Can you have a festival without beer? I think not. At the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, brews will be available in many locations. Get your thirst quenched at the Craft Beer Booth, Brewer’s Collection, and the Hops and Barley Marketplace. Many individual countries will also be serving up their own beer, and there will likely be beer seminars on the docket in the Festival Center.
That said, many beer enthusiasts are less than thrilled with the offerings at this year’s Festival, mentioning the lack of more obscure and unique craft beers. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!
Craft Beers will have their own booth at the 2011 Food and Wine Festival
Craft Beer Booth Bar Menu
Full Sail IPA
Sierra Nevada
Abita — Purple Haze
Red Hook Pilsner
Blue Moon
Leinenkugal
Key West Sunset Ale
Widmer Hefeweizen
Brewer’s Collection Bar Menu
Radeberger Pilsner
Schofferhofer Weizen
BraufactuM Indra
Rauchweizen Roog Smoked Wheat Bier
Altenmünster, Octoberfest
Altenmünster Dunkel
Hovel’s
Dion Kolsch
Brewer's Collection Booth
Hops and Barley Bar Menu
Samuel Adams® Beers:
Boston Lager®
Octoberfest
Cherry Wheat®
16th Anniversary Festival Beer Boston Ale®
Cream Stout
Blackberry Witbier
Latitude 48 IPA
Samuel Adams Light
Singapore Bar Menu
will serve up world-acclaimed Tiger Beer, which was first brewed in 1932. After 500 hours of a brewing process, the beer is placed in amber bottles to keep it from aging too fast!
Morocco Bar Menu
Yes, it’s brewed and bottled in Casablanca! Casa Beer will be served at the Morocco booth.
Mexico Bar Menu
Stop by Mexico for Dos Equis beer deemed “the most interesting toast in the world”!
Japan Bar Menu
Kirin draft beer will be on tap in Japan! Did you know that beer is sold in vending machines in Japan?
Kirin Beer Tap
Italy Bar Menu
Birra Moretti (Moretti Beer) boasts being the only Italian beer to hold top prestigious beer awards. Stop by Italy to do your own taste test!
Moretti La Rossa in World Showcase's Italy
Ireland Bar Menu
will fill your mug with the deep, dark Guinness Draught. It’s the roasted, unmalted barley which gives this brew its burnt flavor.
Hawaii Bar Menu
Surf’s up in Hawaii when you partake in a Kona Longboard or Pipeline Beer. And unless you grab a bite to eat, you’ll be hangin’ loose before you reach the next stop on your World Showcase tour. Islanders like to pair their Pipeline beer with a hearty meal!
Germany Bar Menu
will serve the deep golden-colored Radeberger Pilsner and the Bavarian Altenmünster Dunkel.
China Bar Menu
Tsingtao Beer is on the menu in China, of course. This beer was first brewed in 1903.
Canada Bar Menu
Our neighbors to the north are known for hockey and beer! Thus, there’s no surprise that Canada has Moosehead Beer on tap!
Montreal, Canada, Cast Member with Moosehead Beer tap
Belgium Bar Menu
The well known wheat beer, Hoegaarten, or the brew Leffe will soothe your spirit at the Belgium booth.
Leffe
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Too cool! 77 days till we get to try these out!
You know I feel that the offerings are a step back from last year’s 15 Beers for 15 Years booth, but there are still some great brews there.
I’d like to see them offer some more local stuff, such as from Orlando Brewing, Lagniappe in Minneola or Cigar City in Tampa. Or even a special beer from head brewer Kent Waugh at Big River, the only brew pub on Disney property.
Still, this craft beer geek will find plenty to quench his thirst at the festival.
This is two years in a row that I’m bummed out by the Sam Adams “Festival” beer offering. They used to offer something really unique and hard to find. Last year it was the Coastal Wheat, and this year it’s Boston Ale. While they are both lesser-known Sam Adams beers, they are both available basically everywhere. There is nothing special about them. They’re year-round offerings. I would have preferred to see something really unique, like the Revolutionary Rye. That’s special and hard to find, plus it fits in perfectly with the “American” theme of the booth.
Mike, they did have Latitude 48 last year, before it became widely available. Sam Adams might yet surprise us.
I agree with Gerard, I would also like to see some more local beers like Cigar City in Tampa or Swamphead in Gainesville. Both are so close, and make excellent beers. It does also seem odd that Big River doesn’t do anything for the festival, but that might be because of their micro-brew capacity. I doubt they could make enough out of that small installation.
I actually had a Latitude 48 at the festival last year. While I like it, I absolutely hated it at the F&W Festival. Even in late October, it was just too damn hot to drink a beer that heavy.
My wife had the best observation on the beers offered at the “craft” beer booth. These aren’t craft beers, but good regional representations of mass-produced beers. Blue Moon and Leinie’s are from Miller-Coors, Red Hook is an AB product…. Good beers, but they aren’t craft beers. Bringing in Big River product from the Boardwalk would have been better. Hops and Barley on the other hand doesn’t misrepresent itself. It’s about Sam Adam’s.
Thing is, Orlando Brewing and Lagniappe (Effinheimer) are both available at certain Downtown Disney properties.
Maybe next year, they could have a “Florida Craft Brew” booth.
Let’s agree to disagree, Mike. I find the Latitude 48 to be drinkable any time of the year. Certainly less heavy than many of the IPAs out there.
My husband approves of this list! And I do too!
I am packed, I am ready…only 70 days to go!
Meh. Pipeline Porter is good and Purple Haze is nice in the heat. I will probably try the Smoked Wheat Bier and Guinness is always good. Nothing else interesting. Where are Stone, Rouge, Dogfish Head, Great Divide, Southern Tier, Ommegang, Allagash, Brooklyn Brewery, Pretty Things, Smuttynose, Shipyard, Cape Ann, Mercury Brewing, etc. ? I guess it costs too much to come to the festival for them.
“Did you know that beer is sold in vending machines in Japan?”
AS IT SHOULD BE!
I would be a little disappointed in the craft beer options, also… but I live in the microbrew capital of North America: Portland, Oregon! 🙂 So… I’m kind of a terrible judge.
Widmer – Portland, Oregon
Full Sail – Hood River, Oregon
Red Hook – Up in Washington, but I think they have an East Coast plant now, too?
Sierra Nevada – Northern California
…actually that sounds like a nice road trip… 😀 But anyway, these all have huge distribution over in the Northwest. So if you’re looking for “craft beer” in our neck of the woods, this ain’t it.
While the 15 years booth was a start last year, the Festival has consistently missed with regard to showcasing craft beer. Given the ever rising popularity and the significant number of quality breweries one has to wonder if there isn’t something going on behind the scenes. Granted, there are times the Festival has more than it’s fair share of inebriated folks on a mission to see how many beers they can pound, but there are still a bunch of us who appreciate beer and it’s history enough to want more of an experience. Set it up like other major festivals with samples of the beer at a reasonable cost, a couple of bucks for 3 ounces. You can always still grab your 20 ounce Moosehead and wander around the Showcase (been there before) but you would also have the opportunity to discover something new. Some of my best experiences at Party for the Senses come back to a wine that I discovered there. One came full circle this year when I visited the winery in Napa that produces Trilogy. From Epcot to the vineyard, it took 8 years but the point is it wasn’t just a glass of wine, it was a complete experience with a bunch of memories attached. Beer can be like that too, Disney just needs to start treating it in a comparable manner, not something you use to wash down a turkey leg.
As a Canadian, I’m excited to try the different beers from Sam Adams. While they may be readily available in many parts of the US, they aren’t available in Canada.
While Moosehead is a good beer there are many other Canadian fantastic beers (mass produced and craft) that should be made available. Same with Canadian wine (see my Le Cellier review).
You reeled me in with the Purple Haze.. we had it at our wedding 4 years ago.. it’s one of my favorites from college.. SO delicious.. the abita strawberry harvest is amazing, too, if they have it! It’s newer, but so good.. and i’m NOT a beer person!
Leinenkugal’s brews some great beers in Wisconsin’s northwoods. They offer 11 different beers. I hope they have Berry Weiss at the Festival!! And I was so happy to see Purple Haze from Abita Brewing. Had that for the first time at the Louisiana kiosk a few years back and really enjoyed it.
Hmmm only three beers in Belgium … we have enough different beers to make a Belgian Beer Festival 🙂
You asked and you shall receive. First off I am in the process of opening a brewery in Florida, but here are my thoughts on this year’s beer offering.
Craft Beer Booth Bar Menu – Aside from Bluemoon which is not a “Craft Beer” (brewed by Coors) the selection is okay. Sierra Nevada, Red Hook, and Widmer are all elder statesmen in the “Craft Beer” movement. I would have like to have seen a more diverse selection maybe; Stone, Brooklyn, Anchor Steam, and being in Florida Cigar City. However in the end it is a production issue. Disney I think would not want to offer a beer and have it sell out in the first couple of weeks.
Brewer’s Collection Bar Menu – Here is the great thing about this booth, most people have never heard of these breweries. While none of them are going to make you go “WOW I can’t believe I have lived without this!” they won’t have you spitting them out either. The are all classic styles that are true to form.
Hops and Barley Bar Menu – I look forward to what Sam Adam’s brews of the Fest beer every year. However I wish they would bring back Brick Red to the American pavilion. Every beer offered is good.
The country Bar Menu’s – Okay so none of these are really great beers to drinks except for Guinness. Guinness is perfect! There are a handful that can improve their selection.
Japan – Kirin is a great Japanese Bud. There are a couple of countries that have embraced the American craft beer movement and Japan is one of them. Hitachino Nest would be my pick to showcase.
Italy – Look Italy like France is know for there wines. The two countries show something else, their macrobreweries are bad. But, just like Craft Beer Booth it the economy of scale at work here. Most Italian microbreweries do not produce enough to export to quarter of the US, let alone Food and Wine.
Hawaii – Kona is great, I really like their Porter. But I would offer Maui Brewery as well.
Canada – Yeah so Moosehead … couldn’t they just have half the beers from Unibroue? They offered Unibroue at the 15 Beers or 15 years and it was great to see it there.
Okay that’s my quick rant. I generally complain about the beer selection at most of the Disney sit down restaurants, it’s a shame that the best beer I can get at a Signature restaurant is usually Sam Adam’s Seasonal. The Wave has a better selection but it is still worse then a chain like Bonefish.
I’ll be the nerd that points out that the bottle of Guinness in the picture is Extra Stout and not the Draught that will be served at the Ireleand booth.
I do question the inclusion of Blue Moon as a craft beer, but overall I don’t find the selection bad. Could it be better? Of course. The lack of a Dogfish Head brew is puzzling.
Personally, I’m more interested in the Brewer’s Collection booth and Tiger Beer.
I’m OK with the selection. I don’t really expect Allagash or the like there due to the volume of guests, they’d probably run out in the 1st couple of weeks. And according to AllEars, you can get DogFish Head 60 minute IPA at the ESPN club if you really wanted.
I agree that the selection could be better, but it’s not lousy either. All I know for sure is, I’m ready for the festival to get here!
Oh and regarding the Japanese beer vending machines, in Amsterdam I saw one with rum and Coke in a can…it was, in a word, awesome….
WARNING: I am completely obsessed with beer and brewing. We homebrewers are PASSIONATE about beer brewed with the same love and respect we put into every batch. Many of the beers available at this festival are made with the same level of passion as Kraft american singles. This gets me worked up a bit.
Extremely dissapointing. All of these beers are available at any grocery store in Florida. The “CRAFT BEER BOOTH” menu is pathetic. They are all homogenized industrial scale produced boring beers, to appeal to a large audience.
The brewers collection menu is the only thing that excites me just a little bit. I have only heard of a few of these names, but I have a hunch that the majority are owned by huge multi-nationals. Last year they had an Altbier that was pretty good, as well as a decent hefeweizen. I’ll be back to try the Altenmunster Dunkel and the Kolsch. I just brewed a Kolsch and I’d be willing to bet its better ;-).
Italy – Honestly, I love Morreti’s La Rossa, it is a decent and cheap doppelbock. Tasty malty beverage. DON’T SERVE IT IN A FROSTED MUG THOUGH!
Hawai – KONA IS MADE IN PORTSMOUTH, NH! I hate bs branding in the attempt to sell beer. But, I enjoy both fire rock and longboard. Again, available at every publix.
Sam Adams is nothing new, and nothing great either. I’d also love to see the red brick back.
Singapore, morroco, mexico, and Japan – All industrial lagers, using a solid amount of corn/rice. Refreshing during a hot summers eve in epcot, but how many of the same style beers need to be sold in epcot. Its like every country selling a different bottled water. Who cares where its from, its water!
Belgium – Seriously?! Thats it? Belgian beers have taken america by storm. What is representing the country, Industrial brews. No trappist ales? If you are going to charge me $8 for a beer, it might as well be good. No Duvel? No saisons? No tripels? Breaking my heart F&W.
UK – Same as belgium. No FULLERS?! No Whitbread? No Tim Taylors? No. Only InBev-AB products. Yuck. No thanks Augie.
To those that mentioned it, Big River can’t sell beer off premise. It is only liscensed to sell beer at the brewery. Welcome to FL. Home of stupid laws that protect large breweries and distributors. Prohibition leftovers. FYI, It is legal to sell wine directly to consumers, but not beer.
All that being said. Its still pretty easy to have fun at the festival. Guess thats why its still called the Food and WINE festival.
“I’ll be the nerd that points out that the bottle of Guinness in the picture is Extra Stout and not the Draught that will be served at the Ireleand booth.”
Beat me to it.
Last year, the booth had them poured into plastic cups, and I asked the Cast Member if it was Extra Stout, he said it was Guiness Stout.
It was not.
Went to Sam Adams, and the Cream Stout kicked Guiness in the ass.
In the Marianne Hummell (sp?)interview, she said they were trotting out some good American IPAs.
Seth and Amy say, “REALLY???”
It’s still a food and WINE festival.
Full Sail IPA…. It’s good, but I remember a yeast cake in the one I had.
Maybe Sam Adams will do some form of the Lat 48 Deconstructed.
Now, THAT would be something.
I think a few folks are being too kind to Disney using the the excuse that craft brewers can’t meet the volumes required by Disney. I’m confident that in typical Disney fashion it is who will pay the most to showcase their wares that determines what we see. Disney can’t truly be that ignorant of what constitutes craft and what doesn’t. And boasting a large selection of macro Asian beers such as Tiger and Kirin in the same bland lager adjunct style never works for me. At a minimum Disney should offer Unibroue bottles outside Canada like they did at one time and stick at least one real ale in R&C.
It is Leinenkugel -with an “e” at the end, not an “a”. Sadly, Disney has it misspelled in their literature. Leinies is my favorite beer and I have visited the brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. It is a craft beer, and is distributed by Miller. I am thankful for that as I can now get my Leinies in FL (but still bring a supply back to FL from Iowa each year). I hope they have a variety at the Festival that I can’t get here in FL. Finally – Leinies and Disney together.