NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Cochon Butcher General Manager Zack Shelton is excited to announce that Cochon Butcher was chosen to host a Cantillon Zwanze Day tapping as part of the global celebration of Brasserie Cantillon’s famed and highly sought-after lambics. The event begins at noon on Saturday, April 20, in Cochon’s Diamond Room. The official Zwanze toast, which joins beer lovers worldwide at the same time, will take place at 2 p.m. Tickets to the event are $130 and are expected to sell out. Included in the price is a 6 oz. pour of the special 2024 Zwanze lambic, an event glass, eight drink tickets (redeemable for 4 oz. pours of each Cantillon draft beer), additional guest beers, and bites from the kitchen, including whole roasted pigs, artisanal cheese, housemade charcuterie, and a Belgian French fry bar.
“This event is not only a celebration of beer but one of community,” said Shelton. “New Orleans has always had a taste for the wild, spirited and unexpected, which is why we feel it fits with our ethos as a restaurant and city. Paired with our carefully traditional Southern food, the confluence of two unique cultures is one that we believe is important to celebrate, promote, and enjoy. We hope you will join us.”
This year’s lambic is unusual, with sea lettuce aged on an abalone bed in Brittany, France. This brew is a departure, even in the wild world of Cantillon, and displays florality & salinity – a true Zwanze. Zwanze means ‘to kid or joke in a sarcastic style,’ which reflects the experimental nature of beers that are not traditional lambics. In 2008, the first year of Zwanze Day, a rhubarb lambic was released. Each year, Cantillon crafts a new version of Zwanze. In short, lambic is spontaneously fermented beer aged in oak barrels. Unlike other beer makers, lambic producers rely on local wild yeasts and flora to ferment their beers slowly over a span of years, imparting unique, tart, and deep flavors to the liquid. Because lambic can only be made during the cold weather months, the season is very short, and production is incredibly limited. Unlike many producers, Cantillon does not add sugar or artificial flavors to their beers, making the result the most authentic in the world. The brewery is much the same as it was over 100 years ago when the Cantillon family first produced lambic. Cantillon continues to preserve a tradition and taste that was all but lost through the 20th Century.
For those seeking some more traditional and expected lambics, Shelton will offer Cantillon’s Classic Gueuze (a 3-year blend of unfruited lambic), Kriek (cherry lambic), Magic Lambic (raspberry, blueberry & vanilla lambic), Saint Lamvinus (merlot lambic), Saint Gilloise (a 2-year-aged lambic with Hallertau hops), Sang Bleu (blue honeysuckle & camerise berry lambic), and Vigneronne (viognier lambic). In addition to the beers from Cantillon, we will have carefully curated ales on draft from Brasserie de Blaugies, De Ranke, De La Senne, Fantome, Thiriez, and Dupont, and special bottle pours from De Cam, Drie Fonteinen, Jester King, and De Garde.
Tickets to the Cochon Butcher’s Zwanze Celebration can be purchased online at cochonrestaurant.com or cochonbutcher.com.
