Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Scotch Ale

I can honestly say that before I was married I had never enjoyed a beer. That's not to say that I had never tried a beer (who can?) just that I had never truly enjoyed beer. However, in the early fall of 1997 while I was on vacation at my in-laws in Chicago, I sat with my brothers in law and had cold Heineken on a hot September afternoon. It was like magic. Suddenly a door was opened to me and I begin to appreciate and ultimately experiment with beer.

I began a quest to try to understand what kinds of beer were kosher and how to appreciate them. I started trying various domestic and international brews and my tastes changed and matured (as opposed to the rest of me -- just ask my kids -- I still have not grown up). I began to seek out beer stores that carried off the beaten path brews and to make excuses as to where I was taking the kids or going after work.

As time went on I became influenced by beer advocate http://beeradvocate.com/ a website run by the Alstrom brothers containing a wealth of information on beer. I even began to purchase glassware and have noticed the taste differences that result from drinking beer from various glasses, cups and mugs.

As word began to spread in my small community as to my knowledge and love for beer, I decided to start a blog devoted to the various aspects of my life, all of which go so well with beer.

So what makes beer kosher?

As will be discussed in later posts, there are generally accepted rules governing which beers are kosher. For those seeking immediate answers to the question of --is this beer kosher-- I would refer you to the Chicago Rabbinical Council statement that:

All unflavored beers, domestic and imported, with no additives listed on the ingredient label are acceptable, even without a Kosher certification. This applies to both USA and imported beers, including non-alcoholic and dark beers.

This statement of the CRC is not without caveat as many beers especially those from microbrews are flavored. As such, the CRC cautions:

Many breweries are coming out with specialty brews that have additives; don't assume that all varieties are acceptable - check the label.

http://www.crcweb.org/kosher/consumer/liquorList.html

So with all this as an introduction, I decided to discuss a beer that I have begun to enjoy recently --Saranac Scotch Ale. Saranac Scotch Ale is a full bodied beer with a strong hop flavor. It goes well with meat and potatoes (but then again so do most things). It holds its flavor very well without giving too strong of an aftertaste.

Saranac Scotch Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Vaad of Detroit, as are all products brewed at the FX Matt Brewery in Utica, New York.

The Scotch Ale cannot be purchased in six pack or twelve packs and only comes as part of the winter beer sampler pack. I have bought two sampler packs already and if they did not come with two bottles of the awful Winter Wassail I probably would have bought more. I have emailed Saranac and asked whether they would produce it in six or twelve packs but have not yet received a response to my email.

For the professionals' take on Scotch Ale follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/820

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.