Sunday Night Suds - Joseph's Brau Winterfest

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at the Joseph's Brau Winterfest Lager.

When I first saw this beer at Trader Joe's, I was struck by the oddly conflicting terms on the label - it calls itself a Winterfest beer and a Dopplebock and a Lager. These seemed to be confusing to me for numerous reasons. I associate Winterfest with Coors Winterfest - one of the first flavored beers I ever tried, yet this beer did not indicate that it was flavored. Also, until I researched the dopplebock style, I was unaware that a double bock was in the lager category. Enter BA, which explains that:

Doppelbocks--as the name might suggest--are typically even stronger and contain enough malty goodness that they’ve been considered a meal in a glass for centuries. Generally they have a very full-bodied flavor and are darker than their little Bock brothers and sisters and a higher level of alcohol too. They range in color from dark amber to nearly black, and dark versions often have slight chocolate or roasted characters.

True to the style, the Winterfest poured a dark amber. The label on the bottle tipped me off that the brew was on the higher end of the alcohol scale for beer at 7.5% abv. But the taste was really quite special - it had the richness of the roasted malt and was quite delicious on its own. I tried to isolate some flavors during my first few sips, but I was unable to get beyond the roasted malt - maybe a little bit of vanilla in the taste.

The Winterfest is also quite a bargain at $5.99 for a six pack, as most Dopplebocks go for almost twice the price. The low price seems to be a hallmark of Trader Joe's which sells its own brews at significantly lower prices than the average comparable beer (Yes, Joseph Brau is one of the multiple lines of beers produced by TJ's). However, don't assume that because its a store brand a TJ beer is lower quality, as I have found that the TJ house brand beers are of superior quality. The only local TJ's which carries this is the one on the corner of Court Street and Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, but its worth trip as this TJ's allows you to buy singles at the same price as 1/6 of a six pack - so maybe this is the new a buck a beer!

Joseph's Brau Winterfest is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit and there is a tiny Va'ad kashrus symbol on the back of the bottle. Please keep in mind that not every Trader Joe's brew is under kosher supervision, so check the label or follow this link http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/09/kosher-beers-semi-annual-kosher-beers.html for the latest list of beers under kosher supervision.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Joseph's Brau Winterfest, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10707/41002.

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 here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Saturday Night Special - Melaveh Malka with the Shira

Due to family vacation (aka NY Yeshiva intercession) I was unable to attend the Rabbi Frand shiur live this week and could not post the Thursday Parsha Tidbits. However, I was able to download the shiur to my MP3 player from the http://www.yadyechiel.org/ website (only $2.50 per shiur - a bargain!) on Friday and I would be remiss if I did not write a post on this week's great vort. Same rules as usual apply - I have attempted to reproduce this vort 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 one of the most famous biblical songs - the Shira on the Yam Suf. Found in Beshalach 15:1, the Shira begins "Az Yashir Moshe" - a sentence with a seeming contradiction as it apparently uses both present and future tenses. How did Moshe then sing in the future?

The gemara answers that the singing will be in the future and that this is a proof that Hashem will do tichias hameisim - the dead will come alive and sing to Hashem.

Rashi on the pasuk gives a much more p'shat oriented answer. Rashi writes that then, when Moshe experienced the miracle at Yam Suf, Moshe decided that he would sing in the future. The Sifsei Chachamim explains that Moshe and the Jews they were inspired to sing the song when they saw what happened at Yam Suf.

The Maharal further explains that when a person is inspired and wants to sing, it starts in the heart. When a person is so elated, he wants to sing from his heart. Thus Rashi is telling us - when the Jews saw the Yad Hashem they were overwhelmed with emotion and had song in their heart and this inspired them to sing. The actual words of the song were an outward manifestation of the feeling of the song.

Rabbi Frand gave a mashal - when a person has a temperature it is an external manifestation of something that is wrong internally. The fever is not the problem, it is just a signal that there is an infection or a sickness inside. In the same way, the song that comes out of the person is an outward expression of the feeling of joy that the person has inside.

Rabbi Frand then quoted the sefer Bei Chiya who links the comments to two gemaras. We learn that that Jews only say Shira on wine - when a happy occasion comes upon us we celebrate by singing to Hashem on wine (i.e. Sheva Brachos, Chuppa or Bris). An additional gemara teaches the concept of nichnas yayin yatza sod - when wine comes in a person loses inhibitions and is able to speak honestly about his true feelings. Through these gemaras we see that a Jew uses the wine to release his true feelings of happiness for what Hashem has given him.

Rabbi Frand then brought another Maharal who asks - why is that there is no brocha on the Hagaddah? Shouldn't there be a brocha on the mitzva of telling over the story of redemption from Egypt? The Maharal answers that there is no brocha because the mitzva of sipur yitzias mitzrayim is a mitzva of the heart. Although we spend hours talking about the miracles of yitzias mitzrayim at the seder - the true mitzva is internal. [We see this in the mitzva at the seder that a person must feel as he is leaving Egypt at that moment - this is obviously something which can only be internal].

Rabbi Frand then quoted the Bei Chiya who ties this back to the Shira. The gemara writes that the Shira must be written with words and gaps. The line structure for the Shira in the Torah stands apart from most other prose because it is written with script and blank spaces and there are actually more blank spaces then script. Why? Because the song can't properly articulate all the feelings one has inside - song begins in the heart and the words don't properly express all the feelings.

So where does the Shira actually begin - one might say the later part of the pasuk is the beginning - Ashira L'Hashem - I will sing to Hashem. However, if this is the case, why is the Az Yashir also written with the spaces and gaps? Because the emotion welled up inside when they perceived the miracles and then they decided to sing - this was the beginning of the song.

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Monday's Musings on Sports - The end of football for now, or why my family will see more of me on Sundays

By the time that you read this there will be no suspense left in the football season (unless you come from New Orleans or Indianapolis). At best, you and most of the country will watch the Superbowl because you are interested in good football or the commercials (or both). But before we turn the page and look ahead to the end of the season, allow me to reflect on the Jets season that was.

Going into the football season I had my concerns about the NY Jets. I thought that the defense would be good, although this was based on the misguided belief that it would be anchored by Kris Jenkins (injured in week six vs Buffalo) and Kerry Rhodes (an enigma).

My concern was with the Jets offense which I felt was being set up to fail. In training camp the job was handed to Mark Sanchez, although I was never sure if Kellen Clemens was given a chance to earn the position (getting put into the second game of the preseason cold to run the 2 minute drill at the end of the half against the Baltimore Ravens is hardly a fair audition).

Then, the Jets started to win against good teams. I did not want to get my hopes up, but there was reason to think that the season would turn out to be something special. But then came the injury bug - Cotchery and B Smith both go down and Sanchez throws five picks when he has no real WRs to throw to. Meanwhile, Leon Washington and Kris Jenkins are done for the season and the team has lost significant talent.

But when it seemed that the season was destined for mediocrity, the team started to perform well again. Not consistently well, but the breaks seemed to be going the team's way. Even the other teams were losing (or winning depending on your perspective) in ways that the Jets needed in order to make the playoffs.

Of course the improvement in the Jets fortunes had a direct impact on my family life. I made sure to be home during Jets games (rather than tape them) and we needed to juggle Sunday night dinner around the NFL's "flex" schedule.

As with most good things, the season for Jets fans did come to an end. But there is a fair amount to be hopeful for. Mark Sanchez emerged as the QB of the future. Shonn Greene learned how to hold onto the football and if all three RBs return healthy next year, the Jets will have a superior rushing attack.

On the other side of the ball, the D-Line really showed me something after Kris Jenkins went down. While they did not sack the QB often, they were able to shed blockers and manhandle opposing RBs. This is also something to look forward to for the future.

So what is the link to Torah thought? For this week I have chosen not to make the link. Not because I can't make a connection, but just because I wanted to get all this football out of me without spending the time on hold trying to call a sports radio host. B'N I will return next week to the Sports & Torah theme.

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Sunday Night Suds - Trader Joe's Hofrau Bock

This week's Sunday Night Suds toasts the Jets on their surprisingly good season with the vastly underrated Trader Joe's Hofrau Bock.

Yes, I save sports for Monday's post and I will not be writing the eulogy for the Jets season tonight. Still, when I received a set of Jets tulip beer glasses (if you look hard enough you can see the logo on the front of the glass) as a present this week, I knew that I had to use one to toast the Jets this evening.

During my beer education, I have learned that the glass you are using to consume the brew makes a significant difference in the flavor experience. I first noticed this when I poured the second beer from a six pack into a glass, after having consumed the first straight from the bottle on the previous evening. This may not rise to the level of eating moldy bread over a petri dish filled with bacteria, but it was an accidental eye opener for me. I subsequently began to try all my new beers from glassware which I picked up at local area beer stores. There really was a difference!

Rather than attempt to explain why the glassware makes a difference, I defer to the experts at BA, who explain:

Scientific studies show that the shape of glassware will impact head development and retention. Why is this important? The foam created by pouring a beer acts as a net for many of the volatiles in a beer. What's a volatile? Compounds that evaporate from beer to create its aroma, such as hop oils, all kinds of yeast fermentation byproducts like alcohol, fusels and fruity esters, spices or other additions. So a glass that promotes a healthy foam head may enhance the trapping of certain volatiles. And as varying levels of head retention and presentation are desired with different styles of beers, different styles of glassware should be used accordingly. Presentation marries science.

As per the picture above, I savored the Trader Joe's Hofrau Bock in my brand new (toveled on Friday) Jets tulip glass which was mailed to me by a relative who is a Jets season ticket holder (they really do know how to comp their fans). The tulip glass truly opened up the flavor of the bock and allowed me to enjoy the hops and the complexity of the spice notes. One word of caution though - the Hofrau Bock has a bit of a kick as it is 7% abv, although the alcohol does not hit you up front.

Trader Joe's Hofrau Bock is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit and their is a tiny Va'ad kashrus symbol on the back of the bottle. Please keep in mind that not every Trader Joe's brew is under kosher supervision, so check the label or follow this link http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/09/kosher-beers-semi-annual-kosher-beers.html for the latest list of beers under kosher supervision.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Trader Joe's Hofrau Bock, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10707/21639. 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 here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Bo

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand in his shiur this evening. I have attempted to reproduce this vort 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 Shemos 12:1-2, the Torah provides the first mitzva which the Jews are given - to be mikadesh the new month. Immediately thereafter, the Torah provides the details of the korban pesach.

Rabbi Frand asked - why is that the first mitzva is to be mikadesh the month and only afterwards does the Torah recite the mitzva of korban pesach? Wouldn't it be more logical to have the korban pesach as the first mitzva?

Rabbi Frand first cited the Klei Yakar who answers the question from a pragmatic standpoint. He indicates that if one is to do the mitzva of korban pesach by schechting the animal on the 14th, he needs first to know when the month begins in order to calculate the date to prepare the korban.

Rabbi Frand offered an alternate explanation from the sefer Chikrei Lev. He explained that when the Jews were given the mitzva of kiddush hachodesh they were given the power over the calendar and the moon itself. Prior to this mitzva, Hashem would declare when Yom Tov would occur. However, by giving the Jews the power to be mikadesh the month, they were provided the power to designate when the month begins and when the holidays would fall.

Rabbi Frand then quoted a gemara that recited that although Hashem judges the world on Rosh Hashanah, He indicated to His heavenly court that He will not intervene in the designation of the new moon in this world as this was given to the Jews.

It was for this reason that this was the first mitzva for the Jews. When a person is enslaved, he has no power to determine anything. Indeed, the Ibn Ezra writes that there is no greater burden to bear then to be a slave to another human being. Since Hashem wanted to take the Jewish people away from their slave mentality (they had been enslaved in Egypt for 210 years), he needed to provide a medicine to allow them to look beyond the slavery they had always known. This medicine was the ability to determine their own calendar through kiddush hachodesh.

Rabbi Frand closed the vort by making reference to the famous story about the moon and the sun. The midrash recites that the moon came before Hashem and said - two cannot use the same crown. Hashem responded to the moon - then you go reduce yourself. The moon then said to Hashem - but I am right, there cannot be two strong bodies at the same time. Hashem then said to the moon, you are called katan, so too, Ya'akov and David will be called katan. Additionally, I will give you the stars to assist you.

Rabbi Frand asked - but if the moon was punished for protesting, why is it being rewarded?

Rabbi Frand answered that Hashem said to the moon - you did more than what was required. I told you to reduce yourself, but you did not have to do so to the degree that you chose. Indeed, you could have just reduced yourself slightly. However, since you acted lifnim m'shuras hadin, I will reward you.

This is the message of kiddush hachodesh to the Jews. You have power much like the moon. Use the power properly so that you can be rewarded.

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Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Bava Basra 151

On Bava Basra 151, the gemara presents an interesting distinction between tefillin and sifrei Torah.

Previously, on Bava Basra 150, the gemara had been discussing which items are deemed to be nechasim - resources which are capable of being bequeathed in a will. These included, money, property and other similar objects.

On Bava Basra 151a, the gemara asks whether tefillin are nechasim. The gemara answers that tefillin are nechasim and learns this from a gemara in Erchin which teaches that a person can pledge his tefillin to hekdesh (the Rashbam teaches that as a result he must redeem the tefillin, but the money is sanctified).

Immediately thereafter, the gemara asks whether a sefer Torah is deemed nechasim. The gemara gives both sides of the equation - since a sefer Torah can be sold in limited circumstances (specifically so that the scribe has money to learn or to get married) it could be deemed nechasim. On the other hand, since the sale of the sefer Torah is highly restricted, perhaps it is not nechasim.

While the gemara leaves this as a teiku, the meforshim provide interesting color to the discussion. The Rashbam explains that since tefillin are considered clothing they are capable of sale (and are thus nechasim) even though they contain parshios from the Torah. The Rambam distinguishes a sefer Torah from all other seforim as the latter are all deemed nechasim.

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