Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams Noble Pils and Bonus Pre Purim Beer Guide

This week's Sunday Night Suds presents a review of one of Samuel Adams' newest seasonal beer - Samuel Adams Noble Pils. Also, following the review is this year's Pre-Purim beer guide.

The Noble Pils draws its name from the use of five Noble hops varieties which are used in the brew process. For those of you keeping score at home, the varieities are Hallertau, Tettnang, Spalter, Saaz and Hersbrucker.

The five Noble hops come together to make one of the finest Pilsner beers which I have ever tasted. This is the kind of beer that you can drink with almost any meal or even on its own. The beer has a great hop flavor and smell, with some bitterness. The beer also has good carbonation which almost gives the beer a creamy delivery - similar to the European nitro delivered brews.

Samuel Adams Noble Pils is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K. However, this is yet another Samuel Adams brew which does not have the certification mark on the label. If you would like to verify that the Noble Pils is on the LOC issued by the Star-K, please click here http://www.star-k.org/loc/kosher_letter_6635_bostonbeercompany.pdf

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the Noble Pils, please follow this link - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/47317 .

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

Finally, if you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

*****BONUS PRE-PURIM BEER GUIDE*****
As a community service, Kosher Beers is proud to provide a Purim Beer Guide for those who choose brews for their seudah.

This post will be updated regularly as new information becomes available. There also may be an update after the AKO conference later this week.

Please note that there is no mitzvah to get stone drunk on Purim. The mitzvah is "ad d'lo yadah" which can even be accomplished through sleep (since while one is sleeping they do not know the difference between Haman and Mordechai).

Still, for those who do utilize alcohol as part of their seudah, the following is a brief guide to beers:

Does beer require a hashgacha? The major kashruth organizations utilize the chazakah that unflavored beer does not require a hashgacha as unflavored beers are made only from four ingredients: malted barley, hops, water and yeast. For a great article by Rabbi Tzvi Rosen on kashruth in alcohol, including an in depth analysis of beer making please click here http://www.star-k.com/kashrus/kk-thirst-highspirits.htm .

Additionally, for those trying to make sense of the different styles of beer which can be found in your local beer store - please click here for the Beer Advocate beer style list which breaks down the beers both by their type and country of origin: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style.

Assuming that you are looking for a beer with a hashgacha, I have compiled a list of beers along with their certifying agency. Please note that the list below is not meant to be exhaustive as it only reflects the results of my individual research. Finally, to my friends, I have not tried every beer on this kosher beer list and merely because I list them here does not mean I recommend them for your consumption. If you find a beer which looks interesting to you, please feel free to search the archive on the kosherbeers site to see if I have reviewed it.

Samuel Adams - as per Star-K, the following varieties are kosher even without a certification on the label. Please note that not every variety of Sam is on this approved list. To see the Star-K LOC for Samuel Adams, please click here http://www.star-k.org/loc/kosher_letter_6635_bostonbeercompany.pdf.

Black Lager; Blackberry Wit Beer; Boston Ale; Boston Lager; Brown Ale; Cherry Wheat; Coastal Wheat; Cranberry Lambic; Cream Stout; Double Bock; Hefeweizen; Holiday Porter; Honey Porter; Imperial Stout; Imperial White Ale; Irish Red Ale; Light; Nobel Pils; Octoberfest; Old Fezziwig; Pale Ale; Summer Ale; White Ale; Winter Lager.
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Gordon Biersch - the following beers were listed as certified kosher on an LOC which I received from the Va'ad of Detroit by fax. The LOC indicated that it was subject to renewal on April 26, 2010.

Blonde Bock; Czech Style Pilsner; Dunkelweizen; Festbier; Hefeweizen; Marzen; SommerBrau; WinterBock.
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Josephs Brau - the following beers were listed as certified kosher on an LOC which I received from the Va'ad of Detroit by fax. The LOC indicated that it was subject to renewal on April 26, 2010.

Dunkelweizen; Hopfest; Oktoberfest; Summer Brew; Winterfest.

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Brick Brewery - This Canadian Brewery only sells its fine product in Ontario. However, should you be lucky enough to find some where you are located, the following varieties are approved by the COR on their website - http://www.cor.ca/en/20177 .

Brick - Amber Dry; Anniversary Bock; Premium.
Laker - Honey; Ice; Premium Lager; Premium Light; Red; Strong.
Waterloo - Dark Lager, Wheat.
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Brooklyn Brewery - This beer company brews in multiple locations including Brooklyn, New York and Utica, New York. The following beers which are brewed in Utica and sold in 12 oz bottles were listed on an LOC which I received from the Va'ad of Detroit. The LOC indicated that it was subject to renewal on March 10, 2010.

Brooklyn - American Ale; Black Chocolate Stout; Brown Ale; East India Pale Ale; Lager; Monster Ale; Oktoberfest; Pennant Ale; Pilsner; Summer Ale; Weiss Beer; Winter Ale.
Post Road - Pumpkin Ale.
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Coopers Brewery (Australia) - The following beers are listed on the LOC from Kosher Australia which can be found by clicking here http://www.coopers.com.au/media/54992/kosher_cert.pdf .
Coopers - Best Extra Stout; Dark Ale; Extra Strong Vintage Ale; Mild Ale; Original Pale Ale; Premium Ale; Premium Light Beer; Sparkling Ale; Special Old Stout.
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Coors - To my knowledge, all beers produced by the Coors Brewing Company (including its Blue Moon subsidiary) are under the Orthodox Union. The beers generally have an OU on the label. The following are the varieties which are on the LOC which is subject to renewal on March 31, 2010.

Aspen – Edge.
Blue Moon - Belgian Ale; Full Moon Winter Ale; Grand Cru; Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale; Honey Moon Summer Ale; Pale Moon Pale Ale; Rising Moon Spring Ale.
Coors - Banquet Beer; Golden Ale; Light.
Keystone - Ice; Light; Premium.
Killian's Irish Red.
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Kirkland - the following beers which are sold at Costco under their Kirkland house brand are certified kosher. These beers were listed on an LOC which I received from the Va'ad of Detroit by fax. The LOC indicated that it was subject to renewal on April 26, 2010.

Kirkland Signature Amber Ale; Signature German Style Lager; Signature Hefeweizen and Signature Pale Ale.
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Lakefront Brewery - also certified by the Star-K. Very difficult to find outside of the Midwest, although some are available in Brooklyn at American Beverage on Court Street in Cobble Hill. The following varieties are found on the Star- K LOC which can be viewed here - http://www.star-k.org/loc/kosher_letter_8197_lakefrontbreweryinc.pdf .

Big Easy Lager; Bock Dark Lager; Cattail Ale; Cherry Lager; Cream City Pale Ale; East Side Dark Lager; Fuel Coffee Stout; Holiday Spice Lager; Klisch Pilsner; New Grist Beer; Oktoberfest; Organic Barleywine; Organic ESB; Pumpkin Lager; Riverwest Stein; Snake Chaser Stout; White Beer.
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FX Matt Brewing - this company brews many different brands of beer at its Utica factory. The following beers were listed on an LOC which I received from the Va'ad of Detroit by fax. The LOC indicated that it was subject to renewal on March 10, 2010.

Lake Placid: Ubu Ale; IPA; 46'er Ale.
Saranac: Adirondack Lager; Amber Wheat; Belgian Ale; Belgian White; Big Moose Ale; Black Diamond Bock; Black Forest; Black & Tan; Bock; Brown Ale; Caramel Porter; Chocolate Amber; Dunkel; ESB; Golden Pilsner; Hefewiezen; Helles; High Peaks Imperial IPA; Imperial Stout; India Pale; Irish Red Ale; Kolsch; Light; Maple Porter; Marzenbier; Mocha Stout; Mountain Ale; Nut Brown Ale; Oatmeal Stout; Oktoberfest; Pale Ale; Pale Pale Ale; Pomegranate Wheat; Pumpkin Ale; Rauchbier; Roggen Bock; Rye Pale Ale; Rye Pilsner; Season's Best; Scotch Ale; Single Malt; Stout; Summer Ale; Summer Brew; Traditional Lager; Winter Wassail;
Utica Club : Light, Pilsner.
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Miller - only select beers produced by SAB Miller Brewing Company are under kosher supervision. Although these were formerly under the OK laboratories, they are now under kosher supervision by the Orthodox Union. The following beers are on the LOC which is subject to renewal on March 3, 2010.

Miller Genuine Draft (MGD); Miller Genuine Draft Light; MGD64 and Miller Lite.
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New Belgium -only select beers produced by the New Belgium Brewing Company are certified kosher under the LOC which I received from the Scroll-K. The LOC indicated that it was subject to renewal on June 30, 2010 and included:

1554 Black Beer; 2 Below; Abbey; Blue Paddle; Fat Tire; Frambozen; Mighty Arrow; Mothership Wit; Old Cherry; Skinny Dip; Sunshine; Trippel.
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Pete's Brewing Company - The following beers were listed on an LOC which I received from the Va'ad of Detroit. The LOC indicated that it was subject to renewal on March 10, 2010.

Pete's Wicked Ale; Rally Cap Ale; Strawberry Blonde; Wanderlust.
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President's Choice - PC is the private label brand for the Loblaws supermarket chain. The following PC beers are listed as are approved by the COR on their website - http://www.cor.ca/en/20177 :

Choice 2.5, Dry, Genuine Draft, Genuine Lager, Honey Red, Light, Low Carb 2.5, Pilsener, Wheat.
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Redhook Brewery - This brewery produces beer on both the East Coast (New Hampshire) and West Coast (Woodinville, Washington). Both breweries produce beers which are under the kashruth supervision of the OU (all Redhook bottles which I have seen have the OU on the label) including:

Blonde, Copperhook Spring Ale, ESB, Longhammer IPA; Tripel; Winterhook Winter Ale.
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Spoetzel Brewery - This small town Texas brewery has a cult like following among those who have tried its product. The following beers (brewed under the trade name Shiner) were listed on an LOC which I received from the Va'ad of Detroit by fax. The LOC indicated that it was subject to renewal on December 31, 2009.

Blonde; Bock; Bohemian Black Lager; Hefeweizen; Holiday Cheer; Kolsch; Kosmos Reserve; Light; 99 Helles; 100 Commemorator; Smokehaus; Spezial Leicht.
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Trader Joe's - the following beers which are sold at Trader Joe's under their own label are certified kosher. These beers were listed on an LOC which I received from the Va'ad of Detroit by fax. The LOC indicated that it was subject to renewal on April 26, 2010.

Trader Joe's Bavarian Hefeweizen; Bohemian Lager; Hofbrau Bock and Vienna Lager.
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Note -Merely because a beer is not on this list does not mean that it is not kosher. This list contains the results of my research and is based on what I have been able to independently verify.

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