Scratch Brewing coming to Iowa via Abu Nawas!

We are proud and grateful to call Marika and Aaron @ScratchBeer dear friends. We are not kidding when we say we truly consider them one of the most creative breweries this side of the Atlantic and perhaps, dare we say the world over both in philosophy and process. A farmhouse brewery near the Shawnee National Forest in Ava, Illinois. Named one of the top four breweries for foraged beer by Outside Magazine, and one of the most beautiful places to drink beer in the world by All About Beer Magazine, Scratch Brewing Company focuses on farmhouse beers and other styles brewed with home grown and locally farmed and foraged ingredients. The brewery has an ever rotating selection of styles enhanced by the innovative addition of local ingredients, such as nettle, elderberry, ginger, dandelion, maple sap, hickory, lavender, juniper, and chanterelle mushrooms. 

Trust us when we tell you, the place is magical, the on premise bread is legendary and the Serpent Room and the artwork by Brett Douglas Hunter is a bucket list experience.

SCRATCH BREWING BOTTLES:
Scratch Wild Carrot & Nettle Farmhouse Ale 12/500ml BOT – Blonde farmhouse ale brewed with wild carrots, lemongrass and lemon basil and fermented with our wild house culture. Easy drinking with a spicy, herbal, lemony finish. 5.2% ABV – IL

Scratch Foeder-Aged Porter 12/750ml BOT – Robust porter brewed with a hefty dose of chocolate malt and sweet cicely, then aged in our 7 bbl oak foeder from Foeder Crafters. Velvety smooth with a strong oak backbone and a hint of licorice and a very light acidity. 7.4% – ABV – IL

Scratch Basil IPA 12/750ml BOT – One of their all-time classics! This beer’s aroma comes from basil rather than hops, but plays with the chemical compounds present in both to make a beer that tastes intriguingly familiar. Brewed with lemon basil, sweet basil, and tulsi basil from our garden; honey from our friends at Royal Bee in Steeleville; grain from Sugar Creek Malt; and fermented with our house culture. Bright basil and hop-like aroma that tastes fresh now but stands up well to aging. 6.7% – ABV – IL

Scratch Roselle 12/750ml BOT – Farmhouse ale brewed with grain from Sugar Creek Malt and Southern Illinois-grown wheat and roselle plants and flowers from our garden. Lightly tart and earthy with a hibiscus-like aroma and flavors of cranberry and cherry, this beer has the terroir of late summer in Southern Illinois. 4.3% – ABV – IL

Scratch 131 – 12/500ml BOT – This unique farmhouse ale is an imprint of its place and time. Brewed with 131 different leaves, roots, bark, flowers, seeds, and fungi from the height of the growing season. It conveys a subtle earthiness and spice that is characteristic of our location in Southern Illinois. Scored a 97 in Craft Beer & Brewing’s 2023 ratings of Saisons: “Herbal and minty in the sip, with lemon zest, eucalyptus, and a vast range of herbal spice. Thorough but quirky and fast moving.” 5.3% – IL

Scratch Wild Grapevine Saison 12/500ml BOT – Farmhouse beer brewed with wild grape leaves and green grapes, and toasted grapevine; and fermented with our wild house culture. White wine-like fermentation character with a hint of tannin and a toasty vanilla-like finish from the grape vines. 5.2% – IL

Cantillon!, Anchorage “Deal with the Devil”, Two Villians, Hoof Hearted, and Tox coming from Abu Nawas!

Anchorage Brewing A Deal with the Devil Barleywine 12/750ml – 

A Deal with the Devil

Faustian pleasure has consequence, of this you must know

When you go down to the crossroads, expect more than a show

Robert Johnson paid dearly, for talent and fame

His deal with the devil, left only his name

Eternal damnation, no chance for retreat

Save only Mr. Daniels’, stunning cunning fiddle feat

This devil is in the details, diabotical pacts abound

Worldly riches and pleasures, but consequences come ’round

‘Twix barley and beer, there is liquid sublime’

But this devil is in the details, with consequence in time

Thirty-seven plato, a matter of some gravity

A Galaxy of hops, only adds to depravity

Eight months in wood, of Cognac in barrel

Mephistopheles you’re not, and the devil your peril

A Deal with the Devil is a barleywine style ale brewed with galaxy hops. A starting gravity of 37 plato. Aged eleven months in Cognac barrels. The devil is in the details… Enjoy! 17.30% ABV – AK

Cantillon Classic Gueuze 6/750ml –
Blend of lambics produced during different years.
Beer with a slightly acidic and fruity taste, delicate and woody fragrance and a dry finish that lingers on the palate.
Beer with taste evolution that will keep for a long time in a good cellar.
Grand Cru Bruocsella 1900 6/750ml –
Vintage lambic. All the beers are from the same brewing season and mature in barrels for three years.
Beer with a highly complex structure that has a wine-like and somewhat oxidised taste, the slightly acidic structures mingling with more mellow aspects.
Powerful yet elegant, Bruocsella can be considered the missing link between the worlds of wine and beer. Since there is no secondary fermentation in the bottle Bruocsella is a flat, non-sparkling beer.
Saint Lamvinus 6/750ml – 

Blend of lambics aged on average 16 to 18 months and of Merlot grapes.
The year’s blend, bottled November 2022, was exceptionally made with Merlot (55%), Grenache Noir (35%), and Syrah (10%).
Lambic can be rightly considered the missing link between the worlds of wine and beer, and Saint Lamvinus takes this one step further by adding grapes normally intended for wine production.
Intense, fruity beer that lingers on the palate and has a clear connection to its winemaking origins.
Sang Bleu 6/750ml –

Lambic blend with blue honeysuckle, or haskap, berries.
For the past two years, we’ve been making a fruited blend with Camerise berries in small quantities. These berries are slightly sweet with a beautiful acidity.
We didn’t have to look very far for its new name… a blue fruit that makes a blood-red beer: Sang Bleu. Our friend Ammo has outdone himself once again, creating a superb new label to go with its new name.

TWO VILLAINS BREWING:

  • Two Villains KRUMHOLTZ 6/4/16oz CANS – An homage to their bud @davidkrumholtz Yup, Yup that David KRUMHOLTZ of Harold & Kumar, The Santa Clause (franchise) and Oppenheimer fame! New England style Double IPA double dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Strata and Motueka! 8.7% ABV – NJ
  • Two Villains ULTIMATE INDULGENCE 6/4/16oz CANS – Outstanding Imperial Stout with Marshmallow & Peanut Butter, to emulate one of our fave snacks, the Fluffernutter. 10.5% ABV – NJ

TOX BREWING:

  • Tox Brewing Midnight Shade 6/4/16oz CANS – Imperial Stout with Coffee. 9% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Poltergeist 6/4/16oz CANS – Double Dry Hopped Triple IPA with Galaxy, Citra, Nelson Sauvin, and Mosaic. 10% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing 4 Eyed Frog 6/4/16oz CANS – Collab. w/ Long Live Beerworks. DIPA brewed with some new and experimental hops from Freestyle Hops in New Zealand. 4 Eyed Frog is packed full of Phantasm infused Mega Motueka, brand new Paradisi, Rakau, Southern Cross Kief. 8% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Fugu 6/4/16oz CANS – Citra, Cashmere, & El Dorado IPA. Immensely aromatic and complexly hoppy for its crushable nature, Fugu combines a carefully selected combination of American hops 6.5% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Digitox 6/4/16oz CANS – Hoptimally saturated Double IPA with Nelson & Citra. 8.5% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Ergot 6/4/16oz CANS – Hoppy American Wheat Beer with Coriander and Citrus⁠. 5.2% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Double Dart 6/4/16oz CANS – Double Dry Hopped DOUBLE Dart Frog IPA! loaded with Nelson, Riwaka and Motueka⁠. 8.5% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Ink – Dark Stuff 6/4/16oz CANS – Sour Ale brewed with Blackberry, Black Currant, Blueberry, Sweet Cherry, Plum, Lactose, & Vanilla. 6% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Copperhead 6/4/16oz CANS – Delicious American Amber Ale. 5.8% ABV – CT
  • Tox Brewing Training Wings 6/4/16oz CANS – Beautiful American Pale Ale with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe. 6% ABV – CT

HOOF HEARTED

  • Hoof Hearted $120 Nachos 6/4/16oz CANS – Triple India Pale Ale. 100% Citra Quadruple Dry-Hopped. 12% ABV – OH
  • Hoof Hearted $60 Nachos 6/4/16oz CANS – The legendary Citra, Mosaic, & El Dorado DDH DIPA. 8% ABV – OH
  • Hoof Hearted Discount Nachos 6/4/16oz CANS – DDH IPA with El Dorado, Bru-1, Citra, Strata hops. 7.3% ABV – OH
  • Hoof Hearted Everybody Wants Some CITRA 6/4/16oz CANS – Rotating single hop DIPA series. Double IPA with CITRA hops. 8% ABV – OH
  • Hoof Hearted Maxxx Profitz 6/4/16oz CANS – Sour Frappe-Style IPA brewed with Strawberry, Vanilla, Pink Guava, Tahitian Vanilla, & Milk Sugar. 6% ABV – OH
  • Hoof Hearted Pump & Run 6/4/16oz CANS – DDH Hazy IPA w/ Citra. 6.6% ABV – CT
  • Hoof Hearted Rose Gose 6/4/16oz CANS – Gose with  Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, Coriander, Hibiscus. Patrick Swayze forever! 4.2% ABV – OH
  • Hoof Hearted Turbo Water – Prickly Pear, Raspberry, Lime 6/4/16oz CANS – Prickly Pear, Raspberry, & Lime Hard Seltzer. 5.5% ABV – OH