guide to those seeking more information on brewing with native plants. Beer Advocate said that its "stunning photography makes this book a high-end addition to your homebrew library."
Scratch bottles special release offerings and distributes beer to select bars and liquor stores in Illinois and in half a dozen other states. The brewery also supports local artists and artisans, commissioning original ceramics, t-shirts, posters, bottle openers, and other merchandise. In 2017 it opened the Serpent Room, a collaborative project with artist Brett Douglas Hunter, who brought the room to life with his original floor-to-ceiling art and sculptures. The Serpent Room is available to rent for private events and for non-profits; more information is available below.
Draft List for Weekend of August 30 - Sept. 1
*we are cash only!* *all prices include tax* try a flight of 4 for $12
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fennel stout ($6 snifter/ $17 growler fill)
classic dry stout brewed with fennel from our garden. Rich chocolate and coffee flavors with a touch of sweet anise aroma on the finish. 5.2% abv
dead leaves and carrots ($6 goblet/ $17 growler fill)
english-style pale ale brewed with dried oak and hickory leaves from the woods and fresh carrots from our garden. Crisp malt character similar to freshly baked bread with a finish reminiscent of jumping into a leaf pile. 4.5% abv
bee balm saison ($6 goblet/ $17 growler fill)
farmhouse ale brewed with wild herbs (bee balm, common dittany, spicebush, and grapevine) and lemon balm from our garden. Light and effervescent with a dry, refreshing finish. 4.3% abv
bière de garde ($6 goblet/ $17 growler fill)
cold-fermented french-style farmhouse ale brewed over a wood fire in our copper kettle and finished with a wild Brettanomyces yeast. aromas of caramel and apricot with a lightly funky finish. 6.5% abv
49 ($6 snifter/$17 growler fill)
farmhouse beer brewed with 49 different leaves, roots, bark, fruit, and funghi. effervescent and dry with notes of oregano, peppercorn and earthy spice. 5.2% abv
vienna lager ($6 goblet/$17 growler fill)
German-style lager with aromas of bread and toast from the addition of a majority of vienna malt and a touch of munich malt. crisp and easy drinking. 4.8% abv
fig leaf and elecampane lager ($6 goblet/$17 growler fill)
cold fermented with notes of chocolate, vanilla, and anise from the addition of fig leaves, sweet clover, and elecampane, a plant historically used for camphor-flavored candy, grown around the brewery. 5.8% abv
basil ipa ($6 snifter/no growlers—we have bottles)
a scratch classic! An old-school IPA brewed somewhere between an English and West-coast style, featuring basil instead of hops for the aroma. Bittered with Illinois-grown mackinac hops; and flavored with a trio of sweet basil, lemon basil, and tulsi basil from our garden. 6.7% abv
dry-hopped lemongrass ($6 snifter/$17 growler fill)
the beer you want to drink for the entire summer. lightly tart, effervescent, and refreshing with flavors of citrus and ginger and a shandy-like finish. 4.2% abv
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non-alcoholic coffee from dark matter ($5) • lemongrass soda ($4)
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Bottles
Cold bottles available for here and all bottles available at cellar temp to-g0
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mumm ($15)
sour dark ale brewed without hops. bittered and flavored with herbs from our garden: basil, sage, rosemary, lavender, lemon thyme; and fermented with our wild house mixed culture. 4.2% abv• 500 ml
wild carrot and nettle ($17)
light golden farmhouse ale brewed with wild carrot leaves, and stinging nettle. earthy, spicy, and effervescent with a dry finish. 5.3% abv • 500 ml
elderberry lager ($18)
bottle-conditioned amber lager brewed with elderberries; notes of stonefruit, berries, malty with a rich finish. 7.1% abv •750 ml
basil ipa ($17)
a scratch classic! An old-school IPA brewed somewhere between an English and West-coast style, featuring basil instead of hops for the aroma. Bittered with Illinois-grown mackinac hops; and flavored with a trio of sweet basil, lemon basil, and tulsi basil from our garden. 6.7% abv • 750 ml
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Food
Pizzas available Fri-Sun. Bring a picnic on Thursdays!
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Our food is almost entirely locally sourced. Bread is made entirely with local flour from Janie’s Mill in Ashkum, Illinois, fermented with our sourdough culture, and baked in our wood-fired brick oven. Pizza dough is made with King Arthur flour. Produce is foraged on our land, grown on our property, or purchased from local farmers. Goat cheese is from Baetje Farms, located outside Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.
Wood-Fired Oven Pizza (approximately 12 inches)
Our pizzas are stretched lovingly by hand. Please allow 20 minutes or longer if we are busy.
Basil-Squash Pesto ($17)
Topped with house-made basil & roasted squash pesto and chevre goat cheese from Baetje farms
Margherita ($17)
Topped with freshly sliced garden-grown heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella
Sliced Potato, Rosemary & Sausage ($17)
An unusual Italian-style pizza made with thinly sliced potatoes and rosemary from our garden, house-made sausage, and chevre goat cheese
Bloomsdale Cheese & Hearth Bread ($18)
One of the world’s finest goat cheeses is made at Baetje farms, just over the river in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. A gold medal winner, chosen as one of the top 16 cheeses in the world at the world cheese awards, the pyramid-shaped Bloomsdale is a mold-ripened cheese rolled in a mixture of ash and salt. As the cheese ages it becomes softer and creamier around the rind and takes on blue cheese flavor compounds. Served with our hearth bread.
Bread to go
Wheat Boule ($9)
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THE HOMEBREWER'S
ALMANAC
Our book on brewing with farmed and foraged ingredients is available at all fine booksellers!
The book features 36 plants that add unique character to your beer, which you can grow in your garden, gather from your yard and other wild spaces, or buy from farmer's markets. Chapters focus on individual plants with information about how each has been used historically in food, medicine, and drink, and how we've used them here at Scratch. Recipes are included in each chapter, along with beautiful photographs by our resident photographer, Aaron Kleidon.
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The Homebrewer's Almanac has been featured in Brew Your Own magazine, Craft Beer & Brewing, and was a top choice in Imbibe Magazine and Zymurgy's holiday gift guides. Beer Advocate magazine says "Marika Josephson, Aaron Kleidon, and Ryan Tockstein share their successes in this guidebook to homebrewing with foraged ingredients... Kleidon's stunning photography makes this book a high-end addition to your homebrew library."
You can buy a copy of The Homebrewer's Almanac on our online shop, which comes signed by authors Marika Josephson and Aaron Kleidon. You can also find the book at your local bookseller or on:
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RENT THE SERPENT ROOM
AT SCRATCH
The Serpent Room is a manifestation of the creative energy of local artist Brett Douglas Hunter, featuring his original art and sculptures. The room is available to rent for business events, birthdays, receptions, and other moderately sized gatherings for people who want a private bartender and an intimate, colorful space to enjoy with close friends, family, or colleagues. We have room for seating for 50 people with a bar that can handle 4 different taps of Scratch beer. This is an extremely unique space that is unlike any other place you may have considered renting for your event.
Rates vary by season and by weekday or weekend rentals.
Please email or call the brewery (info@scratchbeer.com) for more information on the space and on pricing.
CONTACT
264 Thompson Rd
Ava, IL 62907
info@scratchbeer.com
618-426-1415
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Due to our limited space and small parking lot we do NOT allow buses. Parties of 12 or more please call ahead.
HOURS
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Mon - Weds: To-go only
growler and bottle sales by appointment. Please call the brewery at 618-426-1415 or email info@scratchbeer.com to schedule a time to come by
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On-site summer hours:
Thursday: 4 PM - 8 PM
Friday: 12 PM - 8 PM
Saturday: 12 PM - 8 PM
Sunday: 12 PM - 8 PM
We are CASH ONLY and have an on-site ATM.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Below are the closest accommodations to Scratch. There is more camping, and more B&Bs, inns, and hotels in Carbondale and farther south in the Shawnee National Forest and along the Wine Trail.
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Camping
Johnson Creek Recreation Area in Ava
Lake Murphysboro in Murphysboro
Mudline Lodging in Ava
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B&Bs, Inns, and AirBnB
Old Bank Studio in Ava
Renovated 1930s Farmhouse in Vergennes
Oxbow Bed & Breakfast in Pinckneyville
Historic Hull House Inn in Murphysboro
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Cabins
Lost Trail Cabins in Ava