A popular Russian nursery rhyme called “The Mushrooms Go to War” describes edible varieties, teaching children at an early age how to identify varieties that are safe to consume. The rhyme has seven verses. It is a reminder why books with titles such as Mushrooming Without Fear are needed. There are experts on local mushrooms everywhere in the country and collecting fungi that will add flavor to beer should be done as cautiously as foraging for food to be served to children. The North American Mycological Association has chapters throughout the country and its members are available as guides (although they may not reveal their own secret stashes). The same spots may perpetually yield delicious “crops” because mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of a higher fungus that continues to occupy the soil, wood, or other substrate where it lives.
Almost all mushrooms will add earthy, sometimes umami, flavor to beer. They may be used in the boil, which will cook them and add extra complex carbohydrates. To retain more of their delicate aromas and flavors, add them at the end of the boil, during fermentation, or even post-fermentation. Some varieties may be dried, or even powdered, and used like spices. (See page 304 for recipes.)
Hundreds of books with hundreds of pages each are available to help identify which mushrooms are safe to eat and which are deadly, as well as declaring, if subjectively, which taste the best. Some mushrooms that are not safe look dangerously like those that are desirable, which is why a local expert should always be consulted. The varieties listed here are simply examples. More detail is provided on the first two because they are very popular, but also as examples of what should be considered before picking any mushroom.
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Fermentable
Bitterness and/or spiciness
Flavor
Cultivated
Foraged
Caution
(Craterellus cornucopioides)
Some of its ominous names aside—translated, it is called “trumpets of death” by the French—this mushroom has fruity, earthy, and smoky characters, although not as bold as chanterelle (it is also known as black chanterelle and horn of plenty). It grows widely in the northern hemisphere, but is absent in some regions, mostly in deciduous woods. It is not particularly easy to spot because of its dark color, but it occurs in clusters when it fruits from September into fall.
Chanterelle 
(Cantharellus cibarius)
Found almost exclusively in the wild, golden yellow to bright orange, these are easily spotted. They taste peppery and apricot-like. They can be found during summer and fall east of the Mississippi, from September to February on the West Coast, and May to June in the South. Chanterelles form symbiotic relationships with oak roots but will occasionally be found around spruce and pine.
Do not mistake jack-o’-lantern mushroom, which is bright orange east of the Rocky Mountains, for chanterelle. The jack-o’-lantern mushroom has olive shades mixed in with it where it grows in southern to central California. Jack-o’-lanterns can be found in urban settings in large clusters at the base of trees, on stumps, or on buried wood. There are two primary differences between chanterelles and jack-o’-lanterns. The jack-o’-lantern has sharp, non-forking gills that descend the stalk, whereas chanterelles have blunt, gill-like ridges on the cap to the stem. When the stem of a jack-o’-lantern is peeled, the inside is orange. In chanterelles, the interior of the stem is paler than the exterior.
(See Denny Conn’s recipe for Wee Shroomy on page 304.)
(Hydnum repandum)
Small tooth-like projections on the cap (it is also known as sweet tooth) make it easy to determine its age. It is firm when young, and this is also when its mild, somewhat sweet aroma is freshest. Often considered a substitute for chanterelles. Widespread among trees in northern zones, including cold regions, fruiting in clusters on moss soil in forests in autumn.
Hen-of-the-wood 
(Grifola frondosa)
Earthy tasting and gamey, and best used when young, they grow in northern temperate zones and fruit from summer to autumn. They form a cluster of brackets that may look a bit like a head of cabbage. Usually found at the base of large living oaks in woods and on some conifer stumps.
King Bolete 
(Boletus edulis)
Known by many names, including porcini, and highly sought after for its aromatic, woodsy flavor. Its caps are reddish-brown, bun-shaped, and smooth. Found in northern temperate zones, fruiting singly or in troops from summer into autumn. They grow in moss-rich woodland, usually under conifer trees, primarily spruce. Note that there are several highly poisonous Boletes that look similar to King Bolete. As stated earlier, learning mushroom identification from a local expert is the best way to stay safe.
(Morchella)
Their honeycomb structure makes them easy to spot. They range in color from cream to almost black; the darker they are, the more intense smoky, earthy, nutty flavors there will be. They can be found in every state but Florida and Arizona, before trees leaf out. They fruit only when the ground temperature is 50°F to 58°F (10°C to 14.5°C), singly or in troops among herbs and grass. They are most often found under dead elm trees, old apple trees, poplars, and conifers. They are most prolific in areas that were burned the previous year.
There are at least a dozen species of false morels that grow in the United States. False morels fruit in the spring at the same time as morels. They are actually quite different. The caps of false morels have a wrinkled, brain-like, or saddle shaped structure rather than a honeycomb look. Also, when sliced down the middle lengthwise from the top, morels have hollow interiors, whereas false morels have a cotton-ball looking substance inside their stems.
Oyster 
(Pleurotus ostreatus)
Relatively easy to cultivate and often found in stores. Oysters look like their namesake, growing in tiers and rows on dead and dying trees, most often deciduous. They have a delicate, anise-like flavor that is much more subtle in cultivated varieties. Oysters are widespread in northern temperate zones and all the way down into Texas, fruiting from autumn into winter.
Parasol 
(Macrolepiota procera)
Also known as American parasol, parasol has a unique maple aroma. It can grow quite large, and its umbrella-like cap and snakeskin stem are easy to spot. It is widespread and grows in a range of habitats, from woods to dunes and grassy areas, fruiting from summer to autumn. Although it is very desirable, like the white button (below), it can be mistaken for green-gilled parasol and should be picked cautiously.
(Trametes versicolor)
Not foraged often because its flavor is non-descript, this is an example of an ingredient that may be valuable in beer although it is not edible. Turkey tail adds texture and earthy flavor. Easy to spot because of the concentric zones of color on the cap that inspired its name. The underside is covered in tiny pores and the fan will be attached by its thin base to the dead wood. It is one of the most common mushrooms in the United States, fruiting throughout the year, found almost everywhere, but on softwoods, in dense rows and tiers on the top or sides of stumps. Beware harvesting False Turkey Tail (Stereum ostrea) that shouldn’t be consumed in any manner. It lacks the underside pores of true turkey tail and grows out of a crust along the wood.
White Button 
(Agaricus bisporus)
Not as intensely flavored as other fungi listed here, it is the most ubiquitous of mushrooms in the United States and easy to find in grocery stores. The look-alike green-spored parasol (Chlorophyllum molybdites), which pops up on lawns everywhere after a summer rain, is the most commonly consumed poisonous mushroom.
