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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.star-
k.com/kashrus/kk-thirst-highspirits.htm. Rabbi Akiva Niehaus of the CRC has
also 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.
Boston Beer Company There are currently three 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. As the Star-K now requires
download of the LOC, you will need to check their website to verify these brews.
Coney Island 1609 Amber Ale; Hard Ginger Ale; Hard Orange Cream Ale;
Hard Root Beer; Mermaid Pilsner; Overpass IPA.
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;
Downtime Pilsner; Dunkel Weizen; East-West Kolsch; Escape Route; Hallertau
Imperial Pilsner; Harvest Pumpkin Ale; Harvest Saison; Hazel Brown;
Hefeweizen; Holiday Porter; Honey Porter; Honey Queen; Hoppy Red; Imperial
Pilsner; Imperial Stout; Imperial White Ale; Irish Red Ale; Juniper IPA; Latitude
48; Little White Rye; Maple Pecan Porter; Mighty Oak Ale; Nitro Coffee Stout:
Nitro IPA; Nitro White Ale; Nobel Pils; Norse Legend; Octoberfest; Old Fezziwig;
Pale Ale; Porch Rocker; Pumpkin Batch; Rebel Cascade; Rebel Grapefruit IPA;
Rebel IPA; Rebel Raw IPA; Rebel Rider IPA; Rebel Rouser IPA; Rustic Saison;
Scotch Ale; Spring Ale; Summer Ale; Tasman Red; Tetravis; Verloren; Vixen;
Wee Heavy; White Ale; White Christmas; White Lantern Ale; Whitewater IPA;
Winter Lager.
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; Cranberry Orange Radler (draft only); Dark
Truth Ale; Double Wide IPA; Dry Stout; Early Riser; Frequent Flier IPA; Funky
Pumpkin; Funkier Pumpkin; Ginger Lemon Radler (draft only); Hibiscus Gose;
Grainstorm Black Rye IPA; Heavy Lifting IPA (draft only); Imperial Stout; Irish
Ale; KC Pils; 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; Simcoe Harvest IPA; Sixth Glass; Spring Belle Saison; Tank 7
Farmhouse Ale; The Calling IPA; 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.
***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; Insulated Lager; Lager; Monster Ale; Oktoberfest; Pennant Ale;
Pilsner; Summer Ale; Weiss Beer; Winter 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.
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Angry Dragon Pre Prohibition Lager; Armageddon Grand Cru; Bill's Witbier;
Bishop Bob's Holy Smoke; Breath of Dragon English Bitter; Broken Paddle;
Bronze Griffin; Castlebrite Apricot Wheat; Coffee Beer; CopperShield Bitter
Harvest; Corktown Red; Crooked Door Amber Ale; Crown Jewels IPA; Crusader
Dark Mild Ale; Dark Heathen Trippel Bock; Dark Knight IPA; Dead Monk; Devil's
Knight Pumpkin Ale; Dragonslayer Altbier; Dubbel Dragon; Earl Spit Stout; Erik
the Red; Excalibur Barley Wine; Faceman IPA; Final Absolution; Guinevere's
Golden Belgian; Honey Porter; Hopus Dei; Inquisition IPA; Jason's IPA; Jul l;
Juggenaut; K2 Strawberry Blonde; Kaiser's Klsch; Killer Bee; Lancelot's Cream
Ale; Larry's Lionheart; London Brown; Mariann's Honey Brown; Nagelweiss
Wheat Beer; 90 Shilling Ale; Oatmeal Stout; Oktoberfest; Raspberry WitBier;
Redwing Raspberry Wheat; Reverend Fred's Oatmeal Stout; Russian Imperial
Stout; Sin Eater; Sir William's Extra Special Bitter; Squire Pilsen; St. Nicole's
Weizenbock; 6Ts Dortmunder; 60 Shilling Ale; Tuhelles Endbock; Under the
Kilt Wee Heavy; Woody's Porter.
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Flying Bison this Buffalo, NY based brewery bottles its beer at the FX Matt
plant in Utica, NY. The following Flying Bison beers are certified kosher by the
Vaad of Detroit:
Aviator Red; Bison Berry; Bison Warmer; Bisonfest; Blizzard Bock; Buffalo
IPA; Buffalo Lager; Kolsch; Private Stache Spot Coffee; Rusty Chain.
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Gordon Biersch - the following beers are certified kosher by the Va'ad of Detroit:
Blonde Bock; Czech Style Pilsner; Dunkles; Festbier; Ginger People Ginger
Beer; Golden Export; Gordon Biersch Cider; Henry Hotspurs Hard Pressed
Cider; Henry Hotspurs Hard Pressed Ginger Cider; Hefeweizen; Imperial Pilsner
Brau; Lemon Shandy; Mailbock; Marzen; SommerBrau; Weizen Eisbock;
Wildcide Cider; WinterBock; Zwickel Bock; Zwickel Pils.
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Blueberry Ale; Cloudburst India White Ale; Four Way Fruit Ale; King Heffy;
Whitecap Wheat Ale.
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B. Limey Key Lime Pale Ale; Batch 074 IPA; Berryd; Big Punisher; Caf
Cavorka; Carrot Cake Conspiracy-*D; Christophs Waltz; Cucumber Saison;
Desserted Chocolate Coconut Porter-*D; Dew Right; Dusk Till Dawn - Espresso
Imperial Stout-*D; Enlightened; Ephemeral; Feed the Monkey; Forbidden;
Gnarles Barkley; Into the Dark; Kavorka; Lemon Dropd; Made Wit Basil; New
England IPA; 19th Tea; Poor Righteous IPA; Ryemin & Stealin; Smoke on the
Port; Smoke on the Waterfront; Smokehouse 54 Amber Ale; Southern Cross;
Summer Citrus; Tamarin Oud Bruin; The Infinite; Van Dammit; Welcome to
Scoville; White Russian-Coffee Cream Ale -*D.
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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.
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; Signature Kolsch; 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. As the Star-K now requires download of the LOC, you will need to check
their website to verify these brews.
Bridge Burner Ale; Cherry Lager; East Side Dark Lager; Fixed Gear American
Red Ale; Fuel Coffee Stout; Growing Power Farmhouse Style Pale Ale; Hop
Jockey Double IPA; IPA India Pale Ale; Klisch Pilsner; New Grist Beer; New Grist
Ginger Style Ale; Oktoberfest; Organic Barleywine; Pumpkin Lager; Rendezvous
Ale; Riverwest Stein; SMASH Series; Snake Chaser Stout; Warm Front Extra
Pale Ale; White Beer.
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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.
Lake Placid: Big Slide; Golden Ubu Ale; Ubu; White Pine; White Pine IPA.
***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.
Leikam Front Line Pale Ale; Grateful Red; Hey Porter; Janis Hoplin IPA;
Mob Barley Stout.
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Stegmaier Gold Medal Beer; High Dive; IPA; Liebotschaner Cream Ale; Pale
Ale; Porter; Pumpkin Ale.
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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:
Big Eddy: Baltic Porter; Cherry Doppleschwarz; 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; Cinnamon Horchata 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; White India Pale Ale; Winter
Abbey Ale.
Crispin: Blackberry Hard Apple Cider; Bohemian Hard Apple Cider; Honey
Crispin Hard Apple Cider; Lion Belge Hard Apple Cider; Original Hard Apple
Cider; Pac Pear Hard Apple Cider; Prickly Pear Hard Apple Cider; Saint Hard
Apple Cider.
Henry Weinhards: Hard Black Cherry Soda; Hard Ginger Ale; Hard Orange
Soda; Hard Root Beer.
Leinenkugel: 1888 Bock; Amber Classic Ale; Berry Weiss Ale; Big Butt
Dopplebock; Canoe Paddler; Classic Lager; Cranberry Ginger Shandy; Creamy
Dark; Fireside Nut Brown Ale; Ginger Shandy; Grapefruit Shandy; Harvest Patch
Shandy; Helles Yeah; Honey Weiss Ale; Hoppin Helles; Imperial Russian Stout;
Indiana Pale Lager; Lemon Berry Shandy; Oktoberfest; Old Fashioned Shandy;
Original; Orange Shandy; Red Lager; Snowdrift Vanilla Porter; Summer Shandy
Ale; Sunset Wheat Ale.
Miller: Chill (Chelada) Beer; Genuine Draft (MGD); Fortune; Miller Genuine Draft
Light; MGD64; MGD 64 Lemonade; Miller High Life; Miller Lite and Miller Lite Ice.
Redds: Apple Ale; Apple Ale Iced Tea; Blueberry Ale; Cranberry Ale; Ginger
Apple Ale; Green Apple Ale; Strawberry Apple Ale; Wicked Apple; Wicked Black
Cherry; Wicked Mango.
Smith & Forge: Hard Apple Cider; Hard Cider Tennessee Barrel.
Monday Night Brewing This Atlanta, Georgia based brewery recently became
certified kosher by the Atlanta Kashruth Commission. The following beers are
certified kosher.
Monday Night Brewing Blind Pirate, Drafty Kilt; Eye Patch Ale; Fu Manbrew;
Nerd Alert; Slap Fight.
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New Belgium - only select beers produced by the New Belgium Brewing
Company are certified kosher under the LOC which I received from the Scroll-K:
President's Choice - PC is the private label brand for the Canadian supermarket
chain called Loblaws. The following PC beers are listed as are approved by the
COR on their website:
Choice 2.5; Dry; Genuine Draft; Genuine Lager; Honey Red; Light; Low Carb 2.5;
Pilsener; Wheat.
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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; Berliner Weiss; Birthday Beer; Black Lager; Bock; Brewers
Pride; Cold Brewed Coffee Ale; Commemorator; Czech Pilsner; Dopplebock;
Dortmunder; Double Wheat; Dunkelweizen; Farmhouse Ale; Golden Ale;
Haymaker; Hefeweizen; Helles Lager; Holiday Cheer; Homespun Cream Ale;
Honey Wheat; Hoppy Pils; Kolsch; Kosmos Reserve; Light; Light Blonde;
Marzen; Oktoberfest; Old Time Alt Beer; Premium; Prickly Pear; Ruby Redbird;
Ryes and Shine; Smoehaus; Strawberry Blonde; Summer Stock; Texas
Warmer; White Wing; Wicked Ram; Wild Hare Pale Ale; Winter Ale.
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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.
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INTERNATIONAL BEERS
Arthur Guinness & Sons (Certified by the KF as to the St. James Gate, Dublin,
Ireland plant only LOC expires April 1, 2018): Guinness; Kilkenny; Sapporo;
Smithwicks.
Birra Peroni (Certified by the KF as to the Pasova, Italy plant LOC expires
February 1, 2017): Nastro Azzuro; Peroni.
Kosher Australia
81 Balaclava Road
Caufield 3161
Australia
www.kosher.org.au
KosherCheck
Suite 401-1037 Broadway W,
Vancouver, BC V6H 1E3,
Canada
604-731-1803
www.koshercheck.org
OK Laboratories
391 Troy Avenue,
Brooklyn, NY 11213
(718) 756-7800
www.ok.org
Oregon Kosher:
6698 SW Capitol HWY
Portland, OR 97219
(503) 343-3497
Email: info@oregonkosher.org
Orthodox Union
11 Broadway
New York, NY 10004
(212) 613-8241
www.ou.org
Star-K
122 Slade Ave. #300
Baltimore, MD 21208
(410)484-4110
www.star-k.org