Israeli craft breweries have launched a few new beers in the past few months.
The number is small because the industry is still feeling the effects of the prolonged Israel-Hamas War, regarding both manpower shortages and reduced demand.
Like most beers, they have stories behind them. It may be about the ingredients, the brewer, the unusual style, or some unique quality. Whatever it is, when you drink the beer, you also drink in the story. And that affects your perception of the beer.
For example, the Shevet Brewstillery in Pardes Hanna has introduced a beer style that is among the best-selling in the world – an American Light Lager. It’s called The Surfer Dude.
My first reaction when I heard about this beer was: Why another Light Lager when there are so many available in Israel as imports? But actually, it’s a perfect beer style for our climate. It’s light (only 4.7% alcohol by volume), crisp, and goes perfectly with a large variety of foods. If you want a Light Lager, why shouldn’t you be able to choose one that’s brewed locally?
Another Israeli first (as far as I know) for The Dude is that it is brewed with corn. Flaked corn lightens the color and body of beer, while adding a little bit of sweetness and crispness. Its sugars are highly fermentable, which helps increase the alcoholic content without adding strong flavors.
Oh yes, corn is also less expensive than malted barley, which is an important reason why it’s so commonly used in American Light Lagers.
Anyone expecting an American Light Lager won’t be disappointed with The Surfer Dude. That’s what it is, although with a stronger lemon kick and less carbonation than most.
A new core beer from the BeerBazaar Brewery, located in Kfar Daniel, is Zigi, a Hazy IPA. It is brewed with barley and wheat malts, oatmeal, and maltodextrin. Alcohol by volume is 5.5%.
Most people associate Hazy IPAs with the New England style: juicy and not so bitter. Zigi isn’t quite that. It’s hazy all right, a bright yellow with a big, bubbly head. The aromas and flavors reminded me of a tropical fruit salad: passion fruit, melon, pineapple, and guava.
However, all of this fruitiness is wrapped in a bitter envelope. This is not a bad thing in an IPA. I am totally okay with it, and I enjoyed Zigi very much. But it may not be everyone’s glass of beer.
Another new core beer is Blonde Ale from the Shikma Brewery in Ashkelon. It is the last beer brewed by Rafael Agaev, who is retiring after 30 years of developing and brewing beer at Ashkelon’s Israel Beer Breweries Ltd. (Carlsberg and Tuborg). Shikma is the craft beer subsidiary of IBBL.
“I brewed my first beer 30 years ago on January 26, 1995,” Agaev told me.
Blonde Ale uses Israeli-grown barley
The Blonde Ale has entered the repertoire of Shikma’s core beers. Like Shikma’s earlier Bitter Wheat, the Blonde Ale is distinguished for using Israeli-grown barley malt. After the barley is harvested from Israeli fields, it is cleaned, sorted, and then shipped to Germany, where the malting process takes place. The malt is then sent back to the Shikma Brewery.
“The well-balanced combination of Israeli-grown malt and American hops gives the beer a full but not heavy body, and a bright aroma of citrus and tropical fruits,” Agaev said. “In the end, the 5.4% alcohol is almost imperceptible.”
The beer pours out a very clear, pale amber color. The head is indeed white and foamy, but it dissipates quickly.
The aroma was dominated by the malt, with overlays of bread and floral notes. I also detected some whiffs of nutmeg, but very little fruit.
The taste was full of bread and ale yeast, with spice and biscuit flavor in the background. The drink ended with two sensations: prickly carbonation on my tongue, and a white wine-like dry finish. I enjoyed Shikma Blonde very much.
Agaev is now giving lectures on beer in Israel and abroad. Congratulations to him for giving us this grand finale to his 30 years of master brewing.
Another fascinating story concerns four new beers on the market under the brand name Shomron. The brewer asks not to be named, not because of modesty but because of security. He is a young man, married with three children, who spent 17 years in an elite, undercover, special forces unit and would rather remain in the shadows. He lives on Moshav Reichan in Samaria.
After the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, like so many of our soldiers, he felt overwhelmed and traumatized by the constant pressure of his work, so he was sent to see a psychologist. She asked him if he could spend more time with his hobbies.
“I don’t have any hobbies other than the army,” he answered.
“Well, then,” asked the psychologist, “what do you like to do?”
“I like to come home from the army and drink a beer,” he replied.
The psychologist’s eyes widened. “Then I think you should take up brewing as a hobby,” she suggested.
“That’s what I did,” he told me, “and it saved my life!”
After brewing for a while at home, he then made the leap of faith to brewing in commercial quantities, using the facilities of the Srigim Brewery on Moshav Hartuv.
There are four Shomron Beer styles: Wheat, IPA, Amber Oak Ale, and Blonde. According to the brewer, all of these styles were adjusted “downward” to suit what he believes are Israeli tastes: less bitter, less extreme flavor.
The Wheat is made with 70% wheat malt. The IPA is less fruity and less bitter than most of this style. The Amber Oak is a very drinkable Amber Ale, but the oak aroma and taste were hard to find. The Blonde Ale is light and crisp like a Blonde Ale should be.
These beers can be purchased on the Shomron Beer website (in Hebrew) at https://shomron-beer.co.il/shop.
“Brewing is what got me over the post-trauma after my many years of fighting,” the brewer said. “I’m sure others have told you how brewing changed their life. For me, it saved my life.”
A few months ago, Israel witnessed a historic collaboration between two highly respected breweries: Schnitt in Tel Aviv and Shapiro in Beit Shemesh.
The result was Sloth & Lion, a Sour Imperial Stout. The name comes from the two animal symbols of the breweries.
Sagiv Karlboim, the marketing manager at Shapiro, explained the technicalities of the collaboration. The beer was kettle-soured at the Schnitt Brewing Co. This means that Lactobacillus, the same bacteria that sours yogurt and sauerkraut, was added to the pre-fermented Stout. Fresh cherries were also used.
“The beer was then shipped to the Shapiro Brewery, where it was put into ex-brandy barrels with blueberries added,” continued Karlboim.
That was in 2023. Since then, the beer has been sleeping peacefully in the barrels until it was bottled. Only 635 numbered bottles of 750 ml. (around 25 ounces) were produced. Alcohol by volume is a hefty 8.9%.
We broke open the wax seal, popped the bottle cap, and poured out the viscous black liquid.
The initial aroma is of sour berries, with some cherries in the background. The taste was a sour envelope that contained the flavors of cherries and berries, and – from the roasted malts – coffee and cocoa.
Sloth & Lion is in the category of what I call “flavor bomb” beers. Many of these seem to be brewed with no regard for what beer lovers want to drink. Sloth & Lion isn’t one of those. Its aroma, taste, and sourness are powerful but completely drinkable – and enjoyable. It’s a fine achievement for the Israeli craft beer industry.
Another collaborative flavor bomb is Eretz, created by the Fass Brewhouse in Kibbutz Geshur (Golan Heights) and Biratenu, the Jerusalem Beer Center. Eretz is an Imperial Stout, fermented for a long period and then aged for about three months in a whisky barrel from the Golan Heights Distillery. After that, it is aged for another two weeks with red wine from a vineyard on the Golan Heights. It’s being sold in 750-ml., wax-sealed bottles.
Six types of malted barley were used in the brewing, along with oat flakes, honey, and Fuggle and EKG hops. Alcohol by volume is a hearty 12%!
Eretz pours out thick and black with no carbonation. The aroma of alcohol was dominant, followed by honey and sweet liqueur, comparable to Port wine, sugared cherries, and sugar cake.
On the palate, it was evident that the grapes dominated the grain. It’s like drinking a strong and bitter wine. The long finish is very boozy. Eretz should be kept at just a little below room temperature, and sipped and savored slowly.
Eretz is a beer that is not for everybody; far from it. It’s a powerful beverage, extreme in strength and flavors. Some may not even call it a beer. But if you feel adventurous and are not put off by the description, you may want to give it a try. Eretz can be ordered at this website: https://shop.craftinglass.co.il/eretz.
When you drink these beers, remember their stories and make them a part of the experience.
The writer is the owner of MediawiSe, an advertising and direct marketing agency in Jerusalem. He writes a web log on Israeli craft beers called Israel Brews and Views, which can be found on Facebook.