Goldstar is by far the better of the two most successful Israeli beers (the other being Maccabbee, previously the main competitor and now produced by the same company.) It’s a dark, Munich-style lager, rather amber in color with some strong flavor to hold on to.

Mind you, neither Israeli beer ranks alongside the highest quality beers known to man. It may seem unfair to compare mass-produced beers with microbrews but honestly every beer in Israel is produced on a microbrew scale when compared to those abroad. Personally, my dad and I (both Israeli) agree that the U.S. Pacific Northwest area produces some of the best beers in the world, bar none (Mac n’ Jack’s African Amber, anyone?) Still, when out drinking in Israel, a half-liter of Goldstar will do quite nicely if nothing better is on tap.