Clifton Park, NY — Break out the latkes, turducken and HE’BREW Beer┬«, it’s time to celebrate Chanukah (begins Wed., Nov. 27) and Thanksgiving (Thurs., Nov. 28) with Shmaltz Brewing Company! Overlapping for only the second time since President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a federal holiday — the last time it occurred was in 1888 and it won’t happen again for another 79,043 years — these two holidays are renowned for enjoying delicious foods and libations. With a brand new 20,000 square feet brewery in Upstate New York, Shmaltz Brewing is rarin’ to go with this year’s limited-edition Anniversary releases, including Jewbelation Reborn┬« (17 malts, 17 hops, 17% alc), the 4th Annual HE’BREW Holiday Gift Pack┬«, and their first-ever Black IPA, Death of a Contract Brewer┬« (7 malts, 7 hops, 7% alc). This week, Shmaltz’s national launch of Jewbelation Reborn┬« takes place at the Great American Beer Festival (Denver, CO; Oct. 10-12, 2013), and in the coming weeks, national and regional Chanukah/Thanksgiving hybrid food-craft beer holiday events will be announced on www.shmaltzbrewing.com.
A complex, enormous brown ale with a dynamic labyrinth of multi-layered flavors, Jewbelation Reborn┬« celebrates Shmaltz’s new brewery in Clifton Park, NY (10 miles north of Albany). Jewbelation Reborn┬« is brewed with 17 malts, 17 hops and soars to 17% alc. Since its inception in 2004, Shmaltz’s Jewbelation┬« series has been hailed by critics and showered with accolades including, “5 Stars” from Celebrator Beer News, “Best Holiday Beer” by Pacific Brew News, and Playboy Magazine naming Jewbelation Twelve┬« one of the “Best Winter Brews.” Imbibe Magazine calls Jewbelation 14┬« one of the “Top 50 Beers in the World,” and a blind, holiday tasting panel from SF Weekly determined Jewbelation 14┬« the “Best Christmas Beer” — the brew also took home a Gold Medal at the World Beer Championships (2011). Smithsonian Magazine touted Jewbelation Sweet 16┬« as “the best specialty drink of all” in last year’s “Guide to the Most Delicious Drinks for the Holidays.”
Shmaltz’s 4th Annual HE’BREW Holiday Gift Pack┬« features eight 12 oz. bottles of beer which include the World Beer Championship Silver Medal winning Messiah Nut Brown Ale┬« and Gold Medal winner Rejewvenator┬«, plus the unique collaboration beers with Terrapin Brewing (Reunion Ale ’13 – A Beer For Hope┬«) and Cathedral Square Brewery (St. Lenny’s — The Immaculate Collaboration┬«). It also includes two rare, barrel-aged beers, 2013’s recipe of R.I.P.A. on Rye┬« (Great American Beer Festival, Silver Medal, 2010) and Funky Jewbelation┬«. Completing the only Chanukah Beer Gift Pack on any shelf this season are Death of a Contract Brewer┬« and Jewbelation Reborn┬«. The Gift Pack┬« features a custom glass, Chanukah candles and instructions on “How To Build Your Own Beer Menorah” — which details how to enter the 4th Annual “Best Beer Menorah” Facebook competition for a chance to win a chosen prize!
Shmaltz’s first-ever Black IPA, Death of a Contract Brewer┬« (7 malts, 7 hops, 7% ABV), was initially brewed to celebrate the Grand Opening of Shmaltz’s new brewery in July 2013. On shelves starting this month and available through the end of the year, Death of a Contract Brewer┬« is available in 22 oz. bottles and this year’s HE’BREW Holiday Gift Pack┬«.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for an announcement of Shmaltz’s national holiday events for Chanukah, Thanksgiving, and December’s Chanukah vs. Christmas: The Battle Royale of Beers appearing at select venues around the country.
Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah:
Since the national release of Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah (October 2011) by Small Press United, Shmaltz proprietor Jeremy Cowan has traversed North America hosting book and beer signing events at renowned venues such as Omnivore Books, Kepler’s Books, Dog Eared Books, Pacific Standard, Stanford Bookstore, The Strand, Atlanta Jewish Book Festival, The 33rd Annual St. Louis Jewish Book Festival, and Great American Beer Festival. Critics from Philly Beer Scene, Esquire.com, Washington Post, Ale Street News, J Weekly, 7×7 Magazine, East Bay Express, and many others are raving about Jeremy Cowan’s memoir. Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah is an ideal Chanukah gift and available for purchase at independent bookstores, Jewish gift shops, beer specialty stores, and online retailers; IPG is the second largest independent press distributor in the United States.
Detailed information on Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah, including a free sampling of Chapter One and suggested beer pairings, can be viewed at www.craftbeerbarmitzvah.com.
About Shmaltz Brewing Company:
Ranked in 2013 as one of the “Top 100 Brewers in the World” by RateBeer.com, Shmaltz won 9 Gold and 5 Silver Medals in the World Beer Championships in 2012. A recipient of the “Distinguished Business Award” by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Shmaltz was also included in the “Top 50 Fastest Growing Bay Area Companies” by San Francisco Business Times.
Founder and still sole proprietor Jeremy Cowan established the company in San Francisco in 1996 with the first 100 cases of He’brew Beer┬«. He’brew┬« now sells across 35 states, through 40 wholesalers and nearly 4,000 retailers. In 2007, Shmaltz released a new line of craft brewed lagers under the Coney Island┬« banner. The Coney Island brand was recently acquired by Alchemy and Science, a craft beer incubator, owned by Boston Beer (Sam Adams).
After 17 years of being an outspoken cheerleader for contract brewing, Shmaltz recently broke with tradition and opened its own New York State production brewery in Clifton Park, NY, 10 minutes north of Albany’s capital district. Shmaltz’s new home boasts a 50-barrel brewhouse with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity. The new brewery packages 12 and 22 ounce bottles and kegs of their diverse core and seasonal favorites, and hosts fans and beer tourists in their new tasting room for tours, barrel-aged previews, and special releases.
In 2010/11, Cowan published his small business memoir, Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah: How It Took 13 Years, Extreme Jewish Brewing, and Circus Sideshow Freaks to Make Shmaltz Brewing Company an International Success. A free sampling of Chapter One and suggested beer pairings, can be viewed at www.craftbeerbarmitzvah.com. In 2012, Cowan spearheaded the creation of the non-profit New York City Brewers Guild (which manages NYC Beer Week) and serves as its President.
Cowan also has presented at the 2013 Craft Brewers Conference, as well as previous Great American Beer Festivals, the Brewbound Session, Beer Advocate’s Extreme Beer Festival, the Atlanta and the St. Louis Jewish Book Fairs, and the San Francisco and New York Jewish Museums.
Shmaltz Brewing beers have appeared in such distinguished media outlets as The New York Times, CNN Headline News, Beer Advocate Magazine, NPR’s “Weekend Edition,” Fox Business News, Men’s Health, San Francisco Chronicle, The Jerusalem Report, New York Jewish Week, and Washington Post.