Kosher beer is made with ingredients and techniques that follow Jewish dietary laws. Most beers are automatically classified as kosher, but some require special certification. Only certain animal products can be used, and beers with chametz cannot be consumed during Passover. Kosher beer is consumed in larger quantities during the Jewish holiday of Purim.
Kosher beer is a form of alcoholic beverage made with techniques and ingredients that do not break the rules and regulations regarding the types of food that may be consumed by followers of the Jewish faith. Most beers made using traditional brewing techniques and simple ingredients, such as water, barley, yeast, and hops, are automatically classified as kosher. The Hebrew word kosher means in form or proper; according to Jewish law, only foods and drinks declared pure by the rabbis may be consumed.
Most of the beers are declared kosher and do not require special certification to prove it because the drink is made exclusively from grains and natural ingredients that do not break any rules set out in Jewish rules. Beers from producers around the world that provide detailed information on the brewing process and ingredients are usually declared kosher. Brands that do not provide information about ingredients and brewing processes are required to provide information before they can demonstrate a special certificate declaring the brand a kosher beer.
Beer is created using a fermentation process that turns starch from grains, such as barley, into sugars that turn into alcohol. Kosher beers usually only add hops to flavor the alcohol; artificial flavors and naturally flavored or spiced beers may contain ingredients that are not kosher and are therefore not classified. Grains added to beer and any other food or drink in their natural state are known as parve or neutral; all parve products, including barley, are automatically classified as kosher.
Foods that contain certain types of grains, fruits, and vegetables are known as chametz or leavened foods; while they may be kosher, these foods may not be eaten during the religious holiday of Passover. Therefore, any kosher beer containing large quantities of barley, which is a chametz product, cannot be possessed or consumed during Passover by followers of the Jewish faith. Chametz declared kosher beer may not be consumed after Passover if it was owned by a Jew during Passover.
Beverages made from animal products are not kosher beers; for example, gelatin is an animal product often used in European beers as a clarifier to remove particles from the liquid during the brewing process. To be declared kosher, only meat and derivatives of animals with split hooves that chew their breeding can be used. Isinglass is a clarifier originating in the UK which is used to filter particles from beer. This product is made from the fins of tropical fish and has been declared kosher.
During the Jewish holiday of Purim, kosher beer and wine are consumed in larger quantities than normal to celebrate the liberation of the Jews from the Persian king. Followers of the Jewish faith are encouraged to drink more than normal to celebrate the escape from Persia, where drunken parties were held to keep the Jewish people in the country. Kosher beer is consumed during the festival to remind people to celebrate the holiday in good spirits and humor.
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