40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS: THE WANDERING BEER TOUR OF AMERICA
Probrewer.com
Welcome to BEERWeek, December 15 - 22, 2003
Volume 8 Number 50
by Tom McCormick
"From Sukkot to Chanukah: 18 cities. 7500 Miles. 2 Chosen Beers. One Wandering, Beer Selling Jew..." says the press release in dramatic fashion. "To spread the word across our American land of milk and honey, the entire staff (of one) of San Francisco's Shmaltz Brewing Company has begun a celebratory journey of much-less-than-Biblical proportions to reveal and to revel in the profound evolution that has transformed He'brew Beer in recent days: After 4000 years of civilization and 6.5 years in 22-ounce bottles, the Best Jewish Beer in America is finally available across the country in 6-packs."
Jeremy Cowan, founder, owner, sales manager, office manager, and...well, everything else in this one-man-band of a brewing company is traveling across the country to sign up distributors and promote new six-packs. The 'Wandering He'brew Beer Tour,' which commenced in mid-October, will take Cowan from San Francisco to New York by late December "schmoozing and sampling along the way," as Cowan says. "Let those who have said, 'Jews don't drink beer' be the first to come forward to let their cups runneth over with The Chosen Beer!" Though each bottle of He'brew has now shrunk nearly in half, the number of cases sold in the last 6 months has grown 700% over the previous 6 months. Granted, that's on a small base. Cowan reported sales of 3500 cases last year in 22-ounce bottles and said he is on target for about 20,000 cases of the 12-ounce package this year.
Cowan now has 25 wholesalers in 20 states selling his two styles; Genesis Ale and Messiah Bold, which are produced under contract at Mendocino Brewing Company in Ukiah, California. Shmaltz Brewing Company has been in business for seven years and has been through two other contract producers prior to Mendocino, the now defunct Brewmakers in Mountain View California and Anderson Valley Brewing in Boonville, California. When Cowan moved over to Mendocino this year, He'brew beers became available in 12 bottles for the first time. Cowan has received impressive press coverage over the years, including articles in Playboy, Newsweek and the L.A. Times, a result of his unique and spirited marketing approach. Over the 25 year history of the craft beer industry there have been hundreds of novel marketing campaigns, ideas and programs; but has anyone ever traveled by car across the country touting "Chutzpah Never Tasted So Good"?