Tag: He’Brew

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Chosen Again

Shmaltz Brewing Company, the jokey and punny Jewish craft beer brand seemed to be done when founder Jeremy Cowan moved to other projects after 25 years.

He’Brew: The Chosen Beer  is now owned by Jesse Epstein, a 26-year-old Reform rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College.  Epstein started home brewing during the pandemic and saw an opportunity to reinvigorate religion which is struggling with attendance.

I saw a great quote from Epstein, “What about our Jewish values can be used to inform our food practices?” he asks. “How, through beer, can we embrace the values of welcoming in the stranger, freeing the captive, opening the eyes of the blind?”  A refreshing thought when religion seems quicker to divide and discriminate.

It will probably be a slow build but hopefully Epstein can accomplish it.

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RBG

Probably not the first nor the last RBG themed beer out there in craft beer world but I think it it perfect for International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day. I wonder which of the three fruits takes center stage in the She’Brew beer.

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A Book & A Beer – A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

CaptureIn time for Halloween season, the book of the month is suitably about death, or what happens when a normal guy with a baby becomes part of Team Grim Reaper.

That is the premise of A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore. This is the first book by Moore that I have read and I did appreciate the style.  Jaunty with a mordant wit.  Very of the age and descriptive of the area of San Francisco.  The character names like Minty Fresh are fun if over the top.  Overall, this book moved along well, the side characters are fun and the device at the start is clever.  The problem that I have is that the main character, Charlie Asher is continuously described as a beta male to the point where I began to really hate that pair of words.  He is a wimp and whiny and a hypochondriac and I didn’t much care for him except for the last section in the climactic finale.  That finale takes a while to arrive and then is gone too fast.  A mixed review from me.  Not enough though to make me want to read the sequel though.

To drink while reading it, I would start with He’Brew Death of a Contract Brewer a Black IPA.  First reason, there is a bit of religion woven into the book plus of course the whole word Death makes it a no brainer.  Keeping with the death theme, Death & Taxes from the fabulous Moonlight Brewing Company would be a great choice.  A lighter ABV but dark lager is a great reading session beer.  If you want a label with the scythe and reaper then Pale Death a Belgian-Style Imperial IPA from Double Mountain in Hood River.  A deeper cut would be Park from Fort Point Brewing in San Francisco.  Finding a parking space in SF is a sport and is mentioned frequently in the book so that would be my choice.

 

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Sean Suggests for December 2013

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Time to break out and strong for Christmas. Get some beers to share with the family and friends around the fire. Here are three excellent and diverse choices for the Christmas.

~LIGHT

Grand Teton / Coming Home Belgian Dubbel 7.5% ABV

“Brewed in the Belgian Dubbel tradition, this year’s Coming Home Holiday Ale is big and bold yet imminently drinkable. Coming Home 2013 features celebratory flavors of dark sugar and raisins and a spicy, dry finish. It was brewed with pale and brown malts plus special dark candi sugar. The sugar addition provides a sweet aroma and dark fruit flavors without the cloying thickness typical of all-malt brews. Coming Home 2013 was fermented with ale yeast from a Belgian Trappist monastery to add hints of nutmeg, clove and other holiday spices. At 7.5% ABV this is an ale to be savored, enjoyed with friends over a holiday meal or paired with flavorful cheeses.”

~MEDIUM

The Bruery / Six Geese A Laying 11.5% ABV

“6 Geese-A-Laying is the 6th beer in our “12 Days of Christmas” series and is a return to the more classic dark and toasty winter ale, following the
appropriately blonde 5 Golden Rings. Brewed with cape gooseberries, this malty ale displays notes of plums, dark cherry and bright, citrus-like flavors from the namesake berries. Delicious right now, but suitable for aging up to 6 years, upon the release of 12 Drummers Drumming”

~DARK

He’Brew / Jewbelation Reborn 17 17.0% ABV

“How could we hope to top last year’s Jewbelation Sweet 16 with its cupcakes, unicorns, & Satan’s Ferrari birthday cake? massive challenge. So for Year 17, we threw in a whole new dimension to our shtick – we built our very own brewery! After 17 years of contract brewing, our first Shmaltz Clifton Park batch emerged 17 months after the first draft of the business plan.”

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Menorahs on Facebook

Personally, I have never seen the He’Brew Menorah pack on sale.  But if you do find it or even if you don’t but have their Reborn beer then you can enter….

…the “Shmaltz Brewing Company launches the 4th Annual Beer Menorah Facebook Photo Contest! Beer Menorah Kits are included in every HE’BREW Holiday Gift Pack®, which are now available nationally. Beer lovers, build your masterpiece for a chance to win fabulous Chosen Prizes. Shmaltz’s Facebook friends will vote to determine the winner, and photos should be submitted by Friday, January 10, 2014. Send images HERE or HERE. For some inspiration, please see the awesome beer menorah constructed by Shmaltz Tribe member Ronald Roseman below.

Ronald Roseman-Beer Menorah

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Sweet 16


I started trying the yearly Jewbelation with the same amount of malts and hops a few years back. I think around # 11. And back then I wondered how they could keep it up but here we are at # 16 and lo and behold, 16 different hops and 16 different malts are back from He’Brew and Schmaltz Brewing. It is no lightweight so sit down and share this one.

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A Vertical Menorah

The creativity of brewers is amazing. And the same goes for a good marketer/advertiser.

Case in point….

The Schmaltz people have outdone themselves. This looks like a fun pack for anybody of the craft beer faith. Some of these beers are too much for me but the final beer, a mix of the other seven could be intriguing.