Mushrooms aren't the first ingredient we 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. In today's episode, we talk all about using mushrooms in beer and chocolate. Guests include Marika Josephson of Scratch Brewing, Sara Ratza of Ratza Chocolate, and mushroom grower Jesse Bussard.

Marika Josephson of Scratch Brewing brews beers using foraged ingredients from around her rural property, including beers brewed with tree bark, roots, leaves, and nuts. In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, Marika shares what she loves most about working with tree ingredients in brewing.

So many evocative flavors and aromas come from trees without us really thinking about them that way. Cinnamon is a tree bark. Maple syrup comes from tree sap. In the adult beverage world, the quinine that gives bitterness to tonic water and the angostura that flavors the eponymous bitters are both from trees. And of course there are endless variations in smoke aromas, including in beer and chocolate. In this episode we explore the flavor of wood and other tree ingredients in bean to bar chocolate and craft beer.