Hey, guessing some folks here went to this. I'm going to be south of Portland but can make it there by noon or 1pm for this year's Zwanze Day at Hop & Vine...Just wondering how fast the beer goes and how much of a clusterfuck it is. Wondering if it would be worth the drive. Thoughts?
Last year, they handed out tickets at the door for the right to buy a glass of Zwanze. I think it got tapped at noon, everyone lined up for their one glass, and that was it for the Zwanze. So if you don't get there until past noon you might miss out on that. However, they still had plenty of Cantillon besides Zwanze on tap at that time so you'll definitely get the chance to drink some if you decide to come up. Also, I think they replaced the Cantillon with other sours as it ran out. In terms of crowd, it was crowded but not actually overflowing. I think it was more of a zoo than it needed to be because the Hop & Vine staff were not prepared. I'm hoping it will be better run this year. They also raffled off some stuff in the afternoon (right to buy a bottle of Cantillon, shirts, glassware, etc.), so that could be another reason to go.
the place reached capacity about an hour or so after doors opened. there was a decent line (maybe 20-30 deep?) and people did get turned away, but some people who stuck it out eventually got in after the Zwanze tapping. all in all, it was a pretty good experience. i was on the fairly open back patio with my roommate and they had people running around taking orders with pretty good turnaround time.
Most everything was on tap after 3PM (I don't think Zwanze 2012 even blew until that time.) Once the Cantillon was tapped and the prizes were given out, everyone left. I think you'll be OK. I probably won't check in until later, either. However, I had the opposite experience of box. Inside, it was 45 minutes to an hour between orders so we ordered multiple beers at a time.
I went last year, Ben. It was super slow moving. I was probably 30 people back or so... showed up maybe 40 minutes before they opened. As Spaceloaf said, H&V was definitely unprepared. They did hand out numbered tickets, but I remember that not meaning much.... the Zwanze was poured in no numbered order. H&V easily could have pre-poured a bunch of glasses before they opened the doors to smooth things out.... most of the Cantillon were bottle pours, and it took them forever to turn stuff around. I feel like they were literally helping one person at a time, through the line. And if you ordered food, well then, you were waiting a while. 45 to and hour sounds about right. Pours were small, and spendy. Here's the thread from last year; worth reading. http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/zwanze-day-hop-and-vine-any-more-info.50793/
I had a good time last year but will echo some of the above statements. It was expensive and involved a lot of line standing. That being said it seems like H&V has dialed in their process a bit for this kind of event, the Super Neb/Pappy's release while not quite as busy was super smooth and well run so hopefully things work out a little better this year.
Something for everyone to know: The rumor is that Zwanze 2013 is going to be an Abbey tripel. (Source on ratebeer: https://www.beeradvocate.com/ratebeer/?path=/forums/zwanze-day-13-locations_238823_5.htm) If that's the case, H&V may not be quite as packed as last year. Guess we'll see.
Just about everything that could have gone wrong last year did go wrong, starting with the dishwasher and water heater both dying the night before the event, leaving hundreds of glasses and dishes from the end of service unwashed to start the next morning, not to mention having to install new ones the day of. We had also just put in a brand new POS system that was giving the staff myriad problems. Hindsight: bad idea/timing. That said, it'll be a lot different this year. We're still working on ticketing/groups/entry plans, but we got to talk to a lot of other venues who did Zwanze at this year's 'The Festival' in Portland, ME and plan on incorporating some of the systems that have worked elsewhere. The Zwanze actually did run out pretty quickly (as the entire keg was accounted for in the tickets handed out), but Fou Foune took a bit longer. It'll most likely be another sour/wild takeover this year, even if Zwanze itself is not sour (a tripel?) and there will be much other Cantillon to be had.
Thanks for all the feedback guys. I'll be down in Corvallis and will probably make the trip up but not going to sweat missing Zwanze if it's a tripel haha.
Just to make sure everyone got the word: this year is session-based, which means there will be no lines, camping, or mayhem, and if you want to go to Block 15's Cellar Stash Brunch and Beermongers' 4th Anniv AND a Cantillon event in the same day, you can! Epic beer trifecta. Tix available at http://zforhopandvine.eventbrite.com/ $28 entry gets you your own 5oz Cantillon Glass, a Zwanze pour (much more than just a tripel!), a 2nd Cantillon pour of your choice, and also covers a portion of tips. The rest of the beers are a la carte, CASH for quick, easy service. After the sessions, you're invited into the bottleshop to drink glass pours of more special bottles, also a la carte, also cash. The shop and bar will be closed for normal business. The kitchen will be open as normal. Taps: Cantillon Zwanze 2013: Abbaye de Cureghem Cantillon Iris (special Zwanze Day edition) Cantillon Classic Gueuze Crooked Stave Surette (wood-aged wild saison) The Commons Braam (sour stout w/ blackberries) Bear Republic Tartare (oak-aged berlinerweisse) Mikkeller SpontanPeach (lambic-style w/ peaches) Block 15 Framboise Rouge (strong wit in pinot barrels w/ raspberries) Breakside Grapefruit Chamomile Sour (+ a few surprises in case we run out of anything!) The Bottles (available by the glass in the 'shop after the session): Cantillon St-Gilloise Gueuze Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek 2010 Cantillon Kriek 100% Lambic Drie Fonteinen Intense Red (40% kriek) (potentially more, we don't know all of what showed up yet) A limited # of special bottles will also be available for to-go purchases including Vanberg & Famille LambickX Kriek and 3F Intense Red. There are still some tix available, though the first and last session are nearly gone, & the sessions max out at 45 to ensure optimal service and experience. The worldwide Zwanze tapping is at Noon, so the first session is longer.
so $28 gets you: (1) 5oz Cantillon taster glass (1) 5oz Zwanze pour (1) 5oz pour of Iris (Zwanze Day edition) or Classic Gueuze and everything else is a'la carte? are there any details about this Zwanze Day version of Iris?
Correct, sir. Some gratuity is built in as well. All I know about the Iris is that it is not dry-hopped as it is normally, so I'm guessing it's more mellow, but I'm not sure if it's actually 'hopless'/all-malt as I've seen other venues guess.
The crowds are gone and everything is still on minus Zwanze and Classic Gueze. The Crooked Stave Surette is particularly delightful.
