Germans brew beers for Jews, Muslims

0 Comments | AFP, December, 2007

HARTMANNSDORF, Germany (AFP) — Having tapped the local beer market for all it is worth, German brewers have begun making kosher beer for Jews and a halaal, alcohol-free version for Muslims in a search for new clients.

In the land of Berliner Kindl, Beck's and Loewenbrau, the kosher version stands out with the name "Simcha" and a Star of David on its blue and gold label.

"The name means 'joy' in Hebrew," said Ludwig Hoernlein, a brewer in Hartmannsdorf in the east German state of Saxony, who is breaking into the Jewish market.

A certificate on the brewery wall, signed by Rabbi Yitshak Ehrenberg from Berlin, attests that the beer is produced in accordance with Judaic dietary rules but warns that it is not suitable for Passover.

"The whole production...