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.

A barrel at Cantillon from my visit to Belgium in 2017.
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!\”

via Brasserie Cantillon\’s Facebook page.
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.
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!
Leave a Reply