DEXTER, MI - Jolly Pumpkin's Dexter Taphouse is the only place in Michigan, and one of 72 breweries worldwide, serving up a special Belgium sour beer for Zwanze Day this month.
In its 10th year, Zwanze Day was started by Belgium brewery Cantillon to celebrate the release of a unique sour beer at select breweries around the world.
This year's Zwanze Day is Sept. 29, and it is the third time Jolly Pumpkin has been selected as the only Michigan brewery to share the Zwanze beer.
"(Cantillon) just wanted to create a festival that brought lambic lovers together all over the world," said Keifer Fillinger, marketing and events coordinator for Northern United Brewing Company, which owns Jolly Pumpkin.
Lambic beers are brewed with wild yeasts native to a valley in Brussels, which gives the beer a unique flavor with a sour aftertaste.
Jolly Pumpkin is known for its sour beers, which Fillinger said made the brewery - which has seven locations - a natural fit for the sour beer celebration.
This year's Zwanze beer is a blend of three lambics that have been aged in sangiovese, amarone and chianti wine barrels, Fillinger said.
"This one is all about paying homage to the Italians that kept lambics alive," he said.
Tickets for Jolly Pumpkin's Zwanze Day festival are $100, and include a commemorative sampling glass and 20 drink tokens. Five hundred tickets are available, and about half of them are already sold, Fillinger said.
The festival runs from 2:12 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, in Jolly Pumpkin's Dexter Taphouse back lot, 2319 Bishop Circle East in Dexter. The Zwanze toast takes place at 3 p.m.
Proceeds from the festival are going to Peace Neighborhood Center, an Ann Arbor nonprofit that provides youth programs and other resources for low-income families. Jolly Pumpkin raised about $1,300 at last year's Zwanze Day to benefit another nonprofit, Fillinger said.
More than 50 breweries will contribute beer or set up booths at Jolly Pumpkin's Zwanze Day festival. Many of the invited breweries are from out-of-state, and their beers are not always readily available in Michigan, Fillinger said.