Bean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Marika Josephson of Scratch Brewing

Marika Josephson and Aaron Kleidon, co-founders and brewers at Scratch Brewing in southern Illinois, love trees, and have brewed countless beers with nearly every part of the different species of trees surrounding the brewery. On my first visit to the property on a beautiful spring day in 2017, I tasted their Pine Needle IPA, whose lightly resinous character of drooping needles dovetailed beautifully with the beer’s gentle hops. The barrel-aged hickory stout offered images of a comforting campfire, damp flannel, a hint of whiskey, and a slightly wild fermentation. On a following trip I tried beers with black cedar, fermented acorns, maple, oak, cherry bark, and others. Beers that seem to speak with the voice of the forest, with wild edges but vibrant hearts.

In Episode 19 (Wood), I spoke with Marika about these forest beers. In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, Marika shares what she loves most about working with tree ingredients in brewing.

You can listen to the full interview with Marika here.