• Aprill Brandon •
• Originally published September 30, 2009 at midnight, updated October 2, 2009 at 8:44 a.m.

You've probably never noticed before, but that Shiner beer you are drinking has an added bonus. It is 100 percent kosher.

It's not something they necessarily advertise or try to get credit for, it's just something they do, brewmaster Jimmy Mauric said.

"It's not on the label and it's not something that we necessarily try to make people aware of, although in the Jewish community, there is literature about it and it's well known we're kosher," he said.

Kosher food and drinks are those that are fit or allowed to be eaten or used according to dietary and ceremonial laws, typically those of Judaism.

The kosher tradition began back with the brewery's first brewmaster, Kosmos Spoetzl, who was originally from Bavaria and whose recipe for beer followed Reinheitsgebot, or the German purity law, which dictates that the water, barley and hops used to make beer are all kosher.

In the 1990s, brewery owner Carlos Alvarez made it a point to stick to that tradition and get kosher certification for their beer.

"We're very conscious of what we put in there," Mauric said.

In addition to using only the best quality raw ingredients, once a year, Rabbi Joseph Krupnik comes to Shiner from Michigan to inspect the brewery and make sure everything is still kosher, he added. In fact, when the brewery bought an old smokehouse to help make their new Smokehaus specialty beer at the start of summer, they had the rabbi inspect that as well.

"It's an ongoing process," Mauric said about remaining kosher through the years. "Anytime we make a speciality beer or have a new beer, we have to make sure it will pass the inspection."

As for why they keep up the kosher tradition, Mauric said it's simply how they operate.

"We try to appeal to all walks of life," he added.

Related stories:

Brewery gives Bock to Shiner

Shiner beer's sixth brewmaster is home grown

Spoetzl Brewery timeline

Festivals abound in October

Aprill Brandon does what she does best...drink beer

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