Sunday, November 29, 2015

Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Long Table Farmhouse Ale


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's Long Table Farmhouse Ale.

When I brought this beer to the table tonight Mrs KB looked at me questioningly as to what is a farmhouse ale. I told her that it was beer brewed with chicken fat but she knew better than that. In reality, a Farmhouse Ale is a synonym for a Saison.

The Long Table is not long on hops, but then again the saison style is not known for pine, citrus or bite. These beers are fruity with some malt and earthy/yeast tones. 

This brew had a complex flavor profile with some fruit from the yeast and a bit of spice. The beer poured a mild but pale yellow and had about an inch of foam which dissolved into nice lacing on the glass. This is not a one note beer and I found myself enjoying each successive sip. I could see pairing this with spicy fish dishes like the AKF Chicago Spice Tilapia.

New Belgium Long Table Farmhouse Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Scroll-K of Colorado. Although the beer does not bear the kosher symbol on the label, the Scroll-K kosher symbol can usually be found on the bottom of the six pack holder (as I bought this is as part of a mix your own six pack, I did not see the holder, but I have found that to be the case with all the NB beers under the Scroll-K).

Please note that not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision. For a list of the New Belgium brews currently under supervision, please click on the link on the left side of my home page for my latest Kosher Beer List.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about New Belgium Long Table Farmhouse Ale, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/172124. 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, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayishlach

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts 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 Bereishis (32:5) the Torah recounts Ya'akov's statement to Esav "Im Lavan Garti." Rashi famously explains that Ya'akov was telling Esav that although he lived with Esav, he still kept the 613 commandments ("V'Taryag Mitzvos Shamarti") - using the gematria of Garti and Taryag both being 613- and that he did not learn from Esav's actions.

Many meforshim ask why does it matter to Esav that Ya'akov kept the mitzvos? Why does he care that Ya'akov did things that Esav did not even believe in.

R' Frand answered by quoting the Sefer Ateres Dudaim from R' Zucker who makes reference to the Klei Yakar on the pasuk in Bereishis (27:41)  where Esav plots to attack Ya'akov. The Klei Yakar explains that Esav's statement of waiting until Yitzchak would die was a plot to attack Ya'akov when he was vulnerable. Esav knew that as long as Ya'akov was learning Torah, Esav could not defeat him. But when Ya'akov would be in aveilus for Yitzchak he would not be able to learn Torah and Esav could defeat him.

R' Zucker explains that Ya'akov's message to Esav - I was with Lavan but I kept the mitzvos. This started when I was with my father and I learned Torah day and night. Then when I was in the Yeshiva of Shem & Ever I learned day and night. And Esav - you might think that I did not learn Torah while I was working with the sheep for 22 years, but I did. 

R' Frand then linked the use of the word Shamarti in the Rashi to the pasuk later in Bereishis involving the brothers' hatred of Yosef where the Torah stated in Bereishis (37:11) that Ya'akov "Shamar Es HaDavar." R' Frand explained that the word Shamar means prepared. Here Ya'akov is telling Esav, I was and am prepared because all the time that I was in Lavan's house and I was working with the sheep, I was waiting to go back to learn.

R' Frand tied this into the introduction to the Chachmas Adam. In the introduction he writes that people will say that - you have been working for the last 15 years, how can you write a sefer? But those people should know that I did not work to become rich, I worked to support my family. A person reaches a stage where they need to get a job and leave the Beis Medrash, but if the person longs to go back to learning then he has not left the beis medrash. The person's Torah will stay with them if the person sees the job as necessary, but desires to go back to learn, much in the way that an almanah seeks to remarry.

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

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Sunday Night Suds - Samuel Adams Pumpkin Batch


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Samuel Adams Pumpkin Batch - an ale brewed with pumpkin and spices.

After a number of years of marketing a Harvest Pumpkin Ale (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2014/03/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-harvest.html), this year the Boston Beer Company has made a change and introduced its Pumpkin Batch Ale.

What makes this beer different than Samuel Adams' previous iteration of pumpkin brews? The label of this beer indicates that Samuel Adams was attempting to achieve a more mellow brew as it identifies the base of the beer as a hazy saison to which they added pumpkin and fall spices. These brews are typical yeasty and fruity and can have a complex flavor profile.

The Pumpkin Batch poured a clear bright orange with some foam to start but the lacing quickly disappeared. The pumpkin flavor was not very strong and the cinnamon and fall spices took over, but even they were not very prominent.

I cannot recommend this beer with Thanksgiving Turkey as the bird would overcome this brew. Perhaps you could pair this with dessert such as pumpkin or pecan pie, but this is not a beer that can stand up to a rich main course.

The Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Star-K and has a Star-K certification mark on the label. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link - beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/185705

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, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayeitzei

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts 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 Bereishis 29:25, the Torah discusses Leah's expression of gratitude after Yehuda is born as it states that Leah conceived again and had a son and said this time let me praise Hashem, so she called him Yehuda and then she stopped giving birth/

R' Frand quoted a seemingly odd Perush HaTur who explains the confluence of events in the pasuk as Hashem telling Leah - since you have expressed gratitude for having four sons and did not ask for more children, you will cease having children.

This observation is counter intuitive. Leah is not being greedy, she is expressing thanks that she has been given four children. So why is she being punished?

R' Frand answered by quoting a Rambam which states "Klalo Shel Davar" - a person should cry out for the future while giving thanks for what he has. Thus, the person asks for more beracha while not seeming an ingrate as he thanks Hashem for what he has been given.

R' Frand brought a number of proofs to this concept. First he mentioned that in Modim D'Rabanan we thank Hashem but as the same time we ask for more later in the prayer.

Similarly, in Hallel which is a tefillah of praise, we close the tefillah with the expressions of Ana Hashem Hoshiah Na and Ana Hashem Hatzlicha Na.

Additionally, when a person makes a siyum on learning a mesechta or seder of mishnayos, the person recites the hadran which includes the prayer that Hashem should assist him in learning other tractates.

But why do we need to combine these concepts?

R' Frand answered by quoting a sefer whose name I did not catch, which explains by way of analogy to a lottery winner. A person can win the lottery and say - I have it all. I have my $25 million and I don't need anything else. But that money can disappear in an instant and the person could be left with nothing (as we often read about lottery winners).

A Jew however should not have such a reaction. The Jew recognizes that it all comes from Hashem, but it can also be fleeting. Therefore he recognizes what came from Hashem while still asking for more.

R' Frand closed by observing that the word Modeh has two possible meanings - one meaning is to show thanks but the other is to admit - I recognize that it is all from You, Hashem.

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

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Sunday Night Suds - Leffe Blonde


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Leffe Blonde.

I first became aware of Leffe Blonde being kosher when I started to receive KF letters of certification as part of building the semi annual kosher beers list. I was not familiar with the brewery as I tended not to pay attention to the Belgian aisle. This was not being a xenophobe or ignorance, but simply because I could never get good information on which Belgian beers were unflavored.

Recently I had an opportunity to pick up some of the Leffe products including the Leffe Blond.  I put this in the fridge for a little over a week so that I could share it with friends who were visiting us for Shabbos lunch. I opened it after the fish course and poured it into some stemless wine glasses and passed them around. 

The first sniff of the beer gave everyone some pause. I had tried only one other Abbey Ale and that beer was spiced with brown sugar (Blue Moon Winter Moon). But once the beer had a chance to breath and I tried a few sips, I began to enjoy the phenols and clove flavors which to me would be more apt for a hefeweizen. While I would not go out and buy a six pack of this brew, I would want to experiment with pairings (no this was not a good mix with the cholent which followed the fish course).

Leffe Blonde is under the Kosher Supervision of the Kosher Federation (KF), but the bottle I purchased did not have the certification mark on the label. If you would like the LOC from the Va'ad, please let me know and I will email it to you.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link -http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/470/2137.

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, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Toldos

Due to a conflict, I was unable to catch this week's Rabbi Frand parsha vort live. As the recorded version is not yet available as of the time of this writing, I have reposted a prior year's shiur. (Should I receive the vort (and have the time) to write tomorrow, I will attempt to post this year's shiur before Shabbos). Same rules as usual apply,  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.

The first pasuk of Parshas Toldos contains an apparent redundancy as the parsha begins "V'aleh Toldos Yitzchak ben Avraham, Avraham Holid es Yitzchak" -these are the generations of Yitzchak son of Avraham, Avraham fathered Yitzchak. Many commentators have asked the question why the language is repeated. During tonight's shiur Rabbi Frand explored two answers to the question.

The Ibn Ezra writes that the reason for the second mention is the use of the language of Holid whichnteaches that Avraham raised and taught Yitzchak. He brings a proof from the pasuk by Yosef and his grandchildren of "Vayuldu al Birkei Yosef." This does not mean that they were fathered by or born on Yosef's lap. Rather it is translated that they were taught by Yosef.

Rabbi Frand then mentioned the Sforno who notes that in Lech Lecha, Avraham says to Hashem that he has no children and the "ben mesek" of his house is Eliezer. The Sforno explains that Avraham was saying that he has no son at present to take over his mantle and while he may have a son in the future, it may be too late.

In a similar vein, the Sfas Emes explains that Avraham was concerned that he would be so advanced in age when his son would be born that he would not have the ability to teach his son about who Avraham was. A person wants to teach his child his family customs and lineage and this was Avraham's concern. The Sfas Emes brings a proof from the Gemara in Yoma which explains that Eliezer was called "damesek" because he was mashke Avraham's Torah to the masses. However, Avraham wanted his son to be able to perform this task.

According to the Ibn Ezra, it is for this reason that the Torah writes that Avraham holid es Yitzchak - Avraham got his wish and was able to raise Yitzchak in his customs and tradition.

The second explanation mentioned by R' Frand was Rashi's reference to the "letzanei hador" - the jokers of the generation who wondered aloud whether Avraham was really Yitzchak's father or whether the true father was Avimelech. It was for this reason that the pasuk contains the double language as Hashem made a miracle and Yitzchak was the carbon copy image of Avraham.

Rabbi Frand then asked - why are they called jokers? If a person impugns the lineage of another he is wicked, not merely a joker!

Rabbi Frand answered in the name of R' Pam that this position could not have been seriously believed in Avraham's generation. Previously, Avraham and Sarah had lived together for many years without having children. Then, Avraham has a child with Hagar - obviously he is not the reason they were childless. Therefore those who insinuate that he could not have impregnated Sarah are obviously just jokers.

This presents the question - if they were just jokers who were posing an illogical question, why did they even need to be dignified with a response?

Rabbi Frand answered that it was because in future generations these jokers' positions might be taken seriously and people might seek to revise history and opine that the lineage of the Jews did not continue down through Yitzchak.

Rabbi Frand then mentioned how when Eisenhower was commanding the American troops at the close of WWII he instructed them to take film footage of the concentration camps so that the atrocities of the Holocaust could not later be forgotten. Who could have surmised that sixty years later, people would begin to doubt whether there was a holocaust or whether it was on such a large scale. Even though there are still survivors who tell first hand accounts of the atrocities, there are people who seek to deny the holocaust ever occurred for their own political gain. It is for this prescient reason that Eisenhower ordered that film footage be taken of the camps and why the Spielberg films and the various holocaust memorials are so important to preserving the memory of the six million against the onslaught of the jokers who seek to deny the holocaust even existed.

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

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Sunday Night Suds - Boulevard Brewery Long Strange Tripel


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Boulevard Brewery's Long Strange Tripel.

I served this on Friday Night to some friends who had come to learn after dinner. Neither of them were familiar with the Tripel style of beer so I had to explain the principle behind it. Since it has been a while since I reviewed a Tripel (there aren't very many currently under kosher supervision) I have reproduced below the definition by the experts at BA:

The name "Tripel" actually stems from part of the brewing process, in which brewers use up to three times the amount of malt than a standard Trappist "Simple." Traditionally, Tripels are bright yellow to gold in color, which is a shade or two darker than the average Pilsener. Head should be big, dense and creamy. Aroma and flavor runs along complex, spicy phenolic, powdery yeast, fruity/estery with a sweet finish. Sweetness comes from both the pale malts and the higher alcohol. Bitterness is up there for a beer with such a light body for its strength, but at times is barely perceived amongst the even balance of malts and hops. The lighter body comes from the use of Belgian candy sugar (up to 25% sucrose), which not only lightens the body, but also adds complex alcoholic aromas and flavors. Small amounts of spices are sometimes added as well. 
Tripels are actually notoriously alcoholic, yet the best crafted ones hide this character quite evil-like and deceivingly, making them sipping beers.

The Long Strange Tripel had the enhanced alcohol content (9.2% abv). Our friend Shlomo P thought that the brew was excessively bitter and he lamented the lack of citrus, but I did not completely agree. The beer did not have pronounced hops, but it was hardly bitter. I found the beer to be quite fruity with strong flavors emanating from the yeast and malt.

I would not recommend this beer as an accompaniment to a meal as this brew is more of a sipping beer to be enjoyed after a meal.

Boulevard Long Strange Tripel is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Kansas City, but the bottle I purchased did not have the certification mark on the label. If you would like the LOC from the Va'ad, please let me know and I will email it to you.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about this brew, please follow this link -http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/423/39754.

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, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Chaye Sarah

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts 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 Bereishis 24:1 the Torah writes that Hashem had blessed Avraham - Bakol. The simple translation of this word is "with everything", however Rashi does not give a simple translation. Instead Rashi writes that Bakol in gematria is the word ben as each word is 52. 

R' Frand noted that Rashi typically gives the simple explanation and that in this case, the simple explanation would be the one given by the Radak, who states that Avraham had everything that he needed and the only thing he needed to do was find a wife for Yitzchak. So why did Rashi take this other route?

R' Frand answered in the name of the Tolner Rebbi who explained that Rashi was actually coming to answer an entirely different question. Rashi was addressing the question - how can it be that Avraham was blessed with everything?

After learning the last few parshios it is clear that Avraham had a hard life. He was thrown in the furnace in Ur Kasdim, he traveled to Canaan and then his wife Sarah was kidnapped twice. He stayed with Sarah for many years when they could not have children and it must have been a real stress on the marriage. He is given Hagar, who soon thereafter begins to treat Sarah poorly. He has Yishmael and then sends him away. He finally has Yitzchak and has the test of the Akeidah, followed immediately thereafter by coming home to find Sarah dead. And then he has to negotiate with Ephron to buy land that Hashem promised to him in the first place.

So with all of these troubles, how can Avraham have everything? This is the question that Rashi is answering - he had everything because he had a son and he was grateful for having that. 

R' Frand noted that even before Yitzchak came into the picture, Avraham was thanking Hashem for having Yishmael as he said in Bereishis 17:18 - Lu Yishmael Yichyeh Lifanecha. Avraham was genuinely happy with just having Yishmael.

R' Frand next quoted a Medrash to emphasize Avraham's level of Hakaras Hatov as the Medrash takes the pasuk from Tehillim - Kol HaNishamah T'Hallel Kah and learns it as meaning - on each and every breath (Nisheema) a person should thank Hashem.

R' Frand asked - other than someone with asthma, does anyone thank Hashem for breathing? We say various berachos in the morning for being able to see or stand up, but do people really recognize that Hashem gave us the ability to do these tasks?

R' Frand closed the vort by quoting to the pasuk about Avraham's death where the Torah writes in Bereishis 25:8 that Avraham died Saveah - content. The pasuk does not write that he died as a ba'al chessed - rather that he was content. Because this was Avraham - he did not expect anything nor did he feel entitled. He was simply happy with what he had.

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

Monday, November 2, 2015

Monday's Musings on Sports - The Epilogue to a Season and an Inspirational Story

Just like the rest of the world, I did not see this coming. I would guess that even the most optimistic Mets fan would not have predicted that they would have gone to the World Series this year. The playoffs - a possibility. Maybe they would make the wildcard play-in game. But the World Series was never a thought.

The season started like many Mets seasons, a mixture of promise and frustrating defeats. The team's outfield in June was comprised of power hitters who could not find their stroke and minor leaguers who may never find one. The pitching staff still included Dillon Gee, who I watched give up eight runs in less than three innings, but still not take the loss because the Mets would improbably score ten runs of their own. Maybe that should have been a hint that the season would have some promise, but I missed it at the time.

Then came the end of July and the infamous non-trade of Wilmer Flores for my post on the saga, click here http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2015/08/mondays-musings-on-sports-sense.html). This was followed with the acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes and shortly thereafter, Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson. And for some reason the Mets power hitters who had not been hitting came alive when these players showed up. Meanwhile the Nationals got cold and could not buy a win. By mid-September the Mets were being lauded as the class of the National League. But still, the World Series seemed to be at least a year away.

I am not going to recount the playoffs so as not to torture Mrs KB and her family (its just not fair to point out that the Cubbies haven't won since before her grandfather was born), but suddenly the Mets WERE IN THE WORLD SERIES. It was a strange reality for a team unlike my beloved Rangers who I always see as possible Stanley Cup finalists and my Jets who may never win a Super Bowl in my lifetime.

Much has been made of the fielding errors and the lack of timely hitting, or more appropriately the Royals timely hitting. But since the last cut is the cruelest (sounds like a lyric from a 1980s song), I would like to spend a moment on the managing error which doomed the Mets in Game 5. Matt Harvey (aka the Dark Knight), one year removed from Tommy John surgery and one month removed from the controversy surrounding his innings limit, was on the mound. At times he was dominant and at times he appeared shaky. He carried the team on his back for eight innings, while the bats were mostly dormant. So when the manager told him that the closer was coming in to pitch the 9th, he did not want to give up the ball. Manager Terry Collins could not argue with him and let him start the 9th. The rest is history as he allowed a walk and a double and then once Familia entered the game he was undone by poor fielding which allowed the tying run to score.

Can one be too loyal to his players? Of course. But there is also an expression in sports - you dance with the one who brung you. And so Terry Collins stayed with Harvey for a few too many batters. But that was hardly the sole cause for the Royals win. And who is to say that a series of fielding errors would not have doomed Familia to another blown save anyway? It was really just a question of how and not when.

I heard a great story in Rabbi Frand's Thursday Night shiur which I would like to tie to the end of the post. I can't say that it is directly connected, but maybe it will give some comfort to those who have seen their recent World Series dreams crushed.

R' Frand related that a charity collector came from Israel to a Toronto synagogue. He was greeted by a man who asked if he could host him for breakfast.  After he agreed and came for breakfast, the host said to him - please stay over this evening. The collector declined, saying that he needed to be in a different city the following day. The host pressed him - stay and I will write you a check for more than you will collect there. The collector agreed and true to his word, the host wrote him a nice check.

A number of months later the host called the collector and told him - I get a Mazal Tov! The host and his wife had just had a baby boy and he wanted the collector to come for the bris. But there was more, they wanted him to be the sandak. The collector resisted, but they offered to fly him in from Israel and he finally agreed.

After the bris the collector was approached by the host who explained the reason for the events. The host and his wife had been trying unsuccessfully for years to have a child. They finally went to R' Paam ztl for advice and he said that there is a segulah to have a child if the family performed true hachnasas orchim (welcoming in guests) on the night that the wife was going to mikvah. The day that the collector was in shul was the morning before the wife was scheduled to go and the host was desperate for a guest. When he saw the collector he knew that the opportunity was there and he took it. Where did R' Paam learn this? From Avraham who despite being weak from the bris took it upon himself to properly host the angels who did not even need to be hosted. And one year later, in the zechus of giving them water (recorded in the annual prayer for rain on Shemini Atzeres) he had Yitzchak. All in the right time and all based on His plan.

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

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Sunday Night Suds - Lakefront Extended Play Session IPA


This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Lakefront Brewery's Extended Play Session IPA.

On the night that my Mets extend their season for possibly the last time, it was only fitting that I review a beer which calls itself "Extended Play." Why did they call the beer "Extended Play"? Because they made this beer as a session style which means slightly reduced alcohol content so that the drinker can have a few without causing excessive inebriation.

But is that necessarily a good thing? I don't use the Sunday Night Suds post to preach, but you do have to wonder about a beer that is intended to be consumed in mass quantities. I can recall a beer advertisement on the radio when I was growing up for Schaeffer Beer. When I was younger the ad copy was "Schaeffer is the one beer to have when you're having more than one." But a number of years later the ad copy was changed to "when you're out to have some fun." Yes, adults can consume alcohol responsibly and many use a designated driver, but it still leads me to question why you need to create a beer for the expressed purpose of consuming large quantities, but I digress.

The beer poured a rich orange and had significant carbonation which is a hallmark of Lakefront. The first sip was biting citrus, but somewhat smoother than a true IPA (or even an American Pale Ale). Successive sips yielded more citrus, but not as much pine as I would have expected. 

This would be a nice beer to have with spicy chicken dishes or Chinese food. There is enough body and character to stand up to the food and the bite from the hops would meld well with the spice in the dishes.

Lakefront Extended Play Session IPA is under the kosher supervision of the Star-K (there is even a Star-K on the label). For the experts' take on the brew, please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/741/119188.

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, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!