Mushrooms in Beer & Chocolate

Mushrooms aren't the first ingredient we usually think of for flavoring beer or chocolate, but many craft brewers and craft chocolate makers are using different species of mushrooms to create unique flavor experiences and, in some cases, provide unexpected health benefits. In today's episode, we talk all about using mushrooms in beer and chocolate.We talk with Marika Josephson of Scratch Brewing about brewing  with foraged mushrooms from the brewery's southern Illinois property, including Chanterelle, Turkey Tail, Black Trumpet, Oyster, Wood Ear, and others.  You can listen to previous interviews with her here and here, and order her book of brewing with foraged ingredients here.We talk with Sara Ratza of Ratza Chocolate in Tarpon Springs, Florida, about using mushrooms with health benefits in her bean to bar chocolate, including Reishi, Chaga, Lion's Mane, and others. You can listen to her previous episodes here, here, and here, and order her bars and her book on herbal hot chocolate here.And we talk with Jesse Bussard, former director of the Craft Maltsters Guild, a sustainable agriculture expert, and a grower and hunter of mushrooms, about what makes mushrooms so cool.You can listen to the episode with Oliver Holacek of Primo Chocolate in which we further discuss mushrooms, including the possible therapeutic applications for psilocybin mushrooms in chocolate here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterestSign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.