Craft Beer

[Johnny Mack]

Hey guys, me and my wife are going on our first trip to Disney World next March for our Honeymoon, we’re from the UK and are very big Craft Beer drinkers. I’m just wondering if they’re any knowledgeable Craft Boozers out there too that can guide us in the right direction for a decent Bottle/Can shop plus any bars outside of Disney that are recommended? Inside too, but I have heard how expensive it can be, plus we want to get the feel of a real American bar... if that’s possible around Disney...

I have found a few ‘stores’ on Google etc. The best at the moment being ABC by the looks of it. We won’t have a car but any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

The sort of breweries beers that we’re hoping to find on draft or in bottle/can are Cigar City etc.

We’ve had brought back for us the likes of Green Flash, Ballast Point (before takeover), Russian River... I know we’re probably not going to find any beers from these guys, but that’s the sort of quality we’re hoping to find!

In the UK it’s rare to find fresh American craft beer, so it really would be a nice treat.

In the UK at the moment the craft beer scene is really getting good, brewers like Cloudwater, Northern Monk, Verdant are reaching high levels of massively Hoppy American Style Craft Beer!

Anyway, if anybody has any ideas please let me know, even if it is actually beer inside the park, I’ve read about Epcot and the Beers from around the world, but please mention that too if you think ‘yes! You should go there for a beer’.

Thanks in advance.

John (Disney World Virgin)

 

[wdisney9000]

Welcome to the forums!

Disney has gotten much better over the last few years in terms of craft beer selection. Cigar City has several beers that you can find on property. Jai Alai (Cigar City) is practically everywhere at WDW. Baseline Taphouse in Hollywood Studios has become a favorite of ours and is a must do. They have many craft breweries on tap and even had Green Flash on our last visit. Here is a link to their menu: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/hollywood-studios/baseline-tap-house/menus/

Dawa Bar and Nomad Lounge at Animal Kingdom have good selections as well. America Pavilion at Epcot usually has Sam Adams and a few other craft beers. Most of the deluxe resorts have a bar and keep craft beer on tap so be sure and check them out if you stay on property or eat at one of the restaurants in a resort. Crews Cup Lounge at Yacht Club is one of my favorites. Ill tag @lostpro9het and he can add a few others and he is much more knowledgeable about what Downtown Disney (Disney Springs) offers. And send a thank you to @Tuvalu for letting us know you asked for help with craft beer. Have a great trip and hopefully you will write a Trip Report so we can all see how it goes!

 

[lostpro9het]

@wdisney9000 already touched on some great spots:
Baseline Tap House, probably the best park offering and they actually rotate taps from time to time.
Nomad Lounge, never rotate their taps but if you've never been there its all new to you!
At EC my gotos are R&C, which you probably dont want, and Canada. The cart out front of LeCel offers La Fin du Monde which is one of my favorite Canadian beers as well as Moosehead.
My goto at Springs is Polite Pig, they have 16 taps dedicated to local craft as well as 4 taps dedicated to wine!

Sorry I cant help help with bars outside the bubble or bottle shops. I'll bring my own from home for pool sipping and will just drink what the park offers if I'm in the mood...which is always!

 

[pax_65]

Jai Alai is a quality American IPA. Cigar City is a decent brewery overall. Their Florida Cracker is a nice Wit too. I found Jai Alai on tap at a few locations inside WDW (ESPN Club for one) and I'm sure it's everywhere offsite.

One note about the BaseLine Tap House (and WDW in general). They seem to welcome the craft breweries that have been purchased by large breweries like Golden Road (now owned by InBev/AB), Ballast Point (Constellation Brands) and Lagunitas (Heineken). Of course that doesn't make those beers bad (I personally think Lagunitas' quality has held up pretty well so far) but it is worth paying attention if you want to support true craft beer. I suspect Disney does this because they have relationships with these large breweries and they can reliably supply beer in the quantities WDW requires.

 

[Epcotfan21]

I'll also add that Art Smith's Homecoming restaurant at Disney Springs has a good amount of craft beer options that are mainly from Florida based breweries (they definitely sell Cigar City). But the previous posters gave some great tips as to where you can find the best options on property.

Off property, check to see how close the nearest Total Wine or Publix is and I would suggest taking a uber or lyft there if wanted to stock up for your trip on craft cans/bottles or if you want to take some home for your return to the UK. Total Wine is going to have a much bigger selection, but I know there is a Publix relatively close to property (15-20 minutes each way), so that might be a better option.

Good luck and Cheers!

 

[bebert]

Orange Blossom is local as well and very good. Check out their website.

 

[NAPO]

The best craft beer store near Disney is call Knightly Spirits. The closest to Disney is the one in Williamsburg.

 

[ABQ]

Paging @jakeman and his Untappd street cred.

 

[Johnny Mack]

Whoa! This is great folks, what a response.

Definitely going to have a few reads and make a tonne of notes! Thanks @Tuvalu for passing on the message.

Yes, plan was Uber somewhere for a shop or even this Lyft that I’ve never heard of! I’ll more than likely be starting several threads regarding our trip, but even little tips like mentioning a taxi service I wasn’t aware of is great stuff!

Happy to hear that Jai Alai is everywhere, really great beer.

Funny story - a friend of mind has been to Florida several times, I asked if he’d bring some beers back for me, he sent picks of the beers from a shop I had found (cannot for the life of me remember what shop it was). Anyway, they had an amazing selection, loads of Cigar City, Ballast Point before takeover etc.

Unfortunately they never made it back to the UK, the guy in the shop told my friend that he could carry the beer onto the flight, obviously that was a load of nonsense and they were confiscated

I’m sure the shop was called A to B or something, I was convinced when researching recently that it was ABC, but after looking at photos from inside ABC, it definitely wasn’t. This shop was more compact and rugged.

Thanks anyway guys, going to have a proper read later.

And yes.... CHEERS!

 

[NiarrNDisney]

In my experience I have found the best selections at:

Ale & Compass (YCR)
BaseLine Tap House (DHS)
Big River Grille & Brewery (BWR)
BlueZoo Lounge (Dolphin)
Crew's Cup (YCR)
Dawa Bar (DAK)
Geyser Point Bar & Grill (WL)
Hanger Bar (DS-L)
Nomad Lounge (DAK)
Phins (Dolphin)
Raglan Road (DS-L)
Rix Sports Bar & Grill (CSR)
River Roost and Scat Cat's Lounge (PORS/FQ) Abita Beer Co
Wave Lounge (CR)
World Showcase (Epcot)

~edit~ I recently read this article that you may find interesting: https://attractionsmagazine.com/best-beers-walt-disney-world/

 

[cmb5002]

Big River Grille & Brewery (BWR)

Special attention to this as it is an actual brewery at Boardwalk & is accessible from Epcot's International Gateway. Food is average, but the beer is tasty. Had a pleasant conversation with the (master?) brewer there once.

 

[pax_65]

Special attention to this as it is an actual brewery at Boardwalk & is accessible from Epcot's International Gateway. Food is average, but the beer is tasty. Had a pleasant conversation with the (master?) brewer there once.

It's a fun place, and you can usually get a table there even when other Boardwalk restaurants are packed. The beer was just ok for me. It's a good place to go with someone who is just learning about craft beer since they have a lot of styles and you can get flights. The beer is fairly "safe", meaning they're making it to appeal to the masses vs trying to create something exceptional. It makes sense given the breweries location.

 

[righttrack]

It really depends on what you like. As a New England IPA drinker, that beer just doesn't exist in FL as far as I know. NEIPA doesn't travel well and the breweries are too small to reach that far down. There are NEIPA-like offerings from the larger craft breweries, but they aren't the same as my beloved Treehouse and Beerd.

 

[ABQ]

It really depends on what you like. As a New England IPA drinker, that beer just doesn't exist in FL as far as I know. NEIPA doesn't travel well and the breweries are too small to reach that far down. There are NEIPA-like offerings from the larger craft breweries, but they aren't the same as my beloved Treehouse and Beerd.

A kind friend of mine just shipped me some Other Half and Equilibrium NEIPA's which I devoured. Such great stuff.

 

[NAPO]

I find it fascinating that a warm state like Florida is known for their sweet and thick Imperial Stouts and a cold region like New England is known for their juicy tropical fruit forward IPA's. Either way, there's drinkable beer in Disney property and a few good stores nearby.

 

[Johnny Mack]

Great great great, keep it coming! Good point actually about the beer travelling, forget that it’s the US and it’s gotta travel FAR, UK is tiny so all the Beer travels well, plus I live in the middle so it’s the perfect spot.

I’ve gotta go away and learn all the abbreviations. LOL. DAK - Disney Animal Kingdom

 

[cjkeating]

DAK has some great and varied beers... Nomand Lounge, Thirsty River Bar, Dawa Bar, Pongu Pongu were all places I picked something up on my last trip.