Clifton Park, NY — Rabbis, lawyers, doctors, accountants, rock stars, studio execs and Jewish orthodontists have countless songs of praise celebrating their crucial and storied roles in our history and communities.
But with a name oh so hard to spell and a delicate job cloaked in controversy, when a Mohel (pron, “moi-el” or “mo’hel”) walks in the room with his sacred ritual instruments soaked in significance and honed with years of handiwork, the adults (and one particular 8-day old male child) could generally use a beer — or several.
Finally after 4,000 years of Jewish tradition from Abraham to Jon Stewart — and for many more world cultures in the fold — the perfect bubbly balm to sooth the Bubbes and the bystanders and sanctify such a precious moment. A new craft beer covenant coming to convert you — for real in 2016: Circum Session Ale.
Intended to look a lot like our father’s fizzy yellow beers, Circum Session Ale gives a hand-crafted twist for a more modern angle of flavor for the next generation of the tribe of Better Beer enthusiasts.
Richie Saunders, Lead Brewer waxes poetic about the intelligent design of his newest Shmaltz recipe: “For such a lingham-likened liquid, we wanted Circum Session Ale to pour out triumphantly with spirited carbonation for a full and fluffy head of foam atop a golden peachy color in a fermented celebration of Life. Pulled from the earth’s bounty, touches of several malted wheat and barley grains provide a subtly sweet full body and our monastically inspired Belgian yeast finishes with a clean refreshing mouthfeel. Several rounds of popping green hop bud additions offer a gentle pinch of bitterness with splashes of pomegranate and citrus to bedazzle the taste buds. Aged for nearly a year in rye whisky and bourbon barrels, just a whiff of booze lingers and dances with a tart ring of flavor around the edges. Mouthwateringly delightful!”
Perfect for pairing with an array of like minded morsels, Shmaltz suggests pleasures such as Lamb Lollipops, Veal Sliders, and of course the classic Balls of Matzoh Soup to provide the perfect comforting nourishment. And though shrimp cocktail and pork tenderloin may be tasty culinary companions, kosher for the Tribe they most certainly are not.
Though generally considered a more delicate nature of a session ale especially when fresh, Circum Session Ale has been pre-aged for more mature enjoyment so perfectly able to pair with funky cheeses, raw foods or spicy hand rolls.
Jeremy Cowan, proprietor of Shmaltz, shares the inspiration for this off-beat creation: “An email came to our inbox last year from an avid fan, Adam Cossick from Suwanee, GA with an idea that has been tossed around at beer fests for many years. Truly profound shtick is hard to find and although we weren’t sure this would rise to our usual Shmaltz standards, Circum Session seizes the current low gravity session ale craze with a balanced and smooth entry into the growing barrel aged sour category. Since Big Beer marketing has deep roots in prurient, nether regions of low brow hack, we thought, Why not beat them at their own game? Thus, the birth of Circum Session. And I mean c’mon, after a Northeast winter couldn’t we all use a few great Spring beers — and one big release, distributed all over the country, based on a dick joke.”
Circum Session® for 2016 comes draft only though future releases should they ever be allowed again could be perfect in 8 oz stubbies, 12 oz long necks, and 16 oz tall boys — the perfect package size for every drinkers needs. We are hopeful the beer stands on its own because additional marketing swag never quite made the cut. Custom fit foam beer koozies to offer manual protection and longer enjoyment when those sultry spring afternoons start heating up — gonna have to be do-it-yourself. The Circum Session® branded bottle openers — to serve double duty with an additional stainless steel flip top blade honed to slice up any low hanging spring fruits that might dangle from within arms reach are not considered safe due to budgetary constraints. But Shmaltz did release a poster with all the bars and retailers crazy enough to hop aboard our 2016 Shmaltz ship of April Fools.
So whether for yourself or for a close circle of friends, grab ahold of Circum Session Ale® from Shmaltz Brewing and He’brew Beer — a cut above the rest. And if you’re pounding pints at your favorite watering hole, don’t be a shmuck and make sure to leave the wait staff a generous tip. To Life – L’Chaim!
About Shmaltz Brewing Company
Shmaltz Brewing and He’brew Beer has distant roots from an inside joke with a group of friends from high school in Northern California, riffing on lines from Blazing Saddles and Caddyshack. After 20 years of actual sales and brewing, over 60 beers created, distributing in 35 states through over 5,000 retailers now with a staff of 30 and its own 40,000 square foot brewery in Clifton Park, NY, its unclear how much its grown… up.