In Israel’s beer scene, Alexander Brewery is as celebrated as wineries like Castel or Yatir—a symbol of pioneering spirit, quality, excellence, and uncompromising standards. Alexander is Israel's most internationally decorated craft brewery and the only one to win gold medals at Germany’s Beer Olympics. The brewery recently launched Alexander Fest Lager, a Festbier-style lager.
Originally released about a year ago as a special edition, this beer saw widespread success. Now, it's available nationwide, stocked in major stores and select bars across Israel, in bottles and on tap.
Founded in 2008 near the Alexander Stream in Emek Hefer by Ori Sagy, the brewery aimed to create an outstanding Israeli beer on par with the world’s finest craft breweries. Within a few short years, Uri’s vision became a reality.
Since then, the brewery has focused on producing unfiltered, unpasteurized beer from top-quality ingredients. Brewmaster and CEO Lior Balmas ensures the use of only the highest-grade ingredients. The beer is made through a meticulous, longer-than-usual brewing process, drawing on the knowledge and traditions of high-quality European breweries. Small batch production allows for full quality control.
Back to Basics
“Lager is the foundation of everything,” says Lior. “It’s like vanilla ice cream—the most basic but essential. A brewery’s expertise is often measured by its lager.”
“People enjoy trying different beer types, but they eventually come back to lager. Several factors contribute to a beer’s success. First, the ingredients, almost all sourced from abroad, must arrive fresh at the brewery."
Other crucial factors include proper packaging, which protects the beer from contamination, light, and oxygen; branding, which attracts customers to the bottle on the shelf; and marketing and distribution, which in the past three years have been handled by Carmel Wineries.”
Carmel Wineries has distributed various international beers in recent years, alongside Alexander's local craft beer, which leads the craft beer scene in Israel.
Producing lagers is a significant challenge, as the clean and precise flavors allow no room for off-notes or errors in the process. A quality lager serves as a mark of excellence for craft breweries.
In the global craft brewing community, there is a growing trend of lager production. 'Alexander Fest Lager' offers an authentic drinking experience that combines European tradition with outstanding Israeli beer.
The Magic of Oktoberfest
Alexander Fest Lager is an elegant beer with a gentle sweetness and balanced bitterness. It has a golden color with a thick, white head.
The beer is unfiltered and unpasteurized, which gives it a richer flavor and aroma, with a delicate yeast sediment at the bottle’s base, allowing it to continue “living” in the bottle and stay fresh until consumed.
“This beer brings the magic of Germany’s Oktoberfest to Israeli consumers,” says Lior Balmas.
“The wide release of this beer reflects our ability to continue innovating and making craft beer accessible to new audiences while preserving the tradition and quality that have made us leaders in the Israeli craft beer industry.”
Price: NIS 14-16 for a 330 ml bottle.