Zwanze Day: What is it anyway?

This Saturday is a special holiday for beer lovers around the world. If you\’re not into sour beer (yet!) you may have never heard of Zwanze Day. Trust me, it\’s worth all the hype you are seeing in your twitter or instagram feed. Plus, there is still time to make plans to go to an event that doesn\’t require tickets! So here\’s everything you need to know about  Zwanze. 

A Zwanze Day Explainer 

The world-famous lambic brewery, Cantillon, created the celebrated and cherished series of beers called Zwanze in 2008. The series was (and still is) a creation of brewer John Van Roy that allowed him to release an experimental, limited quantity beer.  

From 2008 to 2010 Zwanze beers were released under cover to various undisclosed locations and very, very lucky drinkers. In 2011, the world-wide release party known as Zwanze Day was born. 

The toast and party holiday was created for many reasons, the first was to help dedicated lovers of spontaneous-fermented beer find these special brews and the second was to combat resellers. Van Roy said he was informed of Zwanze being sold on eBay for 600% mark ups. 

The 2011 world-wide Zwanze release party had 22 locations. In 2017 Zwanze Day locations have tripled to include 66 worldwide. 

The last special thing about Zwanze Day is that event goers are bonded together in a world-wide simultaneous toast! Bartenders and owners tap their kegs of the special Zwanze blend at the exact same time no matter the time zone. So when you\’re feeling excited as the beer is passed around – know that their are beer lovers all over the world that feel the exact same way. 

Zwanze Day 2017

The 2017 Zwanze will be a lambic, tea blend inspired by John Van Roy\’s son\’s love of iced tea. The label art is inspired by another of his son\’s loves – Game of Thrones. And c\’mon how cool is this label?! 

My favorite part of the 2017 Zwanze announcement post was Jon Van Roy\’s care to explain what Game of Thrones would be like in Cantillon\’s world, \”But in our version, no one dies and everyone has a good beer!\”

As awesome as this label art is my favorite Cantillon Zwanze Day 2017 graphic comes from a brewery just outside of Austin, Texas, Jester King. They make a shirt for their event each year and 2017 is so funny to me. Below is their Instagram post with the shirt art. 

Here's our artwork for 2017 Cantillon Zwanze Day at Jester King!

This year, NYC is lucky to snag two coveted spots on the Zwanze lineup both Fool\’s Gold and Spuyten Duyvil will host events. (Full list of locations below.) I\’ll be at Fool\’s Gold bright and early so let me know if you\’ll be there too! 

List of 2017 Zwanze Day Locations 

Note: Some of these events require tickets so check with the venue before making plans.

AUSTRALIA
– NOLA — Adelaïde
– Bitter Phew — Sydney

AUSTRIA
– Tribaun — Innsbruck

BELGIUM
– Moeder Lambic Fontainas — Brussels
– Moeder Lambic Saint-Gilles — Brussels
– Mi-Orge Mi-Houblon – Arlon
– Rose Red — Brugge

CANADA
– Dieu du Ciel — Montréal, Québec
– Birreria Volo — Toronto, Ontario
– Bells and Whistles – Vacouver, British Columbia

DENMARK
– Himmeriget — Copenhagen

FRANCE
– La Fine Mousse — Paris
– La Capsule — Lille
– Brasserie du Mont-Salève – Neydens
– Au Poêle de la Bête — Toulouse

FINLAND
– Stadin Panimo Baari – Helsinki

GERMANY
– Café Herman – Berlin
– Mon Petit Café — Stuttgard

GREAT BRITAIN
– Kernel Brewery – Bermondsey
– Beermerchants@Unit 101 — Manchester
– Six° North – Aberdeen
– Moor Beer — Bristol

ITALIE
– Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fà — Rome
– The Dome — Nembro
– LambicZoon — Milano
– The Drunken Duck — Quinto Vicentino
– Ristopub Margherita — Quartu Sant’Elena
– Ottavonano — Atripalda
– TryBeer Room – Castiglione d’Adda

JAPAN
– Dolphins Ueda – Osaka
– Lembeek – Nagoya
– Favori — Tokyo

NEDERLAND
– De Bierkoning — Amsterdam

NEW-ZEALAND
– Garage Project – Wellington
NORWAY
– Camera Storyline — Oslo

SPAIN
– Masia Agullons — Sant Joan de Mediona

SWEDEN
– Ölrepubliken — Göteborg

SWITZERLAND
– Bière Café Au Trappiste — Bern

USA
– Anchorage Brewing Company — Anchorage, Alaska
– Armsby Abbey — Worcester, Massachusetts
– Avenue Pub — New Orleans, Louisiana
– Bagby Beer — Oceanside, California
– Beachwood BBQ — Seal Beach, California
– Crooked Stave Barrel Cellar — Denver, Colorado
– De Garde Brewing — Tillamook, Oregon
– Fools Gold NY — Manhattan, New York
– Green Bench Brewing — St. Petersburg, Florida
– Holy Grale — Louisville, Kentucky
– Jester King Brewery — Austin, Texas
– Jolly Pumpkin Brewery — Dexter, Michigan
– Laser Wolf — Fort Lauderdale, Florida
– Mikkeller Bar SF — San Fransisco, California
– Monk’s Cafe — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
– Novare Res Bier Café — Portland, Maine
– The Porter Beer Bar — Atlanta, Georgia
– REAL a gastropub — Honolulu, Hawaii
– Russian River Brewing — Santa Rosa, California
– Schera’s Restaurant and Bar — Elkader, Iowa
– Seymour, the pub — Greenfield, Massachusetts
– Side Project Brewing Cellar — Maplewood, Missouri
– Slow Boat Tavern — Seattle, Washington
– The Sovereign — Washington D.C.
– Spuyten Duyvil — Brooklyn, New York
– Thin Man Brewery — Buffalo, New-York
– Trillium Brewing Company — Canton, Massachusetts
– West Lakeview Liquors — Chicago, Illinois

Find a location, don\’t let the long lines get to you, and raise your glass with beer appreciators the world round. 

Cheers!