Sunday Night Suds - Red Baron Blonde Lager

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at the Brick Brewery's Red Baron Blonde Lager.

Regular readers of this page will note that I rarely review beer in cans. There are two basic reasons. I usually prefer bottles because they do not create shabbos issues (yes, I know that there are some poskim who permit beverage cans to be opened on shabbos, but my posek is not of that opinion). The second problem was more an issue of perception - that anything which had previously been in contact with metal would be negatively influenced by the contact.

My belief as a to metal begins with something I learned from my wife's side of the family. The Heineken man has always used non metallic kiddush cups (glass, ceramic, etc.) because he believes that once the wine has been in touch with metal it picks up the taste of metal. I shared this with my parents and now my father (once he finishes making kiddush) pours the wine out of the kiddush cup into a glass cup and everyone drinks from a glass or plastic cup.

Naturally, I assumed that the same would be true of beer. After all, every time that I drank a Bud from a can (youthful dalliances, I can assure you) the beer tasted of metal.

During Sarah and my recent trip to the Saranac brewery, I learned that the metal can does not impact on the beer. Part of the excellent 12 Beers of Winter program included a guided tour of the brewery with one of the owners. When Sarah & I went on our tour with Nick Matt, he mentioned that they would soon be producing cans of Saranac on a line which had been built after last year's fire. I then asked - but doesn't that take a great beer and give it a metallic flavor? I was assured that the cans are prepared in a fashion that the beer would not react with the metal.

This brings us to Brick's Red Baron Blonde Lager. I can assure you that although the beer was poured out of a can, it does not have a metallic flavor. However, not only does it not taste like metal, it does not really taste like anything. The beer poured a pale yellow, so pale that it might be lighter in color than a chardonnay. The beer claims to be 4.8% abv, but I am not sure that an entire six pack of the lager would have that much alcohol. Yes, I know that its a Blonde Lager and therefore its not supposed to be hoppy, but there are quadriplegic rabbits with more hop than this beer.

Red Baron Blonde Lager is under the Kosher Supervision of the Kashruth Council of Canada. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Red Baron Blonde Lager, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/416/1221.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Mikeitz

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand in his shiur this evening. I have attempted to reproduce this vort to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

In Mikeitz 42:1-2, the Torah tells of Ya'akov's observation that there is food in Egypt and his question to his sons as to why they are making themselves conspicuous (Lama Tisraoo) - they should go down to Egypt and obtain provisions. Rashi comments that Ya'akov and his family had food at the time, however, Ya'akov still wanted them to go down to Egypt, because he did not want them to give the appearance (to the children of Esav and Yishmael) that they were without need for food.

Rabbi Frand then mentioned the gemara in Ta'anis which discusses that when a person travels (in a time when there is a lack of rain') from a city where they are not fasting to a city where they are fasting, he must observe the fast. Furthermore, if he forgets and breaks the fast, he must eat in private, quoting the pasuk in Mikeitz where Ya'akov tells his sons not to be conspicuous.

Rabbi Frand then mentioned that R' Pa'am used to open his shades for chanukah so that the outside world could see the lights. However, once the lights had gone out, he would shut the shades immediately. R Frand explained that the mitzva of pirsumei nisa is significant and the world should see the menorah. However, once the lights have gone out, it is important not to be conspicuous.

Rabbi Frand also had a Pesach oriented vort this evening. In Mikeitz 44:12, the Torah recites that when Yosef's servants were searching the brothers' bags for Yosef's cup, he instructed them to search all the brothers' bags from the oldest to the smallest, despite the fact that he knew the cup was in Binyamin's bag.

Rabbi Frand then quoted the Tczabiner Rav (excuse the spelling) who said that he once heard a vort from a watchmaker in Krakow who connected this story to bedikas chameitz. When we search for chametz on the evening of the 14th day of Nissan, our spouses or children put out ten pieces of bread and we then look for the bread, although the locations are fairly obvious. We then complete the task and return to our Pesach preparations. The gemara explains that we learn the mitzva of bedika from the metzia (finding) and the chipush (searching) by Yosef's servants for the cup in the brothers' bags.

The watchmaker explained that although Yosef knew where the cup was hidden, he still had the servants check all the bags from the largest to the smallest. So too when we do bedikas chametz - although we may know where the bread is hidden, we still make a complete search of the house in order to properly prepare for Pesach.

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Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Bava Basra 116

Bava Basra 116 continues the development of the laws of intestacy which is the hallmark of Yesh Nochlim. I would like to use this post to briefly discuss one points from today's one point from yesterday's dapim which I found interesting.

On Bava Basra 115b, the gemara makes a statement that if a judge rules that a daughter of the deceased inherits in equal shares with the son, it is not to be followed as it is a maasei tzadukim. The Rashbam then gives the backstory on the tzadukim as he explains that Tzadok and Baisos were students of Antignos Ish Socho who had learned Antignos' statement (from Pirkei Avos 1:3) that one should not worship Hashem like a servant who only acts in order to get paid. However, they misunderstood and thought that this meant that people would never receive any reward for serving Hashem. They could not comprehend how this could be the case and thus began to reject many limudim including the one related to how and when daughters inherit.

On Bava Basra 116b, the Mishna discusses the daughters of Tslophchad and how they came to inherit their father's estate. The Mishna notes that they inherited three portions, each of which has its own interesting nuance. They inherited their father's individual portion because he was among those who left Egypt. The Rashbam explains that everyone who left Egypt with Moshe earned a portion in the land of Israel, even if the person did not live long enough to enter Israel. Since Tslophchad left Egypt, his daughters (as his only remaining heirs) were entitled to divide his portion. Additionally, Tslophchad's father (Chever) left Egypt with Moshe and also died in the midbar. As such, Tslophchad inherited a portion of his father's estate (and therefore his share in the land of Israel) which was actually a double portion because he was the bechor. The Rashbam also notes the significance of the double portion since it usually does not pass until it vests and the Jews had not yet entered into Israel when Tslophchad died. However, since the land of Israel was deemed to have vested in all who left Egypt once they left, the bechor's double shared had indeed vested and they could inherit the double portion.

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Monday's Musings on Sports - Coulda Woulda Shoulda, Rosh Hashanah and the NYJ

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. As Max has resigned from 1050 and has not yet resurfaced on the NY area radio waves, I have decided to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

Yes, I admit it, I am a long suffering New York Jets fan. I have watched the Giants win three superbowls in my lifetime, but that does not even compare to the anguish of watching the Belicheats win the Lombardi Trophy. I have seen the swamp game in Miami (3 picks to the same player!), the Browns double OT loss (I turn the game on right after shabbos ends, just in time to see the Browns kick the winning field goal), the Vinny T tease (blowing a lead to the Broncos in the AFC championship game) and countless late season collapses. But it was not until this week that I truly came to understand the NY Jets.

Following the NYJ defense's complete demolition of the Tampa Bay Bucs yesterday, I had a chance to listen to numerous player interviews about the team's prospects for the playoffs. Some players gave the party line of just focusing on the next game. Other players spoke about needing to run the table. But the one that struck me was the player (I did not catch the player's name) who talked about how the team would try to win every game that it could and not focus on the close games that were lost earlier in the season.

This kind of attitude struck a chord with me as it was a positive way at looking at the team and its performance. It also was reminiscent of a shiur that I heard last Thursday from the founder of http://www.theshmuz.com/ (aka Rabbi Shafier).

Rabbi Shafier gave a very positive look at emunah (faith) and how everything happens for a purpose. But the shiur was more than just about the basics, as Rabbi Shafier drove home the point that everything happens in the way that Hashem intends to occur by referencing Rosh Hashanah and Amazon.com.

A central belief in Judaism is that on Rosh Hashana the world is judged by Hashem. The Jews go to synagogue to pray on Rosh Hashanah to ask for good things for their families and then await the results that will come in the following year. Once Rosh Hashanah has passed, we are required to do our hishtadlus (due diligence) and Hashem will give us what we have been judged to receive.

Rabbi Shafier incorporated this concept into his shmuz by stating that people would have less regret if they understood that what occurred was the result of Hashem's judgment on Rosh Hashanah. Rabbi Shafier illustrated this concept with a personal story. The night before Amazon.com went public, Rabbi Shafier had a discussion with his wife about buying into the IPO. They had previously decided that they would set aside $2,000 and buy shares at the offering price. Then Rabbi Shafier's wife mentioned that she had been reading the business section of Newsweek (which he said that she did not usually read) and that they had a negative outlook on Amazon. Based on the article, they decided not to invest in Amazon.

Rabbi Shafier then told the audience that had they bought the shares at the IPO, the current value of the $2,000 investment would be $1.4 million.

Rabbi Shafier then said - while they could use the money, it was not to be, as Hashem had decided that he was not to make this profit. Certainly, things could have turned out differently if his wife had read Time (which had a positive outlook on Amazon), or if she simply had followed her usual reading habits of skipping the business section. The fact that she had read the Newsweek business section was Hashem's way of directing the outcome that He had declared on Rosh Hashanah.

The same concept can be seen in the player's take on the NYJ season. The rest of the games on the schedule are out there to be played. In each game, the players must prepare and work hard and then play the game. Looking back on the close games that were lost will not change their outcome and the only way to move forward is to focus on the games at hand.

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Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Two Degrees Below Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's 2 degrees Below Ale.

The first question that crossed my mind when I saw this beer is -- 2 degrees below what? I did not need to look far as the bottle gives you the answer. The folks at New Belgium explain that the beer is produced in a near freezing state with plenty of hops and roasted malt. They also recommend serving the beer at 37F. By all rights, this should make the 2 below one of the Heineken man's favorites, since he likes to serve his beer direct from the freezer, but there is more to the story.

The Beer Advocate site calls this beer an ESB (extra special or extra strong bitter). The New Belgium website calls it a Winter Warmer. The website also tells the story of how it was originally brewed in small batches for a race which commemorates a mailman who used to make deliveries by skis, but they don't give much more explanation.

The beer pours a rich amber color with quite a lot of foam. I have tried this a few times and regardless of the angle for the pour, the foam is there. The hops are quite pronounced, but I would not say that it its as strong a bitter as some others that I have tried (you want a bitter ESB - try the Redhook). The beer does have quite a kick as it is 6.6% abv.

I had my most recent 2 Below with roasted chicken and potatoes and the dry hopped brew was the perfect companion to my aishes chayil's perfect Friday night meal. I highly recommend it on a cold winter Friday night...

New Belgium Two Degrees Below is under the Kosher Supervision of the Scroll-K of Colorado. Although the beer does not bear the kosher symbol on the label, it can be found on the bottom of the six pack carrier. Additionally, if you would like me to e-mail you the LOC for New Belgium Two Degrees Below, send me an e-mail and I will gladly oblige.

Please note that not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision. Please check my latest Kosher Beer List (http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/09/kosher-beers-semi-annual-kosher-beers.html ) for a complete listing of those New Belgium brews which are certified kosher.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about New Belgium Two Degrees Below, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/26542 . As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayeishev

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand in his shiur this evening. I have attempted to reproduce this vort to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

I apologize that this post is only being seen on Sunday Night. We did not show the R' Frand broadcast at the YIWH on Thursday and I only downloaded the shiur later. While it was my intention to summarize it Thursday night I was unable to complete the post until Sunday.

Rabbi Frand told over the story about when the Volozhin yeshiva was going to select the Rosh Yeshiva and needed to choose between the Netziv or the Beis HaLevi. They took the issue to the beis din who considered the matter. Then one of the dayanim said - this is parshas Vayeishev. The other dayanim looked at him incredulously since the week's portion was not Vayeishev. The dayan then explained himself - every parsha from Bereishis through Vayishlach has a hero and a villain - Adam and the snake, Noach and the people of his generation, Avraham and Lot , Yitzchak and Yishmael, Yitzchak and Efron, Yaakov and Esav, Yaakov and Lavan. But in Parshas Vayeishev there is no longer a good guy vs a bad guy because they are all tzadikim. This is what I meant by this being parshas Vayeishev as they are both qualified to be Rosh Yeshiva.

Rabbi Frand told one other "light" vort (his term, not mine) in relation to Yosef being called a "na'ar." In Vayeishev 37:3, the Torah states that Yosef was a na'ar for the children of Bilha and Zilpa. The Medrash Rabbah asks - why is Yosef called a na'ar (usually translated as young boy) if he was 17 at the time. The Medrash Rabbah answers that Yosef was immature as he was dressing his hair and using make up around his eyes to make himself look attractive.

Rabbi Frand then mentioned a story where R' Yerushalmi asked the Gerrer Rebbi - why is it that only by Yosef does the medrash need to explain the basis for his being called a na'ar? At the time of the akeidah Yitzchak was thirty seven years old, yet Avraham (in Vayeira 22:5) refered to Yitzchak as a na'ar, why is that not addressed by the Medrash?

The Gerrer Rebbi answered - to a parent, their child is always their na'ar, their young son. Since Avraham was referring to his son Yitzchak, it was natural to refer to him as the na'ar. However, by Yosef it was the parsha itself which referred to Yosef as a na'ar, a puzzling situation which required explanation as to why a young man was still called a boy.

When the Gerrer Rebbi finished his explanation, he and R' Yerushalmi were approached by a nonagenarian who asked the Gerrer Rebbi for a bracha. After he gave her the bracha, the woman then said - can I have a bracha for my young son (using a yiddish term) as well? R' Yerushalmi commented - not only is he a tzaddik, but he merits help from Hashem to demonstrate his point.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!