This year’s Zwanze is a two-year-old Lambic blend with black pepper. For this year’s beer, we worked with Sandrine from Misao: La Maison des Poivres here in Brussels. Sandrine had us try various types of Congolese pepper, and we eventually decided on one called poivre de Gorilles. This pepper grows wild in the forests of the Republic of the Congo. Aromatic, but not too spicy, it blends beautifully with the refreshing acidity of our Lambic. The result is a beer that will pair marvelously with meat or fish. The name poivre de Gorilles comes from the area where it grows, in Likouala Forest, located in the northeastern region of the Republic of the Congo. This forest is home to a significant population of Lowland gorillas – a species in danger of extinction. That’s why we’ll be donating a portion of the profits from the event to Gorilla (https://www.gorilla.fr/), an organization which works to protect these Great Apes.