Can we talk about CRAFT BEERS in WDW

[BobbyDukes]

Being from New England I am blessed with the amount of great breweries in and around Massachusetts. It seems that every town around ours at least has one, and I just an article on a local website saying that Massachusetts is opening 50 more in the year 2018. We are also close to Vermont and Maine, which Maine is the Second largest brewery state outside of California.
I am an avid WDW traveler and love going down there. In the past years I have noticed a huge difference in the quality of the beer selections being offered at WDW. It makes it so much more worth it getting a cool local beer or different beer from a different part of the country at WDW.


How do you all feel WDW is doing with their Beer game???
Whats your best park or place to get some cool beers???

 

[tracysis]

I know as far as grocery delivery Cigar City Jai Alai is about the best beer you can order. I got a case. In the parks and surrounding areas I found nothing that spectacular, especially compared to Trillium, Treehouse, Bissel Brothers. I am curious about other peoples opinions.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I voted EPCOT, but I was really voting "EPCOT during F&W or other specialty festivals". Sorry, I'm from Michigan. I've got multiple craft breweries within a 5 mile radius of my home. The best beer I ever got at WDW was an Abita Purple Haze (on tap, I can only get it here in bottles and it's not the same), and that was a F&WF special.

 

[1911]

being in California and a home brewer,the beer scene at the world is really pretty bleak but it is improving.I have found that finding a good beer is hit and miss.you may find a good beer in places you don't expect.I actually found bear republics racer 5(a California beer) in 50's primetime café a few years ago,it was the only place I saw it that whole trip.
we had cigar city and funky buddha delivered to the room last year so we had some decent beer the whole trip.

 

[bwang123]

I think at this point in brewing history, everyone lives within a short distance from great craft breweries. During one of the many festivals at Epcot, you will usually find the biggest variety. Baseline tap house in Hollywood studios was decent.

Here is a list
http://beersandears.net/wdw-beer-list/

 

[SteveH]

They've got a long way to go IMHO and honestly not sure as a tourist destination they will ever get there. That said having grown up in the Paciific Northwest and raised on micro brews I am a bit picky. To me a good brew pub lets you "slow" down and relax for a while, its an attitude change along with the beers. Both BaseLine Tap House and Big River Grille & Brewing Works are decent but IMHO they are stiffed by corporate rules. Plus they are anything but relaxing with the sheer volume of people that raced through. While at Yak & Yeti they had a good one called Funky Buddha Floridian Hefeweizen.

 

[bumbershoot]

Head up the road to Orlando Brewing imo. In the past raglan road had a beer or two of theirs on tap, but actually going there was fun. I mean, all we did was buy some 22oz bottles and a growler to go, but the people there seemed fun. And it’s in a super-funky industrial area. Gritty lol.

 

[JZCubed]

Being from New England I am blessed with the amount of great breweries in and around Massachusetts. It seems that every town around ours at least has one, and I just an article on a local website saying that Massachusetts is opening 50 more in the year 2018. We are also close to Vermont and Maine, which Maine is the Second largest brewery state outside of California.
I am an avid WDW traveler and love going down there. In the past years I have noticed a huge difference in the quality of the beer selections being offered at WDW. It makes it so much more worth it getting a cool local beer or different beer from a different part of the country at WDW.


How do you all feel WDW is doing with their Beer game???
Whats your best park or place to get some cool beers???

I am not a beer drinker, but Josh, at easywdw is very much a beer drinker.

His recent review of Hollywood Studios would have me believing that HS is the 'best' Park.
https://www.easywdw.com/easy/blog/d...uary-construction-and-happenings-update-2918/

But read through his reviews or post at his website too.
https://www.google.com/search?q=easywdw+beer&enablesearch=true

 

[gharter]

Outside of F&W, they have a long way to go. Even at the new Baseline Tap House, they have a minimal selection.

 

[rwdavis2]

It's not very good. Considering the number of people they serve WDW probably wants something they won't run out of which usually means mass-produced, tasteless, swill.

 

[happymommy]

Ordering from Safeway for your resort, they have a decent variety.

Flower & Garden or Food & Wine, some.

Big River Grill at the Boardwalk has some.

Paying $9 for a beer at Disney - well, it's par for the course. I've had some very good ones at Disney's Animal Kingdom. One bar near Expedition Everest had a really good IPA. I like IPA (if I drink beer). In the Orlando heat, I do enjoy beer.

 

[DrFacilier]

We also grocery order Jai Alai and other Cigar City and Funky Buddha stuff for the room. You still can’t count on a great beer selection in most places around WDW.

 

[AngiTN]

DS is the best, and that is pretty poor if you are comparing it to "real world". At least they have a variety of restaurant owners bringing in different choices.
Baseline Tap House is pitiful quite honestly. I was sorely disappointed in the offerings for a place calling itself a Tap House. Here a Tap House has 25 or so taps. Not 6.
Epcot's beers are not craft beers, except for the few they bring in for F&W at The Odyssey. They have several International beers mind you, just not cool or craft beers.

 

[AngiTN]

I think at this point in brewing history, everyone lives within a short distance from great craft breweries. During one of the many festivals at Epcot, you will usually find the biggest variety. Baseline tap house in Hollywood studios was decent.

Here is a list
http://beersandears.net/wdw-beer-list/

Truer words have never been spoken (or typed at least)
Here in our small town we have about 10, if not more. We are even investors in one that our friend opened about 10 years ago. He used to brew in his basement. Finally got fed up with working. Quit and opened his brewery. It's done well. He was one of the first in town. Now they are all over

 

[jsbowl16]

If craft beer is still popular when the hipster generation has kids and brings them to Disney then there will likely be more of it.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Disney beer scene was terrible say 7 years ago or so, improved after that, and then went backwards. I get the sense that ABC/Disney contracted with the big breweries to offer terrible beer like Sam Adams and market it as "craft" beer. That said, you can still find some local Florida beers and a few good national beers like Racer 5. But Disney could do so much better.

 

[jsbowl16]

The first location I can think of was Big River. We stay at The Boardwalk every July or August and Big River is never overly busy. If they were, Disney would see that demand and there would be craft beer all over property. There are lots of craft beer drinkers out there they just arent coming to Disney yet. Disney keeps very close tabs on what is selling. If craft beer was a big seller to their customers it would already be there especially since they can mark is up 500% and pay a bartender cents per pour of beer.

 

[AngiTN]

The problem is, even with the popularity of craft beers there are still more folks that want Bud. I don't get it it myself. Our brewer friend said that he has to have a beer that tastes like Bud to keep his customers happy and to get on tap at a lot of locations, just your basic pilsner. It's his best seller by far and large.

As to Big River, they started here, as a true micro brewery. Unfortunately, they merged with Gordon Biresch (sp?) a few years ago and expanded and changed drastically. They still brew locally but it's not the same as it once was. Good for the guys that founded it but bad for the beers. Even the beers they once brewed changed, despite the names staying the same.

 

[Duffy Lover]

Being from New England I am blessed with the amount of great breweries in and around Massachusetts. It seems that every town around ours at least has one, and I just an article on a local website saying that Massachusetts is opening 50 more in the year 2018. We are also close to Vermont and Maine, which Maine is the Second largest brewery state outside of California.
I am an avid WDW traveler and love going down there. In the past years I have noticed a huge difference in the quality of the beer selections being offered at WDW. It makes it so much more worth it getting a cool local beer or different beer from a different part of the country at WDW.


How do you all feel WDW is doing with their Beer game???
Whats your best park or place to get some cool beers???

Have you tried the app "Untapped?" Crowd sourced reviews and you can use your location to find good beers near you.

 

[TimmyP]

Big River beer has been pedestrian since its inception. Every time we visit (DVC Boardwalk members), we hope that it will be replaced with a better brew pub - when they first opened, brew pubs were a novelty. Now there are far too many options all over with great beer and solid food options. Big River fails at both IMO.

With InBev/MillerCoors buying up so many craft breweries, you'll see more "craft" options at places like ESPN Club and other WDW locations - think Cigar City, Ballast Point, Terrapin, etc. ESPN had 3 Daughters and Florida Beer Co's Swamp Ape DIPA when I was there in December, along with Jai Alai, etc.

Best Bet - take an Uber or your rental car to ABC Liquor right outside of WDW near the Disney Springs Hotels for decent local selections. It's what I do every trip....