Has anyone been to these in the past? I live much closer to Mikkeller SF but I was thinking of making a weekend out of it and checking out Zwanze at RR this year. Hoping it's not too much of a shit show since it's ticketed. Anybody wager a guess at a ballpark ticket price or know whether they have other Cantillon / RR rarities on draft or to-go that day?
I've been to Zwanze Day at Russian River several times in the past, although I missed last year. Zwanze Day at Russian River is not ticketed. You simply wait out front until they open. The line has not been anything crazy. Usually the cutoff to get in is maybe half an hour before they open. Mikkeller Bar usually has on-site Cantillon bottles (seasonals like Fou Foune, etc.) and a more impressive Cantillon draft selection than Russian River. On the flip side, Russian River is cheaper and they sometimes pull out some more interesting vintage Russian River bottles than a typical Saturday. Odds of Russian River having Cantillon to-go are slim to none.
Thanks! Just the info I was looking for. I prefer the controlled chaos of a ticketed beer event so I might stick with Mikkeller bar.
Thanks for your insight. So I think what you’re saying about Russian River is from what you’ve seen before, you must be there in line at least 1/2 hour before the doors open to in order to get in. Is that what you mean. I realize you’re just throwing that time frame out there...as a guess from your previous experience and of course there’s no guarantee.
Roughly a half hour before opening was the cutoff for getting in to Zwanze a couple of years ago, so if you’re driving from a distance to get there and don’t want to play it close it’s probably worth getting there a few hours early. Compared to Zwanze at a lot of other locations around the country though the amount of effort needed to get in is pretty reasonable and it’s not something that requires camping out to get in. Anyway, I’ll be at Russian River myself for Zwanze this year. Hope to see some fellow BAs there!
Anybody unimpressed by the draft list posted for the Mikkeller Bar event? Also, I don't see anything about a commemorative glass being included.
YES! Totally unimpressed! I think i'm going to skip it altogether this year. Especially after hearing about how much people disliked last years Zwanze beer
Well, this year's Zwanze sounds pretty good, but that and Nath don't really add up to $78 to me. Access to the bottle list is good, but you'll be dropping some loot for sure.
Yeah, I'll be in the area that weekend and kept trying to justify going. It's just way too expensive for the amount of beer you're getting. May stop by later in the day to see what's left.
I did Zwanze Day at Mikkeller two years ago. While it’s nice just to be able to get into a location on Zwanze Day and drink some Cantillon, the event itself I don’t feel is worth what they charge. For that price some sort of meal should be included....but alas, we’re paying them San Francisco prices.
Anybody else going to the Mikkeller Zwanze event. I got my ticket to Mikkeller. It sold out in 20-30 seconds. I know many of you are down on their cost but the long drive, time involved getting in line early and uncertainty of even getting in to the event at RR is too much for me in order to still tend to my other personal obligations (i.e. mother in laws birthday party). I vow to not speak (errrrr....slur) a word at the bday party. Hope to see some of you at Mikkeller...or maybe not based off what I'm reading here. Oh, and to me the price works out about right...at my local watering hole they charge $12-15 per pour of Cantillon when they do get any on tap and bottles run $50-60 so what can you do.
OK with that said if anyone has an extra ticket could you let me know. Turns out the guy who told me about the event wasn't able to get a ticket because of poor cell reception. I knew I should've just got an extra one
So awesome so far. Wild Friendship Blend in-house bottles was a fantastic surprise. Friendship Blend is very oxidized on the aroma with solid pineapple notes. The Russian River yeast has taken over, and it warms up amazingly. Almost an Oloroso sherry quality.
Full on FOMO for me right now. Had every intention of heading to Russian River this morning but something came up. And now I see they have have Toronado 30th Anniversary for in house. *sigh*. I should stay off Instagram.
