As an Aussie and an Orthodox Jew, this warms the cockles of my heart, and would probably warm my belly too:
A microbrewery in eastern Germany has found success with a new niche product: officially certified kosher beer.
The first 30,000 bottles of Simcha pilsner – a name that means joy in Hebrew – have sold out since being put on the market at the end of April, said Wilfried Gotter, a spokesman for the new product.
Brewed under the strict Bavarian purity laws with only water, hops, grain, and yeast, almost all German beer is technically kosher – fit for consumption according to Jewish law.
But Simcha goes one step further, having Berlin Orthodox Rabbi Yitshak Ehrenberg oversee the brewing and bottling process and give it official kosher certification.
For very religious Jews the availability of kosher beer is tremendously important, Gotter said. The certification takes it to the next level.
Drinking the beer will take the consumer to the next level as well.
I can think of other brands that should be considering kosher variants of their beverage:
- Heineken: Shmeineken
- Budweiser: Ben-Weiser
- Fosters: Borschters (may need to add beetroot juice)
Anyone else got suggestions?
neoZionoid
