• by Les Luchter , December 9, 2021

Celebrating its 25^th and final anniversary, Shmaltz Brewing Company -- which Jeremy Cowan launched as one of the first craft breweries in 1996 with He’Brew, The Chosen Beer -- is on a “Exodus 2021 -- Farewell to Shmaltz” tour featuring a barleywine-style ale brewed with dates, figs, pomegranates and grapes, as well as Bittersweet Lenny's Red IPA in 16-ounce cans, and even Shmaltz Liquor Small Batch Whiskey.

In a recent interview with the Jewish-American-targeted newspaper The Forward, Cowan said he was shutting downShmaltz largely because he was tired of the “things you have to do to build a beer brand, like drive around and ask people to buy it over and over….Especially coming out of COVID, when we couldn’t do that, the prospect of being a door-to-door salesman is a lot less compelling, and I feel I’ve accomplished more than I ever imagined possible.”

Those accomplishments have included having Shmaltz beer being served on tap at the White House, and appearing on such TV shows as “Friends” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

“The Shmaltz brand is all part of Cowan's marketing genius and self-proclaimed ‘shtick’ [Yiddish for "comic routine]"), Jim McCune, craft beer expert and director of ECG Group’s Craft Beverage Division, told Marketing Daily. “The company name even refers to a specific type of cooking fat associated with Jewish cuisine. Cowan would choose witty beer names like Messiah Brown Ale, Pastrami Pilsner, and Funky Jewbelation.” 

Last year, for example, Shmaltz teamed up with Moustache Brewing to release “She’Brew,” a blueberry/raspberry/grapefruit beer honoring the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

 “What a crazy-wonderful, meaningful, challenging, adventure from Hanukkah back in 1996 when there were less than 700 [craft] breweries in the country, and now we have more than 10,000 filled with colleagues, friends and enthusiasts,” Cowan reminisced to McCune in an exchange shared with Marketing Daily. “An amazing community and camaraderie, and of course a whole lotta tasty shtick. I’m really grateful to so many hands and hearts that helped us succeed. More chapters to come and can’t wait to see you all there. L’Chaim![Cheers]”

Cowan will continue as owner and president of New York City’s nine-year-old Alphabet City Brewing Company and three-year-old 518 Craft tasting room in Troy, New York, where Shmaltz has been based.

Those are just two of the ventures that Shmaltz helped Cowan launch over the years. Others included licenses from CBS to brew “Star Trek’”s 50^th anniversary ales and “Star Trek: The Next Generation’s” 20^th anniversary beer, and the creation of Coney Island Craft Lagers, later sold to Alchemy & Science, a division of Boston Beer Company.

Next up on the Shmaltz farewell tour is a joint Tampa, Florida event on Dec. 12 with Original Sin and Dunedin breweries.