(Belchertown, MA) – Huge news coming from The Shelton Brothers late this afternoon regarding Cantillon and others.

[8/21 Update: The Mamouche renaming does not apply to the U.S. Zwanze 2010 has received label approval in the U.S.]

As posted on RateBeer:

“Zwanze 2010 will be hitting US shores in six weeks or so. This will be the first time any of the beers from this series has been sold outside of Anderlecht, and we’re hoping to sell it far and wide. Jean was concerned about the eBay market for this stuff, where it draws upwards of €70,00 for one bottle. That’s uncool. We’ll be selling the trifling amount of cases that we get to everyone we possibly can, all around the country. Very limited allocations, but allocations everywhere. We’ll also ask retailers and/or bars to sell it at a very reasonable price. This is beer to be drunk and enjoyed, not hoarded and sold for big money.

Fou’ Foune will also be back this fall. While we were in Philadelphia for the Beer Week this past spring, Jean was caught out by the demand for this stuff. Expect to see bottles around the same time as Zwanze, if not a bit later. [Ed. note: It will be the same volume as last year.]

While I’m at it, Drie Fonteinen Hommage will also be back. It’s a great beer, so of course it’s being made again. Expect a bit more Schaerbeekse Kriek first, followed by some Doesjel (750ml) and Oude Geuze, then the Hommage.

The bottom line is that there’s a lot of really good stuff coming in–some of it hyped, some of it not. Be on the lookout for the beer, and don’t ever pay big money on some online auction site for this stuff. You’ll be paying random profiteers for the good work of the brewers/blenders.

Cheers,
Christian
Shelton Brothers”

If I’m interpreting Cantillon’s Facebook message correctly, the beer that Christian refers to as “Zwanze” will be packaged under the name Mamouche going forward.

From what I’ve been told/corrected (unofficially), Zwanze 2009 will be a regular offering. There is another beer with the Zwanze name in Europe so they will re-naming this version, “Mamouche.”

Per Facebook, “Last season, we have made a Lambic in which elder flowers underwent a cold maceration. This Zwanze 2009 was really different from a Lambic made with fruits. This is why I have decided to make it again this year. As I couldn’t call it Zwanze again, however, I had to find an other name. It will be “Mamouche” in honour of our mother, Claude Cantillon. As a matter of fact, this is the name which is given to her by her grand-children. By the way, these grand-children call our father, Jean-Pierre Van Roy “Lou Pepe, after the beers of the same name.”