Clifton Park, NY — In June 2015, Shmaltz Brewing Company collaborated with 10 premier NYS breweries to brew New York’s first official state beer (Statewide Pale Ale). Proving that strength in numbers is a recipe for success, the hardworking brewmasters were able to raise $3,575 to be directly donated to the New York State Brewers Association. On Saturday, November 7, 2015, a check for $3,575 will be presented to Paul Leone (Executive Director, New York State Brewers Association) at The 3rd Annual Craft New York Brewers Festival (Landmark Theatre, Syracuse, NY). The 10 participating breweries include: Shmaltz, Community Beer Works, Empire Brewing, Lake Placid Brewing, Crossroads, CH Evans, Mad Jack Brewing, Browns, Rare Form Brewing and others.
“Statewide Pale Ale is the first fundraising beer ever made for the NYSBA,” says Paul Leone, “and we are so happy that Shmaltz took the lead on starting this program. This amazing Pale Ale showcases a unique flavor profile brought together by the collaborative effort of a very talented group of brewers from all over the state.”
Jeremy Cowan, founder of Shmaltz Brewing Company, adds, “What a fun day we all had for this first ever NYSBA fundraiser collaboration. Shmaltz has always loved to work with other breweries and this was such a treat — and a great success. Brewing more beer to raise awareness and funds to support the wider growth of the local small businesses — cheers to that!”
In October 2015, Shmaltz announced its collaboration with a new Syracuse, NY distributor, SPIRIT & SANZONE Distributors Co., Inc. The latest addition to Shmaltz’s team of distributors across the country, SPIRIT & SANZONE Distributors Co., Inc., enhances the regional retail presence and draft availability of the award-winning craft beer line: He’brew — The Chosen Beer®. Shmaltz’s distribution growth throughout Upstate New York comes on the heels of opening a new 20,000 square feet brewing facility in Clifton Park, NY. 100+ new Upstate New York bars, restaurants, and off-premise accounts have recently added Shmaltz’s beers to their portfolio, and the brewery has increased its staff to 30 employees (many of which are new employees from the Albany, NY metro area) to oversee its latest capacity expansion from 20K barrels to 35K barrels per year.
Shmaltz Brewing and SPIRIT & SANZONE celebrate their new joint effort at The 3rd Annual Craft New York Brewers Festival (Landmark Theatre, Syracuse, NY, Nov. 7, 2015) and American On Tap (OnCenter Convention Center, Syracuse, NY, Nov. 14, 2015). Come on out to meet the Shmaltz and SPIRIT & SANZONE teams, and sample exceptional brews from their acclaimed line-up.
For a full list of Shmaltz’s distributors, please visit: www.shmaltzbrewing.com/HEBREW/distributors.html
About SPIRIT & SANZONE Distributors Co., Inc.
The story of Spirit and Sanzone Distributors begins over 100 years ago when Samuel Joseph Sanzone (Savatore Guiseppe, prior to his arrival at Ellis Island), Sicilian immigrant, came to the United States with his family in 1909. Following his service to the United States Army in World War I, Sam started F. Sanzone and Son’s Fruit Stand in Rome, NY in 1920 along with his father Filippo.
In 1927, Samuel and his father acquired a 7UP franchise to add to the fruit business. Then in 1933, following the repeal of prohibition, the company was able to enter into beer distribution with Haberle Congress Beer and later Genesee. After Samuels passing in 1964, Samuels son Francis (“Bud”) took over the company and expanding into other brands such as Miller Brewing Company in 1969. Bud went on to make an number of acquisitions to expand the overall territory, portfolio and service area to 9 total counties. With the expansion into Onondaga County in 1993, Bud moved the headquarters to East Syracuse, NY in 1994. William Xavier (“Bill”) joined the company in 2004 and was able to add additional brands and territory. Then in 2009, Bill was named President, with Bud still active in the business. In 2011, Spirit and Sanzone Distributors further expanded their portfolio when they were issued a wine distribution license, and have since gained a Liquor license, further diversifying our portfolio of brands and products.
Over the last 93 years, Spirit and Sanzone has grown from a small fruit stand in Rome, NY, to a full service distributor active in a total of 17 counties in New York State; 4 of those proudly with the ECA (Onondaga, Oneida, Herkimer, Madison counties).
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 owner Jeremy Cowan established the company in San Francisco in 1996 with the first 100 cases of He’brew Beer® hand bottled and delivered throughout the Bay Area in his Grandmothers Volvo. He’brew® now sells across 35 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,” USA Today, Fox Business News, Men’s Health, San Francisco Chronicle, The Jerusalem Report, New York Jewish Week, and Washington Post.