Death of a Contract Brewer

Old Saratoga brewing has brewed a variety of beers over the years, including Kingfisher, Mendocino beers, and Shmaltz brewing’s He’Brew and Coney Island brew line.  Old Saratoga is a contract brewer, allowing other brewers to use their equipment to create their quaffs.  This is especially beneficial to an up and coming brewer that may not have the capital to start their own facility.  The down side is that you are at the mercy of the production schedule of the host brewery, so you may not have the freedom to brew when and what you want.  So the brewers of Shmaltz (http://www.shmaltzbrewing.com/) found the capital and the location, and built a $3M facility right here in Clifton Park.  So when they had their grand opening only 7 miles from my house, I had to say yes to check it all out.

Shmaltz brewing has a large facility with lots of barrel aged projects in progress. They have a tasting room where bottles can be purchased and a small bar with about 5 taps.  They had a special beer for the event, Death of a Contract Brewer Black IPA, so I tried it on draft and picked up a couple bottles to go.  Shmaltz onlt had a temporary liquor license for the one day event, so I went to sample their available drafts.  Today they offered their Hop Manna IPA (fairly standard), David’s Slingshot Hop Rye Lager, and this year’s Rejewvenator, a Dubbel Dopplebock that weighed in at 8% ABV.  With a few tasters under my belt, I volunteered to go on the tour that allowed to get to the treats that were being offered in the back.

I first made my way over to the vintage bottle table to see what was being released in celebration of the day.  The staff was opening any of the choices that you chose, and then provide the beer in your taster glass.  This way they could talk to you how the He’Brew beers could be drank immediately, or could also be cellared.  I liked the system, and had the opportunity to talk at length with the brewers about each of the beers.  I stuck with the Jewbelation theme, trying those from the following years:

·         Year 16: Sweet 16 Jewbelation (16 Malts, 16 Hops, and 16 Additions, a 16% ABV Strong Ale),

·         Year 14: Vertical Jewbelation (100% Sazerac rye barrel-aged, blend of seven recipes of Jewbelation, a 10.5% ABV Strong Ale), and

·         Year 13: Bar Mitzvah Jewbelation (barrel aged on rye, 13% ABV Strong Ale).

The beers were great, and I got hungry, so I went to the food trucks to try the Poutine, a Canadian dish of fries, cheese curds and gravy that was a bit heavy for the high octane brews (but it was very tasty). 

Finally, Shmaltz offered some unique barrel aged brews, providing guests the chance to sample the beers once an hour throughout the event.  It was hot (very hot), so I got to try the following brews:

·         Coney Island Albino Python, a 6% ABV white beer aged in tequila barrels,

·         Coney Island Human Blockhead, a 10% ABV Dopplebock aged in bourbon barrels, and

·         Jewbelation 15 (15 Malts, 15 Hops, and 15 Additions), a 15% ABV Strong Ale aged in tequila barrels.

With so many beers to sample, and with the heat (95F for the afternoon) being what it was, it was difficult to stay hydrated.  So I called it a day, thankful that Clifton Park now had a world class brewery so close to home.  And if NY State could ever get around to granting them a liquor license, I’ll be able to take advantage of the tasting room. Skol! - 6324/14265

“Your “wishy-washy” wines won’t do, and fiery spirits fail, for nothing blends the hearts of friends like good old English ale.” – J. Caxton 1880