YARR!!!
Posted on 11/25/2007 2:50:34 PM PST by lizol
Czechs brew a kosher beer tradition
23.11.2007 - Ruth Frankova
When the famous Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal wrote about the Nymburk brewery in his novel "Cutting It Short", he probably didn't expect that one day its beer would make it as far as the Caribbean. Now, beer from the Czech town is also heading for another market. One of its products, which recently received a kosher certificate, will now be sold in Israel.
The new Nitro beer is a rather strong lager with 5.5% alcohol. This year, the Nymburk brewery produced three hundred hectolitres of the foamy kosher beverage. If consumers take to it, the company plans to increase its production. I asked Olga Znaminkova of the Nymburk brewery, who came up with the idea of producing the kosher brand:
“The idea came from our partner in Israel. They wanted to make their own beer according to their own recipe, because they want to increase the market in Israel and the U.S.A. and around the world. That’s why we now make the kosher beer. We had to call the rabbi from the Jewish community in the Czech Republic. He came to our brewery and made an audit in the production. After the audit he issued a certification for us so that we can now produce kosher beer.”
Menachem Kalchaim is a representative of the chief rabinate of Israel issuing kosher certificates. He is also the man who gave his blessing and certification to the latest speciality from Nymburk. I spoke to him on a line from Israel and asked him about the criteria for making ordinary beer “kosher”:
“Basically the criteria are very simple because most of the beers, Czech beers, are kosher, because they are made from four kosher ingredients: barley, yeast, hop and water. Most of the beers that are made of these four ingredients are kosher. Beers that use additives and other things, some other raw materials, have to be checked that they are properly kosher and that they are made in kosher environment. It means not connected totally to all things made of wine and for sure not connected to animals and anything made of animals and any kind of meat and other things made of animals.”
The production of kosher beer is also limited by the time of year. The brewery cannot use barley that was planted before the 31st of March:
“On one of our holidays, Pesach holiday, it is not kosher. If it was planted before the holiday, at least two weeks before the holiday, it’s no problem to use it. If it was planted after the holiday, we should wait for a whole year to use it.”
So far, the Nymburk brewery is not planning to distribute their kosher beer anywhere in the Czech Republic. Beer lovers can either visit the brewery where the beer is available for tasting or travel to Israel.
Ping for ya!
:)
L’Chaim!
I saw a TV programme on beer on the history channel. They featured Sam Adams. The founder of the company discussed the Utopias. Even he regarded it a potent.
Try this...
8.1% and brewed 28 days. Beer snobs give it a fairly low rating. Those familiar with American micro-breweries that produce higher gravity beers give it a slightly above average rating. Not bad for "comes in a can." (or bottle)
The decanter alone is worth the search. In the aforementioned TV programme, the host tried some of the Utopias; he said that it reminded him of brandy in some ways.
Samuel Adams Utopias is a strong, rich, dark beer that is uncarbonated and is served not pint by frosty pint, but at room temperature in a two-ounce pour, to be savored like a vintage port or a fine cognac. Breaking the record for commercially brewed beers held by the 2005 batch of Samuel Adams Utopias, the 2007 batch of Samuel Adams Utopias weighs in at 27% alcohol by volume. The average beer is about 5%.
Samuel Adams Utopias is brewed, blended, and aged at the Samuel Adams Brewery in Boston with the same handcrafted care that goes into all Samuel Adams beers. It is brewed with several different strains of yeast, including a variety typically reserved for champagne. A blend of two-row Caramel and Munich malts gives the beer its rich ruby-black color. Three kinds of Noble hops - Spalt Spalter, Hallertau Mittlefrueh, and Tettnang Tettnanger - blend to give the beer its floral character and its spicy note.
The 2007 batch of Samuel Adams Utopias is a blend of liquids, some of which have been aged in a variety of woods at the Boston Brewery for up to 13 years. A portion of the beer was aged in hand-selected, single-use bourbon casks from the Buffalo Trace Distillery. The extended aging process enhances the distinct cinnamon, vanilla, and maple notes in the beer’s flavor. The beer is then finished in sherry and madeira casks from Portugal. The sherry casks add nutty, oak, and honey notes, while the madeira casks contribute slightly more elegant, creamy fudge-toffee aromas and flavors.
Nectar of The Gods. It also says they use real maple syrup in the front end of the fermentation process. I've never had the honor, myself, but I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to try a snifter for all the Iron City in Pittsburgh.
I looked on E-Bay. There are several for bid and one can be had in its box for a mere $259.99 (that’s the opening bid!).
for later
5.5% Meh. Most malt liquors have that beat. If you want a custom brew that will tie you into a knot, try a Samuel Adams Utopias (if you can find it - very rare) - 25.6% ABV. It’s not even legal to sell it in fourteen states.
You can buy Samuel Adams Utopias all day long on eBay.
What's interesting is that in Europe, the microbrewery revolution has never taken place, mostly due to laws that favor larger breweries. I do think that microbrews have really improved the standard of beer, especially if you've drank something like Anchor Steam beer from San Francisco or Sierra Nevada beer from Chico, CA--both are VASTLY superior in taste to Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.