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Craft beer in Israel with German support Efraim Mass was a participant of Certified Brewmaster Course at the VLB in 2020. Due to the COVID-19-Pandemic he graduated in July 2021. Back in Israel, he works in the Malka Brewery, which is located in Western Galilee and was founded in 2006 by Asaaf Lavi. Michaela Knör, Head of Axel Simon Library at VLB, talked with Efraim Mass about his motivation to join the VLB Brewmaster Course and the development of the craft beer industry in Israel.
Beers from Malka Brewery in Israel
Visitor Center of the new Malka Brewery
Efraim Mass was a participant of last year's Certified Brewmaster Course of VLB, which ran directly into the COVID-19-Pandemic. As a consequence, he completed his education in Germany one year later, when he finished the practical section and exams with the Brewmaster Course 2021. Efraim has been working in the Malka Brewery, which is located at Western Galilee and was founded in 2006 by Asaaf Lavi. In 2018, the brewery moved from Kibbutz Yehaim, where Malka had brewed since 2008, to a world-class stateof-the-art brewing site in the Tefen Industrial area located in the north of Israel. Malka Brewery offers also tours in its visitor’s center and opened a tasting room close to the brewery. At the former production site in Yehaim, the brewery still operates a beer garden where beer lovers can enjoy Malka beers in a calm atmosphere with spectacular views. How did you get in touch with beer and why did you decide to become a brewer?
The first time beer excited me was in a seminar I attended in the last year of my BSc degree course in Food Science. The course gave just a little taste of the brewing world, but it was the spark that ignited my passion for beer and brewing. I remember thinking about this kind of wonder that occurs by only mixing four ingredients. It is a classic example for “the whole is larger than the sum of its parts”! How would you describe the beer market and preferences of beer drinkers in Israel? The beer market in Israel is not big but quite diverse. We have sharp and creative minds here and I think that we are on the edge of the craft beer's hour of glory. Beer taste in Israel has been and still is developing quite rapidly. We catch-up with the rest of the world tastewise, especially with the USA . IPA's are hip now, people search for it everywhere. I personally expect, that the next stage will be very clean, old-school beer styles… What are the big breweries offering and what where the styles of the first craft beers? The large brewers mainly produce good old Lager beers. The first beers offered by craft breweries where Pale Ale, Blonde Ale, Wheat Beer and Stout. Historically, until the '90s only very few breweries were producing in Israel. When did craft beer enter the market? What are the most popular brands today? Who is drinking craft beer in Israel?
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Brauerei Forum International – October 2021
The first craft beer brands entered the market in the mid '90s. Well known brands are Malka, Negev, Shapiro, Beer Bazar, Alexander, Jems, but there are many more! Today, craft beer is much more common in bars and pubs. During the last two years, we also see more and more craft brands on the supermarket shelves, right next to the big national and international beer brands. And concerning the beer prices – if I could only get a dime for every time I've been asked this question: Compared to other craft beer markets around the world, the price in Israel is in the medium range. Our craft beers are usually more expensive than the mainstream brands, of course – but you pay for totally different products. So in my opinion, it's difficult to compare these two categories. The Israeli craft beer drinkers are mostly middle aged men as well as women in their 30s to 40s. What about the legal situation for home and micro brewing in Israel? Does religion play a role? Do breweries produce kosher beer? Home brewing in Israel is totally legal, as long as you don’t sell your beer. There is also no limit concerning the total volume a homebrewer is allowed to brew for his own purposes. This lively scene is constantly growing. Religion is very diverse in Israel, but only the ultra-orthodox have some restrictions regarding alcohol consumption. Regarding kosher beer – yes, this is very popular. Most breweries are kosher and there is a big market demand for kosher beers. What is the main type of packaging beer in Israel: bottle, cans or kegs? Are there returnab le bottles? What was the impact
