Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2015/5775 EDITION
Last Updated: March 8, 2015
www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com
As a service to the community, Kosher Beers publishes a list of the beers which I
know to be kosher certified, on a semi-annual basis. The lists are published on
Labor Day and again prior to Purim.
Please note that there is no mitzvah to get stone drunk on Purim. The mitzvah is
"ad d'lo yadah" which can even be accomplished through sleep (since while one
is sleeping they do not know the difference between Haman and Mordechai).
Furthermore, if you have been drinking on Purim (or any other day) please do not
get behind the wheel of a car. Purim is a day of simcha and should never be
marred by the tragedy of DWI
For those who do utilize alcohol responsibly as part of their seudah, the following
is a brief guide to beer.
Does beer require a hashgacha? The major kashruth organizations utilize the
chazakah that unflavored beer does not require a hashgacha as unflavored
beers are made only from four ingredients: malted barley, hops, water and yeast.
Please note that the Star-K has limited this application to beers from the USA,
Canada, Belgium, England, Germany, Mexico and the Netherlands. The CRC
continues to apply the chazakah without geographic limitation, but has also
indicated that beer known to be produced at microbreweries, pub breweries, or
craft breweries requires certification. The CRC publishes a kosher alcohol list
which includes beers not kosher certified but deemed acceptable to the CRC
based upon chazakah which can be found here - www.crcweb.org/LiquorList.pdf.
For a great article by Rabbi Tzvi Rosen of the Star-K on kashruth in alcohol,
including an in depth analysis of beer production, click here - http://www.stark.com/kashrus/kk-thirst-highspirits.htm. Recently, Rabbi Akiva Niehaus of the
CRC published an article which reviewed the history of beer making along with a
view on modern kashruth issues related to beer production. The article can be
found here - http://www.crcweb.org/kosher_articles/Beer.php.
Additionally, for those trying to make sense of the different styles of beer which
can be found in your local beer store - please click here for the Beer Advocate
beer style list which breaks down the beers both by their type and country of
origin-http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style.
Assuming that you are looking for a beer with a hashgacha, I have compiled a list
of beers along with their certifying agency. Contact information for each agency
follows at the bottom of this document.
The list below is not meant to be exhaustive as it only reflects the results of my
individual research. Beers which have been added since the Labor Day
Edition are in bold. Finally, to my friends, I have not tried every beer on this
kosher beer list and merely because I list them here does not mean I recommend
them for your consumption. If you find a beer which looks interesting to you,
please feel free to search the archive on the kosherbeers site to see if I have
reviewed it.
NORTH AMERICAN BREWERIES
Boston Beer Company There are currently two brands of beer produced by
the Boston Beer Company which are under hashgacha. As per the Star-K, the
following varieties are kosher even without a certification on the label. Please
note that not every variety is on this approved list. To see the Star-K LOC, please
click: http://www.star-k.org/loc/LetterOfCertification_PEFQZ4N3.pdf
Samuel Adams - Alpine Spring; Belgian Session; Black & Brew; Black Lager;
Blackberry Wit Beer; Blueberry Hill Lager; Bonfire Rauchbier; Boston Ale; Boston
Lager; Brown Ale; Cherry Wheat; Cinder Bock; Coastal Wheat; Cold Snap;
Cranberry Lambic; Cream Stout; Dark Depths; Double Agent; Double Bock;
Dunkel Weizen; East-West Kolsch; Escape Route; Hallertau Imperial Pilsner;
Harvest Pumpkin Ale; Harvest Saison; Hazel Brown; Hefeweizen; Holiday
Porter; Honey Porter; Honey Queen; Imperial Pilsner; Imperial Stout; Imperial
White Ale; Irish Red Ale; Juniper IPA; Latitude 48; Little White Rye; Maple Pecan
Porter; Mighty Oak Ale; Nobel Pils; Norse Legend; Octoberfest; Old Fezziwig;
Pale Ale; Porch Rocker; Rustic Saison; Spring Ale; Summer Ale; Tasman Red;
Tetravis; Verloren; Vixen; Wee Heavy; White Ale; White Christmas; White Lantern
Ale; Whitewater IPA; Winter Lager.
Traveler Beer Company Curious Traveler; Forbidden Traveler; Illusive
Traveler; Jacko Traveler; Jolly Traveler; Time Traveler.
--------Boulevard Brewing Company This Kansas City, Missouri based brewery
began producing kosher certified beer last year. Although not every variety of
beer produced at Boulevard is certified kosher, the December 31, 2014 LOC lists
the following products as certified kosher by the Vaad of Kansas City:
80 Acre Hoppy Wheat Beer; Amber Ale; Bobs 47 Oktoberfest; Boss Toms
Golden Bock; Boulevard Pilsner; Bourbon Barrel Quad; Bully! Porter; Chocolate
Ale; Coffee Ale; Collaboration #4; Dark Truth Ale; Double Wide IPA; Dry Stout;
Grainstorm Black Rye IPA; Gose; Imperial Stout; Irish Ale; Lemon Ginger
Radler; Long Strange Tripel; Love Child #2; Love Child #3; Nommo Dubbel;
Nutcracker Ale; Pale Ale; Reverb Imperial Pilsner; Rye on Rye; Saison-Brett;
Single Wide IPA; Sixth Glass; Spring Belle Saison; Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale; The
Calling IPA; Two Jokers Double-Wit; Unfiltered Wheat Beer; ZON Belgian-Style
Witbier.
-------Brick Brewery - This Canadian Brewery only sells its fine products mostly in
Ontario. However, should you be lucky enough to find some where you are
located, the following varieties are approved by the COR.
Brick: Amber Dry; Anniversary Bock; Premium.
Conners: Best Bitter.
Formosa Springs: Draft; Light.
Laker: Honey; Ice; Premium Lager; Premium Light; Red; Strong.
Red Baron: Blonde Lager; Light; Lime.
Red Cap: Red Cap.
Waterloo: Dark Lager, Wheat.
--------Brooklyn Brewery - This beer company brews in multiple locations including
Brooklyn, New York and Utica, New York. The following beers which are brewed
in Utica and sold in 12 oz bottles are certified kosher by the Va'ad of Detroit.
***Please note that Brooklyn has begun brewing 12oz bottled products in the
Brooklyn plant. Ironically, no beer brewed by Brooklyn in their Brooklyn plant
(including
all
the
oversized
bottles)
is
certified
kosher.
Brooklyn: American Ale; Black Chocolate Stout; Brown Ale; Dry Irish Stout;
East India Pale Ale; Lager; Monster Ale; Oktoberfest; Pennant Ale; Pilsner;
Summer Ale; Weiss Beer; Winter Ale.
Post Road: Pumpkin Ale.
--------Compania Cervecera Del Tropico S.A. de CV: The following beers are made in
Mexico and certified kosher by the OK Laboratories:
Corona Cerveza; Corona Extra; Corona Light; Coronita Cerveza; Coronita Extra;
Leon; Modelo Especial; Modelo Light; Montejo; Negro Modelo Beer; Pacifico
Clara; Victoria.
--------
Maryland, they naturally sought out and received certification from the Star-K.
The following Jailbreak beers are certified kosher:
B. Limey Key Lime Pale Ale; Batch 074 IPA; Berryd; Big Punisher;
Cucumber Saison; Enlightened; Feed the Monkey; Forbidden; Gnarles
Barkley; Into the Dark; Kavorka; Made Wit Basil; Ryemin & Stealin; The
Infinite; Welcome to Scoville.
--------Josephs Brau JB is one of the trade names that Trader Joes uses for its store
brand beers. Please note that not every Trader Joes store brand beer is certified
kosher, however those which are certified kosher have a Vaad of Detroit logo on
the front or back label. The following beers are certified kosher by the Va'ad of
Detroit.
Black Toad; Bohemian Lager; Dunkelweizen; Hefeweizen; Heller Bock; Hofrau
Bock; Hopfest; Oktoberfest; Plznr; Prost; Stockyard Oatmeal Stout, Summer
Brew; Vienna Style Lager; Winterbrew.
--------Kirkland - the following beers which are sold at Costco under their Kirkland
house brand are certified kosher by the Va'ad of Detroit.
Kirkland Signature Amber Ale; Signature Belgian Style White; Signature German
Lager; Signature India Pale Ale and Signature Pale Ale.
---------Lakefront Brewery - also certified by the Star-K. Unlike most kosher certified
Samuel Adams products, the Lakefront Brewery beers do have a Star-K on the
label. The following varieties are found on the Star- K LOC which can be viewed
here - http://www.star-k.org/loc/LetterOfCertification_SVFSBFDE.pdf.
Big Easy Lager; Bock Dark Lager; Bridge Burner Ale; Cherry Lager; Cream City
Pale Ale; East Side Dark Lager; Fixed Gear American Red Ale; Fuel Coffee
Stout; Holiday Spice Lager; Klisch Pilsner; New Grist Beer; Oktoberfest; Organic
Barleywine; Organic ESB; Pumpkin Lager; Rendezvous Ale; Riverwest Stein;
Snake Chaser Stout; White Beer.
---------FX Matt Brewing - this company brews many different brands of beer at its
Utica, NY factory. All beers produced at FX Matt (in addition to their sodas and
juices) in Utica are certified kosher by the Va'ad of Detroit.
Saranac: 4059 Porter; Adirondack Lager; Amber Wheat; Belgian Ale; Belgian
Pale Ale; Belgian White; Black Bear Bock; Black Forest; Black Lager; Black &
Tan; Bock; Brown Ale; Caramel Porter; Chocolate Amber; Dry Hop Lager;
Dunkel; ESB; Ginger Beer; Golden Pilsner; Harvest Ale; Hefewiezen; Helles;
Imperial Stout; India Pale Ale; Irish Red Ale; Irish Stout; Kolsch; Legacy IPA;
Light; Maple Porter; Marzenbier; Mocha Stout; Mountain Ale; Nut Brown Ale;
Oatmeal Stout; Oktoberfest; Pale Ale; Pale Pale Ale; Pomegranate Wheat;
Pumpkin Ale; Rauchbier; Red IPA; Roggen Bock; Rye IPA; Rye Pale Ale; Rye
Pilsner; Season's Best; Scotch Ale; Session Ale; Session IPA; Single Malt; Stout;
Summer Ale; Summer Brew; Traditional Lager; White IPA; Winter Wassail; Winter
Lager.
***Please note that some Saranac High Peaks series beers may be brewed in
another plant which does not have kosher certification. Please check the label
before purchasing Saranac High Peaks beers as only those bottles bearing the
certification mark of the Vaad of Detroit are certified kosher. The Saranac High
Peaks Chocolate Orange is brewed at Harpoon in Boston and not in Utica, NY
and is not certified kosher by the Vaad of Detroit.
Utica Club : Light, Pilsner.
----------Lion Brewery This brewery is located in the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area of
Northeast Pennsylvania and produces beers which are reasonably priced and
can be found in select markets outside of Pennsylvania.
Lion Lionshead Lager; Lionshead Light.
Stegmaier Gold Medal Beer; High Dive; IPA; Liebotschaner Cream Ale; Pale
Ale; Porter; Pumpkin Ale.
-----------Minhas Brewery This Wisconsin based brewery has recently been certified
kosher by the CRC. I am unfamiliar with the brewery, but the list of kosher
certified beers listed on the CRC website is quite impressive.
1845 Pils; American IPA; Axehad; Bad Hare Amber; Bad Hare Chocolate Stout;
Bad Hare Double IPA; Bad Hare Hefweizen; Bad Hare Strong Ale; Bad Hare
Traditional IPA; Bad Hare Winter Bock; Big Hurt; Big Kat Ice; Bily Rock; Blue
Diamond; Boatswain American IPA; Boatswain Chocolate Stout; Boatswain
Double IPA; Boatswain HLV; Boxer; Boxer Gluten Free; Boxer Light; BrewSA;
Catch Lager; Chick; Chocolate Bunny; Chocolate Stout; Classic Pilsner; Clear
Creek; Crow; Dead Presidents; Dempsey Ale; Dixie Blackened Voodoo; Dixie
Larger; Dixie Light; Doe Pee; Dolce Vita; Dutch Nation; Egotistical Jerk; Evans
Black Lager; Evans Lager; Evans Light; Fat Cap IPA; Fat Cat; Fat Cat Brown Ale;
Fat Cat Pale Ale; Fat Cat Wheat; Fighting Billy Bock; Fire Brewed Red Ale; FourO; Four-O Ice; Gemutlichkeit; Ghost Pale Ale; Gluten Free; Gnarly Oak
Chocolate Stout; Gnarly Oak Winter Bock; Good Times Ice; Good Times Lager;
Good Times Wheat; Guam 1; Hammer; Haus Dark; Haus Lager; Haus Red;
Hiland Lager; Hiland Light; Hiland Reserve; Hopthesis Drafty Window; Hopthesis
IPA; Huber; Huber Bock; Huber Light; Imperial IPA; Imperial Jack; Jack`s
American Lager; Jaguar; Jaguar Ice; KickAxe; Lakeshore Creek; Lazy Mutt; Lazy
Mutt Belgian White Ale; Lazy Mutt Hefweizen; Lazy Mutt Shandy; Lazy Mutt
SoCal IPA; McCain; Minhas Blonde; Minhas Bock; Minhas Light 75; Minhas Light
Lime; Minhas OktoberFest; Minhas Pale Ale; Minhas Pilsner; Minhas Red Ale; Mt
Creek; Mt Crest; Mt Crest Blonde; Mt Crest Gold; Mucho Aloha; Mystical Jack;
Traditional Ale; Name Tag; NGB; Palmia; Pecatonica Oktoberfst; Perfect 10; Rani
Lager; Red Tag; Regal Brau; Regal Brau Ice; Regal Brau Light; Rhinelander;
Rhinelander Light; Rockhead; Route 6; Shergil Pale; Shorebreak IPA;
Shorebreak Pale Ale; Shot Eye; Shot Eye Light; Silver Lager; Simpler Times
Lager; Simpler Times Pilsner; Strong Ale; Swiss Amber; Tailgate Blonde; Tailgate
IPA; Thumper American IPA; Thunderbolt; Tonka Big Island Shandy; Tonka
Legacy Lager; Triple 7; Triple IPA; Underworld American IPA; Underworld
Chocolate Stout; Underworld Imperial IPA; Underworld Strong Ale; Uptown Girl;
Water Street Oktoberfst; Weisgerber; WI Club.
MillerCoors Following the merger of SAB Miller and MolsonCoors, many of the
Miller family beers became kosher certified by the Orthodox Union. Prior to the
merger, most (if not all) Coors products had been kosher certified by the OU and
bore the OU on their labels. Not all SAB Miller beers bear the OU on their labels,
but according to the LOC I received from the OU, the following beers are certified
kosher:
800: Ice Beer.
Aspen Edge: Edge.
Big Eddy: Baltic Porter; Imperial IPA; Royal Nektar; Ryewine Ale; Russian
Imperial Stout; Uber Oktoberfest; Wee Heavy Scotch Ale.
Blue Moon: Agave Blonde Ale; Belgian Style Pale Ale; Belgian White Ale;
Blackberry Tart Ale; Caramel Apple Spiced Ale; Crimson Crossing; Gingerbread
Spiced Ale; Golden Knot; Grand Cru; Grape Scott; Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale;
Mountain Abbey Ale; Peanut Butter Ale; Pine In The Neck Ale; Rounder Belgian
Style Pale Ale; Short Straw Farmhouse Style Ale; Spiced Amber Ale; Spring
Blonde Wheat Ale; Summer Honey Wheat Ale; Tongue Thai-ed; Valencia Amber
Ale; Vinely Stomped; Winter Abbey Ale.
Coors: Banquet Beer; Edge; Golden Ale; Light; Winterfest.
Hamms: 3.2% Beer, Genuine Draft Beer; Special Light Beer.
Herman Josephs: Private Reserve Beer.
-----------Spoetzel Brewery - This small town Texas brewery has a cult like following
among those who have tried its product. The following beers (brewed under the
trade name Shiner) are certified kosher by the Vaad of Detroit.
Bavarian Amber; Birthday Beer; Bock; Bohemian Black Lager; Brewers Pride;
Commemorator; Czech Pilsner; Dopplebock; Dortmunder; Double Wheat;
Dunkelweizen; Farmhouse Ale; Hefeweizen; Helles Lager; Holiday Cheer; Honey
Wheat; Kolsch; Kosmos Reserve; Light; Light Blonde; Marzen; Oktoberfest; Old
Time Alt Beer; Premium; Prickly Pear; Ruby Redbird; Ryes and Shine;
Smoehaus; White Wing; Wild Hare Pale Ale; Winter Ale.
-----------Uinta Brewery Pronounced Ween-ta, this Utah brewery became certified by
the Orthodox Union recently and the beers carry the OU on their labels.
Surprisingly, many New York area beer stores carry Uinta and it is becoming
more readily available in many outlets across the country. The following beers
were listed on the LOC which I received from the OU.
Anglers Pale Ale; Anniversary Barley Wine; Baba Black Lager; Blue Sky Pilsner;
Bristlecone Brown Ale; Cutthroat Pale Ale; Dubhe Imperial Black IPA; Gelande
Amber Lager; Golden Spike Hefeweizen; Hazel Amber Wheat Ale; Hive Honey
Stung Ale; HooDoo Kolsch Style Ale; Hop Notch IPA; Kings Peak Porter;
Monkshine Belgian Style Ale; Punkn Harvest Ale; Skipping Stone Summer
Lager; Solstice Kosch Style Ale; Sumr Organic Summer Ale; Trader Indian Pale
Ale; Wyld Organic Extra Pale Ale; Yard Sale Winter Lager.
------------INTERNATIONAL BEERS
The following beers are certified kosher by various international hashgachos. I
have provided links to the respective websites where available so that the
consumer can verify the beers listed herein. For agencies who have sent me
LOCs such as the KF (the Federation of Synagogues based in London), I have
provided the information contained in the letters which limits the certification by
time and in certain instances, to the specific plant which certifies the beer.
AB InBev (Certified by the KF as to the Leuven, Belgium plant
expires April 1, 2015): Belle Vue Kriek; Belle Vue Extra Kriek
Forbidden Fruit; Hoegaarden Grand Cru; Hoegaarden Rosee;
White; Leffe Blond; Leffe Brown; Leffe Radieuse; Leffe Rousse;
Beer; Leffe Royal; Leffe Vielle Cuvee; Leffe Triple; Stella Artois.
only LOC
Hoegaarden
Hoegaarden
Leffe Ruby
www.ok.org
Orthodox Union
11 Broadway
New York, NY 10004
(212) 613-8241
www.ou.org
Scroll K Vaad Hakashrus of Denver
1350 Vrain Street
Denver, CO 80204
(303)595-9349
www.scrollk.org
Star-K
122 Slade Ave. #300
Baltimore, MD 21208
(410)484-4110
www.star-k.org
Vaad HaKashruth of Kansas City
9900 Antioch
Overland Park, Kansas 66212
(913) 235-6077
www.vaadkc.org
Any questions feel free to email me at kosherlawny@gmail.com