Mushroom Beer Extravaganza, April 27th!
Among the beers that most encapsulate what we do at Scratch, we think our beers brewed with mushrooms are among the finest and tastiest examples.
In celebration of morel season and all of the great green things popping up in our woods this spring, we are planning a giant mushroom party at Scratch on Saturday, April 27th! We will have six mushroom beers on tap, five of which will be bottled as a series in special-release 750 ml bottles. Mushroom pizzas will be available all day as well.
All of these beers were brewed in batches of 4 barrels or less, and as little as just a barrel and a half of the morel beer, which will be available on draft only. Scratch will be open for its normal hours all day and this is not a ticketed event--just come and enjoy the day! The Serpent Room bar will be open from noon to 6 or until some of the special kegs up there have kicked. Distribution of these beers is highly limited. Outside of Ava, only Copenhagen and Chicago will see our mushroom beers.
Here's more info about each of the beers we'll have available:
Chanterelle Bière de Garde
A Scratch classic! The first style we ever bottled. A golden-amber farmhouse ale brewed with chanterelles from our woods and Sugar Creek Malt. A mushroomy cellar character with notes of apricot and butter.
Black Trumpet Bière de Mars
Making only its second appearance, this dark and malty ale is brewed with black trumpet mushrooms and the first batch of chocolate malt from Sugar Creek Malt. Earthy with notes of cacao, coffee, and cherries.
Hen of the Woods
Blonde farmhouse ale brewed with maitake (also known as hen of the woods) mushrooms, oak leaves, organic Central Illinois-grown wheat, and a touch of smoked malt. Fermented with our house culture, the result is an easy-drinking ale with a hint of coconut and umami.
Chaga
This bottle-conditioned beer for cellaring was brewed with a hefty malt bill and refermented with a concentrated chaga tea. The chaga was boiled for five hours to release its unique tannins, which cut through the body of the base beer, and add complexity, structure, and a quality that lends itself to long aging.
Oyster Weiss
Our GABF medal winning experimental beer! This is a sour wheat beer brewed without hops; bittered and flavored with turmeric from our farm and oyster mushrooms from our property, and fermented with our house mixed culture. This beer is tart and peppery, with a light apricot and citrus finish.
Morel *Draft Only*
Brewed with morel mushrooms harvested and dried last year, this is a malty amber beer with a touch of earthiness and smoke. This small batch is draft only and will be available at Scratch through the spring.
