Negev's Fata Morgana: Not a mirage

Fata Morgana: A Negev Hoppy Sloppy Lager from the Malka Brewery.

Negev Beers have not been brewed in the Negev for many years.  Most recently, they are being made in the Malka Brewery in the Tefen Industrial Area in the far north -- about as far as you can get from the Negev Desert.

Negev is also not known for coming out with new beers very frequently.  They have brewed the same three core beers for as long as I can remember (Amber Ale, Porter Alon and Oasis), plus adding an IPA several years ago.    

So it was with some fanfare that Negev introduced Fata Morgana, called a Hoppy Sloppy Lager.

Maor Helfman, Beer Brands Manager for Hacarem Spirits Ltd., a partner in the Malka Brewery, told me that Fata Morgana is a basic lager beer, dry-hopped with Citra hops.  It's called a fata morgana (a mirage in the desert) because it blurs the lines between lager beers and hoppy ales.

A fata morgana in the desert: Is it really there?

Fata Morgana pours out a slightly hazy brown-gold color, with a small head but active carbonation.  There were light malt and hoppy aromas -- both citrus and tropical fruits, but I wasn't able to hone in any further.  There was also citrus in the taste -- bitter grapefruit -- as well as butterscotch.  The body is fuller than medium, and the finish is bitter as it should be.  Alcohol by volume is 4.9%.

Fata Morgana is a welcome addition to the Negev beer repertoire.  As a hoppy lager, it brings together the hop aromatics of a pale ale and the refreshing crispness of a lager.  But it's really there; not a mirage.