Not just familiar names • About the amateur cooks who made the successful transition from a kitchen remover to opening a brewery: "The main thing is that the beer will be delicious and the guys will be happy"
A view of a tribal brewery
Photo:
Courtesy of the brewery
Have you noticed how we 'slipped' naturally back to routine?
How has the corona become for most of us speech from the past, a time that is already right behind us?
Suddenly a sentence like 'So how did you get through the corona?'
It already sounds natural, and to go back and barbecue together on Independence Day in the parks and beaches, with best friends and with a proud and cool Israeli beer nearby, sounds the most normal there is.
What fun it was
As Israelis, and just as the barbecue is not an invitation to a formal meal, this is how the beer suits us - it flows, does not require, is consumed in large quantities thanks to a low percentage of alcohol and excels in heat dissipation.
Not that we drink so much - the average sip of beer in Israel is about 15 liters per person per year, a ridiculous amount compared to the world champions Czech Republic (150 liters per person per year), Ireland (130 liters) or Austria and Germany (about 110 liters), Nevertheless, there is a trend of improvement.
Along with Tempo and MBI, the two largest brewers in the country, a scene of local boutique breweries (kraft) is developing, which started as semi-pirate beer brewing ventures in home pots, and over time have grown and become established. Everyone already knows Gems, Alexander, Malka, Dancing Camel And Shapira, but there are others, lesser known in the meantime, who give in. We visited three of them, from the north of the country to the south - to the glory of the State of Israel;
Have you heard of Eran the 'hero', for example?
After a rich career as a senior mechanical engineer in the industry, specializing in corporate recovery, Eran Greenwald decided, almost four years ago, to take advantage of all the knowledge he had acquired and acquired a brewery that collapsed in Karmiel, to which he transferred his home operations in Kfar Tavor. Named after his old Volkswagen Transporter (1979).
Today they cook there, under the direction of brewmaster Omri Zilberman, about 25,000 liters a month, which are sold in Beer Garden next to the brewery (where Greenwald's daughters also wait), in pubs in barrels and of course in bottles around the country.
Alongside five regular beers, he occasionally releases a limited-edition beer, which is quickly snatched away.
In honor of Independence Day, which has already passed, it will be a 'great' capital, as a tribute to the mermaid capital created here in the pre-state days.
Wasn't it too dramatic a transition for you from an orderly and 'heavy' industry to a 'jungle' of brewing and marketing beer?
Greenwald: "Look, the regulation here and dealing with the authorities is crazy, and luckily there are people who are infected with the beer germ and not interested in reality so they go with the dream to the end. If you come with a method and know how to run a business there is no reason it should not be profitable. Great fun.
When you tell people you have a brewery their eyes are opened and a smile is smeared on their faces.
There is a lot of openness in the audience today - people are ready to taste, to diversify.
Want to learn new things.
Both men and women.
This is the world of kraft - freedom to produce all kinds of styles, to react quickly, to change.
You can also do crazy things, within the bounds of good taste, as long as you know the job and it has a market.
You can go wild.
Part of this world is also collaborations and we do it with artists who design the labels for us, as towards the summer we set up a venture with a local punk band.
It's a whole culture. "
Our choice -
the hero's wheat capital is really great.
It is cooked in a classic Bavarian style - very light, light, cloudy and sage, with a pleasant fruit aroma, moderate banana flavors and very delicate bitterness.
(12 NIS per kg) Do not miss the 'Blondie', a wonderful and precise light beer, with a delicate and creamy blend and delicate fruity flavors that will cool you down the expected heat in the coming summer. (330 ml, 13 NIS)
A large brother tribe
If you head a little towards the center of the country you meet Neil Wasserman, the owner of the Brostillery (we'll explain soon) "tribe", who took this field to the extreme of professionalism.
About seven years ago he immigrated from New York, and as part of his vision of Zionism and love of country he founded the Brostillery - the bread of two words in English: Brewery and Distillery, which operate in one place, being the only one in the country.
Truth be told, brewing beer is the first step in any grain distillation so this combination is really required.
"The advantage of having both a brewery and a distillery together allows us to have a wide range of products with great synergy between them while sharing resources like shared energy consumption," says Neil.
"For example, we use whiskey barrels to age beer and then we fill those barrels with whiskey to get a special flavor profile."
He himself is an amateur and not a small whiskey collector who learned the secrets of making distillates in the USA and when he started toying with the idea of immigrating to Israel there were still no distilleries in the Holy Land. He placed the Brostillery in Pardes Hanna, which has become a prominent culinary and blah stronghold.
"We have not spared and invested in the most advanced and state-of-the-art equipment so that we end up with accurate and consistent results. Our cooking system is almost completely automatic which almost completely prevents the possibility of human error. Our location is wonderful and we enjoy and integrate here naturally - there is an amazing vibe of creativity among the population. "On the other hand, the character of the communities around us is very relaxed, and it is very appropriate for our positive outlook on reality and the desire to enjoy life in the best way possible - preferably with beer and good friends."
"At the end of the day we are all a big brother tribe, and beer is a drink that connects people even more. The idea was to connect the brewery with the modern interpretation of this concept - fraternity, extended family. 'Tribe' is basically a statement that we are all part of something bigger than us. It has recognition for every detail within it - in Israel there are many millennials who like to express their unique differences, the individuality, and we tried to express it in illustrations of unique characters on the labels, reflecting exceptional personality types within one large millennial tribe enjoying a delicious beer. "
Currently, they brew four regular beers alongside alternating limited editions, with the whiskey still dozing off in barrels and not for sale.
"We have no shortcuts. Every single malt we produce is aged in wood for at least three years before we release it to the market and of course in the end it will also go through various finishes in port, sherry, etc. barrels. I believe we can start marketing it by the end of the year."
Soon, he promises, the construction of the brewery's visitor center will be completed there, along with tours and visits.
Our choice - Double Book.
A new and extremely strong beer (8%), aged for nine months in barrels.
Medium brown color, rich aroma of coffee, and in the mouth - a real celebration.
Layers and layers of whiskey and wine flavors, sweet vanilla, butter, caramel and nuts alongside smoke and roasting.
Really something special.
(750 ml, 85 NIS - including a fancy opener)
The quality must be maintained
We continued south, and reached the Artists' Quarter of Arad, where there is a method brewery, by Jean Turgovitsky (40). As a geologist who worked in a chemistry lab, he had a bit of fun brewing beer at the guys 'house, and a surprising win for that beer in a cooks' contest about eight years ago earned him and his wife Neta plane tickets to the U.S. and thoughts of leaving the lab and opening his own brewery - "but it took me almost three years Take this step. I do not come from a field of business and I wanted first of all to understand who is against whom and how to build a business so that it will also benefit. Even today, my equipment allows me to cook about 200 liters at a time, which is considered a small amount even among the kraft breweries in the country - I just did not want to jump beyond our capabilities. I have no partners or investors and need to be calculated. We have a cute beer garden next to a brewery that is bustling on weekends and people come to us from all over the area. In Corona the place was closed of course and we worked on deliveries all over the country, holiday packages and takeaways from the place,But now that we have opened the place, I hope we can make people happy again. "
He chose Arad, he said, because he was looking for a location within a half-hour drive of Be'er Sheva, his place of residence, where he found "a great place, quiet and mostly accessible."
He drew his inspiration for the name of the beer from the Israeli desert, where the acacia species are common. "But there is a double meaning in this name - a method of method, that is, the systematic way we brew our beer, because being successful once is nice From this institution, you must maintain high quality over time. "
What sets your beer style apart?
Jean: "Among other things, we have smoked beer that is quite rare to find in the country, but hey - who said you even need something unique? Beer is a beer and the main thing is that it will be tasty and sage, and the guys will be bastards," he says with typical modesty.
Our choice - the IPA capital of the method stood out with a fresh aroma and delicious flavors of red grapefruit, pomegranate and green pear, with a lot of bitter and good freshness (5.8%), but do not give up a sip of the dark and rich stout reminiscent of chocolate and espresso milkshake flavors and also suitable for cool nights More. (330 ml, 13 NIS)