Clifton Park, NY — Fresh off the packaging line at Shmaltz Brewing’s brand new Upstate New York brewery, Funky Jewbelation┬« is the latest Limited Engagement in the brewery’s bold and beautiful Barrel-Aged Series. This year’s hand crafted recipe of Funky Jewbelation┬« features a unique blend of seven ales from the Shmaltz beer lineup aged in bourbon and rye whiskey barrels, and hustles in at 9.4% alc. Funky Jewbelation┬« is an expert mash-up of Jewbelation 15┬« (aged 18 months), Messiah Nut Brown Ale┬« (aged 3 months), Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.┬« (aged 12 months), Reunion┬« (aged 6 months), Origin┬« (aged 6 months), Rejewvenator┬« (aged 6 months), and Death of a Contract Brewer┬« (aged 4 months). Funky Jewbelation┬« is now nationally available in 22 oz. bottles and a limited amount of draft at select bars.
“Funky Jewbelation 2014 embodies Shmaltz’s commitment to the craftsmanship of truly exceptional beers,” says Shmaltz Brewmaster Paul McErlean. “Funky has been aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon and Sazarac and Willett Rye whiskey barrels. It’s a monumental blend of our favorite ales that we’ve lovingly nurtured for the past couple years. Since some of the beers were contract brewed and some brewed at our new brewery in Clifton Park, this Funky offering bridges our old life with our new. Funky Jewbelation 2014 glistens a deep ruby color with a big, tart, sour cherry flavor and a malty earth aroma. A lovely puckering is complemented by subtle hints of bourbon, charred wood, molasses and light notes of vanilla.”
The 2012 and 2013 versions of Funky Jewbelation┬« took home two consecutive Gold Medals at the 2012/2013 World Beer Championships. The 2012 World Beer Championships featured 799 breweries from 54 countries and 45 U.S. states with 3,921 beers in 95 beer categories. Now three years in the making, Shmaltz’s barrel-aging program also includes such all-stars as the 2010 Great American Beer Festival Silver Medalist HE’BREW R.I.P.A. on Rye┬« (R.I.P.A. on Rye┬« has a 98-rating on RateBeer.com; 2014 recipe is currently on shelves nationwide); 2011 World Beer Championships Gold Medalist HE’BREW Vertical Jewbelation┬«, and the 99-rated (on RateBeer.com) HE’BREW Genesis 15:15┬«.
The Limited Engagement Barrel-Aged Series not only represents some of Shmaltz’s most decorated beers, but also boasts the highest consumer ratings from BeerAdvocate.com and RateBeer.com. The latter ranked Shmaltz Brewing as one of the “Top 100 Breweries in the World” in 2013. With the release of this year’s Funky Jewbelation┬«, Shmaltz continues to design sophisticated beers that rank with the world’s best specialty libations
Praise and fun with Funky Jewbelation (2012 & 2013)
“Shmaltz brings the funk with Funky Jewbelation.” –Cigar Aficionado
“You best be ready to shake some tail feathers when you bring this extra-special beer to the party.” –The Kitchn
“Cheers to He’Brew for managing to, impossibly, blend six beers into a whole greater than its parts.” –Yum Sugar
“…in this brewmaster’s skilled hands, the result is a beer with great depth and nuanced flavor.” –Brewsandbooks.com
“The beer is indeed funky, in all the right ways.” -Cooking District
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 37 states, through 40 wholesalers and nearly 5,000 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 served as its Founding President.
Cowan also has presented at the 2013 Craft Brewers Conference, as well as previous Great American Beer Festivals, BevNet’s Brewbound conference, 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.