Eight 8 Beers to Taste, Quite a Night

Doug Greener, the Beer Maven

The usual crew of tasters met at the beer maven's home. He had eight 8 beers for us to taste. That's more than our usual supply. I'll tell you about a few of them.

We started three from BEERBAZAAR. Mordechai, Ester and Persian Haze. They all had fruity aromas, no surprise since all are IPA's but when drinking them, they were different. Mordechai's my favorite, Ester I didn't like, and Persian Haze in between.

Herzl makes a wonderful tart fruity beer, more like a tart cocktail. I really liked it. 

Shevet's Duke is an oatmeal stout that tastes better than it smells, which is rare. Usually I'm disappointed, but not this time. There's "dark" taste, almost tabacco-like.

Malca's black IPA is chocolatey in aroma and flavor, and I must say it's my favorite Malca beer to date.

We ended with this Shapiro beer, Double IPA, which is good, since it has 8.2% alcohol. Shapiro, one of the best of the local Israeli beers, and it didn't disappoint. 

We had an enjoyable evening, and I got home safe and sound.

WHITE RABBIT's Day Dream's a Dream

All photos, photographed by me

WHITE RABBIT invited the Beer Maven, Doug Greener. and the tasting crew -including yours truly, plus Jerusalem Post staff to its Tel Aviv brewery last week. We got onboard the train in Jerusalem and in no time we were in Tel Aviv. 

To be honest, I can't remember the last time I had been in Tel Aviv and hadn't a clue as to where in Tel Aviv we'd be. I trusted Doug to find the way to the brewery. And I certainly had never taken the train to Tel Aviv, though a friend and I once took it for free to Ben Gurion Airport when it was in "the running-in period." 

After leaving the train station, we needed a couple of stops on a bus, and there we were in their spic and span white and polished brewery. Just know that it wasn't in the neighborhood of fancy geometric modernistic skyscrapers. 

We were treated to some fresh salads and a variety of their beers. 

In addition we received a tour of the brewery with lots of explanations and stories from those in charge.

As you can see in the photos, White Rabbit's equipment looks very impressive. To preserve the quality of their beer they only sell to shops and pubs that promise to keep the beer cooled, rather than just cooling before serving. 

It was explained to us that their beer is a natural drink without chemicals to keep it stable and fresh-tasting. I prefer beer over wine, since wine has sulfites which aren't good for me.

The three beers we tasted were all versions of IPA, including a NEIPA, and by the time we left I couldn't really distinguish any differences. The only thing I knew for sure was that all the White Rabbit beers we tasted were delicious, Day Dream 5%, Ten Feet Tall 7% and Feed Your Head which is the NEIPA 7%.

Since we were given gift packs of their beers to take home, I decided to drink them on their own to get a better feel for the flavor. On Shabbat I drank Day Dream, which has a nice strong fruity aroma. The taste was flavorful, perfect for a summer morning, and the low-ish alcohol content was good, too.

You can order White Rabbit online, not just in bottles. There are various "dispensers." If you want to contact them  Telephone 03-6242783, or email Info@white-rabbit.co.il.

Beer Tasting, Four Different Beers

The "Beer Tasters" got together early last week to try out four beers that Doug the Beer Maven had received for reviewing.

These are what we drank in the following order:

1- Alexander's Fest 

2- Schnitt in a joint production with Lervig of Norway,  How's- It Hanging -- 

3- Shikma's HaMishteh, which used traces of  3,000 year-old yeast. This is a special edition, which can't be purchased in stores.

4- BeerBazaar Brewery's OMG Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout from 2019 

The format and atmosphere of this tasting session were very relaxing; we sat around a dining room table instead of wandering in a noisy festival. 

Unlike our tastings at festivals, here we had the bottles, and the one can from Schnitt, with us to examine, so we were able to check out things not usually known to us. We discovered a connection between the alcoholic content and the calories per 100 ml. They were amazingly (for the ignoramus -like me-) similar. I wasn't all that happy in discovering that. Apparently there is a need for more sugars/carbohydrates to produce alcohol. So if you're concerned about calories and carbohydrates, the alcohol content is easier to discover than the calories on the bottles; the print is usually larger. 

We started off by sharing the bottle of Alexander's Fest Lager, which we all agreed was pleasant, fruity and light. It's the beer you can drink socializing on a summer evening without eating a real meal. Only afterwards did we discover that it had the least alcohol and calories.

After the Alexander, we tried het collaborative effort, a beer by Schnitt and Lervig of Norway, which we all enjoyed. It had a stronger aroma and taste than Alexander's Fest. Plus it has more alcohol and calories. Now that I've become aware that the more alcoholic kick the more weight it adds, I'm not very happy, but this beer was worth it.

We suggest more of a meal or snack with the Schnitt-Lervig beer.

Shikma's HaMishteh had more flavor and darker color, as you can see, than Schnitt-Lervig though it has the same alcohol and calorie contents. Combining ancient and modern technology there are traces of  3,000 year-old yeast. Ancient yeast is more like the natural yeast of sourdough bread. Yeast is needed for fermentation which turns the hops and other vegetation into alcohol/beer.

HaMishteh is definitely recommended with some food. 

So far, we agreed that we enjoyed the first three beers we had tasted. Now, would the fourth be better or worse?

Then Oh My Gd! 

We finished our tasting session with BeerBazaar Brewery's OMG Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout from 2019! It was like drinking a sweet chocolate-coffee syrup with the kick of a strong beer. We almost fought over the last drops; it was that good. For those who like coffee and/or chocolate liquor, you'll probably like BeerBazaar Brewery's OMG. It's more an adult drink than the sweet liquors, and nobody would expect you to limit yourself to a shot glass. It's beer! And, yes, it does have more alcohol and calories than the others, but it's worth every last one.

To summarize, all four beers were good, pleasant to drink and flavorful. Thanks to Doug for inviting me to the tasting and looking forward to the next one.

Israeli Craft Beer Festival in Jerusalem First Station

It's rather embarrassing to admit that it has taken me so long to blog about the Israeli Craft Beer Festival in Jerusalem First Station. Considering that I really enjoy attending that beer festival. It offers a great choice of small Israeli craft beers. You're not going to find any of the larger companies, like Shapiro, Jem's, Malka, Shevet or Beer Bazaar.

Considering that it's much more difficult to find these smaller and newer craft beers commercially, versus the beers I've mentioned, I didn't miss the big ones at this venue. 

For those of us who like beer and are adventurous, enjoy tasting relatively unknown craft beers, this festival is like a gift from Gd.

It may be hard to believe, and even I'm very surprised, but besides one beer which I found rather tasteless, they were all drinkable to excellent.

How did I manage to sample a very large percentage of the beers?

On the right you can see me in my "beer tasters T-shirt." At various Israeli beer events, you'll probably see Doug Greener of Israel Brews and Views in a similar shirt. I'm one of the crew. Some of you may be familiar with his beer reviews in the Jerusalem Post.

Doug and the beer tasters at the 
Israeli Craft Beer Festival, Jerusalem First Station

At last year's Israeli Craft Beer Festival in Jerusalem First Station, the odd man out was an Israeli Whiskey, which we had also sampled. This year I was disappointed when I couldn't find them at the fair. It was excellent, so no surprise that soon after the festival we heard that it had won first prize in an international contest. Milk & Honey (M&H) has been awarded the title of ‘world’s best single malt’ by The World Drinks Awards.

In the end there was something VERY different. This year there was mead. What's mead? You may ask; I sure did. It's a liquor made from honey. It's a traditional alcoholic drink in areas where honey is much more common than grape vines. Here in the Land of Israel, grapes are much more common; even I have a mini-vineyard in my garden. They are that easy to grow. But in other parts of the world there are many bee hives for honey. They make and drink mead, while wine is our traditional drink. 

If you have the opportunity to drink/buy mead, go for it. I prefer those I tasted at the festival to many wines.

I'll repeat that this year's selection of Israeli craft beer provided lots of tasty beers of all types. I'm not going to list a favorite or say which was the one disappointing beer, since the same brewery also had a really good one.

Don't be afraid to try the various Israeli craft beers if you have an opportunity, and if you can make it to next year's craft beer festival, go.

Following are more photos from the festival.

Dinner at Hatch Brewery, Great Beer and Wings

That's me (photo by Shelly Becker)

I finally discovered that a friend of mine also loves beer, so now I can finally go to the beer bars I've been eyeing with longing. She suggested to a number of our mutual friends that dinner at Hatch Brewery would be a nice experience. From a half a dozen who had originally shown interest, the number dwindled down to two, just the two of us. Their loss, we had a totally enjoyable evening out at Hatch.

The minute I walked in, I raised the average age by a couple of decades, but it didn't seem to bother anyone. The waitress just smiled, hopefully at my sense of humor, and the other customers were too busy eating and drinking. They weren't interested in someone old enough to be their grandmother.

As you can see in the photo above, we ended up at what could be called a "table for two" and carefully perched ourselves on the stools. They were very sturdy and more comfortable than expected. We had a nice view of dried peas and lentils. Really. Hatch is in Machane Yehuda, close to Rechov Agrippas, 28 Rechov Haegoz, just around the corner from Michmoret.

Each plate has 12 wings

Our friendly, helpful waitress gave us menus. Since we were there for the beer, plus food, we needed a bit of assistance, being first-timers. There were some interesting dishes besides a nice choice of "wings" and "fries." Hatch has a couple of vegetarian options, including a salad. There were also some tempting sandwiches, but when we noticed the "special," 12 wings and four generous tasters of their beer tasting flights for only NS65-... no contest. That's what we each ordered.



Presentation of the four beers was aesthetic and clever. The wings and beer filled me up, making a perfect meal. Wings were freshly cooked, tasty and meaty. I had eaten a giant Tuna Salad in a dairy restaurant for lunch, so my "greens quota" was filled for the day. And don't forget that there are hops in beer. That's also a vegetable...

About the beers, the IPA was excellent, light and fruity. The Sour was lemony. There was supposed to be chocolate in the stout, but I could only taste a trace of it in the last drops. Without a doubt, I liked all of Hatch Brewery beers, and I ended up tasting about five. I really enjoyed the Hatch beers much more than any of the beers I had tasted at this past summer's Jerusalem Beer Festival.

My dining partner and I had only praise for everything, the beer, food, ambiance... Since we got back we've been telling all of our friends, recommending they join us next time we go to Hatch. Yes, Gd willing, there will be a next time. BTW Hatch is certified Kosher, Rabanut Yerushalayim Mehadrin. All meat is Kehillot. Phone 02-656-3691. Hatch facebook. #hatchbrewery

Here are more photos. All photos taken by me, unless otherwise indicated.

Best Beer! Taste Test #1 A Success!

Over a week ago, I blogged that I bought myself three beers as a treat. On Shabbat I tried one, the Shapiro "Jack's Winter Ale," and I love it.

Strong fruity aroma, rich brown color and full of flavor. It's really the type of beer I like.

I poured myself about a third of the bottle Friday night with our Shabbat Meal, after first drinking an excellent white wine.

Since we had a guest Shabbat morning/lunch, I offered him a chance to share the remaining ale with me. My husband isn't a beer drinker. The guest was very impressed. He pointed out that "Jack's Winter Ale" is relatively high alcohol, 8.5%.

I wonder if I'll like the others as much. Maybe I'll start stocking up on Israeli craft beers after Passover.

Doug, are you familiar with this beer/ale?

Jerusalem Beer Festival, Great Fun

For the second year in a row, I joined the Beer Maivin aka Doug Greener at the Jerusalem Beer Festival in Independence Park. We all had a wonderful time. I stayed until the noise aka music made it impossible to talk, and then I trekked home, train, bus and tremps.

Of course, I was at the beer festival to drink Israeli craft beer and sample lots of new ones. This year the new and interesting beers were the fruity kind. At one stand there were what I considered "dessert beers." They were sweet, one more an apple cider and the other had a strong pineapple taste. I prefered the pineapple. At a different stand I tried a cherry one, which was awful. It had a very strong taste of artificial cherry, sort of like children's syrupy medicine.

The larger Israeli craft beer companies have been making deals with foreign craft beermakers. One got together with a beermaker in  Arizona, and they came up with what they called the 7 C's. The "C's" are different types of hops. I liked the Israeli version of it.

Basically, I used this wonderful opportunity, the Jerusalem Beer Festival, to hone in on my beer preferences. I like a strong dark beer which tastes like beer and doesn't mask the hops with other flavors. And to be honest, I do better drinking beer than wine.

Make sure you join us next year.