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 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 them 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.

Bean to Barstool is a podcast that looks at the intersections between craft beer and craft chocolate, using them as lenses for exploring the world of flavor. It is hosted by Advanced Cicerone® David Nilsen. Be sure to check out all the episodes here.

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