After 17 years of being an outspoken cheerleader for contract brewing, in 2013, Shmaltz broke with tradition and opened its own New York State production brewery in Clifton Park, NY, 10 minutes north of Albany's capital district. Shmaltz commemorated this rebirth by brewing He'brew Death of a Contract Brewer Black IPA with 7 malts, 7 hops, 7%ABV to represent Shiva, the seven days of mourning observed in Jewish culture following the death of a loved one.