Iranian beer

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Iranian beer
by Ari Siletz
24-Oct-2010
 

   Surfing the web for international beer ratings, I ran into Delster by Iran Behnoosh Co. The beer can says “non alcoholic” in both Farsi and Arabic. It better be non-alcoholic; the Mostazefan foundation is a 63% shareholder. Sadly, Oil Company retirees hold only 1.3% of the company shares or Iran Behnoosh may have been steered in the direction of sneaking a bit of real beer into the brew.  As one beer taster on the site says, “Open up, add yeast, let it sit for a week and try again.” Good fermentation advice!  

Others on the site compare the flavor to dishwater, cardboard and paper, though one commenter says the sweet taste is a welcome alternative to mint tea at mealtimes. I wonder what part of Iran he/she was visiting. I have rarely had mint tea served during Persian meals. Maybe he mistook doogh for Persian tea.  Suspicious that the negative responses were politically motivated I searched under some American non-alcoholic beers. Coors non-alcoholic drew the following comment: “Pours a clear piss yellow hue with a medium head that dissipates, leaving a scrim of foam full of big ugly bubbles…overall very bad.”   There goes my conspiracy theory.  

By the way, the Lagunitas IPA they make near my hometown in California has pretty good ratings. Here’s one comment I quite agree with: “Pours with a golden body and a white head. Floral hop aroma with lots of tangerine. Some orange blossom honey too as well as perfumey notes. Taste is hoppy, citrus, tangerine, kumquat and fresh honey biscuit dough. Body is light and thin (in a refreshing way). Very sessionable.”   Living in the diaspora has its advantages. 

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more from Ari Siletz
 
Majid

آبجو بدون الکل؟

Majid
Mon Oct 25, 2010 09:23 PM PDT

آری جان، از قدیم گفتن «گر جهنّم میروی مردانه رو»!
حیف این مائدهء بهشتی نیست که ذبح اسلامی بشه؟ یکی بی الکلش میکنه! یکی «لایت»ش میکنه! اینو نباید انگولکش کرد داداش!
فقط باید ٤٥دقیقه (نه بیشتر) گذاشتش تو فریزر و بعد باهاش حال کرد! همین! والسّلامُ مِنَ التَبِعَ الهُدی!
سلامتی


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Khar

Ari Jaan

by Khar on Mon Oct 25, 2010 07:46 PM PDT

ever since I have seen you on IC I thought your name: "Ari Siletz" is a Kosher and nice Jewish name aziz, and speaking of Khatneh, it makes your name that much more Jewish :-)

Thanks for the blog, but nothig beats the real Beer, Cheers & Be-Salamati!!!


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iamfine

sargord

by iamfine on Mon Oct 25, 2010 07:36 PM PDT

I misunderstood you all the way along. I thought you would not touch beer because of your affiliation with the IRI. My bad. I am glad you are one of us.


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Anahid Hojjati

آری مخفف ارسطو.

Anahid Hojjati
Mon Oct 25, 2010 01:09 PM PDT

dear Ari, your parents must have been very smart people, they named you

 ارسطو

and it fits. On many people, this name would be too ambitious but on you, it is just right.


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Ari Siletz

Some replies

by Ari Siletz on Mon Oct 25, 2010 12:42 PM PDT

Bavafa: That must be it regarding mint tea. The Arabic writing on the can suggests the beer is marketed in Arab countries and the beer reviewer must have tasted it outside of Iran.

 

 

 Comrade: Nothing yet on an RP interview. I should try harder. By the way there are some great winter beers, typically mealier with a higher alcohol content. Both Sierra Nevada in California and Samuel Adams in Boston make winter ales and stouts that sell well around Christmas time. And I've always thought of Guiness a cold weather beer.

Darius: Thanks for the French beer link. You probably go to Belgium for the master beer touch, however, trusting your wine to French expertise. Picking a bar fight,  French wine is almost as good as California wine ;)

 

All-Iranians: Thanks for the great link to Dr. Sadat-Noury's blog on Iran's beer history.

 


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Bavafa

Ari Jaan, mint tea is served commonly in Morocco and Egypt

by Bavafa on Mon Oct 25, 2010 07:02 AM PDT

I don't know of any other country that has this custom but in Morocco they drink mint tea only.

Mehrdad

P.S. Welcome back. We missed your comments/contribution on IC.


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All-Iranians

Good Observations Ari

by All-Iranians on Mon Oct 25, 2010 06:19 AM PDT

And here is a LINK to the "Evidences for the Brewing Beer and Making Wine in Ancient Iran":

//iranian.com/main/blog/m-saadat-noury/few-moments-doctor-karl


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comrade

Burp-less beer

by comrade on Mon Oct 25, 2010 03:24 AM PDT

A good blog, even on a subject suited for mid-summer.

Any update on your anticipated interview with RP? Or is it kind of none-of-your-business-boy kinda thing?

Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

 


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Darius Kadivar

Interesting Blog Ari Jaan

by Darius Kadivar on Mon Oct 25, 2010 01:12 AM PDT

The Only Non Alcoholic Beer I heard of in Iran was dubbed Abjoo Eslami.

In France we have a brand called "Tourtel":

//images.webnetters.org/Tourtel.jpg

 


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Darius Kadivar

SPink How do you conciliate Drinking Beer with Your endorsement

by Darius Kadivar on Mon Oct 25, 2010 01:09 AM PDT

of IRI Laws which forbid the same luxury to your own Brothers and Sisters back home ? ...

Oh Right I forgot you Ain't Iranian ... 

 


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Ari Siletz

کلاه مخملی، میم میم

Ari Siletz
Sun Oct 24, 2010 11:50 PM PDT

آری مخفف ارسطو. این آمریکایی‌‌ها تا یک لغت را ختنه نکنن زبونشون دورش نمیگرده. سیلتز هم به اصطلاح اسم مستعار هست. اسم یک قبیله‌ سرخ پوست که که از بس زور شنیدن و اینور اونور بردنشون همه الکلی شدن.  

 

میم میم، خدا بیامرز عمو ناصر ما میگفت مست نماز نخوندی تا ببینی‌ چه کیفی میده.

سلامت باشید.

 


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MM

یکی بهم گفت:

MM
Sun Oct 24, 2010 11:41 PM PDT

یکی بهم گفت: قدیمها تو خونه نماز میخوندیم، بیرون مشروب میخوردیم. حالا دیگه فقط برعکس شده. بیرون نماز میخونیم، تو خونه مشروب میخوریم.


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کلاه مخملی

آری (؟)

کلاه مخملی
Sun Oct 24, 2010 11:29 PM PDT

برادر، اول به ما بگو این چه اسم ایرونیه :) !

دوما، تو هر گونه آب جو و عرق و غیره می خوای، به من گو، کارتا را میندازم - شلاق ملاقم بی خیال - نصفه این بچه آخوندا تو این کارن .. :)

ما زمان شاه، عرقا بالای میز می خوردیم - حالا مجبوریم بریم  زیر میز - خر همون خره، پالونش عوض شده .. :)

زنده باشی ... !

 

 


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Sargord Pirouz

If memory serves me right,

by Sargord Pirouz on Sun Oct 24, 2010 11:28 PM PDT

If memory serves me right, my dad poured me an Iranian beer at a restaurant in Tehran, circa 1975. He was funny about things like that. Back then, as a teenager, I thought beer tasted weird. And it made me feel even weirder. 

But later in life I grew to appreciate the taste, to the point of over-appreciation! 


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Ari Siletz

beer chat

by Ari Siletz on Sun Oct 24, 2010 11:15 PM PDT

SP, I just heard last night that beer is an Iranian invention.Before that I used to think it was the ancient Egyptians who first used to soak their bread (for the yeast) in water and later drink the proceeds.

 Say hello to your Lagunitas rep friend. Back around '00 were the good days when Lagunitas opened its brewery in Petaluma, CA to the public. For $5 you could drink all you could handle. Their barely wine (11% alcohol, I think) is still to die for, though you have to wait for the season

 

Kolah Makhmali, not only is hame joor available they actually deliver to your door. The drinking tradition--as I understand it--is that whoever buys the round also has to take all the shallaagh if caught. 


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Sargord Pirouz

You do know, Ari, that beer

by Sargord Pirouz on Sun Oct 24, 2010 10:53 PM PDT

You do know, Ari, that beer was invented in Iran.

BTW: I used to party with the Lagunitas rep for the bay area, circa '00. I still have a wooden Lagunitas ad board of a woman posing next to a car. I'll have to dig it up sometime.


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کلاه مخملی

همه جور آب جو و عرق تو ایرانست ... ! :)

کلاه مخملی
Sun Oct 24, 2010 10:50 PM PDT

اینا مسخره بازیه ... !

 

 


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