What makes alcohol kosher?
Kosher alcohol refers to alcohol that has been prepared in accordance with Jewish dietary law. The word kosher comes from the Hebrew word meaning “fit, proper or correct.” Jewish dietary law is found in the Torah, which is the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. These laws are also known as kashrut.
Kosher alcohol just like food must be prepared in a certain way and only certain ingredients can be used.
In the production of kosher alcohol there cannot be any traces of dairy or other foods coming into contact with the alcohol. You will note that a lot of non kosher food and alcohol is produced in factories where there are other foods are also manufactured and this can sometimes get into the food unintentionally.
However if an alcohol has been certified as Kosher you can rest assured it has no traces of any other food due to the strict supervision during production.
To check if alcohol is kosher it will usually have the word in kosher written in Hebrew as in this example of Australian Kosher Wine from Five Stones. It also has the symbol of the authority that certified it as being kosher. In this example it was certified by Kosher Australia one of the main kashrut authorities in Australia.
Who drinks kosher alcohol?
Anyone can drink kosher alcohol however it was originally created for observant Jews who follow the dietary laws of Kashrut.
Kosher alcohol is consumed at Bar and Bat Mitzvah events, Jewish Weddings, Jewish festivals such as Hanukkah and Jewish holidays such as Shabbat and Passover. Even if the person hosting a Jewish event is regards themselves as secular, kosher alcohol is usually served out of respect for those that are invited that keep kosher allowing them to drink and enjoy the event more.
More recently vegans choose kosher alcohol as they know it won’t contain any traces of meat or dairy products due to the strict manufacturing supervision process.
What makes wine kosher?
For a wine to be kosher, it must be produced wholly from grapes that were grown, processed and bottled under rabbinical supervision. The wine may not contain any additives or flavorings, and it must be pure grape wine. In addition, the wine must be mevushal, meaning that it has been heated to a certain temperature to ensure that it can be handled by non-Jewish personnel without rendering it non-kosher. Only wines that are mevushal can be served in kosher restaurants and sold in stores that sell both kosher and non-kosher products.
What makes beer kosher?
For beer the barley, hops, and water used to make the beer must all be certified as kosher. The brewing process itself must also be carried out in accordance with Jewish law.
Once the beer is brewed, it must be bottled or kegged in a kosher facility. Finally, the beer must be labeled with a kosher symbol before it can be sold to consumers.
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Does kosher alcohol need a kosher certification?
Some will argue that if the ingredients are kosher then the alcohol will be kosher. Ingredients like sugar, water, salt grapes and all fruit are inherently kosher along with ingredients that come from the ground like barley, wheat and rye. A lot of observant Jews around the world will drink alcohol without the certification as long as its made from all natural ingredients and is listed on a Kashrut Authority website.
So in summary kosher alcohol is consumed primarily by religious Jews and can be harder to find.
If you live in the USA visit wine.com they have a large selection of kosher wine and spirits.
Go to www.wine.com HERE