Starting in 2026, OU says only certified kosher beers at its venues, events

Historically, unflavored beers have been generally assumed to be kosher, but the stout and bitter truth is that craft brewing has introduced recipes that extend beyond water, hops, barley and yeast, per a Nov. 17 announcement from the Orthodox Union, which the kosher certifier shared with JNS.

There is now a “proliferation of flavored beers, diverse additives and shared equipment that can compromise the kosher status of even seemingly straightforward brews,” the OU said.

Rabbi Moshe Elefant, chief operating officer and rabbinic administrator at the Orthodox Union, told JNS that “over the last several years, we have seen a marked change in how beer is produced.”

“These changes introduce risk of uncertified ingredients or production line crossover issues leading to consumers mistakenly dr