The capital of Israel: the intoxicating history of the capital in the Holy Land

Independence Day marks the beginning of the beer season: from popular "parliaments" in cafes, through pubs to the dining table at home.

After years of stagnation, there has been an increase in consumption.

In honor of the peak season, we went out to hear a bit about the history and future of the industry from the major manufacturers, and also from the man who put Kraft on the map

Talia Levin

03/05/2022

Tuesday, 03 May 2022, 14:33 Updated: Friday, 06 May 2022, 08:36

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Although this is an open secret, especially in recent years, the following information may be strange to anyone who thought the beer originated in Belgium, Germany or England.

It turns out that one of the earliest evidence for the production of beers in Eretz Israel dates back to 2890 BC in the Ein HaBesor area of ​​the Negev, when ancient potsherds that served as a local brewery were discovered.

Although the same ancient brewery is associated with the Egyptian rule that ruled the Land of Israel and its traditions and is not really a local Jewish tradition, further evidence from the third millennium BC indicates that the ancient "beer culture" was here and spread slowly to the Hassan Arafa complex in Tel Aviv.

It turns out that the drink that was invented more than 9,000 years ago and some thought it even came from the gods, although not descended from mythology or heaven, but has become a kind of violent drink for most of the world's population.

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White Nesher beer (Photo: Knesset Spokeswoman, Moti Fishbein)

A few hours after we finished the 74th Independence Day celebrations for the State of Israel and it may be time to tell that the consumption of local beer, although not large - and actually located in the penultimate place (only before Turkey) in quantity per capita in Europe, has risen in recent years. .

Probably a post-chametz effect.

That is why this article is dedicated to blue and white beers, and especially to the old brands that have been with us for many years and have served as a kind of milestone for all the small breweries and the inconceivable flourishing that has been taking place in the field for the past two years.

Aviv Ben Zikri, Marketing Director of Tempo Beers (Photo: Ohad Romano)

The eagle takes off

Since then, the local beer market has spawned leading Israeli brands that have also won awards in beer competitions around the world, such as Goldstar, Maccabi and many boutique beer developments that have been recorded mainly in the last decade.

But the first to identify the potential in the local market was Nesher Beer, and not the black beer familiar to every boy and girl who grew up in the 1980s, but White Nesher Beer, the first beer made in Israel in 1934 and opening the local beer production chakra wide.

The white eagle, a bright and light lager is still on the market today after undergoing a rebranding a few years ago.

A few decades later and the son brand of "Eagle" which is Goldstar, appeared on the world air in 1950 and soon conquered the market.

"Goldstar and this is not a slogan, it is the best-selling beer in Israel," says

"It's aimed at everyone, it's popular. Our audience is everyone, no men or women. In recent years we're seeing the percentage of men-women drinking Goldstar stand at 45/55.

And that goes back to the 1950s and 1960s with our two leading brands Goldstar and Maccabi respectively." .

Goldstar's recipe, a dark lager capital, is a traditional recipe where what has changed in the last seventy years is just the raw materials and production techniques that have been perfected, it has won various awards over the years and unique editions like Goldstar UNFILTERED and SLOWBREW that have become very popular in bars and pubs throughout Israel.

Goldstar.

Despite the masculine image that is cultivated in advertisements, the ratio between men and women among consumers is almost equal (Photo: PR)

Maccabi International Beer

Maccabi beer is considered the official alternative beer of Israel.

It was first created in 1968 and is intended for a high-quality Israeli consumer audience in luxury hotels and restaurants, especially for export.

Over the years, Maccabi Beer has won 4 gold medals in prestigious international competitions, in the years: 1977 in Luxembourg, 1979 in Paris, 1981 in Brussels and 1995 in Rome.

Despite this, in the 1980s and 1990s there was a devaluation of its image, although it sold well in bottles (remember the chubby bottle in the Belgian style?), But was considered a brand that works well even though no investment is made in its promotion.

Only with the rise of alternative urban culture, has it returned to being trendy and much loved not only by veteran bright lager drinkers, but also by up-to-date Tel Aviv hipsters.

When I ask Ben Zikri what the difference is between the two, he says that in the past, Maccabi was generally intended for tourists.

"They both sit on the same category of lager beer, but there are differences between them in the level of ingredients and different flavors within the category. "Because the clear lager is what the foreign residents drank. It is perceived as very high quality, not premium but completely brings a different story."

Ben Zikri adds that Maccabi, which appeared in Israel in the 1960s, was the first beer sold in glass bottles using the American method.

"At the time it was a matter of hygiene and safety that did not exist in the technology of the 1960s."

Is there a Maccabi, are there friends?

The crazy route of Maccabi from an international image,] through the capital of the guys to the hipster trend (Photo: Studio Kleenex)

The drinking culture has developed miraculously in Israel, and the kraft industry is flourishing, to what extent does competition bring challenges in classic marketing?

"It's always a matter of egg and chicken. On the one hand, the more interest there is in the capital world and there are more competitors then the whole industry enjoys it. On the other hand, the more competition you have to constantly think about how you reinvent yourself.

This competition is something we Embracing and appreciating, and as an example of a move we made recently, we released a joint edition of Maccabi and the Bear Brewery, a kraft brewery whose qualities we value.

We embrace and understand the world of innovation and are moving in its direction, and we are about to release a special and repeated edition of Goldstar ahead of the rest of the month, and Maccabi also expects innovation on the subject, and we are very excited.

"In the early days of the country it was difficult to get raw materials in Israel, there was a problem of foreign currency, the country's purchasing power was not good and they produced beer from what they could, for example bonfires and all kinds of other grains. "It's something unique in the mainstream landscape. In the mainstream, they try to lower costs and add all kinds of grain, but we do not compromise."

"Consumption varies, but consumers spend more on beer and do not necessarily drink more. The drinking culture is developing but still not in line with what is happening in Europe or the US where the amount of beer poured is amazing, and in the evening a consumer drinks a liter and a half of beer and returns home. The bike.

But the trend is good, there is growth and consumers want more special, more expensive and more powerful beers.

The move we made with the Shapira Brewery proved it.

"There is a magic wheel here that feeds itself, consumers are curious about a new brand, and that encourages the industry to do even more special things."

Elad Horesh, Beer Marketing Manager, CBC (Central Beverage Company) (Photo: Dan Lev)

Israeli mother, father Danny

"Although the consumer market is not really rising, the local consumer is getting more diverse things," says Elad Horesh, director of beer marketing, CBC (Central Beverage Company).

"The Israeli consumer loves wheat beers and the Israeli wheat loves is more sweet. We are seeing a growing interest in specialty beers in recent years, and this is the main change happening in this world."

The main company in Israel produces with a Carlsberg and Tuborg license (originating in Denmark), and in recent years special editions of the Carlsberg Loma and Tuborg Red have been produced that are specially adapted to the Israeli audience.

"Tuborg Red and Loma, which came out a year and a half ago, are a unique variant of Israel that Carlsberg let us develop. One of the things we learned about the local consumer is that the whole aromatic issue is very important to him, the consumer learned to smell the beer and not just drink it. "She measured something better. Everyone who tasted it fell in love with it."

Carlsberg Loma.

When one of the largest beer brands in the world recognizes your ability to create a new beer, it shows confidence (Photo: Studio Firma)

Sycamore Garden

How different is our palate really?

After all , we fly abroad, drink and taste

"the beer that dominates here will still be the lager, but there is an audience for heavier ones as well.

The Israeli consumer, unlike the rest of the world, loved the peony lager for years more than the bright one.

In the world, the trend is completely opposite, but in recent years it has been slowly balancing. "The

main company is currently investing in a new kraft brewery called" Shikma ". Horesh explains that the move came from the consumer need to enter new worlds." We also allow them a playground to experiment with all sorts of different styles and raw materials.

This is the direction of our development at the moment.

We have a responsibility to teach Israelis and introduce them to new worlds.

It is also important for us that the right presentation, freshness, is the way to put new consumers in the circle. "

Uri Sagi, Alexander.

From the cockpit in the Air Force to the cooking boilers of the Israeli Kraft (Photo: Omri Maron)

Alexander the Great

And it is impossible without a little squint to the world of kraft.

Alexander Brewery, founded by former pilot Uri Sagi Shabira, was a hobby and became his profession, founded in 2008 and its name can be called the cornerstone for the flourishing of the power brewing industry in Israel.

Just to clear the ear, Alexander, the leading boutique capital in Israel, currently produces barrels and bottles in an amount of about a million liters a year or so.

"I think Independence Day is a time to talk about Israeli beer, because if you look not 70 years back but 10-12 years, we didn't really have a choice here," says Sagi.

"Do you remember that in the past we used to bring chocolates and cheeses in a suitcase from abroad?

Then there were people who would bring beer.

And out of this scarcity this is what motivated me then as a disappointed consumer. "

"On the one hand yes, there was a great thirst. But at the time the group that was really thirsty for new things was a very small group. And the local reference to beer was a good break coming from England, Belgium from Germany and Israeli beer is not a good thing. "Over the years I see the new audience tasting and coming, who want and are intrigued and understand that it is possible to do these good things in the country as well.

Alexander is constantly focusing on innovations.

For example, after their successful IPA, they align with global innovation in the field and produce the Tropical IPA.

"This is a beer that is the pinnacle of the international kraft industry in terms of innovations. There are constantly innovations in the field and I am happy to say that we are right at the forefront of it, running forward with the world's leading styles."

"The challenges have been and always will be around the price. It's a discourse that by the way characterizes everything that happens around us less around the tasteless and much around the price or 'why it's more expensive than the standard'. And we want to make the most popular beer possible We work it is more expensive than a mass brand. "

Sagi points out additional challenges related to the raw materials.

"There are no main raw materials in Israel that are give and hops. We bring everything from abroad and when there is an opportunity we use local raw material but in limited series.

We make a beer called Israeli wheat, use it with local wheat and it is no small challenge because it is not here to give wheat but the wheat that is used for bread.

There is a professional challenge here but the beer is fun and beloved.

"Our yeast has developed in the Holy Land, but for us the main Israeliness and I personally feel that is the Israelis who are the ones who produce for Israelis who love beer, the people of the land, and that is what is important."

Alexander Case.

Started as a boutique brewery (or kraft, if you will) and became a quality factory (Photo: Eyal Keren)

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