The proprietor of Shmaltz Brewing Company shares his business memoir along with his delicious brews (Coney Island Lager, HE'BREW).

About Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah:

In his small business memoir, Jeremy Cowan divulges how he took on the craft beer world and ultimately created one of the most respected niche brands in the country. Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah tracks Cowan's evolution from the earliest days of hand squeezing pomegranates and delivering 100 cases of hand-bottled HE'BREW Beer® to winning awards 13 years later at top U.S. craft beer festivals. This meaningful, insightful, and often hilarious memoir takes readers on a wild ride with the head of today's most successful and decorated Jewish Celebration Freak Show Craft Brewery.

To co-write and edit Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah, Cowan enlisted the help of longtime friend and professional journalist James Sullivan. Sullivan worked as a staff writer for The San Francisco Chronicle, and as a contributor for The Boston Globe. He is the author of three books: 7 Dirty Words: The Life and Crimes of George Carlin; The Hardest Working Man: How James Brown Saved the Soul of America; and, Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon. Cowan entrusted Sullivan to help capture the intimate, purposefully conversational style of his story and to transform his writing from beer labels and sell sheets into a 300 plus page narrative.

On working with Cowan, James Sullivan assesses, "Jeremy puts all sorts of ingredients into his delicious beers, but the first one is always chutzpah. He sold the first cases of HE'BREW out of the trunk of his grandma's Volvo, and now it's available across the country. Same with Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah—he self-published, and now he's got national distribution. Beer, perseverance and comedy: a very sessionable recipe."

A standout success story in the beer world, Shmaltz Brewing features two lines, HE'BREW Beer® and Coney Island Craft Lagers®, that have gained a dedicated cult following. A renowned contract brewer, Jeremy Cowan has developed Shmaltz into a nearly $3 million a year business with more than 10 employees. The brand has been highlighted by many distinguished media outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR "Weekend Edition," The Onion, and Beer Advocate Magazine. Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah captures the heart and soul of a visionary small business owner dedicated to producing exceptional handcrafted products, and turning on the average consumer to the delicious world of craft beer.

About Shmaltz Brewing Company:

Shmaltz Brewing Company was recently named "Best American Craft Brewer" and won the "Best In Show 2010" title by Beverage World Magazine, after being named "Breakout Brand" for 2009. Shmaltz was also included in the "Top 50 Fastest Growing Bay Area Companies" by San Francisco Business Times, and is a recipient of the "Distinguished Business Award" by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

Established in San Francisco in 1996 with the first batch of 100 cases of HE'BREW Beer® bottled, labeled, and delivered by hand, Shmaltz has sold more than 10 million bottles of beer to date. Along with their acclaimed line of HE'BREW Beers®, Shmaltz introduced its new line of sideshow-inspired Coney Island Craft Lagers®. Proceeds help Coney Island USA, a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit to fulfill its mission ofo defending the honor of lost forms of American popular culture in Brooklyn's historic Coney Island neighborhood.

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