When I heard that a former sound man for the rolling stones was brewing home grown in his own little micro-brewery in the artist colony of Ein Hod, I decided to check it out first hand.  Just 10min south of Haifa, set in the Carmel hills, the village’s  ancient stone buildings, narrow, winding cobble stone streets and  tiny hidden alleys of hewn stone immediately reminded me of the Rova (Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem’s old city) next to the kotel (Western Wall).   No wonder considering the village once hosted the Israeli Tribe of Menashe,  the Phoenicians and Mamluks. Later I learned that Ein Hod’s seven underground water springs buttressed against the natural Mediterannean port of Atlit have been a great draw since even before Biblical times.  Later the Christians turned Ein Hod into a large walled village.   Much, much later a creative Israeli turned it into an artist colony.  But I was there for the beer.  

 

I came upon the open air taverna at the end of the village’s ancient main drag. Shaded from the hot mid-eastern sun by an oversized tar, relaxed, laid back and off beat like holiday spots of Sinai, Egypt, the Caribbean or parts of India, the atmosphere of the Art Bar is most definitely a reflection of it’s creator, Daniel’s Shlyfestone.  The 56yr old malt magician gave up working with the Electric Light Orchestra to brew his multi-hued rich mix, reminiscent of the best of New Zealand or Scotland.  Daniel put out a sampling of the different malt grains he mixes and matches to create his unique flavors.  While enjoying his rich, savory beer and an exceptional taboun (outdoorfired iron oven)  pizza made with 8 different fresh toppings I had a chance to hear how the how the twists and turns of life can take you from Eric Einstein, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and the Rolling Stones to brewing some of the best beer in the Middle East and serving it in at a taverna in a former ancient Christian walled village overlooking the Mediterranean?  

Daniel’s family moved to Israel from the USA when he was 15.  During high school in the early 70’s he worked in sound studios on recordings by Israeli music icons such as Eric Einstein, Mati Caspi, Tsvika Pik and Shlomo Gornic. After completing his army service in 1975, as most Israelis, Daniel took off looking for adventure in distant lands.   Upon arriving in the UK, Daniel contacted a former boss from a studio in Israel who had returned to his native home in London.  To Daniel’s good fortune one of their sound men had just left.  Daniel was immediately hired to work on recordings with the likes of Rick Wakeman from YES, Emerson Lake and Palmer and ELO.  At a certain point Daniel decided he wanted to work with Frank Zappa.  A circuitous 2 years back to the Far East and across the US brought him to Los Angeles.  In dire need of a job, with Zappa nowhere in sight, Daniel found himself at the Wally Heider Recording studio. 

 Now known as the founder of live concert recording,  Wally Heider  was then just starting to outfit a truck with a full recording studio to get the experience live.  “I asked for a job. They threw me a form to fill in.  I’d been down that road.  Forms just didn’t cut it.  I told them, no.  I won’t fill out any form. I need a job right now and here’s my skill set.  And I know that someone has recently quit, been fired or is about to leave and I can fill in for him.’  It turned out that one of the men in the room was intending to leave the following week. Daniel’s vast experience with the equipment and at live concerts cinched him the job.  That led to working with the some of the greats including Tom Waites and Jerry Lee lewis to name a few. But the one rocker he never did manage to work with was Zappa. 

After 17 astounding years Daniel missed home.  Deciding it was time to return to Israel, he pledged he would return when he was able to do something totally new – something that didn’t yet exist in Israel.  Micro-breweries were having a good run in the US but hadn’t yet come to the mid-East in any kind of commercial way.  After learning to brew in a traditional floor malting facility and a stint at the Mendicino Brewery company in Hopland CA (which now has vineyards instead of hops), in 1995 Daniel made his way home to establish Israel’s first whole grain micro-brewery. 

 

Daniel set up his home brew at the Art Bar in Ein Hod in 2004.  His beer may be unique in the country and perhaps the entire mid-east in that it has no filtering or pasteurization after fermentation.  Once the beer is bottled, it is naturally conditioned by its own spontaneous generation of Co2.  Once capped, secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle until it is ready for drinking. 

The beer is outstanding because, as Daniel points out, he’s personally involved with each and every bottle creating the tastiest art in the mid east.