Beer in Israel
After the exile of the Jews to Babylonia in the sixth century BC, they began embracing beer and several rabbis became established brewers.
[2][3] In 1934–35 James Armand de Rothschild, identifying a demand for beer on the part of British nationals residing in Palestine, established the first local commercial brewery in partnership with Gaston Dreyfus, in Rishon LeZion.
By 1942 the brewery was compelled to enlarge its plant in order to meet increased demand, generated by both military and civilian consumers.
In 1980 a canned beer bearing a label indicating its origin as the National Brewery in Netanya was being sold in Egypt in spite of an Egyptian boycott of Israeli products.
beer, it proved more successful than Heineken and Tuborg and was consumed at premier bars in Cairo and other locations in Egypt, even as conservative religious Muslim leaders campaigned to ban the sale of alcoholic drinks in the country.
[10][11] After entering into a license agreement with Anheuser-Busch International in 1983 for production of the first American beer in Israel, the National Brewery began producing Budweiser in 1984.
[18] Israel Beer Breweries entered the market in 1991–92 as a partnership between Carlsberg Group and the local Coca-Cola company.
[21] Journalist Shai Cooper, along with brewer Gadi Deviri, founded the 'Israeli Beer Club' in 2002, unofficially uniting most of the homebrewers in Israel at the time.
[22][23][24][25] By the end of 2009 there were microbreweries operating from Dekel and Qiryat Gat in Israel's south; through Sal'it, Petah Tikva and Tel Aviv; up to Haifa, the Jezreel Valley, Ramot Naftali, and Yehi'am; and as far as Qatzrin in the Golan Heights.
Maccabee, a pilsner invented by brewmaster Menachem Berliner, was introduced in 1968 and competed with Goldstar for market share until the 1970s.
[30] The brews produced by the Dancing Camel microbrewery are adapted to accommodate Israel's palate which, according to founder David Cohen, eschews bitter flavors.
In 1937, in an effort to protect the local brewing industry from competition issuing from neighboring breweries in Syria and Lebanon, the British High Commissioner for Palestine ordered a tariff of 10 mils on each liter of imported beer.
[46] With a strong local economy the alcoholic drinks market in general is growing within Israel, with particular growth in beer sales.
[49] The move was opposed by Eli Yishai of the Shas party, who said it would have fatal repercussions vis-a-vis Israel's local boutique breweries.
[50] According to Ludwig Horlein of the Hartmannsdorf Brewery in Germany, with respect to ingredients there is no difference between kosher and non-kosher beer.
[52] But according to Israeli beer expert Gad Deviri, kosher certification is not a consideration for many observant Jews in Israel.
[54] It is also generally accepted that, as a beverage made with grains such as barley, beer is considered chametz and never kosher for Passover.
