By Harley Zipori. Well the Beer Exhibition in Tel Aviv came and the Beer Exhibition in Tel Avi went.
I did hear it got some coverage in the local press. People mentioned to me that they had seen bits on TV. I don’t take in much TV or radio news so I guess I missed it. There is a fairly nice story on the Maariv/NRG site that gives a nice overview, albeit in Hebrew. In that video story they talk with Shahar Hertz, one of the fixtures in the boutique Israel beer community for a number of years and one of the organizers of the exhibition. They also talk with Ori Sagi, the founder of the Alexander Brewery.
I would like to say that this year was bigger and better than ever, that it was truly amazing and that I couldn’t get over the variety and quality of the local beers.
Well it was big. The space at the Nokia Stadium (what we old timers remember as Yad Eliahu Stadium after the neighborhood) is quite large. It is the corridor that runs completely around the stadium and is quite wide so there is enough space to set up booths on the inner side, tables on the outer side with a view through the windows and still have room for crowds of people to pass. It also means that you you find yourself going in circles. This was probably pretty confusing to those who were tasting beer at every booth they passed by and then ended up at the place they had their first beer.
I made several circumnavigations stopping to taste the more interesting beers or the newest breweries. As is usual for these events, I kept on running into people I know. I mean really, we all show up at the same events. But I did meet a few new people and talked to some that I only briefly met before.
I have to admit that I was impressed with the number of smaller brewers, particularly home brewers, who are attempting to get noticed.
Here is a list of some of the beers I tasted:
- Pavo Wheat Beer
- Bazelet Amber Ale (Golan Brewery)
- Alexander Green India Pale Ale
- Hadubim Special India Pale Ale
- Papo Scottish Ale
- Salara Pale Ale
- Salara Dark Bitter
- Lone Tree Steam Ale
- Keller Pale Ale
- Ronen’s Ugly Indian (India Pale Ale)
- Shibolet Berliner Weiss
- Shibolet Oatmeal Stout
- Ahuzat Bayit Wheat
- Pavo Pale Ale
- Isis Brown Ale with Shiba (a local herb)
- Isis Stout
- Shapira Jacks Winter Ale (aged with wood from Jack Daniels aging casks)
- Krombacher Weizen
For those busybodies here are the answers to your nosy questions:
- Each taste was between 20 and 30 ml (you do the math if you like).
- No, that list is not complete; there were a few I forgot at the time to mark down.
- No, not just the last ones.
- No, I didn’t drive home.
- Yes, I felt pretty good toward the end.
- No I will not comment on the specific beers. I leave ratings and criticism to others.
- And no, I didn’t have another beer for several days after that.
While I won’t comment on specific beers, here are my general impressions.
- Some of the beers were truly excellent.
- Some of the beers weren’t really good at all.
- I tried to stick to the basics: pale ales and wheat beers, so comparison would be easier.
- There are a lot of me-too beers. For example Pale Ales without much distinction to separate them from the crowd.
One highlight was that Martin Gohler, CEO of Best Matz, a German Malt producer, was at a booth set up by the importer. He was nice enough to spend a few minutes chatting with me about boutique beers and the craft beer business in general. Quality ingredients are critically important to any craft beer brewer, either at home or commercially. I may be fooling myself but I believe Martin’s presence at this event, signals that Israel is recognized as a potential serious market for quality beers, and hence quality beer ingredients.
After all, the boutique beer business is, well a business. I can assure you that no one brewing beer in a licensed brewery in Israel and selling it to pubs, bars, restaurants and stores is doing it without the love of beer and dedication to producing a quality product for people to drink and enjoy. On the other hand, I don’t know of any brewery run by someone so rich that they don’t care if he doesn’t make a single shekel off his brewery.
Those people who have staked their livelihood on their breweries, and I personally know a few, have to run it like a business, not a hobby. They have to make it work financially because they just can’t keep operating at a loss forever. That means they have to sell their beer. They can do it in their own pubs or restaurants, or through other food establishments or stores. And that means that the general public, at least those that get to pubs, bars, restaurants and who buy beer to drink at home, have to buy these boutique beers, drink them and come back for more.
And there lies the challenge. Especially the last part. It may be a novelty now. People may say “hey, that really cool, a really good tasting Israeli beer” but they have to want to put down the money over and over again for these beers.
Don’t look at me, I never said it was simple.
If you have anything to add or complain about to me, just drop me a mail at maof.beer@gmail.com.
