Terrapin / Shmaltz Reunion Ale 2012 Coming to Athens/Atlanta This Week, Other Markets Next Week

The Terrapin Version of Terrapin / Shmaltz Reunion Ale 2012 will be hitting the Atlanta/Athens markets this week with other markets to follow next week.  The Story of Reunion Ale is here.

New York, NY – July 24, 2012 – Teaming up as brewing partners with Terrapin Beer Company and Alan Shapiro (founder of SBS Imports), Shmaltz Brewing is proud to participate for the second year in creating Reunion Ale ’12: A Beer for Hope®. Now in its sixth year of production, Reunion® is brewed annually in memory of Virginia MacLean, a dedicated cancer research supporter who lost her own battle with Multiple Myeloma in 2007 and a dear friend and co-worker of Alan Shapiro and Pete Slosberg’s (creator of Pete’s Wicked Ale™). As a tribute to Virginia, a portion of the proceeds from Reunion Ale ’12® is donated directly to the IMBCR. Reunion Ale ’12® is now available in 22 oz bottles, as well as limited amounts of draft in the nearly 40 U.S. states that receive distribution from Terrapin and Shmaltz – and in Western Canada, through Shmaltz’s distribution network. National fundraising events will occur throughout the summer and fall.
 
Inspired by a scrumptious dessert at one of MacLean’s favorite restaurants, Reunion Ale ’12® is a dark brown Imperial Ale brewed with vanilla, cinnamon, and cocoa nibs from Nashville, Tennessee’s Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Company. Brewmasters Spike Buckowski (Terrapin Beer Co.), Pete Slosberg, Paul McErlean (Shmaltz Brewing Co.), and Shmaltz Brewing proprietor, Jeremy Cowan designed this year’s recipe to combine sweet and spicy aromas with a complex malt base and decadent vanilla and chocolate overtones.
 
Reunion® was initially conceived by Shapiro, MacLean and Slosberg – who all worked together during the early days of Pete’s Brewing Company – as a way to increase awareness of myeloma and bone cancer and raise donations for the IMBCR. Although MacLean passed away just four months after the release of Reunion® 2007, the Reunion project has continued the vision of these three friends by raising more than $130,000 for the IMBCR through bottle and draft sales of Reunion®, retailer fundraising events, and private donations. "Virginia emphasized the importance of continuing our support of IMBCR," Shapiro explains. "She believed wholeheartedly in the work of the Institute and understood the value of bringing hope to others." "Every dollar we raise goes directly to IMBCR to fund research," adds co-founder, Pete Slosberg. Beer lovers can also donate money directly through the Reunion website, the Reunion Facebook page, or the IMBCR website.
 
Reunion Ale ’12® is Shmaltz Brewing’s second collaboration with Shapiro and Slosberg. Cowan’s relationship with the two founders dates back to the San Francisco craft beer scene in the 1990s. "Shmaltz is extremely pleased to be a part of the Reunion family," says Cowan. "Tzedakah (charity) is one of the core values of Shmaltz Brewing. To be able to work with longtime industry friends on this project makes it even more special for our entire company."
 
National fundraising and featured beer events will commence throughout the summer and fall to raise funds and awareness for the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research. National and regional events will soon be added to the online calendar at www.shmaltzbrewing.com.