Shmaltz Brewing Company was established in 1996 by proprietor Jeremy Cowan. It began as an experiment for Chanukah, when Mr. Cowan produced 100 cases of his award-winning HE'BREW Beers and hand delivered them to San Francisco Bay Area shelves out of the trunk of his Grandmother's Volvo. Shmaltz quickly gained a dedicated cult following and by 2003, Shmaltz Brewing introduced 6-packs and moved its production east to the acclaimed Mendocino Brewing Company's facility in Saratoga Springs, NY.