Two seasonal "serious" beers from Beertzinut

The Beertzinut ("Serious") Brewery on Kibbutz Ketura in the Negev has added two beers to its seasonal repertoire.  They were already on sale for last summer and fall, and owner-brewmaster Neil Churgin says that they will be back again this year.

Timna beer and Tal Hamidbar
from the Beertzinut Brewery,
in their new, attractive labels. 

The summer ale is called Tal Hamidbar ("Desert Dew"), very pale and dry, with the color and carbonation of ginger ale, but with a foamy white head.  The beer has an aroma of summer grass and lemon syrup.  On the palate there is a mild bitterness and spice.  The full body is smooth and the finish is dry. 

I could easily drink two or more of these beers (the alcohol by volume is only 3.8%), but I'll have to wait for the summer to get my hands on another bottle.

After summer comes fall, the time for Timna, called a "Fall Pale Ale," though it's really a clear reddish-amber color.  Named after the Timna archaeological site, home of the famous "King Solomon's Mines," Timna beer is in the family of hop-forward ales, more bitter and citrusy than Tal Hamidbar, though only slightly stronger in alcohol, 4.3%.

The aromas are full of promise: citrus and pine, and then yeast and bread, grass and hay, fragrances from the earth.  The taste gives you more citrus, clouded over by an earthy background and an aggressive bitterness.  Notes of dates, pepper and caramel are also trying to break through.

All of Beertzinut beers are available in beer specialty stores, as well as outlets and pubs around Kibbutz Ketura.  Neil Churgin informs me that the restaurant at the Timna Park nature reserve also serves Beertzinut beers.