The Walt Disney World Beer Tournament – First Round

March 12th, 2012 by The Beers and Ears Crew in Beer Culture

It’s the time of year where everyone is interested in brackets and whether certain college basketball teams are going to be playing for a chance at the national championship. Here at Beers and Ears we thought it would be fun to hold our own tournament with the beers that can be found at Walt Disney World and crown a beer as the best at Walt Disney World!

Just like the college basketball tournament, our bracket contains 64 beers. We arrived at these 64 beers and their seedings based on the statistics from the Walt Disney World Beer List. Instead of working through this ourselves, we wanted to let everyone in on the fun by voting on it! Be sure to spread the word so we can have as many votes as possible. The first round starts this morning and will close on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 5:00 PM Central Time.

First, the full bracket (click to enlarge!):

Let’s start looking at the regions. First, the Mickey region.

An interesting first round match here is one that involves two beers from the same brewery; Bell’s Oberon (6) goes up against Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale. The number one overall seed, Altenmünster Oktoberfest, is the one seed in this bracket.

First up is Altenmünster Oktoberfest, one of the beers of the Germany pavilion in World Showcase and the number one seed taking on Saratoga Lager, a beer found at the Saratoga Springs Resort.

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The two seed, Abita Purple Haze, is primarily served at the Port Orleans resorts. It faces Terrapin Rye Ale, found at the ESPN Club on the BoardWalk.

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The Mickey region’s three seed is another Abita beer mostly found at Port Orleans, Abita Amber. French beer Kronenbourg 1664 hopes to upset Abita Amber to advance.

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One of the ubiquitous beers of Walt Disney World, Dos Equis Lager, has the four seed in the Mickey region and faces off against the local Orlando Brewing Pale Ale.

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Mickey’s fifth seed is Guinness, another widely available beer. Southampton Double White, found at the ESPN Club and Il Mulino at the Swan, hopes to put up a fight against the Irish staple.

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This next matchup is the battle of the Bells. The sixth seed is Bell’s Oberon, an ESPN Club regular, and the eleventh seed is Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale found at Raglan Road.

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Widmer Drifter Pale Ale has the seventh seed in the Mickey region. It can be found in a few different restaurants at Walt Disney World resorts. Big River Grille & Brewing Works’ first entry, Sweet Magnolia American Brown Ale, is the ten seed here.

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The last matchup in the Mickey region should be a good one; the eight seed is Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale and the nine seed is Unibroue’s first entry, Maudite.

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Next up, the Minnie region!

Many interesting beers are in the Minnie region, including the number one seed Safari Amber. Others to watch include Unibroue Éphémère and Chimay Red. Let’s get to it!

Safari Amber, the beer brewed primarily for Animal Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Lodge, is the third overall seed and Minnie’s number one. It hopes to easily defeat Kirin Ichiban, a Japan pavilion staple.

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The two seed is Hövels, another Germany pavilion beer. Guinness Extra Stout, only found at the Flying Fish, is hoping to pull an upset.

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Chimay Red is the three seed representing Belgium at the ESPN Club. Boston beer makes its first appearance in this tournament with Samuel Adams Imperial White which also resides at the ESPN Club.

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Fourth in the Minnie bracket is Blue Moon, found all over the resort. Widmer Hefeweizen takes the thirteen seed and can be found at the ESPN Club and Territory Lounge in the Wilderness Lodge.

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The fifth seed is a popular beer among us at Beers and Ears, Unibroue Éphémère. It takes on the well-marketed Bud Light, a beer found nearly everywhere at Walt Disney World.

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Earning the sixth seed is Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale, a favorite at the Polynesian Resort. Unibroue’s second entry in the Minnie region, Don-de-Dieu, will try to give Fire Rock a run for its money.

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The seventh seed is another Unibroue beer, Blanche de Chambly. Shock Top brings its orange and citrus flavor from the Belle Vue Lounge to try to upset.

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In the last Minnie region matchup, the Danish beer in Norway, Carlsberg, takes on Steamboat Pale Ale from Big River Grille & Brewing Works.

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Now let’s move to the Donald region!

The number two overall seed and the number one seed in the Donald region is Schöfferhofer Weizen, the second beer from the Germany pavilion to earn a number one seed. Other beers to watch include Orlando beer Orange Blossom Pilsner, Kona Longboard Lager, and Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA.

First up, Schöfferhofer Weizen takes on a third entrant from Big River Grille & Brewing Works, Wowser’s Wheat.

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Bringing in the second seed is the third Germany pavilion entrant, Radeberger Pilsner. Amstel Light gets the fifteen seed; it can be found in a number of different places including the Swan and Dolphin and the Hollywood Brown Derby.

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The third seed belongs to Kona Longboard Lager, known for its presence at the Kona Café. Rogue Dead Guy Ale, found at Raglan Road, hopes to put up a good fight.

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Donald’s fourth seed is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, which can be found all around the resort. Thirteenth seed Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale can be found at the BoardWalk’s ESPN Club.

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Fifth in this region is Anchor Steam, found at a few locations including the Captain’s Grille. Looking to move to the second round by winning against Anchor Steam is Birra Moretti La Rossa, popular at Via Napoli.

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The third entry from Abita, Turbodog, takes Donald’s sixth seed. Casa Beer, popular in the Morocco pavilion of World Showcase, gets the eleven seed.

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One of the specialties of the Rose and Crown is Donald’s seventh seed, Boddingtons English Pub Ale. Going head to head with Boddingtons is the local Orange Blossom Pilsner, which can be found throughout the resort.

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Found in the Italy pavilion is Donald’s eighth seed and Moretti’s second entry, the classic Birra Moretti. Challenging with the ninth seed is Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA, usually found at the Yacht Club.

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Finally, the Goofy region!

The top seed for the Goofy region (and the fourth overall seed) comes from the oldest and largest American brewery, Yuengling. Also keep an eye on Stella Artois, Bedele, and Unibroue La Fin du Monde.

Yuengling’s first matchup is against Mythos Lager, a Greek beer featured at Kat Cora’s Kouzzina.

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The second seed is possibly Unibroue’s most popular beer, La Fin du Monde. Sapporo, a Japanese beer that goes well with sushi, is the fifteenth seed in this region.

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Abita Andygator , Goofy’s three seed, can be found at Raglan Road. Tusker Premium Lager, an African beer found at Animal Kingdom Lodge, goes head to head with Andygator.

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The Old Key West resort is the home of this fourth seed, Key West Sunset Ale. Dos Equis Amber, one of the Mexico pavilion’s beers, takes the thirteenth seed.

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Unibroue keeps making it into the tournament, this time with Trois Pistoles. Alfa Lager, another Greek beer found at Kouzzina, is hoping to make it a short trip for Trois Pistoles.

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African beer Bedele, featured at Jiko, gets the six seed in the Goofy region. Murphy’s Red Creamy Irish Ale, fittingly served at Raglan Road, is looking for an upset here.

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The seven seed is another beer brewed in Florida, Cigar City Jai Alai IPA; it is served at Raglan Road and the Cabana Bar at the Dolphin. Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, also served at Raglan Road, should keep this one close.

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Our final matchup of the first round faces Brooklyn Pennant Ale ’55, found at ESPN Club, against the Belgian beer found at most Walt Disney World locations, Stella Artois.

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That’s it for round one! Fortunately, the length of the rounds will get shorter each time since half the beers will be eliminated each round. Remember, these polls will close at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, March 14, 2012. Round two will be posted Thursday, March 15!

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You may be interested in:

The Walt Disney World Beer Tournament – Third Round

The Walt Disney World Beer Tournament – Second Round

The Walt Disney World Beer Tournament – Fourth Round

The Walt Disney World Beer Tournament – Fifth Round (Final Four)

2013 Disney Beer Tournament Round One