Once upon a time, not very long ago, in a little country far, far away – on the Mediterranean Sea – a small group of Ivy League ex-pats hailing from the US of A gathered together to redefine an ancient, five year tradition.  They had tired of the old ways and sought something not necessarily new, but certainly different.  Year after year of annual wine tasting with its rarefied atmosphere and hushed conversations left them educated and enriched.  However, the time had come to move on, to leave that safe realm of familiar experience and venture on to new territory.      

And so it was that our little group found themselves in one of the quaintest micro-brewery bars hosted by one of the more gregarious and colorful characters to be found in our modest country.  In the picturesque artist village of Ein Hod (which you read about in my earlier postings) Danny Shlyfestone, Israel’s first micro-brewer and his lovely wife, Analia, welcomed our small band of adventurers and served up some of the best beer we’d ever tasted. 

  The cozy bar of wood and wicker was warm and welcoming, very much a product of the artist village itself.  Blown and stained glass by local artists and Analia’s paintings  graced the shelves and walls of their charming Art Bar.

And us? We sat back and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere taking in Danny’s stories along with the beer , pizza with everything and the steaming hot pumpkin soup.

We imbibed his Uptown Brown Ale flavored with a touch of roasted barley and an added tad of burnt caramel sweetness.

We sipped Danny’s Yiestie Beastie – his lightest pale ale with subtle added bitters.

We drank Danny’s Yo’ Mama’s Ale – an amber ale with honey sweetness and caramel.

We downed his the Le Choco Stout that uses every grain there is, including seven different barley malts and roasted barley.   “It’s the darkest beer there is and has so much body,” Danny explains, “that I can pour it onto the bar because it stands on it’s own.  But for hygienic reasons, I compromise and serve it in glasses.”

But my favorite was the guest beer of the evening.  Truly the Champaign of beer.

It’s an etrog and wheat malt ‘dancing’ with caramel called the Trog-Wit Tart.

 

While enjoying the uniquely  flavored beer and pizza cooked on a taboun – an arab-style open air oven, Danny  gave us insights into the in’s and out’s of home brewing.

He regaled us with stories from ‘back in the day’ when he was working in a sound studio in London running the audio board for the latest Rolling Stones album when there was a knock at the door.   The door was at the end of a long hallway. 

 

“I ran down the hall, opened the still-banging door and who was standing there…Steven Stills.  You know, of Crosby, Nash & Stills. 

“He says, Hey, I’m here to see the boys.  So I run back down the hall, because there was this rule, no one comes in without the Stones’ OK.  So I run into the studio and say, hey, uh, Steven Stills is here to see you.  Mick and the guys all say great, send him in. Except Keith (Richards).  No. No way, he’s coming in here, insists Keith.  

“So, it turns out that a couple of nights before, the two of them exchanged blows.   Seems Steven had the last ‘word’ because Keith was not letting him in.  So I had go out into the hallway and tell Steven Stills he couldn’t come in.  The next day when we were all back in the studio, there’s another knock at the door.  In comes Ringo Star and some lawyer. 

  “And who sneaks in between them but, Steven Stills.  NO, shouts Keith.  He can’t come in.  

   “Well, finally after hours in the hallway, Steven stuck his head in.  ‘Hey man, I’m really sorry’. Keith gave in.  Steven came in and we finished the recording.”

  That’s us, all smiles. And all it took was a few tales, a little ivy and a lot of great beer….