Oktoberfest in Palestine (I kid you not)

Many teachers at my school are beer aficionados. I've yet to teach at a school without beer aficionados, but that should surprise no one who is already a teacher.

Now, Israel is not exactly a beer-lover's paradise. One can regularly find Carlsberg, Tuborg (which is Danish, I think), Heineken, Stella, and Goldstar, which is the Israeli dark lager, brewed a mere kilometer from our school's campus.

However, many believe the region's best domestic beer to be Taybeh, brewed in the Christian city of the same name, located just north of Jerusalem in the disputed West Bank. The Taybeh brewery has an annual Oktoberfest which attracts beer lovers of all stripes in the time-honored German tradition. If this sounds strange for the Middle East, it is. Three carloads of teachers went on a drove on a fine Saturday in October to sample the wares at Taybeh.

For those of you joining us with knowledge of the Northwest, Driving from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem feels almost exactly like driving from Seattle to Tacoma in terms of duration and difficulty. In terms of scenic beauty, it feels like a barren and miniature version of Snoqualmie Pass. Here are some photos that don't quite do the beautiful drive justice -- click to enlarge:



Taybeh is a charming city on a hill, similar to other cities on hills in the surrounding area. The rocky land actually feels and looks more biblical the more you look at it.




Here is the banner and pouring station for the beer:


These are authentic German dudes in lederhosen specially invited to lend some credibility to the proceedings.


Instead of pretzles, there was falafel, and lots of it. Delicious.



Here we are around a table in the beer garden. Note the city on the hill in the background and the hookah action in the foreground.


The Germans turned out the be a bonefide brass band. They played their polka and drank and toasted us in the audience.


There were beautiful remains on a Christian church near the site of the event. Here are a few pictures -- I like this one of the three people entering:


An oven or kiln of some kind, with offerings.



Mausoleums:




We had a fantastic time. A few shots from the drive back into Israel: