crawlDisney: Beers Around the World (Showcase)

September 5th, 2013 by in crawlDisney, Walt Disney World Locations

Last updated April 27, 2015

Drinking around the world at Epcot. It’s become almost an attraction in itself over the years, but what if you’re interested in drinking beer around the world instead of all those frou-frou drinks?

The good news is all of the World Showcase pavilions serve beer. However, not all of them are the greatest. This guide endeavors to help you drink the better beers where possible. Unfortunately, there will be some swill to swallow if you truly want to drink beer at each World Showcase location.

You could either start at Mexico or Canada; going counter-clockwise starting with Canada will generally put the better beer at the beginning of your trip (and the later beers less memorable), so the official order will start with Canada. If you’d rather start in Mexico, just follow this guide in reverse.

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1. Canada

The Canada Beer Cart should be your first stop. Since the 2013 Food and Wine Festival ended, the Canada pavilion has kept Unibroue La Fin du Monde, Trois Pistoles, and Éphémère out at the beer cart. The simplest option would be to grab one of these and start drinking! Éphémère is light and fruity, while Trois Pistoles is a darker beer. La Fin du Monde is also a favorite and the 2013 Disney Beer Tournament Champion!

For bonus points, Le Cellier serves three additional Unibroue beers! You can’t really go wrong with any of the Unibroue beers. Conversely, the last thing you should drink here is Moosehead. 

Take in a showing of “O Canada!” featuring Franck Eggelhoffer!

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2. United Kingdom

A Bass Ale or Harp Lager at the Yorkshire County Fish Shop might be a nice way to have a drink in the UK pavilion. For the more adventurous, head into the Rose & Crown and order a beer blend! Jenn especially enjoys a Black Velvet made with half Guinness and half Strongbow Cider.

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3. France

The newly refurbished Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie is our next stop on the tour. Kronenbourg 1664 is the only French beer served in the pavilion; enjoy a pastry along with your beer at the bakery!

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4. Morocco

Morocco’s beer selection is a little better than it used to be thanks to the opening of Spice Road Table, but not much. Six more beers are available in Morocco now, but none of them are particularly thrilling. If you’re looking for a native beer Casa is still the only beer that’s from Morocco. All the new Spice Road Table beers are from other Mediterranean nations. Let’s face it, as far as quality is concerned Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat is still probably your best choice. You can find it at Tangerine Café or the Morocco Beer Cart.

While you’re in Morocco, enjoy Mo’Rockin!

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5. Japan

Japan has a somewhat hidden location with the best beer of the pavilion. In the back of Mitsukoshi is a sake bar known as the Garden House. Here you can find a beer called Ginga Kogen, a Japanese hefeweizen that’s definitely not your usual Sapporo or Kirin Ichiban.

There’s lots to look at (and buy) in Mitsukoshi, or head outside and watch Matsuriza pound on their Taiko drums under the pagoda.

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6. The American Adventure

Until recently, The American Adventure didn’t serve many microbrews. However, Liberty Inn’s menu changed recently and picked up Anchor Brewing Liberty Ale and Sweetwater IPA. The new Block and Hans stand also sells a variety of good beer including Victory Golden Monkey and Napa Smith Hopageddon Imperial IPA, so pick one up and enjoy the Voices of Liberty.

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7. Italy

Italy is possibly the best stop for beer in World Showcase. Tutto Gusto is your best bet for a beer without a full sit-down meal in Italy; head on in and try anything that isn’t a pale American lager or a Birra Moretti for best results. The selection changes fairly regularly; we try to keep our list up to date so click the Tutto Gusto link for the latest. If Sergio, the Italian mime and juggler, is around be sure to check out his show (you may remember him from my Via Napoli article).

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8. Germany

Germany is full of places to get beer, but the same four are served at all of them. Try a Warsteiner Premium Dunkel or a Schöfferhofer Grapefruit at Bier for a good beer in a convenient location, then watch the model trains travel around the tracks as you drink. Also, while you’re in Germany be sure to admire the beer steins! There’s a whole shop dedicated to them and they’re beautiful but a bit expensive.

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9. Outpost

You didn’t think you were going to get away with not visiting the Outpost, did you? Actually, you’re not missing much if you do. Safari Amber is as close as you’ll get to an African beer here, and by close, I mean not close at all. For a non-AB-InBev beer, choose a Yuengling instead. There’s not much to do at the Outpost, so either relax by the World Showcase lagoon or start taking a look around China, the next pavilion.

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10. China

By this point you should be fairly well lubricated, which should offset the downfall of the beer quality from this point on. The Joy of Tea has two Chinese choices. These wonderful (and I’m using the word wonderful very liberally here) are Tsingtao and Tsingtao Pure Draft.

Admire the Temple of Heaven and watch Reflections of China if you’d like before moving on.

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11. Norway

This has been mentioned many times before, but you can’t actually drink Norwegian beer in the Norway pavilion. The Danish beer Carlsberg is served instead. Einstök White Ale, from Iceland, is also served here. Einstök is almost certainly the better choice. Belly up to the Norway Beer Stand and have one for Denma… no, Icela… er, Norway!

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12. Mexico

You’ve made it! Mexico is the final stop on the tour around World Showcase. Good choices are limited here, but I’d recommend a Bohemia, which is better than the usual Mexican dreck. Again, no beverages on Gran Fiesta Tour, so do your riding before or after.

Drinking a dozen beers is no easy task; you could even break this up into two days if you prefer. There’s no shame in sharing either; Epcot doesn’t pour tasting portions on a normal basis (but maybe they should). Either way, celebrate with a viewing of Reflections of Earth! Also, this should be apparent but be sure to use Disney transportation back to your resort or designate a driver because 12 beers.

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  • NT3

    WARNING to everyone who tries this! I went into my attempt to drink around the world under the impression that over the course of one afternoon/evening I could easily take down 12 beers (I’ve done it at more parties, football tailgates, and concerts than I care to admit). HOWEVER, to Epcot’s credit, the drafts they serve in these pavilions are generally 20oz and not 12…so in essence you are drinking around 18 beers in this afternoon/evening. Had I known this, I would have shared for sure (or only bought bottles). I didn’t come to this realization until I made it from Mexico to Morocco and felt a sudden urge to sleep, vomit, or cry.

    Reply

    • Scott Post author

      You’re right; if it’s a draft beer it will be about 20 oz; bottles will usually be 12 oz. When I bought a Schofferhofer Grapefruit they had a 12oz cup for it; it might be possible to ask for the 12oz cup but they’d probably still charge you the full price.

      Personally, I’d like to see some year-round tasting portions instead of just at Food and Wine and Flower and Garden. This really only works with draft beer though.

      Reply

  • Jenn

    Like NT3, I made the realization of the 20oz pours very quickly and knew this would be entertaining. We’ve attempted Drinking Around the World 3 times…starting at 11:30am (when alcohol starts being served in World Showcase) and ending at 9pm with Illuminations…. so far we’ve only had 1 official successful run at it. One year we all konked out in Morocco (don’t do Limoncello shots and Jaeger shots in Italy and Germany) and this year I believe the Moosehead ended up in the trash b/c we just couldn’t drink any more. Hoping 4th time is a charm!

    Reply

  • James

    Oh man. You have no idea how badly I want to try this now that I have a professional roadmap to keep me on course after all the booze rots my brain into useless mush. Thank you, Scott! I probably won’t get a chance to try this until January but at least all the alcohol will keep me warm, right?

    Reply

  • daybreaker (Brad)

    I knew about Unibroue at LeCellier (still dont know why they dont have that on a cart outside – it would be awesome), but did not know about Italy or Japan’s offerings beyond the normal stuff! I will definitely have to try the Tutto Gusto coffee porter and Ginga Kogen when I go in December!

    Reply

  • Tom

    Scott, I would love to do this but as a craft beer only drinker the only places I could stop at with a clear conscience would be Liberty Inn and Tutto Gusto – maybe in a few more years things will change. Good news about the Liberty Inn.

    Reply

  • Robin

    “because 12 beers.”

    LOVE this.

    And also love that Canada has stepped up their game so I don’t have to make a Le Celliar ressie.

    Reply

  • Steve

    OK, clearly this is a Beers site, and that’s how we all started on this journey around the world. But, having done it a number of times (more than 10) over the past few years, I thought I’d share a couple of variations I’ve thrown at it.
    1. Start in Mexico. Better to get the bad stuff out of the way early. Save the Guinness and Labatt’s (or now Unibroue if you’re game for an 8% beer to finish you off) for the end.
    2. Because I’ve done this so frequently, I started mixing in drinks where the beer selection isn’t up-to-snuff…
    a. Get a nice shot of Anejo tequila at La Cava de Tequila to start your journey off right.
    b. Don’t wasted your calories or tastebuds on Carlsburg when it’s not even from Norway! Man up and power down a shot of the Aquavit.
    c. I was unaware of anything other than the standard Italian beer hidden in Italy, so I may switch back to that now. But, a Limoncello is so refreshing at this point on your journey.
    d. Sometimes, when I’m feeling squirrelly, I go with a Sake in Japan. But now I’m looking forward to hitting that back stand for the ginger beer!
    e. I’ve never been a fan of 1664. A red wine has taken over there.
    3. I don’t consider Outpost a required stop. That’s only for the true alcoholics (pun intended). I find 11 “drinks” suits me just fine, from what I can remember.

    However you do it, you’re sure to enjoy your trip around the world! It’s the best adult ride at any Disney park, hands down.

    Reply

  • Ezequiel

    I’m leaving Disney tomorrow so I have a little update:

    1) In Norway, in the same beer stand they serve Carlsberg they now serve Einstok White Ale. Still not Norwegian, but an Icelandic wheat beer. It’s nice but not worth 9 bucks.
    2) In the Outpost they have something labeled as craft I don’t know what it is, but I caught a glimpse of the tap and it said seasonal.
    3) In Germany apart from the grapefruit they have Altenmünster Oktoberfest.
    4) You can get the Sam Adams seasonal all over the park.
    5) In Via Napoli they serve an Italian craft, I don’t remember the name.

    Hope it’s useful.

    Reply

  • JasW

    They’re now serving flights at the stand just behind Block & Hans in the Outpost. I was only interested in one of offerings — Shipyard Maple Bacon Stout — so I asked for that, thinking, wow, $3.99, what a bargain! It was served in a plastic flight cup, i.e., only about 5 oz.

    Reply

  • Laura B.

    Having grown up in Atlanta, and now living in NE Georgia, I love that I continue to find Sweetwater and/or Terrapin selections at various locations throughout the World.
    Also, I thoroughly enjoyed Mythos when I ate at Spice Road Table. The flavor wasn’t as full as I usually prefer, but it was smooth and refreshing, and complemented the food nicely.

    Reply

  • Scott Raymore

    Sounds like an awesome time! We will be leaving for a 10-day stay in 3 weeks. I hope to spend at least 1 full day drinking my way around the world. I was wondering though, does each country have at least one “beer cart” or “bar” to just get a drink? Or are there locations where I MUST go into a restaurant and sit down and order food to get a beer?

    Also, since many countries have beer carts, I assume that it’s ok for me to wander around EPCOT while holding and drinking a beer? Thanks all!

    Reply

    • Scott Post author

      All eleven countries and the Outpost have a stand, cart, or some sort of non-restaurant location that serves beer. They don’t always serve what I would consider the best beer in the country though. For example, Italy serves Moretti and Peroni outside, but in Tutto Gusto or Via Napoli the selection is better. At most places you should be able to order a beer and not order food.

      You can walk around at your leisure with a beer in EPCOT. Attractions such as Gran Fiesta Tour and the Circlevision movies won’t let you in with one. Also, some of the indoor locations/restaurants may not offer beer to go.

      Reply

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