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Jews, Beer, Tradition?!!? Gourmet Kosher Microbrew With Chutzpah!

A Beer Even Your Mother Will Love...

San Francisco, CA, September, 1998 — In the beginning there was an idea and it was good: A microbrew to complement the Jewish-American experience. To toast the Jewish New Year (October 1) and the upcoming holidays, HE'BREW - The Chosen Beer is now available everywhere*. L'Chaim!

Why is this beer different from all other beers? HE'BREW is a celebration beer meant to accompany the rites and rituals of life, both sacred and secular. Our first creation under the HE'BREW brand is Genesis Ale, a rich, crisp, and delicious light brown ale. Brewed at one of the Top Ten Breweries in the World, Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville, CA, Genesis Ale is the first world class microbrew to be certified under the highest standards of the Orthodox kosher community by Kosher Supervision of America.

Just as barley is one of seven Biblical species that celebrate the bounty of the Land of Milk and Honey (Deut. 8:8), HE'BREW - The Chosen Beer draws a symbolic link to our own Garden of Eden in Northern California. A smidgen of Middle East, a dash of American West, with no gefilte fish (or preservatives) added.

Then we tasted it, and it was very good.

Shmaltz Brewing Company is the brainchild of 29-year-old California native and Stanford grad Jeremy Cowan. With the late night and early morning help of his girlfriend, his mom, a small tribe of generous friends, and his Granny's Volvo, the first few cases of HE'BREW appeared on Bay Area shelves for the first night of Hanukkah, 5757 (1996). A mention in the Jewish Bulletin of Northern California, the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times wire brought calls and emails from Ft. Lauderdale to St. Louis, Manhattan to Modesto. The nation was thirsting for shtick, and HE'BREW provided a shmaltzy one-liner.

Shmaltz Brewing has proven its commitment to active community involvement by donating The Chosen Beer to events for the Jewish Museum San Francisco, the Traveling Jewish Theater, and Davka, a national Jewish literary magazine. Pints of HE'BREW have flowed freely at fundraisers for Bay Area synagogues, Jewish community centers, a women's educational organization and local environmental groups.

Look for HE'BREW at grocery stores, kosher delis, and bottle shops throughout California. Distributors include The Consumers (415-621-1827) in San Francisco, Bay Area Distributing (510-232-8554) in the East Bay, A and D Distributing (415-583-4953) from South San Francisco to Monterey, and Southern Wine and Spirits (800-282-4797) from Bakersfield to the Mexican border. The Wine Club in San Francisco (800-966-7835) can also ship HE'BREW directly to customers outside our retail areas (*excluding FL, KY, GA, and AL).

The Chosen Beer is the perfect match for weddings, bar mitzvahs (ID required), Beastie Boys concerts, Supreme Court sessions, or anywhere people are kibbitzing or cavorting. For more information about HE'BREW - The Chosen Beer or Shmaltz Brewing Company please contact:

Jeremy Cowan
Shmaltz Brewing Company
415-339-SHMALTZ (7462)
tastychutzpah@hebrewbeer.com