Mushrooms & Fungi
Mushroom and Fungi beer is a brewers secret ingredient for the art of creating a unique taste depending on the type of mushroom used in the beer. There are various types of fungi that give beer more robust and complex sensations for the palate.
The slow processing of mushroom aroma and taste leaching into the finished beer is what gives mushroom beer the unique umami taste that brewers want.
As such, the styles of beer they tend to share a recipe with are just as wide-reaching, from lighter ales to heftier porters and strong beers.
Technically speaking, working with mushrooms doesn’t pose any major technical hurdles during the brewing process, making it an easy ingredient to play around with, although approaches vary by brewery.
Some infuse whole dried mushrooms into the wort (the water extracted during the mashing process), transforming the hot liquid into a sort of mushroom broth, which is then fermented and bottled.
Others dry mushrooms and grind them into a powder, which is then made into a tea and added to the beer after fermentation is complete.