Beer Festival in Tel Aviv

A few nights ago, My friend Ian and I went to a Beer Festival here in Tel Aviv. It was held at the Nokia Arena, which is a the arena here in Tel Aviv. For 60 shekels, you received a glass and five coupons to try five beers of your choosing. I could not believe how many breweries from Israel there were showcasing their craft. There were many different breweries that I had not even heard of and tried. There was a brewery called the Laughing Buddha which brewed a single malt IPA which was fantastic, probably the best beer I had that night. There was also pumpkin ale from the Galil brewery which was a good beer, but was lacking in the pumpkin flavor. Lets just say it was nothing like Shipyard's Pumpkinhead. I then had a dark beer from a company that is called Mansion House, or אחוזת בית. Their dark beer was called Dizengoff and their other beers were named after other streets in Tel Aviv. The last beer that I remembered for being very special was a porter by this homebrewer from Modiin. As he poured the beer from the keg, the beer passed through coffee beans. This gave the beer a slight taste of coffee. It was delicious. I asked him where he brewed the beer and he said in his backyard. He does not sell to stores or bars. Mostly to friends and family. This beer was something special. There were other Israeli brewers there including Malka, Alexander, Negev, Golan, and Pavo. I have had all of these before and they are delicious. I do  not know if they are available back in the States,  but if you are here give them a try. They are delicious. It was a fantastic evening filled with beer. What could be better really.