Srigim Brewery marks 10th anniversary with smoky Amber Ale

Birat Ha'asor ("Beer of the Decade"):
Brewed to mark the 10th anniversary of the
Srigim Brewery.  An Amber Ale with
smoky aromas and tastes.

To mark its 10^th anniversary, the Srigim Brewery in Srigim (Li-On) has produced Birat Ha'asor ("Beer of the Decade"), a smoky Amber Ale.  Srigim brews two brands of beer – Ronen and Emek Ha'ela.  Very rarely have they brewed anything other than their core beers, and never have they brewed anything under the Srigim label.

Ofer Ronen, a partner and brewer at the Srigim Brewery, told me that he took this unusual step to spotlight the 10th anniversary of the entire brewery, rather than Ronen or Emek Ha'ela individually.  "My partner Ohad Ayalon and I are fans of the smoked beer style, especially from the Bamberg area of Germany.  Therefore we selected this style for our anniversary beer and used Wayermann smoked malt, which is also from from Bamberg."

Not the most current photo, but Ofer Ronen,
partner of the Srigim Brewery, 
and the old blogger haven't really changed much!
(Photo: Mike Horton)  

Barat Ha'asor is an attractive clear, red-amber color with an off-white head.  You immediately get the smoky scent, but it's not harsh as some beers of this style can be.  My drinking partner Moshe compared it to smoked meat, even "pastrami."  The taste is just like it smells, not very bitter, with the addition of light malt sweetness, toasted bread and some light sourness,   ABV is 6.1%.  (Not to worry: The smoky aroma and taste come from smoked malts, not from meat!)

We both thought that it was a "cool" beer – very tasty and drinkable.  It helps if you're a fan of this style, but even if you're not, this is a good beer to make the introduction.