Craft Beers of the Epcot Food & Wine Festival (Part 3)

This is the latest in the 3 Part Series on the beers for the upcoming 2013 International Food & Wine Festival at Epcot.

We've reviewed the Destinations featuring what we've termed the Obligatory Country of Origin Beers.  We've examined the Classic International Styles beers to be found in Germany, Belgium and in the UK.  Now it's time to talk about Craft Beer.  Or should be be a little more precise, American Craft Beer.

There is a tendency to poo poo on American beers, but we need to look at the growing fringe of that industry.  I'm not talking about Budweiser, Miller or Coors here.  We are talking about beers crafted by people who love beer, who brew traditionally, who use quality ingredients, who are independent.  There are quite a variety of beers present this year.  Of the 30 Destinations for 2013, 14 of them feature some sort of beer.  And 5 feature what we've categorized as Craft Beers.  Let's check them out.

Craft Beer

Hops & Barley:  You'd expect beer at this Destination.  Hops & Barley is found in the American Adventure Pavilion, on the far side (or center) from the gateway to the worlds entrance to the countries' section of Epcot.  It is obvious that there is a contract with Samuel Adams here, and throughout the year Epcot serves the Sam Adams Seasonal beer at the Fife & Drum kiosk by the American Gardens Theater.  Let's look at the list.

Cheers!  Holding up our 17th Anniversary Festival Beer

• Samuel Adams Boston Lager - Yes it technically is Craft Beer, and actually a nice beer with flavor.  Their commercials don't lie.
• Samuel Adams Octoberfest - The seasonal release.  Looking forward to drinking this in October...not in August.  (It hit the retail shelves this past week.)
• Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat - This seems a favorite of those tinkering with craft beer.  In the past years it's been poured from the bottle and I expect the same this year.
• Rogue Chocolate Stout - Hey, this is new.  And Rogue is a true Craft Beer brewery, from across the nation in Oregon.  You are not a craft beer lover if you don't have an appreciation of a good chocolate stout.  Goes great with dessert!  Let's check out their Chocolate Stout.  Beer Advocate rates this with a 93, which is pretty stout (ha hapun intended).  At 6.0% ABV and 69 IBUs, this fits the American Stout category pretty well.  Of course, it will be dark, flavorful.  Rolled oats is listed as an ingredient, so it should have a fairly smooth mouthfeel.  I wonder if it tastes much like chocolate though.  Not expecting Samual Smith's Chocolate Stout sweetness with this one.  (I don't think I've had this exact beer before.)

Anniversary Festival Beer:  Each year there is a special brew just for the event.  Last year's 17th Anniversary Festival Beer was brewed by Samuel Adams.  It was a Chocolate Bock.  And as of now, I don't see the Festival Beer on the list.  I bet it will be features at the Hops & Barley again.  What will it be?

The Hops & Barley kiosk featured seven Samuel Adams beers last year, plus an Angry Orchard Hard Cider (also owned by Samuel Adams).  I think only 4 were on tap, and the rest in bottles.

Terra: This is the Earth centered Destination, 2013 being it's second year, with organic and grown type food.  Featured at this location is the Napa Smith Organic IPA.


Florida Local: This Destination is a relative newcomer as well in the last couple of years.  Along with locally grown food selections, this destination has some local craft beers on the menu.

• Cigar City Brewing, Florida Cracker - This marks the first time Cigar City is featured here.  One of my favorite breweries, and arguably the pride of the state when it comes go Craft Beer.  This Belgian style Wit Bier.  Light, refreshing, effervescent, this will be welcomed on the hot Florida autumn afternoons.
• Orlando Brewing, Sun  Shade Organic Pale Ale - I haven't had this one.  I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of Orlando Brewing.  I think they are getting better, and they've always had a focus on organic brews.

Last year this Destination featured two beers from the Florida Beer Company, out of Melbourne.  Those beers were the Florida Lager and the Key West Southernmost Wheat (Florida Beer Company isn't out totally).  I think this year's selection is an improvement, as it shows a bit more diversity among the Florida breweries.  

Hawaii:  This is a fun Destination for food as well.  The Pork Slider is great!  From Hawaii, you would expect nothing less than Kona Brewing beers.  The featured Kona beers last year at this Destination were the Pipeline Porter and the Big Wave Golden Ale.  2013 will be the same, if the list can be trusted.  These are two solid choices. 

Craft Beers: Ah, yes.  This is the way to start off the day at the Food & Wine Festival.  As you walk across the bridge into the World Showcase, this is the Destination you will come to first, located on the right side.  Get in line, get your craft beer, then walk around to the right.  You will see Hawaii soon and then the UK further down...  A good beer trail of sorts.

Eight craft beers are to be featured, and they are offering two different "beer flights" allowing for even further tasting.  Let's list the beers.

• Dogfish Head Brewery, Namaste
• Abita Brewing Company, Fall Fest
• Leinenkugels Seasonal Shandy, Summer Shandy and Orange Shandy (maybe a transition somewhere along the way)
• Florida Beer Company, Devil's Triangle
• New Belgium Brewing Company, Fat Tire
• Widmer Brothers Brewing, Alchemy Ale
• Red Hook, Audible Ale
• Sierra Nevada, Torpedo Extra IPA

I like the list.  There are a few differences from last year, and I believe it is an improvement.  It's not the stellar list a Craft Beer Geek would desire, but you have to remember, this is for the masses, and a good sampling of true Craft Beer will contribute to the growing enthusiasm for good beer.

From this list... What is missing?  What would you like to see more of?  Who or what shouldn't be on there at all?

I'm interested to dive into this list more and look into some of those questions, to talk about the breweries and the beers...to talk about why this list is a good list as a whole for this year.

Here we have 17 of the 41 beers listed as Craft Beer.  Not a bad selection.  Let's get excited about this year's Festival.

Epcot Food & Wine Festival Beers, Part 2

The 2013 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival starts on September 27th and runs through November 11th this year.  We are reviewing the menu and classifying the beer featured this year.

A few days ago we reviewed what we've called the Obligatory Country of Origin Beers, 8 in total.  Today we'll look at the beers from some of the traditional beer and brewing countries.  We will cover 4 Destination and 14 beers.


Classic International Style Beers

Brewers Collection:  German Style beers are the recurring theme here.

• Schofferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen - This beer was featured last year as well.
• Altenmunster Oktoberfest - A regular in the Germany Pavilion, this is a solid choice.
• Radeberger Pilsner - Another Germany Pavilion regular and on the list last year.
• Warsteiner Premium Verum - Warsteiner is new to the list with two beers.  The Verum is a German Pilsner.
• Warsteiner Premium Dunkel - The Warsteiner site doesn't list this beer (only two listed) so I'm not over confident in this listing.
• BraufactuM Palor - BraufactuM, in Frankfurt, Germany is a new brewery to the list. Rate Beer gives this "American Pale Ale" a score of 50 (of 100).  5.2% ABV.  Here it is for those who are interested.
• BraufactuM Roog Smoked Wheat Beer - A Rauchbier, this one interests me.  Rate Beer gives the Roog a 69 .  6.6% ABV.  If you read German, the write up on this beer will mean more to you than it did me.
• BraufactuM Darkon - A Schwartzbier, German style dark beer, this rates at 78, with a 5.4% ABV.  Like the others, here is the Rate Beer review.

From the above list, the Germany Destination will also feature the Oktoberfest and Darkon.

2012 Belgium Menu Kiosk

Belgium: The Belgian beers are most interesting and something to get excited about, until you realize the examples here are all owned by Big Beer, and are the mainstream selections of Belgian Style beers.

• Hoegaarden
• Stella Artois
• Leffe Blonde
• Leffe Brune 

The Leffe Brune is the newcomer to the list and a solid brown ale (Brune).  It will be my choice from this Destination.  Second will be the Blonde.

Scotland:  Scotland is a new Destination for 2013, featuring a traditional style Scottish Ale, Innis & Gunn Original, from Edinburgh, Scotland.  At 6.6% ABV, Beer Advocate (yes, switching sites) rates this at at 85.  This will pair well with the food selection at this Destination as well.

The following menu details come from the Disney Parks Blogs posting.  In fact all the menu items listed herein come from the same posting.

• Seared Scottish Salmon with Cauliflower Puree, Watercress and Malt Vinaigrette
• Vegetarian Haggis with Neeps and Tatties-Griddled Vegetable Cake with Rutabaga and Mashed Potatoes
• Scottish Banoffee Tart with Bananas, Scottish Whisky Toffee, Walkers Shortbread Crumbles and Sweet Cream

Of the list above, I think I'll go for the dessert with the Innis & Gunn Original.


Ireland: See if you can guess the beer from Ireland.  Yep, it's Guinness Stout.  Get it here or year round at the Rose and Crown Pub in Epcot.

People in line at the Ireland Destination, 2012

There you have it... the 14 beers which we've categorized as the Classic International Styles.  I've excluded the Destinations of Hawaii (American, not International) and the American Adventure (American also), which both feature some craft beers.  American Craft beer is nothing to be embarrassed by.  In fact, it is quite the opposite!  The long history and tradition may not be as old as those of the countries listed with the lists above, but quality, flavor, and creativity which has evolved in the American Craft Beer movement is quite exciting and has been a unique addition to this Festival.

In Part 3 we'll cover the American Craft Beers which will be featured in the 2013 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

Epcot Food & Wine Festival - 2013 Beer Preview

Each year we look forward to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, and we were excited to see the new menu released just recently.  Immediately I looked through the menu to see which beers will be featured, and then I compared it with the list from the previous year.

Last year there were 29 Featured Destinations, with a total count of 37 beers.  For the complete list from 2012, please see it here.  This year, the Destination list has grown to 30, and the beer count totals 41.  As for the destination, Scotland is new this year, featuring Innis & Gunn Original (that is one additional beer, but I'm getting ahead of myself).

Not all beers are of the same caliber, and admittedly, the beer at some of these Destinations won't do much excite the Craft Beer lover.  Yet there are reasons to celebrate.

We are breaking it out for you here.  The way I see it, the beers from the list can be divided into three categories.

1. The Obligatory Country of Origin Beer.  Examples... America = Budweiser (not actually on the list).  China = Tsing Tao.  Mexico = Dos Equis.

2. The Classic International Style Beer.  Examples here will be found with the German styles, Belgian style beers, and even Guinness.

3. Craft Beer.  Ah, yes... after all this is the reason Beer Geeks like us go to this event.  Well, it's not the only reason, but it is the primary reason to get really excited about it.

We'll talk about all three categories separately and run through the list of all 41 beers.  Let's start.

Obligatory County of Origin Beers

Brazil - Xingu Black
Mexico - Dos Equis
China - Tsing Tao
Poland - Okocim O.K.
Itali - Moretti
Japan - Sapporo
Morocco - Casa
Canada - Moosehead Lager

Does this list excite you?  This covers only 8 of the 41 beers. I've omitted Germany, Belgium, Ireland, and Scotland from this list.  The beers featured in these Destinations are categorized in the Classic International Style, by my classification standards, because these countries (or Destinations) are regions with historic significance to beer and brewing.

Of course, we can't give away all the information in one day.  Check back daily, and in soon we'll post Part 2, where we will cover the Classic International Styles.  33 more beers to cover from the list.

And for those who can't wait (or want to check out the food or wine selection), the complete menu can be found here.

Cheers!

Dogfish Head, Cigar City, and New Belgium to be featured at Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

This is my favorite time of year!  The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is one of the reasons I enjoy this time of year so much.  (Others include my birthday, football, cooler weather, turkey, seasonal beers, etc.)

Yes indeed, the annual event at Epcot is growing once again, and for the Beer Geeks out there, it's offerings get a bit more exciting each year.  This year's Craft Beers Destination, as with last year, will feature 8 different Craft Beers.  There have been a few changes in the line up at this Destination, with the trend toward the true Craft Breweries...small, traditional, and independent.  Dogfish Head, Cigar City, and New Belgium are included and new on the list this year.

This is a teaser for the new Dunerbrew series focusing on the beers coming to this years International Food & Wine Festival.  Check back this week and we'll discuss the entire list.

Food Highlights Part 2

Several days ago I posted a blog about some of the delicious food from the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.  Feel free to check it out here and then come back, or simply read on.

4. Taste of Scandinavia, from...well, Scandinavia.  This dish consists of four types of fish, smoked salmon, something else, something else, and some shrimp in white type sauce.  Pretty tasty and the unleavened bread cracker helped to clean the palate between fish.  It grossed the wife out, but I truly enjoyed it.

5. From Morocco, we tried the Kefka Pocket and a sausage chicken roll  While satisfying, these were far from the most exotic of foods.  The pocket is like a hamburger wrapped in a pita pocket, and in the bottom resides some lettuce and parsley (I think.)  The chicken sausage egg roll thing wasn't bad.  A little greasy and spicy, but who's complaining.

6. From Germany comes my favorite.  Sausage in a pretzel roll.  You can have all kinds of fun talking about this particular food.  But in reality, how can you go wrong, with a nice German sausage and a pretzel.  Dip it in the mustard, and suck it down.  It goes well too with beer...just about any beer.  But what better beer than an Ocktoberfest to pair with this fine specimen.

Well, there you go.  Some of the food sampling from one day at the Food and Wine Festival.

Some Food Highlights from Epcot Food and Wine

Caution: Foodie Porn alert!

We hit a few countries at this years International Food and Wine Festival at Epcot.  Featured below are some of the choice selections in which I partook.

1. Canada:  This may not look like much in the cardboard, but the "Le Cellier" Wild Mushroom Beef Filet with Truffle Butter Sauce was exquisite.  Le Cellier is the stake house at the Canada Pavilion, which is very well respected and well worth the 6 month reservation wait.  (We actually were able to walk up and in once, during a slow time of year in an Obama economy.)

2. Greece: Labelled as Griddled Greek Cheese with Pistachios and Honey.  Very nice.  I'm not sure I've had anything like it before.  This is a slab of cheese with some honey poured over top, and heated on a griddle (according to the name).  The little crunchy pieces must be the pistachios.  It paired well with the Widmer Falconer IPA.

 3. Australia:  If Mary had a little lamb, she left the chop for us to enjoy.  This is called the Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies.  I think there were three Potato Crunchies, which seems to be a fancy word for potato chips.  There is not a lot of food with this one, but it was quite delicious.

I have at least three more foods to feature.  Come back in a few days to see what they are.  (You should come back everyday at least, to see what else is new anyway.)

If you weren't hungry before, I hope you are now.

Best Shirt seen at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival

We were in line behind this gentlemen the other weekend while waiting for Fish Tacos in Mexico at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.  I decided to strike up a conversation (I'm much more eager to do this after a few good brews) so I caught his attention, "My wife said I'm not allowed to get a shirt like yours."  At first he looked at me funny then caught on and laughed.

He was a nice guy.  He said his wife had a shirt that said "Will sell husband for chocolate." So all was fair, I guess.  He admitted that she refuses to wear it, while he didn't have a problem with his.  She was with him... so life couldn't have gotten that desperate yet.  Nice couple.

We chatted beer briefly, and he seemed to know his stuff.  I had the Full Sail IPA in my hand, he had the Widmer Brothers Falconer IPA in his.  Making friends while waiting for Fish Tacos, just another reason to attend this wonderful annual event.

Oh, here is his shirt.

Disclaimer: There probably were better shirts worn that day, but not one from which I took a photo and chatted beer with the owner.