It's coming up on the time of Passover, this year it runs from sunset on March 29 to nightfall on April 5/6. Since you are here, you probably like beer. Most likely you did a search for passover beer or something similar.
*disclaimer* I'm not Jewish, and I'm definitely not a Jewish Passover law scholar. I've just done some research.
So, you want to have a beer during this Passover season, but you don't know what you can drink. Most beers are kosher, however, they aren't kosher for passover. There is one beer specifically created to be kosher for passover. Ramapo Valley Brewery Passover Honey Beer is a "beer" specifically made for Jews during passover.
This beer is made with molasses, honey, and hops.
The main ingredients in normal beer: barley (a grain), hops, yeast, and water can't all be used to make a kosher for passover beer, since there are two rules that prevent their use.
The first is a rule about chametz, which is pretty much five types of grains. They are Wheat, Barley, spelt (a forme of wheat), rye, and oats. Those are pretty much the main grains that are used in brewing beer (except for the spelt). Additionally, all yeast that works on those grains must be removed, along with anything in the house that has chametz.
The other main rule regards mixing flour and water, in that baking of bread must be completed in a certain time frame from the point that the water hits the flour (18-22 minutes). Malting grain takes much more time than is allotted, and the boiling of the grains also takes longer than is allowed.
Since there is currently only one beer that is certified kosher for passover, you may want to have some variety in your drink. Other options for you include mead and potato vodka.
There are some specific beverages that are made to be kosher for passover. Distillery No. 209 has created a kosher for passover gin. If tequila is your drink, there's Agave 99, which is a certified kosher for passover tequila. There are several different flavored brandies that are kosher for passover, including Slivovitz! Plum Brandy.
All forms of traditional whiskey are not kosher for passover, as they are made from grains. There may be some non-traditional whiskey made for the passover season (possibly made from sorghum, or certain sugars).
If you really want to make sure that the beverage you are drinking is kosher for passover, check to ensure it is listed on the label.
With enough research, and time spent at the liquor store, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to get totally wasted, while celebrating the time when the angel of death went down and slew the firstborn of Egypt.
Showing posts with label Ramapo Valley Passover Honey Beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ramapo Valley Passover Honey Beer. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Monday, August 18, 2008
Beer Review, North Coast Old Plowshare Stout; Cru D'or; Ramapo Valley Passover Honey Beer
Saturday was a relatively good beer day. After I got called in to work, I stopped by Crane Alley for some soup and beer.
As I walked in, on the new bottles board, it said "AFA Old
Plowshare Stout" and "AFA Cru D'Or". So I asked for the stout (and the soup, which was a cream of potato with bacon and scallops; it was delicious).
At first the bartendress had difficulty finding the new beer, so I mentioned Aaron normally puts the newest stuff in the front cooler, so she looked there, didn't see them, until she saw the bottles with a red splotchy thing on the cap. She pulled it out, and it was the beer.
This one poured somewhat dark, light did leak through on the sides, so it looked somewhat thin. It had quickly dissipating head that left those little rings of foam, I realized after looking at it for a while, that it reminded me of spaghetti-o's. It didn't have much smell, possibly due to the full pint glass, but I think I picked up some chocolate malt and smoke. It felt rather thin on the tongue, and possibly a little bubbly.
It tasted of malt and slightly bitter. It was almost like a smokey tea, with some chocolate. It dried out my tongue as it left. It's apparently 5.7% ABV. Originally it was made for Whole Foods as an organic stout, but is now getting broader distribution.
The AFA stands for Authentic Food Artisan, and I'm not sure what that means. I do know this is listed as an organic product, so it might have something to do with that. It went pretty good with the soup.
The beer I finished my soup with was the North Coast Cru d'Or. This one is listed
as a Belgian Style Abbey Ale. It's 8% ABV so it's a little bit stronger than the stout. It poured brown with a little bit of head. It smelled sweet, almost sickeningly sweet. It was also fruity, possibly dried apricot?
It felt thicker than the stout on the tongue, so it was thicker and higher ABV than the stout. It tasted fruity, I thought I noticed several dried fruits in it, apricot, nectarine, orange. It was a sweet bomb! There was some honey in it, and maybe some tart plums. I searched for some spices, but couldn't find any. Was hoping to maybe get a little pepper, but it wasn't there. This beer was awesome.
After I finished it, I realized that it reminded me of Orval. I wonder if that was the "Belgian Abbey" they were trying to reproduce? Cru d'Or, for Val d'Or. It'd be neat to sit down with one of these, an Orval, and a Goose Island Matilda and do a blind tasting... if only I had Matilda... oh i do!
The final beer I had on Saturday was Ramapo Valley Brewery Passover Honey Beer.
This "beer" is actually mead. Why it claims to be honey beer and not mead is a mystery (the mead name may be off putting?) There is no grain used in this, and apparently there is such a thing as passover yeast. (kosher l'Pesach yeast).
Kriddy said it reminded her of paint thinner or nail polish remover. I found it to be too sweet. It was better than the last mead that I had, but still wasn't that great. It'd probably be really good with some flavoring (a dash of koolade).
As I walked in, on the new bottles board, it said "AFA Old
Plowshare Stout" and "AFA Cru D'Or". So I asked for the stout (and the soup, which was a cream of potato with bacon and scallops; it was delicious).At first the bartendress had difficulty finding the new beer, so I mentioned Aaron normally puts the newest stuff in the front cooler, so she looked there, didn't see them, until she saw the bottles with a red splotchy thing on the cap. She pulled it out, and it was the beer.
This one poured somewhat dark, light did leak through on the sides, so it looked somewhat thin. It had quickly dissipating head that left those little rings of foam, I realized after looking at it for a while, that it reminded me of spaghetti-o's. It didn't have much smell, possibly due to the full pint glass, but I think I picked up some chocolate malt and smoke. It felt rather thin on the tongue, and possibly a little bubbly.
It tasted of malt and slightly bitter. It was almost like a smokey tea, with some chocolate. It dried out my tongue as it left. It's apparently 5.7% ABV. Originally it was made for Whole Foods as an organic stout, but is now getting broader distribution.
The AFA stands for Authentic Food Artisan, and I'm not sure what that means. I do know this is listed as an organic product, so it might have something to do with that. It went pretty good with the soup.
The beer I finished my soup with was the North Coast Cru d'Or. This one is listed
as a Belgian Style Abbey Ale. It's 8% ABV so it's a little bit stronger than the stout. It poured brown with a little bit of head. It smelled sweet, almost sickeningly sweet. It was also fruity, possibly dried apricot?It felt thicker than the stout on the tongue, so it was thicker and higher ABV than the stout. It tasted fruity, I thought I noticed several dried fruits in it, apricot, nectarine, orange. It was a sweet bomb! There was some honey in it, and maybe some tart plums. I searched for some spices, but couldn't find any. Was hoping to maybe get a little pepper, but it wasn't there. This beer was awesome.
After I finished it, I realized that it reminded me of Orval. I wonder if that was the "Belgian Abbey" they were trying to reproduce? Cru d'Or, for Val d'Or. It'd be neat to sit down with one of these, an Orval, and a Goose Island Matilda and do a blind tasting... if only I had Matilda... oh i do!
The final beer I had on Saturday was Ramapo Valley Brewery Passover Honey Beer.Supervised by Rabbi Zushe Blech this brew is the first Kosher for Passover Honey Beer in over 2000 years. Enjoy this unique creation made with water, molasses, hops, honey and Passover yeast.Exactly how there can be "Passover yeast" is beyond me, as God hates Yeast!
Exodus 12: 19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.Leaven is Yeast.
This "beer" is actually mead. Why it claims to be honey beer and not mead is a mystery (the mead name may be off putting?) There is no grain used in this, and apparently there is such a thing as passover yeast. (kosher l'Pesach yeast).
Kriddy said it reminded her of paint thinner or nail polish remover. I found it to be too sweet. It was better than the last mead that I had, but still wasn't that great. It'd probably be really good with some flavoring (a dash of koolade).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)