Scratch Brewing's (Ava, Illinois) focus on local, foraged ingredients and their seasonal approach to brewing beer puts them philosophically closer to many chefs than fellow brewers today. But from their small brewpub in rural southern Illinois, the owner/brewer trio at Scratch Brewing—Marika Josephson, Aaron Kleindon, and Ryan Tockstein—have managed to help foster a growing movement in the brewing world, moving the conversation closer to that within the culinary world where buzzwords such as “locally sourced” and “seasonal” are de rigeur in better kitchens.
Their latest effort is a full-blown guide book to brewing with foraged and culinary ingredients, titled The Homebrewer’s Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to Making Your Own Beer from Scratch (2016, The Countryman Press), and here we’ve excerpted three sections on brewing with culinary ingredients that are commonly available to chefs and brewers everywhere.
Basil
No herb conjures summer more so than basil. On pizza, in sandwiches, in pesto, on salads with tomato and mozzarella, basil tends to convey freshness, with a robust, almost minty green flavor that bursts with hints of lemon. It tastes like sunlight and gardens. It’s the go-to herb for the summer bounty.