Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Citradelic - Tangerine IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's Citradelic- Tangerine IPA.

A few days ago I walked into a Target and while browsing for some Fiber One snacks, I wandered through the beer aisle (OK, I intentionally perused the beer aisle) and saw something that I was not expecting - New Belgium!

I had never (officially) seen New Belgium products for sale in New York (a certain Suffolk County beer store has been known to stock some out of state beers in special mix cases, but that's another story), so this was quite a shock for me. The beer was on a shelf which did not even list New Belgium so I asked a stock clerk and she told me that it had just come in that day.

I took the beer home and chilled it before trying some with char-grilled chicken and meat as part of our Friday Night dinner. The beer poured a light copper with nice carbonation and some lacing. The first sip was some pine and citrus with a little added tartness from the orange peel and orange that was added to the brew process. The beer is not a classic IPA as you can taste the additives, but they are not cloyingly sweet and work nicely with the finished product.

New Belgium Citradelic Tangerine IPA 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 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 Citradelic Tangerine IPA, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/197183. 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 are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

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's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Behar

The following is a brief summary of some of 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 Vayikra 25:14 the Torah states that one should not gauge his brother in price ("Al Tonu"). There is another similar pasuk (Vayikra 25:17) which uses the same language ("Lo Tonu") but this pasuk deals with not saying hurtful things to one's friend.

R' Frand quoted a Medrash which recited a story about Rebbi to explain this second pasuk. The Medrash states that Rebbi made a meal for his students in which Rebbi served tongue. The platter of meat had soft and hard pieces of tongue. When the students took from the platter, they chose the soft pieces and left the hard pieces. Rebbi then said to them - "see what you are doing - you are taking the soft pieces and leaving the hard - you should be consistent with each other and speak softly with one and other."

R' Frand asked - there are many possible mussar shmuzes which could have been given to illustrate the point that a person should speak nicely to his friends. Tongue is a very expensive piece of meat and it would have been a much cheaper lesson for Rebbi to just tell the boys - be careful how you speak with one and other.

R' Frand answered by quoting R' Beryl Soloveitchik (ztl) who explained that if Rebbi would have just given a shmuze, the individual students would have said to themselves - he is not talking to me. I don't speak that way - maybe once in a while I will I might give a little dig, but I don't generally speak harshly like that. Thus the shmuze would not have been effective.

Therefore Rebbi wanted to make a point by comparing it to food - look how careful you were in picking the softest tongue from the platter. This is how careful you need to be when you use your tongue to speak with your friends.

R' Frand next quoted a Gemara in Bava Metzia wherein R' Shimon (Bar Yochai) said that one who lends on interest loses more money than he made. This applies to the  pasuk in this week's parsha (Vayikra 25:36) which bars lending on interest.

R' Frand asked - if this is talking about a loss related to gehennom or Olam Haba, why is this different than any other aveirah? 

R' Frand answered by quoting a Klei Yakar who explains that interest causes a person to lose faith in Hashem. In ordinary business, a person knows that he can make money or lose money. A person who is a salesman knows that he could have problems selling. A person could invest in an invention which might take off or fail. Thus the businessman must have faith in Hashem that he will help.

However, a person who lends on interest (if the loan is secured) knows that he will get paid and make money and he loses his faith in Hashem. And if a person does not have faith and does not know that Hashem runs the world, he will not believe that Hashem will help when something goes wrong. Then when something happens he will panic and be overcome with worry because he has no faith in Hashem. 

This is why the person loses more than he gains when he lends on interest. He loses his faith in Hashem and his ability to cope when things get difficult. This is worth more than the few points of interest he earns.

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 Night Suds - Samuel Adams Rebel Rouser Double IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Samuel Adams Rebel Rouser Double IPA.

This is yet another quality brew in the Samuel Adams "Rebel" line which includes: the Rebel IPA (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2014/06/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-rebel-ipa.html); Rebel Grapefruit IPA (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2016/03/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-rebel.html); Rebel Rider IPA (http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2015/07/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-rebel.html).

This beer screams hops from the tree tops. It poured a rich copper with about an inch of foam (due to a less than perfect pour) but when I brought the glass to my face I could smell the hops. As the foam began to recede and the temperature of the beer rose, there was more citrus and some bitter, but not as biting as some other IPAs 

The alcohol content on this brew is 8.4% abv and there is a noticeable alcohol taste to the brew, but it is subtle and not offensive.

I would recommend pairing this brew with grilled steak or char grilled chicken. This is a beer which can stand up to bold protein flavors.

The Samuel Adams Rebel Rouser Double IPA is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K and has a Star-K certification mark on the label. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link - beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/139515 

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 are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

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's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Emor

The following is a brief summary of some of 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 Vayikra 21:1 the Torah states that Moshe is told Emor and V'Amara - he is essentially instructed twice to tell the Kohanim these laws. Rashi teaches that the double language is meant to teach that parents have an obligation to their children to keep them away from something. This occurs three times in the Torah - by not eating unkosher food, by not eating blood and here in relation to the Kohanim. But the question must be asked - why must it be mentioned here?

R' Frand answered by quoting R' Keller in the Sefer Chidekel who explains that the Torah is telling a parent that besides telling a child that he can't eat treif or blood because its bad for their neshomos, they should also know that they are special and they should see themselves that way. R' Frand gave the example (which I would assume did not come from R' Keller) that just because everyone else is playing baseball in the cemetery - you cannot do this. Why? Because you are the Kohain and are special and different.

This manifests itself often when your child asks - why is it that I can't do... everyone else is allowed to do it (if you are a parent you can fill in the blank yourself).

This obligation to teach not only deals with instructing not to do something wrong, but to also teach him or her that the child has a special quality and that it should be developed.

This is why the Torah uses the double term here - to teach that besides telling a child that he should not do something wrong, but also that he is special and should view himself that way.

R' Frand also said a vort on the pasuk in Vayikra 22:29 which states that when a person brings a Karban Todah (sacrifice of thanksgiving) --  "Lirtzonchem Tizbachu" -  he should do so willingly. 

But these sacrifices are for a person who was healed from an illness or survived an accident. These are sacrifices that people want to bring. Why does the Torah need to instruct us that we should bring them willingly?

Rashi gives an answer that the pasuk is talking about a time frame for bringing the sacrifice. But the Ksav Sofer has a different answer - he says that when a person is sick and gets better he can have the attitude - he would rather not have had the illness and then would not need to be healed. But the point of the karban Todah being offered willingly is to teach that the person should also thank Hashem for the trouble. Because a person who went through this illness and by being healed has developed a closeness with Hashem. The karban Todah is a way of saying thank you to Hashem both for the illness and for being healed.

R' Frand told a story of R' Boruch Sorotskin who was a Rosh Yeshiva in Telshe and went through cancer and had a remission and then it came back. He reportedly said that if you asked him before he was ill if he would raise $1 million dollars to avoid being sick he would have said yes. But after going through the illness and being healed he said that he would not give away the experience even for $1 million dollars because he learned so much from the experience. This is someone who has learned the lesson of the Karban Todah.

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

Sunday Night Suds - Stella Artois Lager

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Stella Artois Lager.

This is one of those omnipresent beers, a brew which is on the menu in the finer restaurants. It could be due to the fancy packaging (my slightly askew picture does not show the fancy top of the bottle) or possibly the name, but leaving aside the presence on the menu in the fancy restaurants, this beer is a macrolager through and through.

The beer pours a deep yellow (a bit like the old Crayola "maize") color with nearly no lacing and some carbonation. The first taste is straight lager with little malt or hops. Successive swallows only reinforce the lack of bite or bitter edge to the beer. Instead there is the general non-offensive, euro lager flavor (think Heineken with slightly more character).

This beer is a good starter lager for someone who wants to try beer but does not really want hops, bitters or beer flavor. Still, it goes done well after a long hot day at work (not an intentional Shawshank reference).

Stella Artois is certified kosher by the London based Kosher Federation for those bottles produced in the Leuven plant.

For the experts' take on Stella Artois Lager please click here http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/169/449.

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 are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

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

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Kedoshim

The following is a brief summary of some of 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 Vayikra 19:14, the Torah states "Lo Sikalel Cheresh" - you shall not curse a deaf person. Rashi asks the obvious question - if a deaf person cannot hear, why is it that the Torah tells us not to curse him? Rashi answers that there is another pasuk in Sefer Shemos (22:27) which teaches that you should not curse anyone in your nation. As such the use of the deaf person teaches us that since the deaf person is alive, so too are you banned from cursing anyone alive, to exclude the dead.

The Ramban has a different view of the pesukim and explains that the pasuk in Shemos discusses a Nasi - a leader should not be cursed. There are many people between the level of Nasi and Cheresh. Thus the use of the two polar opposites teaches a binyan av - that anyone regardless of their stature should not be cursed. Furthermore, since the person who cannot even hear cannot be cursed, then someone who can hear and would be aware of the statement certainly should not be cursed. 

R' Frand next quoted the Sefer HaChinuch who had a more mussar oriented view. He explains that the question can be asked - why is cursing someone a sin - they are only words (ala sticks and stones). He answers that whether by Jews or non-Jews - people believe that words have value and that curses should not be verbalized. Occasionally, someone will say something and the result will come true. As such, the Torah is teaching us that even if the person cannot hear what is being said, do not curse him, because the words have meaning and affect.

R' Frand further explained that the power of speech is what sets humans apart from animals. The Torah states in Bereishis 2:7 that Hashem blew into Adam's nostrils when he was created. Targum Onkelos explains that this breath transformed Adam from a living creature to a human as it was a Ruach MiMallela - loosely translated as a Heavenly spirit which gave Adam the power of speech.

R' Frand closed the vort by stating that this is why berachos are important. People go to gedolim for blessings because they are closer to Hashem. However, the gemara teaches that he blessing of a commoner should not be light in your eyes. The reason why both are important is because words do have meaning and affect.

R' Frand also told a second vort which was based on the Sefer Kesav V'HaKabala. The Torah states in Vaykira 19:17 "Lo Sisna Es Achicha B'lvavecha" - that a person should not hate his brother in his heart. The pasuk also states "HoCha'ach Tochich'ach Es Amisecha" - that one should rebuke his fellow. However the second part of the pasuk should have been written L' Amisecha - to the fellow. So why is it written this way?

R' Frand explained that with the word L', the Torah would have made the rebuke on the person, whereas the word Es describes an object, not a person. When rebuking a person, it is important that they don't feel like they are criticized, just the sin itself. A person can say - you did xyz wrong, or he could say - I think that xyz might be a sin. If you tell the person that he did wrong, you would in all likelihood provoke a negative reaction. But if you say - I think this activity might be wrong, the person would be more willing to accept it.

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

Sunday Night Suds - Pacifico Clara and Victoria

This week's Sunday Night Suds takes on a holiday flavor and looks at Pacifico Clara and Victoria.

This past week much of Latin America (and many wanna be Latin precincts in the United States) celebrated Cinco DeMayo - the holiday which commemorates the Mexican army's victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla. In honor of the holiday, I have reviewed two beers produced by Mexico's Compania Cervecera Del Tropico S.A and certified kosher by the OK laboratories - Pacifico Clara and Victoria.

Pacifico Clara is classified by the gurus at Beer Advocate as an American Adjunct Lager and the Victoria as a Vienna Lager. I tried both of these tonight and here are the results.

The Pacifico Clara is very much a macro lager. If you were take a blind taste test of Pacifico Clara with Heineken I would doubt that you could tell the difference. The beer poured a pale yellow with a fair amount of carbonation, but no hops bite and little to no appreciable flavor.

The Victoria is also very much true to its defined style as it has many of the characteristics of a Vienna Lager. The beer pours a rich copper, with little carbonation and some lacing. There is some nice malt and caramel, but much like the average Vienna Lager its a fairly pedestrian beer.

For the experts' take on the Pacifico Clara please click here http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/75/2755, for the experts' take on the Victoria please click here http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/75/6508.

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 are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

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

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Acharei Mos

The following is a brief summary of some of 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.

This week's parsha contains the aftermath of the death of the sons of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu. The Medrash Tanchuma writes four different reasons why these sons died: (1) They came close to the Ohel Moed when it was not an appropriate time; (2) They brought an unsanctioned sacrifice; (3) They brought an Aish Zara and (4) They did not consult one with the other before they brought the sacrifice. The Medrash

R' Frand asked - why is the failure to consult a reason for their being killed? Is there any reason to believe that consulting one with the other would have prevented the sin? R' Frand answered in the name of R' Dovid Soloveichik that this teaches a lesson about human nature. When a person does wrong, they may not realize that it is a wrongful act. But if you see another person doing the same thing, you might realize that it is wrong. And when that person asks you, is this the right thing, you can answer no its not - and prevent the wrong. R' Frand tied this into a homiletic explanation of a mishna in Negaim which states that anyone can view negaim, except the person himself. R' Frand explained - everyone can see what is being done wrong, except the person himself.

R' Frand next said a vort which compared the two different sections of this week's parsha which are read on Yom Kippur. The first four aliyos of the parsha are read on Yom Kippur morning and deal with the avodah done by the Kohain Gadol. Portions of the sixth and seventh aliyos are read later at mincha and deal with immoral activity. R' Frand asked - how is it that both of these are read on Yom Kippur? What happened between Shacharis and Mincha? R' Frand answered that when a person is on the highest possible level, that is when the yetzer hara makes a strong push to knock the person down. He quoted the Maharal who explains that it was no coincidence that the story of the Egel occurred right after Kabbalas HaTorah - because the yetzer hara was working overtime to try to bring the Jews down.

R' Frand also quoted a gemara in Yoma 19 which discussed a minhag that after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash that they would reenact the keeping awake of the Kohain Gadol. But one year they stayed up in a group of men and women together and levity ruled the night. How is this possible? Because the yetzer hara was working hard to try to knock the Jews down from their heights, even on Yom Kippur, or perhaps especially because it was Yom Kippur. Because at the same time that there was a desire for purity, there was also a desire on the part of the yetzer hara to knock them down.

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 Night Suds - Brooklyn Brewery Insulated Dark Lager

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Brooklyn Insulated Dark Lager.

Although I enjoy the matza and don't generally miss the chametz, after two weeks or so without a brew, its time for a cold one. So for the first Post Pesach brew, I picked the newest Brooklyn beer - the Insulated Dark Lager.

The experts at BA have labeled this brew as a Schwarzbier, which they define as:

simply German for black beer. It doesn't mean that it’s necessarily heavy or light in body, although they tend to lean towards light. Unlike other dark beers, like porters or stouts, they are not overly bitter with burnt and roasted malt characteristics that the others tend to depend on. Instead, hops are used for a good portion of the bitterness. Very refreshing and soul lifting beers, they also make a great alternative for the Winter. Especially when you are looking for a lighter beer, but one with depth of colour and taste.

The Insulated Dark Lager is a bit heavy for a dark lager with strong influences of malts and a light bit of chocolate/coffee. The first few sips were light, but continued drinking added deeper layers of flavor. This beer has complex elements and I would have a difficult time pairing this with specific dishes or types of meals.  If you have found a pairing that works for you post it in the comments below.

Brooklyn Brewery Insulated Dark Lager is under the kosher supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as are all 12 oz Brooklyn beers which are brewed in the Utica plant. Please keep in mind that Brooklyn now brews and bottles 12 oz beers at its Brooklyn location, so make sure to check the label for where the beer was produced.

For the experts' take on the Insulated  Ale please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45/184617.

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 are reading this post more than six months after it was written, please note that it is possible that the product is no longer still certified kosher. To verify that the product is still certified kosher, please click on the kosher beers list link on the top left corner of the blog.

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