Last night, I had the pleasure of meeting with Darren Quinlan, the Southeastern sales representative for Shmaltz Brewing Company, which brews He’Brew Beer and Coney Island Lager. Quinlan is a beer snob who left the world of corporate finance to pursue his passion for good beer, leading him to Shmaltz. We met at The Independent, a bar in St. Petersburg, Florida, which serves The Rejewvenator on tap. The Independent received an overall A rating from Beer Advocate.
Unlike bicycles, about which I can speak extensively and with precision, my rudimentary beer pallet enables me to issue critiques such as “gross, I’ll have another;” “it’s okay, I’ll have another;” and “that’s really good, I’ll have another.” At The Independent, I had a few Rejewvenators and tasted some Coney Island Lager. Without question, both beers fall into the “that’s really good, I’ll have another” category.
I will write more about the beer later, and hopefully interview Jeremy Cowan, the founder of He’Brew. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with some quotes from the Shmaltz website, www.shmaltz.com
“The Chosen Beer: Perfect for Bar Mitzvahs, Weddings and Circumcisions”
“Christ That’s a Good Beer.”
One of the photographs on the site is Jeremy Cowan and Gary Coleman, with the caption, “What Jew Talkin’ About Shmaltz?”
Man, I love the Independent. I’ll go there this weekend to try out the beer, but I’ll wait until after the ride this time.