6.9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Draught @ Beer Temple, Chicago IL (Oct 2025). Dark brown with red highlights, large creamy dark beige head, woodsy dark chocolate aroma, low carbonation, bitterish woodsy cocoa nibs taste, thin body, long bitter finish. Decent.

6.4

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6.5

Hazy gold. Thin head, there it goes. Smell is a bit of lemon and other exotic tree fruits. Taste is definitely of a farmhouse ale. Maybe a wild ferment? Same ol’ thing with Scratch beers: they stray far from a usual beer taste, and I'm at a loss to say what it IS. Dry-hopping is evident, ale fruitiness, maybe even the “horseblanket” of a Belgian farmhouse. Maybe, what? Rubber tree sap (as if I’d know). Light tartness hovers around. Also light alcohol, but I'm happy to enjoy it slowly.

7.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

Lighter color than the Grapevine in the previous review. Foam sticks around a little longer. Beer underneath is a little clearer and lighter. Very light apple nose. Not "farmhousey" or tart this time. Then there's a slight note of hard cider coming in. Originally, the taste is cleaner, almost like a lager. But something always slips in on these botanical beers. Some slightly tart pie apple, but again, the total effect is nice and mild. Can say this of all the Scratch brews: texture of a regular beer, but the tastes reflect ingredients I've never tried before.
I wonder if they've done any distilling with these beers. The result would certainly be unusual.
This was listed on the menu board as 5%, the Scratch website says 4.7%.

7.3

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

4 oz. glass. Pale, but hazy, just a thin bit of bubble at the top. A farmhouse brett nose with a not of oak as well. Also a scent of tartness, which is to be expected. There is some green grape, perhaps Riesling wine in the sip. The slight alcohol here makes me think of, um, hand sanitizer, which I mean in a good way. More general fruit comes up in the background. Odd side tastes that come from using unusual greenery. Taste is different from a beer, but the fizz and texture are the same.

7

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Sampled from the tap at El Bait Shop. Pours a clear pale gold with a white head that dissipates to the edges and laces. Aroma has straw and hay with a bit of earthy tart apple backing. Flavor has earthy grain and straw with a bit of grass and growing tart apple supporting.

6.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

On tap at El Bait Shop. Pours a clear light copper with a white head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has dry and slightly tart cherry with grains and straw underlying. Flavor has earthy cherry and bread with some straw and a slight tartness.

6.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

On tap at El Bait Shop. Pours a hazy amber with a slight orange hue and an off white head that dissipates slowly to the edges. Aroma has a bit of elderberry but is mainly earthy grains and leaves. Flavor has earthy elderberry and leaves with light bread backing.

6.1

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Murky black, creamy off white head. Sour nose. Black licorice and black cherry, some acetic notes, smoke. Flavor has oats and toasted malt, lightly sour, smoke, acetic notes. Thin finish. I didn't hate it, but it takes getting used to.

6

Not enough shroom flavor