Sunday Night Suds - 20 Pounds of Pumpkin

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at 20 Pounds of Pumpkin.

The 20 Pounds of Pumpkin is a pumpkin ale, but unlike many other pumpkin ales it does not have an overpowering pumpkin flavor and the spices added to the brew process (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger) are also quite muted.

This not to say that the beer is weak or watered down. It truly is an Ale and it has more hop backbone than one would normally find in a pumpkin ale. It does have some pumpkin flavor, but the flavor is subdued and does not scream pumpkin. I could see pairing this with apricot chicken or other poultry dishes.

The Samuel Adams 20 Pounds of Pumpkin is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K and has a Star-K certification mark on the bottle. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link - beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/229621.

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.

Lastly, 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 Vayechi

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 the end of the parsha, the Torah recounts an interesting conversation between Yosef and his brothers. In Bereishis 50:15-21, the brothers express fear that now that Ya'akov has died, Yosef will take revenge against them. They then instructed messengers to tell Yosef that Ya'akov had given instruction before he died that Yosef should forgive the brothers. To this, Yosef responds, you intended bad, but Hashem intended good and I will support you and your families.

R' Frand quoted the Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel which filled in some of the story. The Targum first asked - why were the brothers afraid now that Yosef would take revenge? It answered by noting that during the 17 years after Ya'akov and the brothers permanently came down to Egypt, Yosef ate meals with them. However, after Ya'akov's passing, Yosef ceased this practice.

The Targum further explained that the reason that Yosef stopped eating meals with his brothers was that he was uncomfortable with his seat at the head of the table. Yosef felt that Reuven as the eldest or Yehuda as the future king of the Jews should have that position of honor. When Ya'akov was alive, he told Yosef that Yosef should sit at the head of the table because Yosef was 2nd to Pharaoh in Egypt. But now that Ya'akov had passed, Yosef did not want to continue to sit at the head of the table.

This is seen in the language of Bereishis 50:20 where Yosef says to the brothers --you thought I had bad intentions by separating from you, but Hashem knows that I am still uncomfortable with this seat and that is why I am not eating with you.

R' Frand quoted R' Elya Svei who remarked that Yosef's feeling of discomfort was incredible, given that this was 17 years later where he had continued the practice on a daily basis. While it would be understandable if the feeling of unease lasted for  a few weeks, or months ..but 17 years? This showed how Yosef in reality felt about the brothers. He was not angry or seeking revenge, he wanted to give the position of honor to someone else.

R' Frand gave a personal example of how his seat in the Beis Medrash had changed for davening many years ago and he felt uncomfortable about sitting with the older, honored Rabbis on the Eastern wall of the room. But that eventually passed and he does not think twice about his seat.

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 Desert Kaleidoscope IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at another of the "Samuel Adams" Brewing American Dream series - the Desert Kaleidoscope IPA.

The beers in this series were prepared in collaboration with five breweries. In addition to the Desert Kaleidoscope IPA the other four beers are Three Ninety Bock (made with Roc Brewing Co.);  Time Hop Porter (made with ChuckAlek Independent Brewers); Tea Party Saison (made with Woods Beer Co.) and Oats McGoats Stout, (reviewed here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2017/10/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-oats.html) which was partnered with Brewery Rickoli. (For a great article on the mentor program, click here http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/drink/beer/ct-sam-adams-beer-mentor-program-20170717-story.html).

The Desert Kaleidoscope IPA was made in collaboration with Bosque Brewing and is brewed as a strong American IPA. The beer is bursting with citrus and pine and has great depth of flavor. At 7.0% abv it is a little on the high side of alcohol content for an American IPA. The carbonation level is a bit strong too, but that's also to my liking. There was more than decent lacing which lasted through the drink and gave a little malt on top of the bitterness.

The Desert Kaleidoscope IPA is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K and has a Star-K certification mark on the bottle. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link - beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/292902.

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.

Lastly, 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 Vayigash

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.

There is a famous Rashi which most children learn at the age of ten which discusses the significance of the wagons that Yosef sent to bring Ya'akov down to Egypt. In tonight's shiur, Rabbi Frand asked three questions on the Rashi and gave a new insight into the entire story.

In Bereishis 45:17-28, Pharaoh tells Yosef that his brothers should load up their animals and go back to Canaan. But once they go back to Canaan, they are supposed to bring Ya'akov and leave their possessions in Canaan as Pharaoh promises them that he will provide all of the best of Egypt for them. Immediately thereafter, Yosef gave them wagons based on Pharaoh's command. The brothers then went up to Canaan and told Ya'akov that Yosef was still alive. However, Ya'akov was skeptical and did not believe them until he saw the wagons that Yosef sent and his spirit was revived. 

The famous Rashi is found in Bereishis 45:28 as he writes that when Ya'akov saw the wagons that Yosef had sent he was reminded of the last thing that they learned together about the mitzva of Eglah Arufa - breaking the neck of the calf in the barren field. Since the word wagon in Hebrew is Agalah, Ya'akov realized that Yosef was sending him a message and it raised his spirits.

R' Frand asked three questions on this Rashi and related commentaries by Rashi on the same pasuk. Rashi makes a point of saying that Ya'akov saw the wagons that Yosef sent and not the wagons that Pharaoh sent, but clearly the pesukim demonstrate that Pharaoh sent wagons as a few pesukim later the Torah writes in Bereishis 46:5 that Ya'akov and his sons and their young children and wives were transported to Egypt in the wagons that Pharaoh sent.

The second question R' Frand asked is, why did the fact that wagons were sent raise Ya'akov's spirits? These were a necessity as they needed some mechanism to bring Ya'akov and their families down to Egypt.

The final question was related to the use of the words Eglah and Agalah. Although they sound the same, they are not similar in meaning. So why did seeing the Agalah lift his spirits?

R' Frand answered these questions in the name of R' Zev Leff who explained that Pharaoh had wanted Ya'akov to come down and leave his possessions behind, because Pharaoh was going to give him entirely new items. Yosef knew that Ya'akov would be concerned about coming down to Egypt without the possessions which made him...Ya'akov. Yosef knew that Ya'akov was concerned that coming to Egypt and receiving all new material possession would be a fast track to assimilating into Egyptian culture and society. 

This is why Yosef sent additional wagons. The wagons which were sent by Pharaoh specifically were the people - Ya'akov, the children and the women. Yosef sent wagons so that Ya'akov could transport his possession, the seforim, the bookcases, the silver kiddush cups...everything that made Ya'akov...Ya'akov.

The message of the wagons was also in line with this thinking. The Gemara in Sotah relates that the leaders of the city must make a statement that we provided food for the traveler and we also accompanied him out of the city. Why? Because accompanying someone from the city shows that he is a valued part of the city and not being simply told to leave.

R' Frand tied this together by quoting the Maharal who explains that to accompany a visitor one must only walk him 4 amos. This may seem like a short distance, but it is meaningful for the person who is walked beyond the exit of your home or city. Much in the same way that the wagons showed Ya'akov that Yosef recognized that Ya'akov needed to retain his connection with his home, the Eglah Arufa shows that a person is valued and connected with the city.

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 Chanukah Tidbits

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on Chanukah tonight. 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.

Although this was the "derush" section of tonight's shiur, Rabbi Frand started the vort by quoting the Shulchan Aruch (O'H 287) in which it is written that a person who benches and forgets to say Al Hanissim in its proper place can say it in the Harachaman section with the prefatory phrase Harachaman Hu Ya'aseh Nissim...

R' Frand quoted R' Yeruchum Olshan (sp?) who asked two questions about this halacha. The first question was ---don't we have a general principle that we don't ask Hashem to perform a miracle? This is based on a Gemara in Berachos which states that if a man knows his wife is pregnant he should not pray that she have a boy because its already been determined what gender the baby will be. The Gemara then asks, but what about Leah? She knew that she was carrying a boy, but she also had a nevu'ah that Ya'akov would only have 12 sons and if she had this boy, Rachel would only have one boy. So Leah prayed that the child would be a girl and the fetus she was carrying switched with the fetus that Rachel was carrying and became Dina. The Gemara answers this question by saying --we don't daven for miracles.

So with this rather long introduction --how can we say a Harachaman that Hashem should make a miracle?

The second question was based on a Mishna in Pirkei Avos which lists the ten daily mitzvos in the Beis Hamikdash, including such open miracles that the fires on the altar were never extinguished by the rain, even though the area was open to the heavens. R' Olshan asked --with all these great miracles, why is the fact that they found a flask of oil such a major event that we make a holiday out of it?

R' Frand answered the questions by explaining that there are two forms of miracles. There are miracles which have been imprinted into the DNA of the world, such as the splitting of the Yam Suf or the falling of the Manna. These were events that Hashem had designed and it is not for us to pray that Hashem performs the miracle.

But there are also miracles which Hashem performs for people who are Moser Nefesh, people who take exceptional steps and Hashem rewards them by changing something for them. 

The miracles in the Beis Hamikdash were imprinted miracles which Hashem had designed the world to allow. But the miracle of finding the oil came as a result of the incredible acts of the Maccabees who left behind their studies and fearlessly fought the Yevanim. R' Frand quoted the Bach on Hilchos Chanukah who said that the Yevanim knew that if they could interfere with the lighting of the Menorah they could (C'vs) end the Jewish People. The Maccabees who were nor military men, left the beis medrash and went out to fight them, against incredible odds. These same men were the descendants of Aharon and part of the tradition of being moser nefesh to light the Menorah as a personal nedavah.

Since they men were moser nefesh, Hashem made a miracle for them and allowed them to find the oil. This is the message of Chanukah and why we say the Harachaman. If we can be moser nefesh, Hashem can make miracles for us. Understanding the miracle of Chanukah allows us to see that if we can stand up and try do more, Hashem will help us.

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 - Baderbrau Lawnmower Lager IPL

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Baderbrau Brewery's Lawnmower Lager IPL.

This is another of the beers that I picked up at the Binny's in Lincolnwood over Sukkos. Since we finally have snow on the ground in New York, I thought it was high time that I review a lawnmower beer since its unlikely that my lawn will be mowed again anytime soon.

The good folks at Beer Advocate have classified this beer as an American Pale Lager, but I found that the brew had a lot more character than the typical brew of this style. The beer poured a darker yellow which was not entirely transparent in my pint glass. There was quite a bit of hops and some cinnamon notes which I found pleasant and surprising. There was some citrus as well, but the bitter element was prominent, much more than I could have anticipated in a brew of this style.

The Baderbrau Lawnmower Lager IPL is under kosher supervision by the CRC of Chicago and has a CRC logo on the side of the can.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Baderbrau Lawnmower Lager IPL, click here beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29318/119018.

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).

Please Note - 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 Vayeshev

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening along with the summary of a Chanukah vort he said last week. 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.

Rabbi Frand's parsha vort was more of a discussion of a Medrash than a traditional parsha vort. The Medrash in Parshas Vayigash asks Mi Haya Michaceh - who would have waited or anticipated and then poses the question about various people. [For purposes of this vort I will just refer to the introductory statement about each person as "Who would have anticipated "].

The first subject was Avraham and Sarah and the Medrash asked, who would have anticipated that they would have a child when Sarah was 90 years old. The next was Ya'akov and the question was, who would have anticipated that he would go from being penniless to having a large family and possessions. The next subject was Yosef and the question was, who would have anticipated that he would have gone from the prison to being Pharaoh's number 2. The next was about Moshe and who would have anticipated that Moshe would have gone from being put in a basket in the river and became the leader that would lead the Jews out of Egypt. Similar discussions were made as to David, Ruth and Chananya, Mishael and Azaryah.

R' Frand remarked that the Medrash is a nechama (consolation) for the Jews that even when it appears that times are bad, there will be an unanticipated positive result. R' Frand remarked that 2017 was the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration and who would have anticipated that Israel would be what it is today. [I kept expecting a Trump/Jerusalem reference, but R' Frand did not make one]. He referenced how the Ottoman Empire which had ruled the land for hundreds of years had an unanticipated rapid collapse which led to the possibility of a Balfour Declaration. He also referenced how small yeshivos in America in the 1930s and 1940s grew into Lakewood and Ner Israel and how that in the shadows of the Holocaust, who could have anticipated this success.

R' Frand then quoted R' Elya Svei (sp?) who had a different explanation of the Medrash. He answered the question as if it was not rhetorical --- Yosef anticipated this result. Yosef knew from his own dreams that he would one day rise to leadership. When Yosef heard the dream of the Sar Hamashkim he heard Hashem speaking to him. The three sarigim were a reference to the three leaders who would take the Jews out of Egypt and through the desert - Moshe, Aharon and Miriam. Yosef knew that the four references to Kos Pharaoh were a message that the Jews would undergo four exiles and Hashem would redeem them from each one.

Similarly, there was someone who was anticipating Moshe rising to prominence--Miriam. She had a dream that her parents would have a son who would lead the Jews out of Egypt. When Moshe was born and the house filled with light, Amram kissed Miriam on the head and lauded her prophesy...and when Moshe was put in the river, Amram hit her on the head and questioned the prophesy. But Miriam was anticipating Moshe's greatness.

I also wanted to do a brief summary of part of the Chanukah vort said by R' Frand last week. He referenced a Rashi in Behalosecha which mentioned that Aharon was saddened when he saw that every tribe was contributing nedavos and the tribe of Levi was not. Hashem then told Aharon, yours will be greater, because you will have the opportunity to light the menorah every day.

R' Frand quoted the Ramban who said that the lighting of the menorah transcended every generation and did not only refer to the menorah in the Beis HaMikdash. It referred to the mitzva that even to this day we continue to light the candles at Chanukah.

R' Frand then asked -- but how is this an answer to Aharon's concern? He was upset that he was not making a nedava, he was not making a contribution. How is the lighting of the candles an answer to his concerns?

R' Frand answered that Aharon's children and grandchildren saw his devotion to the act of lighting and that this became a part of them and they too would be moser nefesh for this act. There is a famous Rashi that says that he had the same enthusiasm on the first and last day that he lit the menorah.

By seeing his excitement and energy and the way that he gave of himself to light the candles, it insured that his grandchildren and great grandchildren would have this dedication to the mitzva of lighting the candles. This was more than just a one time donation to the Mishkan. Aharon understod this and that is why the answer was accepted by 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 Night Suds - Lakefront Brewery's Smash Hull Melon Hops Blonde Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Lakefront Brewery's Smash Hull Melon Hops Blonde Ale.

Although Lakefront started their Smash series almost two years, the first beer that I came across in this collection was the Hull Melon Hops which I found at Binny's in Lincolnwood, Illinois. It was sitting among the generous mix your own six pack collection (from which I mixed more than two sixers) in the back of the store.

After keeping this blonde ale in the fridge for about a week, I shared it with some friends at the Shabbos table, including a Milwaukee native. The beer poured a darker yellow than I was expecting with fragrant hops which I could smell the moment that I brought the glass to my face. There was more than ample carbonation and decent lacing on the glass. Successive sips exposed a broader base of flavor as the beer had some pepper along with the pine. I found myself wishing that I had bought more than just one bottle, as the beer was intriguing to me, much more than the average blonde ale. 

Lakefront Brewery's Smash Hull Melon Hops Blonde Ale is under the kosher supervision of the Star-K (there is even a Star-K on the label). For the experts' take on the brew, please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/741/292057.

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

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.

Lastly, 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!