A Couple of Sips From a Recent Beer Tasting

A few weeks ago, I decided to buy myself a couple of bottles of Israeli craft beer, but it had to be really good beer. My favorite brewery is Shapiro, but if I'm buying it has to be one of my favorites of theirs, their IPA or Jack's Winter Ale. I walked down Rechov Agrippas, Jerusalem, which has some liquor stores with beer. The first one had some Shapiro, but not those particular ones, and the same at the second shop. But in the second the salesman asked me what I was looking for, so I told him. 

First he tried to interest me in Shapiro's newest beer, pineapple and mango flavored. Ever since I tasted the awful artificial fruit flavored beers at the 2019 Jerusalem Beer Festival, I suffer a sort of PTS when people mention fruit flavored beer. As an amateur beer taster, I can't refuse when offered some, which I told the salesman, but there's no way I'd buy a bottle of an unknown beer.

One thing thing I didn't tell him was that I was scheduled to attend a beer tasting the following evening and suspected that this new Shapiro beer would be on the tasting menu. I had guessed correctly! And I must say that Shapiro has done a fantastic job with natural fruit flavored beer. 

Farm to Bottle Pineapple Mango's a rich golden color with pleasant fruity aroma, hints of the mango and pineapple. Nothing artificial. We agreed that it's more a summer than a winter drink. I'd add it to the list of beers for those who don't like beer. Personally I'd prefer drinking it to white wines. So if you have a chance to buy some, go for it.

As you can see from the display of bottles behind us tasters, we sampled quite a few beers that evening. We ended with Barrel Aged Saison from Shevet, another good Israeli craft brewery. 

This aged saison beer was another hit. Lovely golden hue, rich aroma, fruity, honey, plus some spice. Due to the fact that it's bottled in a wine-sized bottle, it should be served socially, like wine. I'd also prefer this Shevet beer to white wine. 

Israeli wines and even a local whiskey win international awards, and I'm pretty sure that our craft beers will be bringing home trophies, too.

Good Thing I Got To Try SHEVET's Wee Laddie Again

A couple of months ago, I bought and reviewed SHEVET's Wee Laddie Scottish Ale and was disappointed. Yes, I gave it a bad review on this blog. A lot of people were shocked, because they insisted that the beer was really good. Maybe I had just gotten a "bad bottle," or the store hadn't kept it stored properly.  

In response SHEVET decided to send me a small gift selection of their beers, which included Wee Laddie. I've already reviewed the other three, SHEVET IPA, SHEVET Iceman Beer, SHEVET Imperial Stout, and now it's time for Wee Laddie. 

Even though I poured it as carefully and "professionally" as possible, there still was quite a foamy head, but the aroma was inviting. That was a very good start.

It got better. The beer in this bottle of SHEVET Wee Laddie was strong, fruity and tasty, a real beer. This was the ale I had been looking forward to drinking when I had bought that first bottle.

Now I can honestly say that SHEVET's Wee Laddie is a great beer, and I'm looking forward to drinking it again.

SHEVET Imperial Stout, Great Strong Beer

The gift package I received from SHEVET Beer included their new Imperial Stout, and I'm a very happy camper. 

Imperial Stout is a very full flavor, tasty rich beer. The hops are coated with a chocolaty taste, and you can see it's dark brown, almost black. 

Imperial Stout was brewed as a "small batch" specially to sell this winter, and I hope they brew lots more for next winter. I'm sure people will be looking to buy it. If you like a nice strong, tasty beer buy some before it's sold out. At this point you can still order from SHEVET.

It's a good thing I'll be going to bed soon, since it's 8.5% alcohol.

For more background/information about this great beer read what my beer maven Doug Greener has to say in Israel Brews and Views. 

SHEVET IPA Yum

 

SHEVET IPA

SHEVET Beer very kindly sent me a small selection of their beers to sample. I decided to start with their IPA, and I'm glad I did. It's good, fruity with a strong taste of hops. IPA is what I consider a "real beer." SHEVET's IPA has a nice rich flavor and gorgeous color. 

As you can see on the bottle, it's 5.2% alcohol, and according to their site, it's a new one for them. 

This may sound shocking, almost sacrilegious, to some people, but I'd be happy to drink beer during our Shabbat meals instead of wine. A good beer is just as festive for me as wine. I sometimes have a bad reaction to the sulfur in wines, and beers don't pose such dangers. A good IPA is very similar to a nice white wine in my opinion. Sometimes when I'm making morning kiddush on my own, it's on beer. OK, now you know my little secret.

What more can I say?