Jewish Drinking Culture: Beer's Place

While the stereotype persists that Jews don't drink, especially not beer, this is not entirely true. Jews are vital to the production and marketing of beer, and alcohol plays a regular role in Jewish rituals. For example, wine is used to usher in and out the Sabbath, and four cups of wine are drunk at the Passover Seder. However, there are valid reasons some Jews choose alternatives, such as grape juice.

In ancient times, Israel favoured wine over beer. However, after the destruction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE, Jews were exiled to Babylonia and adopted the Babylonian taste for beer. The Talmud even mentions the modern usage of hops in beer, noting its medicinal properties.

In the Middle Ages, Germany embraced beer, but Jews were barred from brewing it. Instead, they grew hops, a crucial ingredient in beer, and by the 1930s, Jews controlled about 70% of Germany's hops industry.

In Colonial America, ale was a popular drink, and Jews of that time appear to have partaken in beer drinking too. Today, the explosion of craft beer brewing in America has included a high number of Jewish producers making boutique beers.

Jews are forbidden to drink beer in the same place as non-Jews

Drinking alcohol is a regular part of Jewish ritual life. Wine is used to usher in and out the Sabbath, four cups of wine are drunk at the Passover Seder, and sheva brachos are recited over wine at a wedding and for a week after. However, this does not mean that drinking alcohol is obligatory for Jews.

According to the Shulchan Aruch, it is forbidden for Jews to drink beer in the same place as non-Jews, such as bars. This is not because of concerns about kashrut but rather because of the possibility that Jews will socialise too much with non-Jews and end up eating with them. This prohibition does not apply if the beer is taken out of the bar and drunk elsewhere.

In the Middle Ages, Jews were barred by law from brewing beer, the popular national drink of Germany. However, they became central to the beer industry in another way, by growing hops, a crucial ingredient in beer. By the time the Nazis rose to power in the 1930s, Jews controlled about 70% of Germany's hops industry.

In Colonial America, ale was a popular drink, and Jews at the time appear to have partaken of beer, too. For example, in the 1850s, a middle-class Jew in New York City, Judah Hay, rented a home from Founding Father John Jay, and his family recorded monthly spending of 1.3 British pounds on three barrels of beer, more than enough to drink ale every day.

Today, there are many Jewish producers of craft beer, and the current explosion of craft-beer brewing in America has included a high number of Jewish producers making boutique beers. Some have stressed their Jewish roots: the Schmaltz Brewery of New York produces beers called "Messiah", "Manna" and "Jewbilation".

Beer is an acceptable substitute for wine in the Havdalah ceremony

The Havdalah ceremony marks the transition from Shabbat to the rest of the week. It consists of four blessings: the hagafen blessing over the wine, the blessing on the incense, the blessing on the candle, and the concluding havdalah blessing.

While wine is the preferred drink for the ceremony, Jewish law states that if wine is not available, other drinks may be used. Beer is one such acceptable substitute for wine. This is evident in the fact that, in ancient times, beer was popular among Jews, who had adopted the Babylonian taste for beer after being exiled to Babylonia following the destruction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE. The Talmud records four different types of beer brewed from barley, dates, figs, and beer.

In addition to beer, grape juice is also a valid substitute for wine during the Havdalah ceremony. If the issue is alcohol, grape juice is a simple solution. For the Kiddush and Havdalah, you don't necessarily have to drink the wine yourself. You can fulfill your obligation by listening to someone else recite the blessings if they are equally obligated. If you must recite the blessings because no one else can, someone else can drink the wine or grape juice on your behalf.

However, this workaround doesn't apply to the four cups of wine at the Passover Seder, where each person must drink their own cups.

Jews were central to the German hops industry

For centuries, Jews have been vital in the production and marketing of beer. While Jews were forbidden from brewing beer in Germany, they were central to the German hops industry. The first documented hop cultivation was in 736 in the Hallertau region of present-day Germany. Hops are the flowers of the hop plant Humulus lupulus, a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer.

In the 1500s, Jews were expelled from German cities and resettled in the countryside, where they began to grow and trade hops. By the time the Nazis rose to power in the 1930s, Jews controlled about 70% of Germany's hops industry. The demand for hops was high, as they were a crucial ingredient in beer, and Jews capitalised on this business opportunity.

In addition to their involvement in the hops industry, Jews also played a significant role in modernising the German beer industry. In 1868, Jews were finally allowed to make and sell beer in Germany, and they quickly made their mark by introducing modern manufacturing methods. One of the pioneers was Jakob von Hirsch, a Jewish baron who became Germany's first industrial-scale beer brewer. Other notable Jewish figures in the German beer industry include Moritz Guggenheimer of Lowenbrau, Josef Schülein of Unionsbrauerei, and Hermann Schülein, who became president and majority shareholder of Löwenbräu after it merged with Unionsbrauerei.

The success and influence of Jews in the German beer industry, however, came to an end with the rise of Nazism. Jewish-owned businesses, including breweries, were seized and handed over to non-Jewish owners, and Jewish members of company boards were forced to resign. Many Jews fled Germany, bringing their expertise to the American brewing business.

Jewish association with the liquor trade was seen as proof that Jews were unassimilable

Jewish people have historically been vital in the production and marketing of beer. In the 19th century, Jewish people held a virtual monopoly on the alcohol business in Eastern Europe, producing much of the beer and hard alcohol and running nearly all the taverns where it was sold.

In the United States, Jewish immigrants were disproportionately represented in alcohol production, particularly in the distilling of whiskey. This was due to its "nationalistic significance", with those who drank whiskey "championing it as a deeply American product".

However, Jewish association with the liquor trade was seen as proof that Jews were unassimilable and that their values were incompatible with American values. This tension only dissipated once mainstream America lost its panic over alcohol, and Jewish representation in the liquor business became a historical curiosity.

In the 1800s, Jews found themselves gradually edged out of the beer and liquor trade in Poland by a series of anti-Semitic laws. Similarly, in Germany, Jews were barred by law from brewing beer until 1868.

In the 19th century, it is estimated that 30-40% of Jewish people in Eastern Europe worked as makers or purveyors of alcohol, including women and children. This amounted to about 25% of all Jews in the world.

Despite the historical prevalence of Jews in the alcohol trade, a stereotype persists that Jews do not drink. This may be due to the prevalence of wine in Jewish rituals, which lessens Jews' desire to drink recreationally.

There is no religious imperative to drink alcohol

While alcohol is a part of Jewish rituals, there is no religious imperative to drink it.

Wine is a regular feature of Jewish ritual life. It is used to usher in and out the Sabbath, with Kiddush and Havdalah, and is also used in Passover, weddings, and other rituals. However, its use is not a religious imperative, and there are valid reasons for people to choose alternatives, such as grape juice.

The Torah tells us that Noach, described as a righteous man, got drunk and embarrassed himself. This story is used as a cautionary tale about the effects of alcohol. A midrash on this section describes the effects of wine on a person, using the analogy of different animals. When a person starts drinking wine, they feel as innocent as a lamb. After a few drinks, they feel strong like a lion. When they have had too much, they become like a pig, wallowing in their filth, and then a monkey—thinking they are smart and witty, when they are actually being laughed at for their idiocy.

The Talmud recounts a story about Rabbah and Rav Zeira, who overindulged in alcohol on Purim. They got so drunk that Rabbah cut Rav Zeira's throat, mortally wounding him. This story is used to caution against overindulging in alcohol and to advise people to avoid situations that could lead to dangerous levels of intoxication.

While alcohol is not forbidden, there are valid reasons for people to choose not to drink, such as knowing that they have a problem stopping when they have had enough. Additionally, there is a Torah obligation to protect one's life and health, and alcohol can impair judgment and endanger oneself and others.

Frequently asked questions