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Shepherds (330 ml) Pilsner, Palestine

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In the heart of the central area of Palestine, lays the town of Birzeit, approximately 25 kilometers to the northwest of Jerusalem. Shepherds' beers are produced here, at Birzeit Brewery, by the Sayej brothers. The brewery began production in 2015 and the Shepherds Beer line now includes a blonde Czech-style Pilsner, an English-type amber ale and an Irish stout. It also produces seasonal beers, one example being a small batch of "berry wheat beer" it brewed using four types of berries harvested from farms around Birzeit.

As a Palestinian brewery in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Birzeit faces a number of common challenges for such operations, including restrictions on construction, imports and exports, as well as access to vital resources like water. This latter problem in particular led Sayej to design an in-house water treatment system to recycle water for cleaning and other auxiliary uses in the brewery. The brewery also collects rainwater for such purposes. Sayej has also experimented with growing his own hops for the brewery with a view to producing a single-origin Palestinian IPA. He has produced limited quantities of hops using hydroponics that the brewery has used to make small batches of beers for special events.

The town of Birzeit has always played an essential role in both the cultural and tourism fields in the region. Through different organizations, the roads and alleys of Birzeit constantly host multiple events that are considered to be highlights of the cultural and entertainment industries. Birzeit Brewery is another attraction that serves as an expansion to the holistic unit that is being created in the old town of Birzeit. The Brewery and its products will be contributing vastly to boosting the local economy of Birzeit. Beer, one of the oldest prepared beverages, is globally considered to be the third most popular drink after tea and coffee. The history of beer brewing goes back to 3000 years BC. Egyptians, Sumerians and Syrians have brewed and traded beer since the ancient days. However, beer penetrated the international markets through Europe and mainly the Germanic and Celtic tribes. Today, almost every country in the world has its own local beer and as matter of fact; Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Iran and Palestine are all Middle Eastern countries that have at least one regional brewery producing beer.