Scratch Brewing Company

Worth going off the beaten path to find! Beers flavored with local forage, unique flatbread combinations, great outdoor setting! Can't wait to come back. Pictured is the sweet potato goat cheese flatbread with a fennel stout and juniper berry sour. NOTE: CASH ONLY. They do have an ATM on site.

Scratch Brewing Company is worth the drive from St. Louis! The beers are unique and are made with local ingredients that are found in nature. The service is excellent, and the employees are knowledgeable and passionate about the beers they serve. There is a cabin-in-the-woods vibe, and the ambiance is immersed in nature. There is both indoor and outdoor covered seating. Children and dogs are allowed. This brewery is cash only, but there is an ATM inside. I definitely would recommend a little day trip from the city to try some of these unique beers! Plus, the prices are incredibly reasonable, considering the amount of work that goes into producing these beers!

Review: Good pizza, not worth the trip We came because of the New York Times recommendation, but it was disappointing overall and I doubt we will be back. We live within 90 minutes, so when the NYT said some of the best pizza in the country is in our backyard, how could we not try it out? The pizza is good, fresh - reminds me of pizza I've had in Italy. Very thin, little toppings or other ingredients. I would say it is more appetizer than meal. An average person could eat an entire pizza for their meal. However, we ordered 1 for every 2 people in our party and it was not enough food. That would have been fine if we could have ordered more, but they must only have 1 oven because they could only deliver 2 pizzas every 20 minutes, so not everyone in our party could eat at the same time. Other times, 1 pizza was delivered cold with a hot pizza. It would have taken way too long to order more. Again, I don't think they're set up to function as a real restaurant and the pizza is supposed to serve as something to snack on with your beer, rather than a meal. There were only 3 pizzas available on the menu and a cheese plate. That's it. Again, it's not really a restaurant. The overall environment and vibe is pretty cool - nice outdoor areas, a campfire, an old log cabin. However, when you first arrive there's no one to greet you and no signage directing you. You have to walk around the place and figure it out on your own - Can you just sit anywhere? How do you order? Where are the menus? Who is in charge? There were only two people tending the bar. When we arrived the line from the bar was long and slow, as they chatted with each customer about their beer preferences. Meanwhile, I had over a dozen hungry people with no idea where to sit or how to order. I waited in line for 20 minutes, to tell them the pizzas we wanted so we could wait another 20 minutes for each set of 2 every 20 minutes. Oh and by the way they're cash only, but have an ATM right there. Super annoying. It's 2024. Accepting credit cards is cheaper than handling cash, not to mention the error, risk, and fraud. Business fundamentals. Who carries cash? In the end, everyone was still hungry and we ended up stopping at a different restaurant on the way home. Oh and if you come at night, bring your flashlight because there are no lights in the parking lot, there are steps, and this place is out in the middle of nowhere with no street lights. It was super dark and we could hardly see a thing. Not safe. So yeah, the pizza is good but nothing super special and definitely not worth the trip and hassle. I don't think we will go back. It makes me sad that a small, local business like this has gotten such great publicity for their craft - but is overall not going to survive from a business standpoint. Maybe they will get some college kids who come to drink beer, but there is so much more potential here that they won't be able to realize unless they make some changes.

We had a great time at Scratch this morning! The pizza was different than I normally eat, but it was delicious and the beer selection was great. We will definitely be back but try an evening this time to see the lights and maybe a fire!

Go to Ava, IL and try this! Their beer was good. I had a flight and the beer tasted great. Do yourself a favor and try their pizza, totally worth the drive. Their ingredients are fresh and the quality of the pizza is excellent.

Definitely recommend taking a trip and visiting Scratch. Very friendly & welcoming place. Got their early before the brewery got busy and was able to have a nice conversation with the new bartender, which made the experience even better, especially with my social anxiety. If you can, I recommend trying all the offerings. Everything was well crafted from the beers to the food. Would happily make the trip to try more. It is cash only, but there's an ATM there for convenience.

A brewery in the small town of Ava Illinois bedded among nature. They have many unique offerings and use lots of ingredients found on property to brew their beer. We enjoyed sharing several flights to sample their vast selection. They also make wildfire pizza which we missed because we were their earlier in the day. Nice people. Give this unique brewery a try.

We did some hiking (Pomona Natural Bridge then hiked Little Grand Canyon Trail) and headed to Scratch for something to drink. TOTALLY awesome place. We did 2 flights so we could taste everything. We did not try the food. Next trip! Beers are different, fresh, and tasty. Someone knows there brewing. Don't expect the standard IPA, but go with an open mind! Truly a great brewery. The bartender was so nice and answering questions about brewing & the piasa drawn on the wall. GO! Don't hesitate to GO if you are in the area. I will go so far as to say they are in the top 6 breweries I've ever been to. 💕. Go!