Ten Best Places at Walt Disney World to Drink Beer – May 2014 Edition
May 29th, 2014 by The Beers and Ears Crew in Walt Disney World Locations
Today we’re counting down our current choices for the ten best places to drink beer at Walt Disney World! First, we asked for your choices and you had plenty of opinions.
@beersandears R&C or Germany in world showcase
— Jason Fuller (@GoBearsGo95) May 29, 2014
The Rose & Crown, absolutely @beersandears, tho honorable mention goes to Polynesian Resort for stocking Kona Ale
— Christopher Schmidt (@disney4grownups) May 29, 2014
@beersandears probably Rose & Crown
— The WDW Blog (@theWDWblog) May 28, 2014
@beersandears Big River Grill and Brewing Works.
— John (@ftwildernessguy) May 28, 2014
.@RaglanRoadPub of course! RT @beersandears: What’s your favorite place to get a beer at Disney World?
— OOTL AndyGuinigundo (@AttractionsOOTL) May 28, 2014
@beersandears Be Our Guest or Canada Pavilion!
— Steve — Mr. DCA (@sea360) May 28, 2014
@beersandears Tune-In @ HS
— Brandon Knarr (@sleepyguy14) May 28, 2014
@beersandears poolside or world showcase. BROAD I KNOW SHUT UP
— Gregory Lane Nichols (@lanenichols) May 28, 2014
@beersandears I've never had a beer at WDW. #weeping
— Epic Beer Girl (@epicbeergirl) May 28, 2014
Sorry, we’ll have to do a Disneyland version of this in the future!
Those are some of your choices; here are ours!
10. Dawa Bar – Disney’s Animal Kingdom
The Dawa Bar in Harambe at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is off to the side near Tusker House and a nice place to escape the sun beating down on you. The African beers fit the theme of the village and many of them are pretty good!
9. ESPN Club – BoardWalk
Whether or not sports are your thing, the ESPN Club on the BoardWalk hosts a wide selection of beer from Blue Moon to Chimay Blue (and beers that don’t have the word “blue” in their name also!). Sit down and enjoy the game while sipping a good brew.
8. Germany Pavilion – Epcot World Showcase
We couldn’t limit ourselves to just one stand or restaurant, so we’re throwing the whole Germany pavilion in here. Whether it’s a Schöfferhofer Grapefruit at Bier, a König Ludwig Weissbier at Sommerfest, an Altenmünster Oktoberfest at the Trinken Beer Cart, or bratwurst, music, and a Hövels in Biergarten, the Germany pavilion has you covered.
7. Be Our Guest Restaurant – Magic Kingdom
Be Our Guest Restaurant wins the best place to have a beer in the Magic Kingdom by default since it’s the only restaurant that serves alcohol. The selection is limited but most of the beers on the menu are quite good including Saison Dupont.
6. Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room – Epcot World Showcase
Let’s be honest, the Rose and Crown’s beer selection is okay at best. When Guinness and Boddingtons are your top beers, you could do better. (How about some BrewDog?) The atmosphere, including Carl the bartender and the Hat Lady, however, is a lot of fun and they also make beer blends such as Black Velvet and Black and Tan.
Fun fact: the column outside of the Rose and Crown is a market cross (Scots call it a mercat cross).
5. Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts
The Swan and Dolphin resorts are another location where we couldn’t just pick one restaurant or bar. With Ommegang Three Philosophers, Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier, and Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, among others, spread between Il Mulino, Todd English’s bluezoo, and the Cabana Bar, it’s tough to definitively recommend one over the others.
4. River Roost Lounge – Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
The beer selection at River Roost Lounge is the standard lounge and restaurant menu plus Abita Amber, Purple Haze, Turbodog, and the current Harvest Series beer. Not a bad beer selection, but the real reason to have a beer here is to enjoy the evening entertainment by Yehaa Bob!
3. The Grand Floridian Pool Bars
Two pool bars serve beer at the Grand Floridian (Beach and St. John’s). While most pool bars carry a standard menu of beer, the Grand Floridian’s serve its own special menu. Some of the beers that are included on this menu are Chimay White and Magic Hat Circus Boy.
2. Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant – Downtown Disney
Given Downtown Disney’s current state (that hopefully will be greatly improved as it changes over to Disney Springs), it’s not hard to call Raglan Road the best bar in Downtown Disney. The beer selection isn’t limited to Irish pub fare; they also serve a number of craft beers such as Stone Arrogant Bastard, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, and Terrapin Hopsecutioner. The entertainment is as good or better; live music and Irish step dancers provide a great experience all around.
1. Italy Pavilion – Epcot World Showcase
Between the three main dining spots in the Italy pavilion you can find a nice selection of Italian craft beer. Recently they’ve expanded to include a couple of American craft beer selections as well. For a quick drink stop into Tutto Gusto for a Birrificio Italiano ExtraHop or a Southampton Publick House Biere de Mars. For a sit-down meal, Tutto Italia serves the same beers as Tutto Gusto while Via Napoli serves its own selection including Birrificio Le Baladin Nora and Birrificio L’Olmaia La Cinque. The beer selection in the Italy pavilion changes regularly, but the quality is great and the food is always tasty.
Honorable Mentions:
Canada Beer Cart – Epcot World Showcase
Serving Unibroue year-round has seriously improved the Canada Beer Cart’s selection. St. Ambroise beers can also be found here now.
Block & Hans – Epcot World Showcase
Block & Hans changes the way you think about beer in the American Adventure. Serving Victory Golden Monkey and Napa Smith Hopageddon, among others, makes the American Adventure a place you can enjoy beer instead of tolerate it.
Tune-In Lounge/50’s Prime-Time Café – Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Some of us like 50’s Prime Time Café and some of us don’t. However, usually you can find a couple of beers seldom seen elsewhere at Disney World including Einstök Ölgerð Icelandic White Ale.
Did we miss your favorite place? Be sure to let us know where and why!
Brian
R&C certainly seems to one of the most popular however I mostly just grab a Bass at the Yorkshire Cointy Fish & Chip stand and go back in the courtyard to listen to the British Revolution rather than fight the crowd inside. One of my more frequent stops is also Germany because of the brats, the chocolate and the Duffy coloring station for my daughter. Beyond that Big River is also a good spot, especially on Sundays during football season as ESPN can be insane and the TVs are big and close at BR. I also have to give a big shout out to the Tune In Lounge. I usually just grab a Sierra Nevada there but what’s great about it is that most people walk right by it and don’t realize its a bar. It’s almost like a back alley speakeasy from the 1920’s.
Keith
IMO the best venues are Raglan Road, Il Mulino, Italy Pavilion, and Block&Hans…EPSN has a great selection but the atmosphere sucks.
NT3
Because it makes perfect sense to serve bizarre Icelandic beer at the 1950’s diner at Hollywood Studios and not the Norway pavilion at Epcot.
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BeanoC
How can you possibly rank the best beer spots in DisneyWorld and not rank Paradisio 37 near the top, much less not even mention it!? Coldest beer in all of WDW, great selections, and it’s in Downtown Disney. 2nd only to Rose & Crown, IMO.
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