In a much-anticipated announcement, the world-renowned Belgian lambic brewer Cantillon posted on Friday, August 13th that St. Petersburg’s Green Bench Brewing was chosen to host Zwanze Day, a one-day celebration of lambic that includes tapping a keg of Cantillon Zwanze 2021, only available at host locations.
One of the most lauded lambic breweries and producer of some of the most sought-after beer in the world, Belgium’s Brasserie Cantillon sends kegs of Zwanze to select beer bars and breweries around the globe to be tapped and enjoyed each year on Zwanze Day.
This year, Zwanze Day will take place on September 28th, and Florida is lucky enough to have two host locations. Only 28 bars and breweries were chosen in the United States to receive this beer.
The list of host locations for Zwanze Day 2019 are:
United States
• Alewife — Long Island City, New York
• Armsby Abbey — Worcester, Massachusetts
• Avenue Pub — New Orleans, Louisiana
• Bagby Beer — Oceanside, California
• Beachwood BBQ — Seal Beach, California
• Brick Store Pub — Decatur, Georgia
• Crooked Stave Barrel Cellar — Denver, Colorado
• De Garde Brewing — Tillamook, Oregon
• E9 Brewing Co. — Tacoma, Washington
• Fonta Flora Brewery — Morganton, North Carolina
• Green Bench Brewing Co. — St. Petersburg, Florida
• Hill Farmstead Brewery — Greensboro, Vermont
• Holy Grale — Louisville, Kentucky
• Jester King Brewery — Austin, Texas
• Monk’s Café — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Novare Res Bier Café — Portland, Maine
• Redlight Redlight — Orlando, Florida
• Row 34 — Boston, Massachusetts
• Russian River Brewing — Santa Rosa, California
• Sante Adairius Portal — Santa Cruz, California
• Schera’s Restaurant and Bar — Elkader, Iowa
• Side Project Brewing Cellar — Maplewood, Missouri
• The Sovereign — Washington D.C.
• Spuyten Duyvil — Brooklyn, New York
• Thin Man Brewery — Buffalo, New-York
• The Veil Brewing Co. — Richmond, Virginia
• Hopleaf Bar — Chicago, Illinois
• Yazoo Brewing Co. — Madison, Tennessee
What is Zwanze? Zwanze Day?
Zwanze is an annual release from Brasserie Cantillon that is experimental in nature and is usually never brewed again. Beginning in 2011, after Cantillon owner Jean Van Roy noticed that Zwanze was being sold for hundreds of dollars on black market beer websites, Van Roy decided to change the format of the beer’s release from bottles to kegs. Zwanze’s release format was changed from a release of bottles to a worldwide celebration that only happens one day each year.
For more information on Zwanze, see the entry on Lambic.info.
What will Zwanze 2019 taste like?
From Cantillon’s owner Jean Van Roy via Facebook:
The beer for this year’s Zwanze was brewed in March 2016 and kegged January 26th 2018.
Contrary to past Zwanze beers, this beer is not the result of a special blend or the addition of a special fruit, but of a wholly unique brew.
On March 1st 2016, we brewed a smoked Lambic using a blend of classic pilsner malt and smoked malt.
Rather than taking the beer to an extreme, we looked instead to find a balance between the acidic character of Lambic and the woodiness of the smoked malt.
The result is a fine Gueuze with the classic notes of a Cantillon, complemented by an elegant smokiness in the nose and on the palate.
The list of locations for Zwanze Day 2016 has been posted by Brasserie Cantillon of Brussels and it has a few surprises.
Florida has a history with Brasserie Cantillon of Belgium, as Orlando’s veteran craft beer bar Relight Redlight has hosted Zwanze Day since 2012. In 2016, the Belgian lambic brewery seems to be more geared towards breweries hosting their annual celebration of beer. The list of host spots around the world for Zwanze Day 2016 was posted today, 10 August 2016, and has two new spots in central Florida playing host to this once-a-year lambic release: Green Bench Brewing Company and Playalinda Brewing Company.
The entire list of locations for Zwanze Day in the United States includes:
– Anchorage Brewing Co. — 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 GardeBrewing — Tillamook, Oregon
– Fool’s Gold — Manhattan, New York
– Green Bench Brewing Co. — St-Petersburg, Florida
– Hill Farmstead Brewery — Greensboro, Vermont
– Holy Grale — Louisville, Kentucky
– Jester King Brewery — Austin, Texas
– Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales — Dexter, Michigan
– Mikkeller Bar — San Fransisco, California
– Monk’s Café — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
– Novare Res Bier Café — Portland, Maine
– Playalinda Brewing Co. — Titusville, Florida
– REAL a Gastropub — Honolulu, Hawaii
– Russian River Brewing — Santa Rosa, California
– Schera’s — Elkader, Iowa
– Side Project Cellar — Maplewood, Missouri
– Slow Boat Tavern — Seattle, Washington
– Spuyten Duyvil — Brooklyn, New York
– The Sovereign — Washington D.C.
– Thin Man Brewery – Buffalo, New-York
– Trillium Brewing Co. — Canton, Massachusetts
– West Lakeview Liquors — Chicago, Illinois
– 1 more place to be confirmed
About Zwanze Day
Zwanze Day is the annual celebration of Belgian beer, especially that from Brasserie Cantillon. The celebration originates when Cantillon founder Jean Van Roy found bottles of his very limited beer, Zwanze, on sale on eBay for massive amounts of money. Van Roy decided that he wanted to get his beer to as many people as possible and not only the fortunate few who would then sell his beer, so he transformed Zwanze Day from a bottle release at the brewery to a draft-only release in a limited number of very select bars around the world. Hosting Zwanze Day involves an application and being selected by Van Roy.
Orlando’s Redlight Redlight is going to be host to Brasserie Cantillon’s annual celebration of Zwanze Day.
About Zwanze Day:
Zwanze Day is the annual celebration of Belgian beer, especially that from Brasserie Cantillon. The celebration originates when Cantillon founder Jean Van Roy found bottles of his very limited beer, Zwanze, on sale on eBay for massive amounts of money. Van Roy decided that he wanted to get his beer to as many people as possible and not only the fortunate few Wh would then sell his beer, so he transformed Zwanze Day from a bottle release at the brewery to a draft-only release in a limited number of very select bars around the world. Hosting Zwanze Day involves an application and being selected by Van Roy.
About Zwanze:
While the release of Zwanze is the same every year, the beer is not. Each year the beer or blend of beers is different, making this release unique from any other. This year the beer will be a “wild stout” according to Cantillon’s Facebook page.
If a road trip sounds enticing for this annual beery celebration, the next closest beer bars to host Zwanze Day are The Avenue Pub in New Orleans, The Church Key in Washington, D.C.., and The Birch in Norfolk, Virginia.
Redlight Redlight, the only Zwanze Day in the Southeastern United States, is located at 2810 Corrine Drive in Orlando.
Redlight Redlight is all set to host Zwanze Day 2013, complete with bottles and pours of Belgium’s Brasserie Cantillon. Redlight Redlight recently announced the contributions that other breweries from Florida and beyond will contribute to the taps today. The list goes as follows:
Speaking of #ZwanzeDay, check out our Draught list for 09.14.13!
Left Hand Sawtooth
Left Hand Milk Stout
Founders Rübæus
Koutský 12°
Koutský 18°
Funky Buddha Passionfruit Berliner Weisse
Cask & Larder White Oak Saison
Cigar City Poblano Wit
North Coast Old Rasputin
Cigar City Hotter than Helles
Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier
2009 Avery Old Jubilation
Cask & Larder Cherry Sour Puss
7venth Sun Or It Gets the Gose Again
7venth Sun Machine Gun Funk
Brouwerij Strubbe Lambickx
Founders KBS
Saint Somewhere Collaboration with Green Bench Brewing Blanc Vert
Cigar City City White Oak IPA
Cantillon Zwanze
Cantillon Iris Grand Cru
7venth Sun Sparkle Horse
Cantillon Gueuze
Mikkeller Drink’in the Sun
Green Flash Palate Wrecker
Zymatore Gale’s Conquest Masterbrew aged in a Whiskey/Pinot Barrel
Zwanze Day 2013 will begin at Redlight Redlight today, Saturday, September 14th at 5pm at 2810 Corrine Drive in Orlando.
Orlando- One of Belgium’s most revered brewers of sour and inspired beers, Brasserie Cantillon of Brussels has announced the list of bars that will receive kegs of their once-a-year released Zwanze. Once again Orlando’s Redlight Redlight has risen to the top of the short list of host establishments for this uber-rare Belgian beer.
Zwanze Day 2013 is September 14th.
About Zwanze: Zwanze is released once a year by Brasserie Cantillon of Brussels, and prior to 2011 the beer was released in numbered bottles. Cantillon owner Jean Van Roy was content to sell his bottles of Zwanze out of the brewery for about 6 euros, but then he logged on to his computer. His jaw dropped when his bottles appeared on eBay, he noticed that the bottle that he worked so hard to make and sell at a reasonable price was selling for 80 euros. Then and there he made a command decision: he would not sell a bottle of Zwanze in the same way again.
From Zwanze Day 2011 onward to today, Brasserie Cantillon selects a handful of bars around the world to pour Zwanze, thus making it an international liquid outreach, instead of a limited bottle sale. Since the brewery would have to select bars, they could exercise control over those who want to sell the beer on eBay. The release of Zwanze has since become an opportunity to meet and enjoy drafts with fellow beer enthusiasts instead of simply a chance to resell a bottle to those who cannot get one.
Fast forward to 2013, and for the second year in a row Brent Hernandez and his crew at Orlando’s Redlight Redlight (2810 Corrine Drive Orlando 32803) will be 1 of 46 worldwide tappings of Cantillon Zwanze. The only such tapping in Florida, the next closest tapping being in New Orleans, Louisiana.