Kosher Blog

One note to add is that you have to be particularly vigilant to check for K-F-P, as opposed to just general Kosher, notation on certain of these products. For example, I know that certain labels of Slivovitz have flip-flopped in recent years.I’m glad you linked to Queen Anne Wine — they are my family’s wine seller of choice and the staff there is exceedingly knowledgeable about their products and relevant kashrus issues (even though not all are Jewish). If you have particular questions, I would recommend calling them (201-692-1555) for recommendations or kashrus questions. Kevin is the owner, but everyone there is equally capable to answer questions.

Kedem vodka is surprisingly good. It’s made from sugar cane and has a sweetish flavor.

I actually learned to appreciate cognac while suffering from passover-induced whisky withdrawal. IMHO, Kedem’s vermouth is not really drinkable, but their vodka does seem to improve every year. I wonder why they don’t make it from potatos, although I guess sugar is easier to ferment.

In answer to Beerhound’s question, a starch source is not enough- one must also have a means to convert the starch into fermentable sugar. The Japanese use Koji (aspergillus oryzae)for their sake, but the vast majority of starch fermenters out there convert using malted barley, a great source of amylase. Obviously, it could not be kosher for Pesach. Therefore, fermenting something in which there are already fermentable sugars seems quite reasonable for Pesach spirits, and cane juice or molasses is as good as any. Carmel just made their vodka out of highly distilled brandy or fermented fruit mash. Either way, one would expect many more fuity esters going through the original distillation steps, and that accounts for the non-neutral character of these vodkas. Theoretically, one can make them totally neutral if one distills them a number of times, but that means less alcohol recovery, and a more expensive spirit.

What I’d really like to try making for pesach is a mead. I brew my own beer, and so I’m familiar with the basics of mead-making, but I’d have to either kasher or get new equipment and find kosher for passover ingredients. Obviously honey shouldn’t be a problem, but I wonder what yeast I can use.

In answer to Beerhound and his desire for mead, most of the Red Star wine yeasts are certified kosher for Pesach. Some of these come in small packets from home winemaking stores. They should have an OU or OK on the packages. All of the kosher certified freeze dried yeasts were also certified kosher for Pesach the last time I checked. As to kashering the equipment, I assume you’re using glass carboys. They’re not too expensive. There’s no decoction with mead as there is with beer (when beer is made from malted barley and/or adjunct rather than from malt syrup or the like) so much of your equipment would not need to be kashered, as it would not need to be used.

Craig:Thanks for the tip about the yeast, and you’re right, making mead is as simple as brewing beer from malt extracts. My main headache is that I haven’t found a good source for glass carboys in the NYC area, and I’ll also need to use new bottles to bottle the mead, as the recycled beer bottles that I normally use are no good for pesach. All of this glass can be expensive to ship, so I might be forced to use plastic. Nonetheless, I plan on giving it a shot, and maybe I’ll post about the results.

Real glass does not really pick up taam from food. Therefore, it can be easily kashered for Pesach by "emptying" (filling with water, sitting for 24 hours, emptying, then refilling and completing the cycle 3 times). By the way, nonkosher barrels are also kashered that way, if it’s necessary to use them (we only use barrels we purchased new, but I remember the first couple of years that Herzog was being made in Asti, they used the old, nonkosher cooperage. The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, among others, says the method is acceptable for barrels, so kol vachomer, good for glass too.)

Actually, kosher “wines” were historically non-alcholic grape juice. Most frequently the concord grape variety. Passover wine is based off the Old Testament commands from GOD to take unleaved bread, which is bread that has no impurities. (including yeast) And without these impurities, fresh grape juice cannot begin the fermentation process which produces the ethyl alcohol and releases CO2. The Hebrew word for this wine is “Tiyrowsh” which is declared as a blessing. The Hebrew word for strong wine (fermented) is “Shekar” and is comdemned for consumption throughout the Old Testament. Well, unless you are about to die and then it is approved as a narcotic to lessen the pain in Proverbs 31. During Jesus day 2,000 years ago, the renowed Roman agricultist, Columella, keyed us in on how ancient civilizations protected wine from fermenting. The yeast in grape skins was either killed or removed by boiling (vino cotto), filtering, cooling, or fumigating fresh wine.

BS”D
Wrong, Logan. Although grape juice is also halachically considered to be wine, there is no question that kosher wine was fermented- “old wine” was always fermented, and “old wine” was preferred. Concord grapes, a new world variety, are relatively recent (a couple hundred years, and specifically in the USA). There was never any problem with fermenting wine for Passover, the only problem was in adding yeast from breadmaking or brewing. Since “old world” fermentations typically progressed spontaneously anyway, there there were no problems per se with Passover production. This is a very good example of why one needs oral traditions in addition to written- the written can be misinterpreted, as Logan illustrated here.

I am begining a homebrew venture with the hopes of becoming professional brewers. I would however like my beer to be available to everyone. I myself am not jewish but have many friends who are and some of them strictly keep kosher. My question is if there are any books or other publications I can study to help me along this process?

Eindhoven Stratumseind

Check out Mana , the new energy drink made specially for gamers, by gamers. The drink boasts twice the potency of two 8- oz. Redbulls because we all know how exhausting games can be.