I did this piece as a guest post for the
Disney Gals.
About myself:
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| I'm the one on the right |
First I'm
Disney Gal Judy's son. I'm 32 and a Chief Petty Officer in the
U.S. Coast Guard. I am a
homebrewer and
write a blog about my travels and brewing. I've been going to Disney since before I was born (no, really mom went when she was pregnant with me). I've lost track of how many times I've been to the parks on both coasts. I'm usually the one taking the photos at Disney so I'm not usually in them (thanks mom).
Drink your way around the world or One reason EPCOT is my favorite park:
I love
EPCOT. As a homebrewer, food and beer lover it's a great place to experience new flavors and, especially during the
Food and Wine Festival, different beers from around the world.
When it comes to the parks I get a little disappointed in the beer selection. Yes, I will admit I've been accused of being a beer snob. I prefer the moniker of beer geek personally but I think you get the idea. My problem is that in the parks that serve alcohol the beer is usually an
AB InBev product. I won't go into an entire diatribe here but suffice it to say...not my first choice.
Enter EPCOT, home to beverages from other places. In general when you're walking through the park you will be able to get a beer from each country.
It has become the "in" thing to do an EPCOT pub crawl and groups now have t-shirts, hats and
lanyards devoted to their particular way of accomplishing this feat. If you think about it this is not a task for the feint of heart...or liver. You are going to be consuming 11 alcoholic beverages on a hot day as you walk at least 1.2 miles or more. If you try this during the Food and Wine Festival there are even more places to add to your list.
Before we start some rules. These are my personal rules and are for the benefit of yourself and other park goers.
1. Don't be a jerk. Nothing can ruin a person's trip to Disney quicker than a group of drunks in their favorite park. I've seen it more and more on every visit. Don't be "that guy".
2. Spread it out. Get there early and stay late. This will spread you drinks out over time and reduce the chance that you will violate rule #1.
3. Do it as a group. Think about it, you can share.
4. Drink water and eat. This is not a rule to be ignored.
5. Have a designated driver/jerk referee. This person will make sure you make it safely to your goal and home again. This person is also given the power to end the quest for group members who have had too much "fun".
It doesn't matter where you start and end. The choice is yours. One tip though, stick to the alcohol you started with...switching is a good way to sick and end your quest early. So NO SHOTS! I'm not going to go crazy and list every beverage and restaurant in the park. What I will do is tell you some of my favorites.
The Pavilions:
Canada - Try a
Unibroue brew at the Canada beer cart and walk the paths to enjoy the scenery. The Unibroue brewery in Quebec brews some great beer and each honors a story or tradition in Canada.
China - Grab a
TsingTao as you get your photo in front of the Forbidden City.
France - Grab a crossant and enjoy a
Kronenbourg 1664.
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| I was holding Mom's drink too, no really I was |
Germany - For a quick bite grab a pretzel and a
Radeberger or better yet stop at the
Biergarten for a German buffet, more beer choices and some good music.
Italy -
Tutto Italia and the Tutto Gusto are a great place for dinner and an
Italian beer. Try something you haven't had before.
Japan - Sneak into the back of the Mitsukoshi Department Store and try out a frozen
Kirin
Mexico - Grab a
Bohemia and some tapas at the tequila bar inside the pavilion. Go back another day and try a tasting of tequilas.
Morocco - Act out the
final scene in Casablanca as you sip a
Casa Beer.
Norway - You are not the first to pass this way...nor are you the first to try a
Carlsburg. Get some Viking horns and a troll to help you on your quest.
United Kingdom - You can get a
half and half inside the
Rose and Crown but not at the kiosks.
United States - Enjoy a
Sam Adams at the Fife and Drum before heading into the American Adventure theater.
Refreshment Outpost - While not one of the countries around EPCOT this pavilion is supposed to represent Africa...too bad there is no African beers here. Grab a Safari Amber and check out the drums.
While there are many ways to do this quest this is how I did it. I recommend if you're going to try this during the Food and Wine Festival you spread it out over two days...trust me on this one.
