How kosher is beer? As with other products, it's increasingly complicated.

(RNS) — In November, three of America’s largest kosher certifying organizations came together to release new guidance regarding the status of beer, which has long been considered kosher by default. Due to the proliferation of flavorings brought on by craft brewing and other industry changes, however, the rabbis who declare food products to be in line with Jewish dietary laws now say to check the label before drinking.

“We’ve discovered that companies use many flavors, different flavors, to enhance even the simple beers that they manufacture. Those flavors need to be kosherly supervised,” said Rabbi Moshe Elefant, the head of kosher operations at the Orthodox Union, who released the guidance along with Star-K and OK Kosher. “We’ve seen more than one situation … that some beers have dairy in them. They add lactose, they add milk, so a beer could be dairy, which has very serious kosher ramifications.”

So-called hazy IPAs, for instance, which have recently seen a massive jump in popularity among beer drinkers, sometimes contain lactose, a milk sugar, which adds a subtle creaminess and opacity. It also makes the resulting beer a no-no on any table where meat is being served, according to kosher laws.

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