Sunday, December 28, 2014

Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's Saison Harvest Ale.

The New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale falls within the category of Saison/Farmhouse Ale. The experts at BA explain that Saison Ales are:

are sturdy farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. Not so long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there's been a massive revival; especially in the US.

This is a very complex style; many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having touch of sweetness.

The Saison Harvest Ale poured a pale yellow with phenols that made me think more of a hefeweisen than an ale. There was some hop bitterness, but the yeast masked much of the bite.

I would pair this beer with complex salads (like Mrs KB's baby spinach, arugala with pomegranate and hearts of palm). I could not see this beer standing up or working well with strong meat or poultry dishes.

New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Scroll-K of Colorado. Although the beer does not bear the kosher symbol on the label, the Scroll-K kosher symbol can be found on the bottom of the "folly pack" box.

Please note that not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision. For a list of the New Belgium brews currently under supervision, please click on the link on the left side of my home page for my latest Kosher Beer List.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/32282. As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

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).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayigash

The following is a brief summary of some of the thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

In Bereishis 45:3 the Torah recounts how Yosef finally revealed his identity to his brothers and that they could not respond to him.

The Medrash Rabbah cites Abba Kohain Bardela who states that the brothers were unable to respond as Yosef's revelation was a rebuke to them. He further stated that how much more so, when a person dies he will come before the Kisaih HaKavod and he will be unable to respond after hearing the Heavenly rebuke.

Although it is understandable that once a person is rebuked by Hashem and sees all of his errors that he will be unable to respond, but the question is - how was Yosef's revelation of his identity a rebuke to the brothers?

R' Frand answered by quoting the Sefer Nachal Eliyahu who refers to a Ramban on Parshas Vayeshev. The Ramban observes that the entire story of Yosef is counter intuitive. How is it that Yaakov makes the mistake of overtly favoring Yosef over his brothers, without being concerned for their reaction? Why is is that Yosef mistakenly believes that his brothers are sinning and even eating from live animals? Why do the brothers believe that Yosef wants to kill them, when he is not planning to do so?

The Ramban answers that the key is that Hashem has made his decree and the efforts taken to combat it are false as Hashem's decision will prevail.

The Nachal Eliyahu explained that when Yosef revealed himself to the brothers he was in effect saying to them, you thought that you could get rid of me and sell me down to Egypt as a slave. However, all of your thoughts and plans are of little consequence, as I Yosef have succeeded and am the second in command in Egypt. This was the ultimate rebuke.

R' Frand then tied this into a parallel vort by the Nachal Eliyahu on a later incident in the parsha. When the brothers tell Yaakov that Yosef is still alive (Bereishis 45:26) he rejected them. But why should he do so? He had mourned Yosef for more than twenty years and was inconsolable. Did he think that his sons were pranking him? 

The Nachal Eliyahu quoted the Midrash Tanchuma which writes that a rasha while alive is called dead because he is incapable of recognizing Hashem's role in his every day life. The person may see a sunrise but will not acknowledge Hashem's role in creating the world that sustains him.

Yaakov's rejection of the brothers statement was not because he did not believe that Yosef was alive, it was based on a sense that Yosef was not Yosef anymore, due to his years of living in the den of sin known as Egypt. 

However, when Yaakov saw the wagons and was reminded that Yosef had learned the topic of Eglah Arufa with him before their separation, Yaakov able to believe that Yosef was in fact Yosef. At this point, Yaakov knew that this was all part of Hashem's plan and that Yosef could be reunited with him.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Sunday Night Suds - Stegmaier Amber Lager


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Stegmaier Amber Lager.

The last of the Lion/Stegmaier beers which I brought back from North East Pennsylvania is Stegmaier's version of an American Amber lager. These beers are generally the "mutts" of the beer world as the class is muddied and borrows heavily from other beer styles. An American Amber Lager has a stronger malt presence than a traditional lager, with almost no bitterness.

The Stegmaier Amber Lager pours a rich copper with better than average lacing. The beer has the characteristic breadiness and the slightest hint of hops. Successive sips made me think more of macrolagers than Amber or Vienna lagers and had me doubting that this beer was 5.2% abv. 

This beer would go well with burgers or other basic meat dishes. I would not pair this with a smoky or rich meat dish as the beer lacks the depth of flavor to stand up to heavy and complex meat dishes.

Stegmaier IPA is certified kosher by the OU, and there is an OU on the label. For the experts take on the Stegmaier IPA, please click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/150/47413

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

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).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Mikeitz

The following is a brief summary of some of the thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

The Torah writes in Mikeitz (Bereishis 44-16) that Yehuda said to Yosef after Binyamin was found with the cup - what can I say, Hashem is behind this and we have sinned to Hashem.

R' Frand observed that this was an odd thing to say to Yosef. The brothers thought that Yosef was an Egyptian dictator with no pity, so why say that this came from Hashem?

R' Frand hypothesized - what if a person was charged and brought before Vladmir Putin. Would Putin care that you admit that you did something wrong to Hashem? Putin does not even believe in G-d.

R' Frand also observed that there is a difference between this pasuk and the pasuk in Vayigash (Bereishis 44:18) where Yehuda approaches Yosef. Rashi notes in Yayigash that Yehuda is not deferential and Yehuda lets on that he knows that it is a plant and that Binyamin is being framed.

So what happened in between these two parshios?

R' Frand answered based on the Sefer Nachlas Eliezer from R' Eliezer Cohen the Mashgiach of Gateshead who quoted R' Yisroel Salanter for the concept that in life there is a cause and an effect. People are often blinded as to what is the cause and what is the effect. An outsider viewing this would say that Yosef frames them in order to harass them or keep them. However, this is not the reason that Yosef does this. This happens because Hashem is angry with them and Yosef is just the mechanism, but the reason is because Hashem is upset with them for an act that took place years before.

A G-d fearing Jew realizes that something he perceives as bad is occurring and he identifies Hashem as having a reason to punish him for the act. The actual punishment is only the mechanism, but the reason that it occurs is because Hashem wants it.

R' Frand continued and noted that this is the fundamental difference between Mikeitz and Vayigash. In Mikeitz, Yehuda sees that something has gone wrong and that it is a punishment from Hashem. Then in Vayigash, Yehuda has an understanding that Yosef is the mechanism for the punishment and that he is being too aggressive in framing them.

R' Frand then observed that the same can be seen with positive events. The Medrash says that when Yosef gets his position from Pharaoh - it was all deserved. Since Yosef did not kiss the wife of Potiphar, all that he says will go. Since he did not embrace the wife of Potiphar he was clothed in royal garments. The Medrash tells us that Hashem gives all these things to Yosef, not Pharaoh as Pharaoh was only the mechanism to deliver Hashem's goodness.

R' Frand told a story about R' Yisrael Salanter who met a man who had spent all his money on a special lottery ticket. While waiting for the drawing, the man was unable to pay his bills and he wound up selling the ticket to a friend. Eventually the drawing was held and this was the winning ticket. The man came to R' Salanter and asked why did this happen? R' Salanter said don't you know - its not the number that wins the lottery, its the man that wins the lottery. At least you got your money back, because if you held onto the ticket it would not have been the winning number. If Hashem does not want you to win, you will not win.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Chai Brown Ale


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac Chai Brown Ale.

As has been their habit as of late, the good folks at Saranac have introduced a number of new beers in their winter variety box. In addition to old favorite Pale Ale (reviewed here (kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/03/sunday-night-suds-saranac-pale-ale.html) and more recent offerings 4059 Porter (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2012/11/sunday-night-suds-saranac-4059-porter.html) and Legacy IPA (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2014/02/sunday-night-suds-saranac-legacy-ipa.html ), the winter box contains the Chai Brown Ale along with Long John Lager and Into the Dark.

The Saranac website indicates that the Chai Brown Ale is made from a blend "of brown ale and chai spices - a lively, balanced brew with hints of coffee, cocoa, and vanilla."

I am not familiar with Chai as a spice (Mrs KB even corrected me that it is not pronounced like the Hebrew word for life). To me this beer taste like a light version of a Brown Ale with some earth and bitter spice. I don't taste any vanilla or cocoa and the bitter is more of traditional bitter and not a coffee note.

I did not find this beer to be an exceptional Brown Ale and would not attempt to pair this with anything other than a stew or similar smoky rich meat dish.

Saranac Chai Brown Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as is every other beer produced at the Matt Brewery plant in Utica, NY. Keep in mind, Saranac brews some of its High Peaks series off site and these bottles do not have kosher certification from the Va'ad of Detroit.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this beer, please follow this link www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/133450.

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

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).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayeshev

The following is a brief summary of some of the thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

In Bereishis 37:31-36, the Torah recounts the story of the brothers showing Yaakov the coat dipped in goat's blood and Yaakov's reaction to seeing the coat. The Torah writes that Yaakov went into mourning and was inconsolable. Seeing this, Yaakov's sons and daughters attempted to comfort Yaakov, but were unsuccessful.

R' Frand quoted the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh who asked - why was Yaakov not capable of being consoled? This is understandable if a man has only one child or very few children. But Yaakov had many children! 

The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh notes that the Torah does not recount what the children did to try to comfort Yaakov.  Instead, the Torah writes that all of Yaakov's sons and daughters and his grandchildren came to console him. The thinking was that this gathering would console Yaakov because he would see all the children and grandchildren coming to see him. However, this did not console Yaakov as Yosef was irreplaceable to him.

R' Frand made reference to a story told by R' Oelbaum about this very vort of the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh. There was a Rabbi in Israel who told this vort before Maariv on a Friday Night. The Rabbi explained that the same way that Yaakov could not be consoled, Hashem feels the same way. Hashem sees all the Jews who are learning Torah and keeping the mitzvos. However, Hashem also sees all of the Jews who have left the faith and are not keeping the mitzvos and Hashem cries for them.

When the Rabbi finished the vort, he was approached by a man who had come to shul that night for yahrtzeit. The man was not frum and the Rabbi had occasionally tried to draw him in, but with no success. This night, the man approached the Rabbi and said - do you think Hashem cries for me? The Rabbi replied - absolutely! Hashem is a father much like Yaakov and he cries when he sees that his children have gone astray.

As a result of this conversation, the man began to keep mitzvos and he is now a frum Jew.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Sunday Night Suds - Boulevard Pop Up Session IPA


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Boulevard's Pop Up Session IPA.

I picked this up in Binny's (Skokie) during our October trip to Chicago. Whenever I take trips to the Midwest or the Mid-Atlantic, I try to keep an eye out for Boulevard products. For reasons I can't fathom, this quality Kansas City based brewery exports their products to various regions of the United States, but not New York.

Normally a beer which is branded a "Session __" is a lighter version of the particular style and is often meant to be consumed in multiple quantities over a period of hours.

The Boulevard Pop Up Session IPA is somewhat lighter in color than a traditional IPA, but other than that the beer should not be taken lightly. The beer poured with a significant amount of foam and the lacing was present throughout. There is a nice amount of pine which hits you at the beginning of the sip and develops into a full floral after taste. 

Boulevard Pop Up Session IPA is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Kansas City, but the bottle I purchased did not have the certification mark on the label. If you would like the LOC from the Va'ad, please let me know and I will email it to you.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link -http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/423/97172.

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

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). 

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayishlach

The following is a brief summary of some of the thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R' Frand started the vort by quoting the Rabbeinu B'Chaye which mentions a medrash recorded in the Medrash Tanchuma. The medrash recites a conversation which took place between Chamor and Yaakov when Chamor told Yaakov that his son Shechem wished to marry Dina. Chamor said to Yaakov - I am a Nasi and your grandfather Avraham was a Nasi - this would be a great shidduch.

Yaakov of course rejected Chamor's suggestion. In so doing, Yaakov said to him, I am an ox and you are a donkey. You are not allowed to plow with an ox and donkey together, so this cannot be a good shidduch.

The medrash obviously requires explanation. However, prior to beginning the explanation, R' Frand made mention of a Rashi in Parshas Vayishlach (32:5). Rashi explains that when Yaakov told Esav that Yaakov had lived with Lavan, Yaakov told him - I was only a ger when I was in Lavan's house. I did not have a position of power. Look - the berachos of Yitzchak did not come true - so why be mad? You got the better end of the deal!

There are several problems with this Rashi. R' Moshe Feinstein notes that the berachos were a nevuah. Was Yaakov saying that they were a false prophecy and worthless? Also, merely because the berachos had not come true now did not mean that they would never come true. After all, they really only came to fruition in the time of Shlomo HaMelech!

R' Frand answered that Yaakov knew who he was dealing with and how to approach Esav. The Seforno in Parshas Toldos on Bereishis 25:31, explains that where Yaakov says "Michrah Kayom" - Yaakov is saying to Esav - you live for today. You put so much effort into today that you cannot appreciate the bechor. 

R' Frand explained that the difference between a tzaddik and a rasha is that the tzaddik looks to the long term, while the rasha wants instant gratification. The rasha wants the today and does not think about the reward which will come in olam haba.

Yaakov knew that the berachos would come true in the future and was willing to wait. But Yaakov also knew that Esav would not understand this. So he said to Esav - I have nothing now so the berachos must be worthless.

With this introduction, R Frand quoted R' Avraham Bukspan who explains the difference between an ox and a donkey. The ox is used for plowing and planting which is a long term plan. In contrast, the donkey is used for short term deliveries of items.

R' Frand also explained that an ox ruminates and uses the food for a long time, whereas the donkey eats for the present. 

This was the message to Chamor - you are only interested in the short term, whereas we think about the long term. This shidduch just cannot work.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Sunday Night Suds - Lionshead Light


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Lionshead Light.

Lionshead is a product of the Lion Brewery of Wilkes Barre, PA which also produces the Lion and Stegmaier brands of beer.

The Lionshead Light is a typical light beer which means that it is a lager which is both light in color and taste. The beer pours a very pale gold with a small amount of lacing which disappears quickly. The beer does not have much in the way of taste and the watered down flavor does not linger, even right after swallowing the sip. The beer also has a very low alcohol content (3.9% abv).

Although the price point on this beer is very reasonable, I cannot not recommend the brew as it just does not taste like beer.

Lionshead Light is certified kosher by the OU, and there is an OU on the label. For the experts take on the Lionshead Light, please click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/150/24363.

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

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).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Thursday Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Veyeitzei

The following is a brief summary of some of the thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

In Bereishis 31:3 the Torah recounts that Hashem told Yaakov that it was time to leave Lavan's house. The next morning, Yaakov discusses this with Rachel and Leah and asks whether they should leave. The women respond that they have no inheritance or portion in their father's home so, yes, they should leave.

R' Frand quoted the Tolner Rebbi who asked a serious of questions about this story. Why did Yaakov ask Rachel and Leah whether they should leave? After all, Yaakov hated Lavan as Lavan had lied to him, switched his intended bride and stole from him. 

Additionally, since Hashem had appeared to him and told him that it was time to leave, why did Yaakov not just tell Rachel and Leah - Hashem said its time to go, so we are going.

R' Frand interjected that if a person had a dream and he saw an angel who told him that it was time to make aliyah, would he then get up the next morning and ask his spouse - should we listen to the angel?

Before answering the questions, R' Frand made reference to a vort from R' Chaim Shmulevitz on a story in Parshas Vayechi. Before asking Yosef to bury him in Maaras HaMachpeilah, Yaakov tells Yosef in Bereishis 48:7 that when Yaakov was coming back from Lavan to Eretz Yisrael, Rachel died and he buried her in Bethlethem. 

Rashi gives a little more color to the story and explains that Yaakov told Yosef - when Rachel died I buried her in Bethlethem, but it was not because it was too rainy or difficult to bring her to Chevron. It was because Hashem told me to bury her there because one day in the future the Jews will be exiled and they will travel past Bethlehem and Rachel will daven to Hashem to bring them back.

R' Chaim asked - why is that Yaakov said all this to Yosef? Why didn't he just say - I know that you are upset that I buried your mother in Bethlehem, but this is where Hashem told me to do it? 

R' Chaim answered that a person hears what he wants to hear. Yaakov was concerned that Yosef would think that maybe Yaakov had misunderstood Hashem and had only buried Rachel in Bethlehem for the sake of expediency. It was for this reason that Yaakov needed to spell out to Yosef - I know that you are upset, but I did not bury her there because it was too difficult to bring Rachel to Chevron, I did it because Hashem told me to.

For the very same reason, Yaakov needed to ask Rachel and Leah whether they should leave Lavan. Yaakov had many reasons to want to leave this evil man, but he also wanted to be certain that the decision to leave was not being influenced by his feelings about Lavan. For this reason he asked his family --should we go? And they responded - of course! 

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Autumn Pils


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac's Autumn Pils.

This weekend's short respite from the winter weather that we had been experiencing in the Northeast provides the perfect excuse to review Saranac's Autumn Pils. The Autumn Pils is part of this year's 12 Beers A Falling mix pack which also includes the new Dark-tober Fest Lager (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2014/11/sunday-night-suds-saranac-dark-tober.html) old standards Black Forest (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2010/01/sunday-night-suds-saranac-black-forest.html), traditional Octoberfest (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/10/sunday-night-suds-saranac-octoberfest.html), Pumpkin Ale (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/11/sunday-night-suds-saranac-pumpkin-ale.html) and recently introduced Legacy IPA (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2014/02/sunday-night-suds-saranac-legacy-ipa.html).

I am not a big fan of pilsners, largely because they are the staple of macrobreweries and usually lack taste. However, I can appreciate when a craft brewery makes the effort and produces a decent pilsner. The Saranac Autumn Pils is true to the style and they have produced a clean, crisp pilsner which can be consumed on its own, or with light fare such as pizza or lightly fried foods. The beer pours a golden yellow, but significantly darker than the mass produced pilsners. There is a little bit of hop bite in each sip (maybe that's why I like it) and the perfect carbonation which is characteristic of Saranac brews. 

Saranac Autumn Pils is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as is every other beer produced at the Matt Brewery plant in Utica, NY. Keep in mind, Saranac brews some of its High Peaks series off site and these bottles do not have kosher certification from the Va'ad of Detroit.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this beer, please follow this link www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/134294.

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

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).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Toldos

The following is a brief summary of some of the thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

In Bereishis 25:29 the Torah writes about Yaakov making lentil soup and that Esav came from the field and was tired. The Medrash explains that Yaakov was making the lentil soup because the word had just come that Avraham had died and Yaakov was making round food which was the  traditionally meal made for a mourner.

R' Frand cited the Tolner Rebbi who asked three questions on this story. The first question is - why does the Torah use the word Nazid as a synonym for cooking? The verb Mevushal is much more common, so why does the Torah need to go out of its way to use a less familiar word for cook?

The second question - why does the Torah wait so long to tell us that Yaakov was making lentil soup and bread? The story begins at Bereishis 25:29, but we don't learn what was actually cooked until Bereishis 25:34.

The third question relates to a Medrash which states that Avraham and Yitzchak were very wealthy men. They certainly had servants who could cook. Yaakov had been sitting and learning - why does he need to stop his learning to cook the soup for Avraham? 

The Tolner Rebbi quoted the Malbim who explained that Vayazed can mean cook, but it can also mean planning or scheming. The connection between the two words is that when a person plans or schemes, he cooks up a plan. The Torah's use of Vayzed teaches that Yaakov had great planning and forethought because he wanted to honor his father. He did not want his servants to cook the food and he would just serve it. Yaakov wanted to do this himself and he did not want the servants to assist.

This is also why the Torah does not tell us immediately what Yaakov was cooking. The end result was not important yet, the Torah just wants us to know that Yaakov was cooking something for his father. Later, we can learn what was being cooked.

R' Frand explained that this was a fundamental difference between Yaakov and Esav - Esav just wanted to have something done and the process is immaterial. But to Yaakov, the process and the stages are important as well. Esav is similar to the word Asu - was done. But Yaakov is a heel which is a way to get to the end result.

R' Frand closed the vort by mentioning a story about the Meitzitur Ilui. When he came from Europe in the 20's and saw children playing with toys he cried. He later explained that if he had a chance to play with toys when he was a child, he could have been a bigger Talmid Chacham. Why? Because there is what to be said for learning how things work and going through stages of childhood and adolescence and "figuring things out." Growing up in Europe he had been deprived of this stage and he felt that exposure to this part of life could have made him even greater.

After finishing the vort, R' Frand mentioned the tragedy that took place earlier this week in Jerusalem. He noted that the people who were killed were Kedoshim because they died Al Kiddush Hashem. He observed that they died in a holy place, while doing the holy act of praying, while wearing the holy tefillin and tallis.

R' Frand suggested (and he stressed that it was not meant to be binding on anyone) that people should take on an additional level of kedusha this Shabbos because these evil murders were a breach in the kedusha. R' Frand suggested that people try to make their Shabbos more kodesh by limiting the reading of secular periodicals and discussing secular things.

R' Frand closed with the disclaimer that he is not a prophet and that he does not know that this is the right thing to do, but everyone should do something to make a tikkun for what occurred.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Sunday Night Suds - Blue Moon Cinnamon Horchata Ale


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Blue Moon's Cinnamon Horchata Ale.

I admit it. Even though Mrs KB and my daughters are foodies, I never heard of Horchata...until I got an email tip that Blue Moon would be brewing a new beer which was spiced with Horchata. I quickly went to the internet and found out that it is a traditional Latin American beverage and can be made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley, or tigernuts. 

Months went by and I did not see the beer and I figured that it would be coming out in the spring or possibly in the special edition 22oz bottles. But then I stopped in the beer store and saw that the Cinnamon Horchata Ale had been substituted for the Gingerbread Spice Al in this year's Winter Brewmaster Sampler box.

As you can see from the picture above, the Cinnamon Horchata Ale pours a very pale yellow and it is quite cloudy. But this beer is not short on flavor. There is an immediate sweetness, but it is not cloyingly sweet and there are interesting flavor notes of cinnamon and a cream-like richness.

I would not pair this beer with a main course, but could see having this with desserts like pumpkin or apple pie. I spoke  with a beer store owner out in Riverhead and he said that he had sold out his six packs of the Cinnamon Horchata Ale. I have not seen it available in six packs, but if I do locate them, I will be experimenting with pairing this brew with many a dessert (the Brewmasters Sampler Box only has two of these).

Blue Moon Cinnamon Horchata Ale is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. For the experts take on the Blue Moon Cinnamon Horchata Ale, please click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/131839.

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

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).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Chaye Sarah

The following is a brief summary of some of the thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R' Frand noted that Parshas Chaye Sarah contains a very detailed story about Eliezer finding a wife for Rivka. The story is 67 pesukim long and is repetitive at time. R' Frand explained that Chazal write that it is nicer to hear the conversation of the avos in place of the Torah of their children.

R' Frand quoted R' Aharon Kotler who said that the reason for the statement is that a halacha can be learned through reasoning, but Middos need to be observed and read.

R' Frand quoted Bereishis 24:2 wherein the Torah states that Eliezer was the Moshel (ruler) over all that he had. The Medrash explains that he controlled his yetzer. The gemara goes one step further and says that his name is Eliezer because he would portion out and "water" people with Avraham's Torah.

But even though Eliezer was a great man, Avraham tells him to go to find a wife for Yitzchak in Aram Naharayim. Eliezer asks - what if she won't come? Avraham responds, it does not matter, if she won't come you are absolved from this promise.

R' Frand quoted a pasuk from Yirmiyah which says that Canaan has false scales. The Medrash explains that this refers to Eliezer and that Eliezer was measuring, trying to figure a way that Yitzchak could marry Eliezer's daughter. The Medrash further explains that Avraham said to Eliezer that there is no way that his daughter could marry Eliezer because Eliezer descends from Canaan which is an Arur and Avraham is a Baruch.

R' Frand said that there are two conflicting lessons which can be learned: (1) Eliezer was a tzaddik and taught the Torah of Avraham and (2) Eliezer could not be trusted as to his thinking of his own daughter for Yitzchak.

How can these be synthesized? The answer is that when someone is personally involved they are a nogeah b'davar - they are conflicted and it warps the person's perspective. Even though he was a Tzaddik, he could not divorce himself from his personal feelings.

R'  Frand then taught a second (connecting) lesson from the story. The Torah states at Bereishis 24:31 "Bo Baruch Hashem." Chazal teach that Eliezer who is an Arur was changed from an Arur to a Baruch. How did this happen? Because Eliezer was told that he was an Arur and his daughter was not good enough and still he followed Avraham's mission and he quickly took to the task of finding the wife for Yitzchak. He decided to do the job to the best of his ability and he rose above his personal conflict.  By doing this, Eliezer left behind the Arur and was transformed into being a Baruch.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Dark-tober Fest Lager


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac's Dark-tober Fest Lager.

As you can see from the picture above, this year Saranac put a dark spin on the traditional Octoberfest lager and introduced a dark version of the Octoberfest. The beer is part of this year's 12 Beers A Falling mix pack which also includes the new Autumn Pils, and old standards Black Forest (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2010/01/sunday-night-suds-saranac-black-forest.html),  traditional Octoberfest (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/10/sunday-night-suds-saranac-octoberfest.html),  Pumpkin Ale (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2008/11/sunday-night-suds-saranac-pumpkin-ale.html) and recently introduced Legacy IPA (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2014/02/sunday-night-suds-saranac-legacy-ipa.html).

The Dark-tober Fest lager is richer than the usual Octoberfest and the malts make this a thicker, slightly more bitter lager. But this beer is hardly a one note brew as the malt are complex and provide a variety of potential pairings. This beer would go well with char-grilled chicken and other smoky meat dishes. I could also having this beer with rich savory dairy dishes such as cheese topped onion soup.

Saranac Dark-tober fest Lager is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as is every other beer produced at the Matt Brewery plant in Utica, NY. Keep in mind, Saranac brews some of its High Peaks series off site and these bottles do not have kosher certification from the Va'ad of Detroit.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this beer, please follow this link www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/134535.

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

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).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayera

The following is a brief summary of some of the thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R' Frand started the vort by mentioning the Rashi on Bereishis 18:4 where Avraham offers the angels a bit of water to wash their feet. Rashi explains that Avraham thought that these people were part of a sect which worshiped the dirt of their feet. Avraham did not want avodah zarah in his house, so he made them wash. Rashi continues and explains that Lot was different than Avraham as Lot told his visitors to rest and then wash their feet.

R' Frand noted that Rashi on Bereishis 19:2 did not make the comparison with Avraham. Instead, Rashi on Bereishis 19:2 explains that Lot was concerned about the image he would have if the people of Sodom saw that they had washed feet. Because Sodom was against having guests, Lot did not want it to look like he had been keeping the guests for a long period of time. Therefore he told them to rest before washing their feet, because if the "hospitality police" showed up, he could say - they have dust on their feet - they just came!

R' Frand (quoting the Tolner Rebbi) asked three questions on these statements of Rashi: (1) The two statements of Rashi appear to contradict as Lot differed from Avraham for a purpose! (2) Why does Rashi mention Lot in the first statement but not even discuss the comparison in the actual Lot story? (3) Why does Avraham tell the angels to take a little water? He gave them delicacies to eat including tongue with mustard, so why was he stingy with the water?

R' Frand answered these questions by stating that the way of the world is to honor a guest, but suspect him - treat him well but count the silver when he is leaving.

R' Frand said that Chazal teach the rule differently. He quoted a mishna in Maseches Derech Eretz which states that that you should be suspicious of your guest like he is a thief, but respect him like R' Gamliel. The mishna then tells a story about R' Yehoshua who brought in a guest and gave him lodging upstairs. After the guest went upstairs, R' Yehoshua took away the ladder. The guest started to collect the silver and was about to descend when he fell and broke his leg. R' Yehoshua found the guest and the guest began complaining about the lack of ladder, even though he had the stolen goods at his feet. From this R' Yehoshua said - suspect a man like a thief, but honor him nonetheless.

R'  Frand said that the message of the stories is that you should suspect, but not be overt in your suspicions. Avraham told the guests - take a bit of water and wash. If he had said take a lot and bathe they would know that he suspected them. But Avraham was subtle.

This also answers the question as to why Rashi mentions the difference with Lot in the first pasuk. Lot never understood that Avraham was doing this for a purpose, so he did not emulate Avraham. Later, Lot had a reason not to offer water first, but it was not because he was like Avraham.

The Tolner Rebbi then linked the Mishna in Maseches Derech Eretz to the famous Gemara in Berachos involving R' Yehoshua and R' Gamliel. The Gemara tells a story about how the two had different calculations of when Rosh Hashanah would fall. R' Gamliel as the Nasi said that he would enforce the law by mandating that R' Yehoshua come with his money bag and staff on the day R' Yehoshua thought was Yom Kippur.

The Gerrer Rebbi asks - if R' Gamliel wanted to make a point, why did he not R' Yehoshua to come and eat a sandwich on Yom Kippur? He answered that R' Gamliel did not want to crush R' Yehoshua. By having him come with his walking staff and money he was merely violating muktza, but eating on Yom Kippur is a Kares violation. R' Gamliel was not looking to break him and make him feel like nothing, that was why he only had to come with his staff.

R' Frand concluded that this was the message of the Mishna in Derech Eretz - R' Yehoshua teaches to suspect the guest, but respect him like R' Gamliel did for me.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Every Day IPA


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac's Every Day IPA.

The Every Day IPA is another of the new beers which was introduced by the FX Matt Brewery in 2014. The label of this beer bills itself as a "triumphant trio of west coast style hops make for a supremely balanced go to beer."

The beer is certainly balanced, but the resulting beer is more "hohum" every day then a beer that I would want to drink any day of the week. The beer poured a light orange with some lacing. There was some hoppiness in the initial sip, but little flavor development in the successive sips. I was hoping for some pine or grapefruit/citrus, but neither were prominent. Instead, the beer is a less than average IPA which "pales" in comparison to the bolder ales produced by Saranac (i.e. Pale Ale).

Saranac Every Day IPA is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as is every other beer produced at the Matt Brewery plant in Utica, NY. Keep in mind, Saranac brews some of its High Peaks series off site and these bottles do not have kosher certification from the Va'ad of Detroit.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the Every Day IPA, please follow this link www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/126403.

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

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).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Lech Lecha

The following is a brief summary of some of the thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R' Frand began the vort by quoting the Medrash Rabbah which cites R' Yitzchak who would introduce the parsha by citing a pasuk from Tehillim (45:11) "My daughter listen to me and forget your nation and the house of your father."

The question is - what does this pasuk in Tehillim have to do with Parshas Lech Lecha?

R' Frand answered based on the Sefer Nachlas Eliezer who sought to address an inherent conflict in the first pasuk of the parsha. The pasuk states that Avraham was told to leave his land, his city and his father's house. Yet the pasuk seems to be backwards since when a person leaves home, he first leaves his father's house, then his city and finally, the country.

R' Frand answered that Avraham was not being told to leave his home, he was being told to change his very existence which needs to be done by leaving everything behind.

R' Frand gave a mashal about a problem that he had with his laptop. He brought the laptop to his computer guy who said that the laptop was old and had too many things running on it. The techie said - you need to wipe the laptop clean so that it can run well again. But it would be cheaper for you to start fresh with a new laptop, vs paying me to wipe this laptop clean.

The message to Avraham was - wipe your hard drive clean. I am starting a new nation with you and to do that, you need to be fresh and clean. So first, leave your land. But a person's nationality has the least impact on him. But a person is more impacted by his local surroundings than his land. So then Avraham was told leave his city. But the greatest impact on a person is what he saw in his father's house. This is a person's DNA, because it is what he saw when he was growing up. So Hashem says last, leave your house where you grew up.

This is what R' Yitzchak was saying - forget your nationality and the house of your father. This is exactly what is happening in Parshas Lech Lecha.

R' Frand said that based on this we can address another question on the first pasuk of the parsha. Rashi comments that Avraham was to leave for his own good. But how can this be a challenge? Where is the test if Avraham is told up front that it was for his own benefit?

R' Frand answered by quoting R' Yisrael Salanter who explains that there are two elements of passing a test. The first is to have emunah in Hashem, that He will help you. But the second element is to belittle the challenge, to say to yourself - this is not a mountain, it is only a hill. 

R' Frand gave an example that a person may need to exercise, but the only time that he can do it is at 5 AM. But how does a person 'psych' himself up to do it? Just by saying I need to do it? That does not work. Instead, a person creates a carrot - if I get up at 5 I can have a special coffee for breakfast as a reward.

Hashem is telling the 75 year old Avraham - you need to change everything. But in order to psych Avraham up to do this, Hashem must give him a carrot, he must let him know that there is a reward.

R' Frand finished the vort by noting that Rashi explains that Hashem tells Avraham that He is giving Avraham the ability to give berachos to whomever you want. Hashem gives this to Avraham because he is a different person and is doing it all for Hashem.

This explains why when Avraham died, Hashem blessed Yitzchak. Rashi asks, why did Hashem have to bless Yitzchak? The source of blessings had been given to Avraham! Rashi answers that Avraham did not give that power to Yitzchak because he saw that there would be an Esav who will come from Yitzchak. 

But how can a father not give the blessing to his son? And after all, we are talking about Yitzchak who allowed himself to be brought at the Akeidah!

Still Avraham says, I can't give this to him because Esav will come from him. This was the ultimate act of selflessness. He did not pass this to his son because he worked on himself and took himself out of the equation. This came from following the message of Lech Lecha. So Hashem had to act to give the source of berachos to Yitzchak.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Sunday Night Suds - Stegmaier IPA



This week' Sunday Night Suds looks at Stegmaier IPA.

As discussed in a prior blog post, I only recently became familiar with Stegmaier as it is not widely available in the NY metro area. Although my prior experience with Stegmaier's Pumpkin Ale was positive (see review here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2014/10/sunday-night-suds-stegmaier-pumpkin-ale.html) I had the impression that the hop flavor/bite was a little on the weak side. Having tried the Stegmaier IPA, I am left wondering whether this is characteristic of the brewery in general.

When I think of an IPA, I think of big hops, more than a little citrus, some pine, and in extreme circumstances, an after taste bordering on coppery. This beer has none of these characteristics. There is no bite, little to no citrus and certainly no flavor approaching pine. The label indicates that it is 6.7% abv, but I am skeptical as to this number as well.

This is not to say that the beer was skunky or had any unpleasantness to it. In fact, for a cheap beer (six pack was less than a buck a beer) the beer is not half bad...its just not an IPA.

Stegmaier IPA is certified kosher by the OU, and there is an OU on the label. For the experts take on the Stegmaier IPA, please click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/150/58313.

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

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).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Noach

The following is a brief summary of some of the thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

R' Frand began his vort by addressing the question of whether Noach was a tzaddik. The first pasuk of the parsha indicates that Noach was a tzaddik in his generation, but later in the parsha (7:7) the Torah states that Noach went into the ark and Rashi on the pasuk explains that Noach was of those who had lesser emunah. Rashi further states that Noach stood outside the ark until the waters began to rise around him and only then did he enter the ark.

So was Noach a Tzaddik or not?

R' Frand answered the question by quoting the Sefer Kidushas Levi by R' Levi Yitzchak M'Barditschev. He explains that Noach was a Tzaddik and that when Rashi writes that Noach had lesser emunah, it means that he had little emunah that he was a worthy person.

He further explained that there is a concept that a tzaddik can daven and Hashem will destroy a negative decree. Noach did not see himself as a tzaddik and did not think that he was worthy of being saved. He said to himself - I am no different than the rest of my generation - either Hashem will saved all of us or none of us. This is also why Noach stood outside until the water began to rise -- he thought that everyone would be coming in order to be saved, or no one would be saved. It is also why he did not pray that his generation would be saved, because he did not think that he was worthy of having his prayers answered.

R' Frand quoted the medrash that Moshe was the gilgul of Noach. Moshe fixed his prior taint by standing up for his people and davening for them and refusing to be separated from them after Noach did not pray for his generation.

R' Frand noted that the modeh ani prayer states that our souls were returned to us B'chemla Rabbah Emunasecha - with emunah that we will do right after having our souls returned to us, because we are worthy.

R' Frand also quoted a sefer by R'  Yona in Sha'arei Ha'avodah who explains that the first brocha of Shemoneh Esreh states that Hashem is the G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. Why? Because we need to know that we come from yichus, that we are people and come from important people.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Monday, October 20, 2014

Monday's Musings on Sports - Peyton Passes, Yawns, Goes Back to Work

Last night I followed what has become a recent Sunday Night habit of trying to watch some of the Sunday Night football game. Often I do not have an opportunity to watch live football on Sunday due to work, family or shul obligations or some other "pressing issue" which arises. When my Jets were worth watching, I would record the Jet game and watch it later on double speed. As the Jets are anything but good lately (and had already lost in a Thursday Night game which I could not watch as it was on YT), I was looking forward to catching some of the Sunday Night game, after a long day of family and work. It did not hurt that the teams playing (SF and Denver) were teams which I really enjoy watching.

Before I even turned the game on, I knew that Peyton was closing in on Brett Favre's record for touchdown passes in a career, but I thought that it would be unlikely that it would happen against a stout defense like the SF 49ers. Still, I thought the game was worth watching, if only because it was Peyton and Colin K - two talented and very different QBs.

Well, after watching some of the second and third quarters, the game was no longer worth watching. Peyton threw three TD passes to eclipse the Favre record and then added another for good measure. The SF defense had no answer for the master tactician and SF could not get out of its own way on offense. By the start of the 4th Quarter, Denver was playing Brock Osweiler at QB and there was no reason to watch the rest of the game, so I turned it off ... but turned it back on to watch the post game show and the interviews with Peyton and other team representatives.

In watching the post game show, I was struck by how humble Peyton was, despite this incredible lifetime achievement. For QBs, there is no greater accomplishment than throwing TD passes. In surpassing Brett Favre, Peyton stands alone as the NFL's most prolific QB of all time. Yet when Peyton addressed the team he commented about how there was a "great team effort" as if the game was just another game, or the feat had been accomplished by his team in one game, rather than over the course of a Hall of Fame career.

Peyton's humility in the face of this accomplishment made be think about the gemara expression about one who works at a task and succeeds vs one who did not work at the task and claims that he has succeeded. Every year there are players drafted out of college who are proclaimed "the next great" player at any given position. But often these players do not pan out on the professional level. Sometimes this is due to a lack of skill, but more often than not it is the player being unwilling to devote the time to study and prepare for the game.

While driving to work this morning, I heard a piece of an interview with one of the Denver WRs who when asked whether they should be taking Peyton out to celebrate, responded that Peyton would probably prefer that they sit down and study game film. This is the consummate professional, although he has now ascended to the top of the list, he chooses to prepare for the next game instead of celebrating the accomplishment.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!


Sunday, October 19, 2014

Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Tour De Fall Pale Ale



This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's Tour De Fall Pale Ale.

Picked this beer up at Binny's (Skokie) while visiting Chicago for Sukkos. Although the Tour De Fall was not included in the mix your own six pack section, the staff was nice enough to allow me to mix it into my six pack from the shelves.

The Tour De Fall poured a dark orange with incredible lacing on the glass. There was good citrus and pine in the first sip which continued all the way through to the aftertaste. This is not the strongest American Pale Ale which I have ever tried, but although the flavors are not extremely pronounced, the beer is quite tasty. I would recommend this beer for someone looking to ease into Pale Ales from lagers. 

I enjoyed my Tour De Fall with an Asian chicken vegetable soup. The beer would probably go better with spicier fare, but it did not clash with the ginger accented soup.

New Belgium Tour De Fall Pale Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Scroll-K of Colorado. Although the beer does not bear the kosher symbol on the label, I have verified its kashruth with the Scroll-K and it is listed on the LOC. Often times, a kosher symbol can be found on the bottom of the six pack holder for New Belgium products. Unfortunately, I did not buy a six pack of this beer, so I could not verify that it is found on the bottom of the Tour De Fall Pale Ale six pack holder.

Please note that not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision. For a list of the New Belgium brews currently under supervision, please click on the link on the left side of my home page for my latest Kosher Beer List.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about New Belgium Tour De Fall Pale Ale, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/131439. As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

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).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Sunday Night Suds - Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Stegmaier's Pumpkin Ale.

When the weather gets crisp and the sukkahs go up, its time for fall beers. For me, the two fall styles that I most enjoy are the Pumpkin Ales and the Octoberfest lagers. 

For those unfamiliar with Stegmaier, it is a line produced by Lion, a Northeast Pennsylvania brewery. As Stegmaier/Lion is not available in the NY metro area, I personally had never heard of this brewery until I recently read that it was under the kosher supervision of the OU.  During our family trip to Scranton, I saw a few varieties of Stegmaier/Lion available at a Wegman's where you could mix your own six pack, so I picked a few up to try.

After opening the Pumpkin Ale, the first thing that I was struck by was the overwhelming smell of pumpkin and cinnamon spice. I shared some with Mrs KB and she thought it tasted like a pumpkin pie in a bottle. Although the beer claims to be 5.5% abv, I don't taste any alcohol in the brew. Although there is negligible hop flavor to this beer, I would really not consider this an ale. Instead, the beer is a sweet (but not cloyingly sweet) brew which would do well in the sukkah with stuffed cabbage, sweet chicken with raisins or possible honey cake type desserts.

Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale is certified kosher by the OU, and there is an OU on the label. For the experts take on the Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale, please click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/150/72670.

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

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).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Thursday's Thoughts on Teshuva - aka The Erev Yom Kippur Recap of R' Frand's Teshuva Derasha - 5775/2014

The following is a summary of some of the thoughts said by Rabbi Frand in his teshuva derasha which was recorded Tuesday Night, but played tonight in the NY area. Same rules as usual apply. I have attempted to summarize many of the thoughts to the best of my abilities. Any inconsistencies are the results of my transcription and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

Rabbi Frand began by speaking about the extraordinary need for support for Just One Life. [The teshuva derasha is annually recorded in Brooklyn as a benefit for this great organization. For more on Just One Life, please click here www.justonelife.org

Rabbi Frand began the derasha by noting that there is always a search for what to speak about for the derasha, but based on the events of the summer there is a clear topic.

There is a debate in Israel as to whether there was any gain from what occurred this summer. Did they stop too soon or too late. Did they go too far or not far enough.

R Frand said that he is not qualified to speak on the political topic, but remarked that there is a gain because we saw the hand of Hashem exposed and how we can deepen our emunah in Hashem. 

The Rambam Sefer Hamitzvos lists the first mitzvah -- to believe in Hashem as it is written in the Aseres Hadibros as the first dibbur. But how can there be a mitzvah to believe? Those who believe don’t need a mitzvah and those who don’t believe wont follow anyway!

The Rambam answers this question in the Yad Hachazakah where he explains that the mitzvah of emunah is to turn faith into fact. Each one of us is born with a sense of faith in a higher power. It is as though we are hard wired for this from birth.

Some meforshim see this in a pasuk that man was created "yashar." But people get messed up because of their learning and desires. 

R’ Frand quoted a source from a secular publication science20.com which states that research has shown that faith is so deep that it cannot be expunged. He quoted the maxim – there are no atheists in a fox hole and then paraphrased "there are no atheists at Sloan Kettering." Even militant atheists will pray in a time of great stress. 

For Jews its in our spiritual DNA, because just as we have chesed in our DNA from Avraham which pervades all Jews even those who are secular and join the forefront of social movements to do chesed. But Avraham has also given us faith, but it must be cultivated or it will become dormant. 

How do we turn faith into fact? I don’t believe that I have five fingers, I know that I do and can count them. How do I do the same with faith? 

Rabbi Frand gave a number of suggestions - the first was to look for Hashem in history, nature and every day life. The Rabbeinu B’Chaya says that Olam (world) is connected to Ne’elam (hidden). Hashem hides himself in nature and it is our job to find him. 

By example, this past June 6th we commemorated the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Dwight David Eisenhower had millions of soldiers and sailors, seven thousand boats and twelve thousand planes. The invasion was supposed to be 6/5 but he changed it to 6/6 because of weather. The commander of the German force was to be Rommel – the desert fox. Historians say that he was greater in prowess than any other military leader. Rommel knew the weather was bad and thought that there would not be an invasion for a few days, so he went to spend the time with his wife … and missed D-Day. Should it be deemed as luck? 

Hitler yimach shemo had a custom to sleep at from 3 AM to noon, but he was personally put in charge of the tanks supporting the beach. D-Day occurred at 5 AM and no one had the audiacity to wake him, so he missed D-Day. Luck? Or something else - Hashem's hand hidden in nature.

Colonel Ofer Winter was the leader of the Givati force which was supposed to invade Gaza at night but he was delayed and he did not go forward at night. The next day there was fog instead of night. Luck? 

You can see a sunrise or sunset and say its nature…or you can see the hand of Hashem. 

R' Frand mentioned that Yuri Gargarin in 1961 was the first man to orbit the earth and sent down pictures from space and the leader of Russia said I saw G-d nowhere. R’ Gifter ztl looked at the pictures and said I saw Hashem everywhere. 

R’ Chazkel L kept a daily diary of how he saw Hashem in his life. This makes a person a real ma’amin. R' Chazkel said that the fact that the Mirrer yeshiva survived WWII intact (the only yeshiva to do so) was a greater miracle than the story of Purim. This was not his Megillas Esther, this was his Megillas Yechezkel. And there must be a Megillas each person. Each person needs to write down the miracles they saw and write their own personal megillah. 

R’ Frand then quoted facts from the war in Gaza which show the hand of Hashem. Hamas had plans that terrorists would pop up from the terror tunnels and kidnap and kill hundreds of people on Rosh Hashanah. Had they been successful the Jewish world would have been in mourning. In perspective, they got so much in exchange for Gilad Shalit, they could have asked for so much more in exchange for the potential hundreds. 

Why was this thwarted? Three yeshiva boys were kidnapped. Israel arrested Hamas operatives. Hamas sent hundreds of rockets into Israel and Israel responded with airstrikes. They were offered many cease fires and turned them all down. If they had sense, they would have accepted the cease fire and waited. But Hamas then defied logic by using the terror tunnels which exposed them to Israel and forced Israel to invade – how could they be so stupid and expose their secret weapon? Was it luck? Were they stupid? 

Why does Hitler sleep, why does Rommel sing Happy Birthday to his wife, why does fog descend on Gaza and why does Hamas use their secret weapon? Luck or the hand of Hashem? 

Hamas shot 4,000 rockets into Israel but there were only six civilian fatalities - a miracle. Yes there was the iron dome, but how effective could it be? It only had a 90% success rate. Do the math – only six fatalities? This is greater than the miracle of Purim.

When the Jews of Purim were saved they had a renewed acceptance of the Torah. What can be our reaction to the exposing of the Yad Hashem. This was clearly Lo Yanum V'Lo Yishan. Look for Hashem in history, nature and every day life.

Chazal gave us other tools to become bigger ma’aminim. They said think about Hashem 100 x a day and you will become a greater believer. How? I email 100x a day. I txt 100x a day. How do we do it? Make 100 berachos a day as we learn from the gemara "Mah Hashem Elochecha Shoel" – we learn  from this to make meah - 100 - berachos. 

You will say - I make 100 berachos but it does nothing for me. How do we learn and appreciate the brochos? R' Frand remarked - what is the first berocha that we make in the morning after the birchas hashcahr? The shekahol on the coffee. Taste the coffee, smell the coffee, who gave you the ability to do so? Feel the brocha. 

How about the bracha of asher yatzar, the lowest of berachos. The language of the bracha is a description of how the body functions. But as noted by Dr Prager at Columbia Presbyterian that when he was young he thought the beracha was funny, but after seeing patients with colostomy bags and dialysis, he learned the value of the ability to do this. 

Dr.  Prager told a story of Josh who was 20 and injured in a car accident. He recovered some use of limbs, but it took a while before he could stop needing a catheter. When Josh stopped using the catheter, he told Josh to make Asher Yatzar. He agreed and when he recited the beracha tears welled up in his eyes, as Josh was his son. 

R’ Frand said that he was stopped on his way out of a shiur and was told a story by a man whose mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (lo aleinu) and the family accepted on themselves to say the beracha standing still. 

R’ Shimon Schwab when he left the hospital after visiting the sick would ask whether there was a Simon Schwab in the hospital. They would check and say no. He said are you sure and they would say yes. He would walk out of the hospital and say Baruch Hashem, I am healthy. 

R’ Frand noted that there is a less formal way to make Hashem real. He quoted Chassidim who say He’emanti Ki Adaber – the more I talk about Hashem it becomes real. He quoted his daughter who works in a Bobov Cheder and had to learn a Chassidish Yiddish. In the course of therapy for a child she said to the child – don’t lose the pieces from the game because I will be sad. The child responded – why be sad – gam zo l’tovah. 

R' Frand observed that if we were bigger ma’aminim it would change our lives. The gemara in Shabbos says that after 120 years there will be a test – the "final, final." There are six questions, but four of them are the fundamentals of being a Jew – did you make time to learn, try to have kids, find time to learn Torah daily and did you believe in Moshiach. But one of the questions is – did you cheat in business? Why is this one of the questions?

R' Frand answered that the question is Hashem's way of asking – do you believe in me, because if so, you would not cheat in business. This is true faith.

R’ Frand quoted a story from R’ Reich who heard it from his father in law R’ Schneir Kotler. When R’ Kotler was young he spent a shabbos with Slonim Chassidim. He was blown away by their hislahavus for Shabbos and the ruach and deveikus. He returned on Sunday and told his father about his incredible Shabbos. His father asked – tell me one thing - will they be more honest in their business on Sunday? If yes, then I am impressed. If not, then it does not mean much.

R' Frand observed that the Aseres HaDibros begins with a high level of theology – I am Hashem, but it ends with don’t be jealous – his car, his house, his wife, his salary. This is emunah – don’t be jealous of the neighbors' new car or kitchen or vacation.

The Rikanti (a Rishon) says that all of the mitzvos in the Torah can be found in two words – Lo Sachmod – don’t be jealous.

R’ Frand said that with more faith, people would be less angry and less frustrated, because living with real emunah means accepting that this is what Hashem wants. If you want a great example, just look at Mrs Frankel – the mother of Naftali o’h. Because the way that she acted and her faith is one of the greatest example of how to show faith and to live with emunah.

We know now in retrospect how things were. The Israeli authorities knew that the boys must have been killed and she must have assumed that they were gone. But throughout the time that the boys were missing, she was serene and expressed faith. When Mrs Frankel was approached by little girls at the Kotel and she said to them – I want you to promise me that no matter what, don’t be crushed by what happens. Hashem is not our employee, He does not always do what we wish. But she was serene throughout and that comes from emunah.

We are able to live with emunah when all is going well, but in every life there are difficulties and we need to turn to Him. If we have faith when all is well, we can turn to Him when times are dark.

R' Frand made reference to a story involving R’ Yeruchum Lebovits. He was in a hotel in Warsaw and there was a sudden blackout and he had to walk down four flights of stairs in the dark and he made it down by holding onto the banister. He gave a shmooze - emunah is like a banister - when it is dark you need to walk down holding onto the banister.

There is a gemara in the end of Makkos which states that the manhigim of generations distilled the Torah down to principles – David to 11, Yechezkel to 6 and Chababkuk to 1 – Tzaddik B’Emunaso Yichyeh.

If I was a bigger ma’amin I would be less angry, less frustrated, because Hashem is right there. The same way that a person would not be angry in public, because people will see, our emunah would be different and our actions would be different.

R’ Frand told a story from Ner Israel in the 60s/70s. There was a boy in the Yeshiva on the Saturday night of Shabbos Shuva who went to shoot pool. R' Frand quipped that shooting pool is not a great sin, but on the Saturday night of Shabbos Shuva? The boy was called into the office of the mashgiach (R' DovidK.) who asked the boy – do you believe in Hashem, because if you do, how can you go shoot pool on the Saturday Night of Shabbos Shuva? For him this was real and Hashem was there.

Everything should change if you saw what happened in Gaza. A soldier on an iron dome battery saw a missile heading towards the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv. They fired a missile at the rocket and it missed. A second missile fired at the rocket missed. He called emergency services and told them – there is going to be a tragedy. Then the rocket went off course on its own and into the Mediterranean. He yelled out – yesh Elokim, yesh Elokim - there is Hashem. That should have been our reaction.

R' Frand closed by observing that we saw this summer how alone the Jewish people are. We saw the riots in France and demonstrations in England. R' Frand said that he was in Central Europe and saw that they needed armed guards to protect kosher restaurants. Europe will become Eurabia. And the US State department criticized Israel for firing at a school from which rockets were fired and said they are appalled. They are appalled, but what would they do if 4000 rockets were fired from Mexico – would they use restraint? Can this happen here in America? What is the answer - the geulah.

Chazal say that the Jews only came out of Egypt because of their emunah. Yitziat Mitzrayim is the paradigm and template of all future geulos. And it all came because of emunah and that is what we must work on.

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