Historically, unflavored beers have been generally assumed to be kosher, but the stout and bitter truth is that craft brewing has introduced recipes that extend beyond water, hops, barley and yeast, per a Nov. 17 announcement from the Orthodox Union, which the kosher certifier shared with JNS.
There is now a “proliferation of flavored beers, diverse additives and shared equipment that can compromise the kosher status of even seemingly straightforward brews,” the OU said.
Rabbi Moshe Elefant, chief operating officer and rabbinic administrator at the Orthodox Union, told JNS that “over the last several years, we have seen a marked change in how beer is produced.”
“These changes introduce risk of uncertified ingredients or production line crossover issues leading to consumers mistakenly drinking a product that doesn’t meet kosher standards,” he told JNS. “After much research, the only way to ensure that kosher standards are met is by requiring supervision.”
The OU stated that after “much research” and consulting with other leading certifiers, it was “collectively determined” that there needs to be “more stringent approach” to certifying beer.
Starting on Jan. 1, OU establishments and certified events can only serve beer that has “reliable kosher certification,” the OU said. It said that it had a list of nearly 1,000 beers that are kosher certified.
“Note that many national brands already have kosher oversight and will therefore remain acceptable even without a symbol on the label,” it said. “All craft brews would be required to have a kosher symbol or letter indicating kashrus.”
The OU said that the kosher certifiers OK and Star-K were among the others adopting the new policy.