Brewery Barrel Orlando

When we recently returned to the Orlando to visit haunted attractions in Central Florida it was inevitable that we would spend some evenings in the Old Town entertainment area, a collection of shops, restaurants, bars and attractions in Kissimee, Florida. We were camping next door and would visit friends that owned one of the attractions there. Until recently, patronizing bars in Old Town meant your average well drinks, frozen drinks, or for the beer drinker, a bud light. To my delight the Brewery Barrel recently opened to serve craft beer lovers.

They offered a decent number of Florida and national craft beers on draft. When we visited in October they included a few pumpkin beers and Oktoberfest offerings. The bottles are were things got interesting. There were over a 100 bottles with several that I never heard of. The staff was able to suggest a good Florida craft beer but it was the international beer selection. It featured beers from Italy, Germany, Turkey and France. The Brewery Barrel  offered something called an "Epcot Bucket". You get to choose from two different buckets that feature an assortment of beers from around the world. The offered a few bar blends as well. The Chocolate Covered Strawberry was a tasty blend of Young's Chocolate Stout and a strawberry lime cider. The staff here was fun and friendly and I liked the relaxed atmosphere. The night we visited the bar had a Walking Dead viewing party. I was disappointed that they did not serve food. A menu is coming soon but right now you can have food delivered from some of the Old Town Restaraunts. I recommend this spot next time you are visiting the Orlando attractions.

Sea Dog Brewing Company Orlando

Sea Dog Brewing in Orlando was an accidental find for us. We were looking for somewhere to eat lunch and I have been wanting to visit a brewery or brew pub while we were here but didn't feel like making the drive to the Florida breweries I knew about. We had noticed it while driving by on both trips so decided to give it a chance.

When we first walked in, because we love Halloween and pumpkin beers, we couldn't help but notice that they had the Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale we had been hearing about. Then we noticed a few offerings on the beer menu. We came to find out that  Sea Dog is part of the same company that owns Shipyard Brewing. At that point we knew struck gold.

We had to make the most important decision first. What to order on our beer flight of four ounce tasters. The brew pub offers several beers but many are seasonal so I would ask your server what is in before making selections. The pumpkin ale was a given. It is much lighter than the normal pumpkin and tastes more like a wheat beer. We went with the Apricot ale which was light and crisp but not overly fruity like I expected. The Sea Dog Sunfish was a beautiful strawberry colored wheat with peaches and grapefruit. Perfect for a hot Florida day. The last beer was a Shipyard XXXX IPA which had a  kick but was well balanced and not overly bitter. There were more tempting choices than I could drink in a few flights.

The food here is just as good as the beer making it a popular spot for football watching and for families. We started with the pretzels and the beer cheese served with it was amazing. They had a wide variety of sandwiches and entrees, specializing in raw seafood and burgers. I figured I could not go wrong with a New England favorite, the lobster roll. It is market price, that day $17, but was filling and worth every penny.

We also like the brew pub's atmosphere, although it started to get crazy with fans of east coast football teams coming in for the Sunday games. If you live near one of the locations you can join the Mug Club. For an annual membership you get a t-shirt, special events and some great discounts. That day Mug Club members got $3 pumpkin beers. In addition to this location and several in Sae Dog's home state of Maine; they also opened a brewer yin Clearwater. I highly recommend this taste of Maine in Florida.

Ultimate Day at Epcot Food and Wine Festival VIP tour package

For years people would ask my husband and I why we vacation at Disney without children; especially when we became members of Disney’s Vacation Club. We would begin to what D World an offer the adult guest: impeccable service, great food and beverage, and top notch accommodations and entertainment. One of our favorite examples has been the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. When other business brought us to Orlando in the fall, we could not help but visit the event as well.

Although we had booked some smaller events like mixology classes and a lunch; we were unable to find in premium dining events available during the dates we were in town. Totally by accident, I find a blog posting about just added events that listed the “Ultimate Day at Epcot Food and Wine” and it just happen to be available on a day we planned on making our last round of the festival. I realize that the $395 price tag is steep for most Disney visitors, however when you do the math we more than got our money worth.

We began the day at the Festival center were we participated in “Sunday Mornings With”. Normally the VIP tour starts around 10:30 but we had a small group of six so we were able to attend this special breakfast with celebrity pastry chef Gale Gand of Spritzburger and Tru in Chicago. This two hour brunch included a main menu of a fruit parfait, roasted red pepper strata, breakfast potatoes, asparagus, leeks with bacon and assorted breakfast breads. We were greeted with a glass of Martini Proseco and then got to watch chef Gand prepare a trio of desserts: blueberry scones, lemon curd with strawberries, and chocolate salted caramel bread pudding with orange Bourbon sauce. We finished off the event with a glass of Martini Asti and were sent one with the three dessert recipes.

Next we went over to the Vineyard stage of a wine tasting on the “Wines of Burgandy France” presented by the B&B French Wine Club. First we learned a little bit about the left and right banks of Burgandy and about what makes a good wine. I learned that while Americans classify wine by the type of grape, the French classify wine by the region it comes from. Then, before we tasted the three offerings we were instructed on how to properly taste a wine by swirling the glass, smelling it, observing the color and clarity, and aerating the wine in our mouth. We then sampled three red wines:

In between meals we made a quick ride stop at Spaceship Earth. One of the great things about this tour is you get to go in backstage areas and the guides have plenty of Epcot trivia. We learned that the other half of Epcot has two distinct areas. The side with Spaceship Earth is more futuristic with sharper architectural lines and more striking music. The other side with the Land and Living Seas with Nemo and Friends is more organic. It has softer music and more flowing designs.

Then it was off to lunch at Morocco’s Spice Table restaurant. Morocco’s newest restaurant offers a full bar, adjacent market store and a great view of the lagoon in the center of World Showcase. Our guides replaced the normal wine tasting with a beer sampling in our honor. We started with three beers: La Estrella lager from Spain, Casa beer from Morocco and a dark beer from Turkey, Efes. While I normally prefer dark beers our group as a whole picked the Casa as our favorite. The food began with a cold mezza sampler of vegetarian grape leaves, regular and sundried tomato hummus, assorted olives, spiced pita and shrimp in a citrus. Next came the Calamari with two dipping sauces. Finally when were just about full we were also served a beef and a spicy chicken kebab with a parsley and citrus dipping sauce.

Next we walked off lunch at the Land. We were greeted by another guide took us on the “Behind the Seeds” tour of the Land’s greenhouses. This was the part most of us thought would be a little boring but we were wrong. Our guide Jacob, a college intern, was very knowledge bout botany and biology. He taught us about hydroponics, explained some of the interesting techniques used at the Land and gave us a smell test of different spices grown there. Next we all got a chance to bypass the two hour line and ride the always popular Soaring. Most of us were like little children when we got to board the top row of the ride. We looked for each scent and hidden Mickey.

Then it was back to our van to drive through the backstage area to World showcase for more food and drink. We had a private dining area next to the Puerto Rico pavilion.  Besides giving festival goers some of the best food and drink of the event, the Puerto Rico kiosk educated visitors about the Island. Here we were greeted by Chef Mike Epcot’s head chef and one of those responsible for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  He started of his sampling of some festival favorites with the conch salad cone and Medalla light beer from Puerto Rico. Chef Mike explained the salad is typical of beach food on the island. The saltiness of the conch meat with citrus and jalapeño paired well with the light, crisp beer.  The next round was the ever popular Canada booth. We tasted Le Cellier’s fillet mignon with wild mushrooms and truffled butter and a Moosehead lager. Then dessert from where else but the champagne and dessert kiosk. We were treated with a glass of and the dessert trio which featured a blueberry lime cream cheese roll, a passion fruit coconut creamsicle parfait and a chocolate espresso opera cake.

Our final stop was the patio area in Italy. Our guides presented us with one last glass of bubbly to toast our adventures for the day. We took a group photo and were presented with our gift bags. After discussing our highlights we said good bye to Debbie and Ashton and headed to our VIP seats for the Eat to the Beat Concert. That night’s show was Hanson, not our first choice but also not the worst of the bill’s line up. They kept their fans going and were enjoyable. One of our group members, Danielle, was a huge Hanson fan so I enjoyed watching her take advantage of the prime view. While wehad the option of staying for Illuminations and seeing from a special viewing area we declined. Both my husband and myself had seen the show several times and it had been a long day.

There could not have been a better way to end our Disney adventure. The day was an ultimate foodie experience. VIP tours tried to cater the experience tour group as much as possible. I know this would be harder to do with more than 6 people. Our guides could not have been nicer or more accommodating. Momma Debbie always had water and even a band aid when needed. Ashton always had an interesting fact or piece of trivia. The experience was well worth every dollar. We calculated that we ate and drank at least as much as we paid for the tour; not hard to do with festival prices. More importantly we made lasting memories. I loved spending the day with my new little family of culinary adventurers and this was a day at Disney that will not be forgotten.

 

Cigar City Beer List

Since landed in Orlando one of the local breweries we have gotten to sample is Cigar City.
My favorite is the Florida Cracker a white ale with unmalted wheat , orange peel and coriander. It is nice a light for a hot day but not too sweet. It has floral and citrus aromas and flavors with just a slight spiciness. We also tried the Invasion Pale Ale. This is a hoppier pale ale with caramel malt and papaya, mango, lime and peach. The fruit and the hopps have a nice balance and it is not overly fruity.

Via Napoli Food and Beer Pairing

Initially we were a little disappointed that the Epcot Food and Wine Festival was not offering more premium dining experiences the week we attended. Instead, we decided to try one of the lunch offering. Preferring a good beer to wine; I immediately was attracted to the Italian beer lunch at Epcot’s Via Napoli. My husband did not know what to expect be the only Italian beer we had tried was not good. Our adventure paid off and we were rewarded with discovering a whole new beer destination.

The beer lunch takes place on select Tuesdays and features a changing four course menu of fine Italian dishes and often rare beers. I had read on other blogs that one of the negatives in the past was a lack of explanation for the beers, unlike similar wine events. To my delight the lunch was presented by someone with a vast knowledge of beer and especially Italian beers, a certified beer sommelier. There are only a few beer sommeliers in the world and one works directly with Via Napoli.

Upon check in were greeted with a refreshing citrus water and seated at our tables in a private area off of the main dining room. One of the managers, Antonio, greeted us and introduced Eric who explained how the beer scene is emerging in Italy. Within the last few years Italy has grown to have over 800 breweries. He explained that there is still a stigma to drinking beer in a wine loving country like Italy so the bottles are often elaborately decorated and made the same size as wine bottles so that others would not know you were drinking beer.      

The first course was Bocconcini di Bufala e Carciofi Tartufati (Buffalo Mozzarella with Truffled Artichokes) paired with La Cinque from Birrificio L’Olmaia. This was a light yellow beer had herbal and floral notes with a slight taste of honey that complimented the richness of the oil. Next was my favorite, Moretti’s La Rosa. This double malt has a rich caramel color and the flavor and fragrance of figs and raisins. It was served with a roman style pizza with Proscuitto (Pizza Romano al Proscuitto) the saltiness of the prosciutto was a pleasant contrast to the sweet beer. Next the Colette di Vitello con Cicoria e Olive (Veal Cutlet with Chickory and Olives) was paired with my husband’s favorite  Contessa from Birra Amiata. This was a smooth IPA with a nice variety of hopps with herbal floral and citrus notes including grapefruit and tangerine. The dessert course was a cream and pistachio Cannolo (Cannolo Bicolore) the rich cream and pistachio was and good contrast to the light, crisp wheat beer Bionda from Amacord This floral and citrus beer is a collaboration with Brooklyn Beer Company. It features Orange Blossom honey and types of hopps. The bottle was designed by the same artist who created the “I love New York” logo.

The restaurant staff went all out to make us feel at home. The often poured more of our favorites and one server even danced the Tarantella in honor of the events 5^th year at the festival. The manager and sommelier made several visits to check on each table and were both friendly and knowledgeable. The chef also came out to great us all and make sure we liked the food. On the way out we all received bags of cantucci (a biscotti type almond cookie) to take home.

Michigan Beer List

I know it has been awhile since my last post but the sabbatical and two month road trip has begun. I started back home in Detroit, Michigan. While we have not yet visited any breweries or tap rooms I have had the opportunity to taste a few craft brews around town. Here is the list so far:

Atwater Dirty Blonde- Atwater is one on Detroit's and Michigan's first craft brewers. I actually interviewed for a job there when they opened in 1997. Dirty Blonde is a smooth blonde ale with a little more of a kick than similar blondes. It has a faint sweetness with orange peel and coriander but it is not overly  fruity.

Bell's Oberon - This beer has a wheat malt and spicy hopps with a slight orange flavor. It's a good summer beer but I would describe it as Michigan's Blue Moon.

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA - This is a dry-hopped IPA. It is crisp and bold but surprising smooth. It has a hazy cooper color and floral and pine aromas. It is an IPA that this non-IPA drinker would order because it is not overly bitter.
Founder's Devil Dancer- A summer limited release. This dry-hopped beer has 10 kinds of hopps and a 12% avb content. It sneaks up on you with a punch.

Motor City Brewing Works GhettoBlaster - This English style ale is Motor City's flag ship beer. It has a light brown color and a biscuit flavor. It is slightly bold but not too strong and a good anytime beer.

Motor City Brewing Works Pumpkin Ale - This seasonal is a satisfying pumpkin offering with Detroit grown pumpkins, Belgian yeast and seasonal spices.

Short's Brewing Cinnabilly - The name and the logo of a goat with cinnamon bun horns peaked my curiosity. This beer has a clear caramel appearance with strong aromas of cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar. It has a sweet malt with hints of graham crackers and toasted almond but well balanced and not unbearably sweet.

Stay tuned for more my friends. I also got to try some local meads and ciders and has a tap room visit planned this week.

Dirty Duck Beer Tasting

 I went to Saturday April 20th's beer tasting curious but not with high expectations. I simply wanted to see what they came up with. I defiantly did not think of Belgian beer as bad but I had a few in the past I did not care for and in the states we only usually get a few Belgian options. More or less it was something we had not done while attending the Renaissance Faire and figured why not. We were pleasantly surprised.

We got to the Dirty Duck a little early and claimed or table. While you are still sitting outside, you do have umbrella to shade you and your food and drink from the sun. Our $25 got us 6 samples, some snacks and water to cleanse the palette and a Scarborough pint glass to take home.  

The beer tasting takes place each day of Scarborough’s run and is led by Hugh O’Neil who is also a brewer at Deep Ellum Brewery. You can tell Hugh is knowledgeable and passionate about his beer. He was to introduce new beer drinker to the finer points and help the rest of us discover some new things.  Each week features a different region or theme and they are try to give some general information on beer and the brewing process.

As with any typical beer or wine tasting we start with the more mild options and work our way to the bolder flavors. There is also a bucket available to clean your glasses or to empty out the unwanted samples. I had expected all the standard Belgian options: Stella Artois, Stella Cidre, Hoegardden and Chimay. Hugh surprised me with none of those. I had only taste one of the 6 offerings before and I found to new favorite beers.

We started with the Saison Dupont farmhouse ale with citrus and pepper notes. This saison was only slightly acidic and more fruity and spicy. Next was the Westmalle Tripel, a Trappist Abbel Tripel. It had fruit flavors of banana and citrus with a hint of pepper and floral hops. The Rodenbach Grand Cru flanders red ale was the only one I tasted before and did not like. It is a blend of young and barrel aged beer with sour fruity flavors and vanilla. The sour bitterness is reminiscent  of balsamic vinegar. The next three were much more pleasant. I generally like lambics but prefer them blended because they tend to be sweet. My new favorite lambic is Liefman’s Cuvee Brut. The men at the table who don’t normally like lambics enjoy it. The cherry aroma was strong but the flavor also had hints of vanilla and light woody flavors. The Belgian Dark Strong ale was also a favorite with dark fruits like cherries, raisins, fig and prune.  We finished things off with the Rockfort Trappist 10, a Trappist Quadrupel., dark malty sweet beer with a slight chocolate taste.

All in all what started as a “why not” drinking event taught me about a new region of beer and helped me discover a few new favorites.  I highly recommend if interested, get tickets ahead online because tastings sell out fast.  If you’re going to visit Scarborough take a break to taste some beers.