This week, all! The 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival kicks off THIS WEEK!

It seems like we’ve been counting down, bringing you previews, and talking about it forever, so it will be so fun to hit the ground and begin trying all of the new dishes and returning favorites!

And this year, the festival has been extended to a record 53 days. That’s more than seven weeks to experience this great event.

We love showing you what you can expect from the Marketplace Booths that surround World Showcase. (For all of the Marketplace Booth Menus, be sure to visit our Main Booth Page.)

Today, let’s take a closer look at a couple favorites…

Hops & Barley Marketplace Booth

Originally introduced in 2005, the Hops & Barley Booth serves as the upscale taste of American food for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. You’ll find the extra large kiosk situated in the courtyard of the America Pavilion.

While the marketplace began as a celebration of New England food and Samuel Adams beer, they’ve widened the scope a bit with food and beverages from all across the country.

And, as the name implies, there are a few different beers to sample here. But while the booth has been all about Sam Adams beer in the past, now you can sample other craft brews as well as wine.

2014 Hop & Barley Marketplace Booth Menu

• Artisan Cheese Plate featuring Cabot Cloth Wrapped Cheddar, Purple Haze Chèvre Goat Cheese and Cave Man Blue Cheese
• Baked Lobster Alfredo
• Florida Grass Fed Beef Slider with Pimento Cheese
• Fresh Baked Carrot Cake with Craisins® and Cream Cheese Icing
• Samuel Adams® Octoberfest
• New Belgium Brewing Company Snapshot
• Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat®
• Leinenkugel’s Seasonal Shandy
• La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
• Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, Cambria Estate Winery
• Beer flight (featuring 4 4-ounce servings): Samuel Adams Octoberfest, New Belgium Snapshot, Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat and Leinenkugel’s Seasonal Shandy

While the Cheese Booth will be on hiatus in 2014, we’re happy to see one of its offerings pop up here at Hops & Barley — the Artisan Cheese Plate!

The trio includes some familiar faces from cheese plates around Walt Disney World, including Purple Haze Chèvre Goat Cheese and Cave Man Blue Cheese.

Also migrating from another marketplace is the Florida Grass Fed Beef Slider. The burger was previously featured at the Florida Local Booth. But for 2014, Florida Local has morphed into Farm Fresh.

The Mini Burger gets new life with a fun new topping — Pimento Cheese! Creamy and spicy, this is a great addition to the lineup here!

We’ve looked forward to Lobster dishes at Hops & Barley in the past. This year, we’re happy to say that it returns once more! Find it in the Baked Lobster Alfredo.

Desserts here tend toward the homespun. For 2014, enjoy Carrot Cake studded with Craisins® and topped with a traditional Cream Cheese Icing.

And you can’t forget about the beer and wine! Choose from a selection of Samuel Adams, New Belgium, and Leinenkugel.

Or try four of the brews in a handy flight — a great way to compare styles and flavors.

Ireland Marketplace Booth

The Ireland Marketplace Booth is a perennial favorite of festival goers. Lines can become quite long as guests line up for a taste of the Emerald Isle.

Fans will be happy to note that all of their favorite Ireland dishes return in 2014!

2014 Ireland Marketplace Booth Menu

• Lobster and Seafood Fisherman’s Pie
• Kerrygold® Cheese Selection: Reserve Cheddar, Dubliner with Irish Stout and Skellig
• Warm Chocolate Pudding with Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur Custard
• Guinness® Draught
• Bunratty Meade Honey Wine
• Chilled Irish Coffee featuring Bunratty Potcheen
• Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur

The Lobster and Seafood Fisherman’s Pie is one of my favorites. Lobster and other seafood form a delicate bisque, and are topped with rich Whipped Potatoes. The individual bowl servings are surprisingly hearty.

Ireland produces some beautiful cheese, and it’s always fun to taste the different varieties side by side courtesy of the Kerrygold Cheese Selection.

If we took a poll of best loved festival dishes of all time, I know this one would get high marks. If the culinary masterminds at Epcot ever decide to do away with the Warm Chocolate Pudding, I have a feeling that there will be mutiny at the gate!

And who could blame them?

And you can’t pass up the chance to stroll the Promenade, Guinness in hand. It’s a rite of passage!

If you’re looking to try something a little off the beaten path where dessert wines are concerned, sample the Bunratty Meade Honey Wine.

Or if Irish Coffee is your thing, try this chilled version, spiked with Bunratty Potcheen.

And new at the Ireland Booth, try a brand new player in the Irish Cream Liqueur market — Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur!

And in just a few short days, we will bringing you coverage of these booths and more, LIVE!

Want More Details About the 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival?

We are always working to bring you all of the latest and most important news and updates on the 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival right here, so stay tuned for details and check out all of the info below!

Be sure to join our Disney Food Blog Newsletter for the latest information and details. And keep an eye on our 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Page for updates.

News! The DFB Guide to the 2014 Epcot Food & Wine Festival e-Book is now available!

Start planning NOW for your trip with our expert advice, plus information on all of the Special Events, Low Cost Seminars and Demonstrations in a handy take-along format.

Use code prefoodwine at check-out for a $3 discount!

Return to the Main 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Page.

What are you most looking forward to trying at the Hops & Barley and Ireland Booths? Tell us your favorite in comments!