Welcome to a marketplace review for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival 2017, taking place in the park from August 31st through November 13th, 2017. This review will cover the “Epcot Legacy Showplace & Craft Beers”, which is located inside The Odyssey, near Test Track in Future World.

Epcot Legacy Showplace & Craft Beers

Located inside of The Odyssey, Craft Beers is housed in the Epcot Legacy Showplace, featuring two nice exhibits about the history of Epcot, as seen in the video below:

There is also an awesome music loop of rare and obscure EPCOT Center music, all playing while a 17-minute montage entertains guests on the screen located on the stage:

Food:

• Chilled Scotch Egg wrapped in Sausage with Mustard Sauce –  $4.00
• Zesty Cheeseburger and Cheddar Cheese Macaroni Handwich –  $5.50
• L’Orange Cotton Candy: A mixture of Lime and Orange Cotton Candy –  $4.75

Beverages:

• Bright Horizons: Sprite with Multi-flavored Boba Pearls (non-alcoholic) –  $4.50
• M.I.A. Brewing 305 Golden Ale, Doral, FL –  $4.00
• Playalinda Brewing Company Blonde Ale, Titusville, FL –  $4.00
• Florida Beer Company Passport 35 Triple Chocolate Milk Stout, Cape Canaveral, FL –  $4.00
• JDub’s Passion Wheat, Sarasota, FL –  $4.00
• Central 28 Trekkerbier Farmhouse Ale, DeBary, FL –  $4.00
• Cigar City Guayabera Citra Pale Ale, Tampa, FL –  $4.00
• Eastern Florida Flight –  $9.00
  • M.I.A. Brewing 305 Golden Ale, Doral, FL
  • Playalinda Brewing Company Blonde Ale, Titusville, FL
  • Florida Beer Company Passport 35 Triple Chocolate Milk Stout, Cape Canaveral, FL
• Western Florida Flight –  $9.00
  • JDub’s Passion Wheat, Sarasota, FL
  • Central 28 Trekkerbier Farmhouse Ale, DeBary, FL
  • Cigar City Guayabera Citra Pale Ale, Tampa, FL

Chilled Scotch Egg wrapped in Sausage with Mustard Sauce –  $4.00

I like Scotch Eggs generally and this was an enjoyable serving of them. You could probably make them just as well at home (even if you’re me and rather inept in the kitchen), but nonetheless, they are here if you want them.

Zesty Cheeseburger and Cheddar Cheese Macaroni Handwich –  $5.50

The infamous Handwich of Disney lore (sold at the parks from 1988 until the early 1990’s) has returned for the park’s 35th anniversary and it lived up to all of my wildest expectations. I’ve owned a sign advertising the Disney Handwich for years, never thinking that one day I would actually get to experience one (as I had somehow missed them when I was younger), and that it would actually be good. For $5.50, this is easily shareable and could be a sizable snack option for one person. The bread cone was just fine, but the macaroni and cheese was absolutely delicious. I will be returning a few times for this, likely the best “comfort food” item at the event.

L’Orange Cotton Candy: A mixture of Lime and Orange Cotton Candy –  $4.75

The description doesn’t lie, this is orange and lime flavored cotton candy in a bag. It isn’t bad, but I don’t like cotton candy to begin with, so I may not be the best person to judge this. Either way, personally, I’d skip this, even if it does reference a smell from Horizons…

Bright Horizons: Sprite with Multi-flavored Boba Pearls (non-alcoholic) –  $4.50

What is it with Horizons and being incredibly disappointing? This is Sprite and boba balls and nothing more. We anticipate the cup may eventually say “Epcot 35” or something of the sort on it, but it appears that those cups have not arrived yet, making this drink fairly useless. I will deem it a “must-buy” once it references EPCOT Center in some way, of course.

Eastern Florida Flight –  $9.00

The M.I.A. Brewing 305 Golden Ale was pretty straightforward and unique enough, the Playalinda Brewing Company Blonde Ale was nothing too special, but the Triple Chocolate Milk Stout was one of the best beers at the entire festival, being dark and flavorful, much more than the LeftHand Milk Stout served elsewhere on property.

Western Florida Flight –  $9.00

No beer in this light stood out as something unique enough to get on its own, but the flight is good enough overall just to try in a group setting.

Tom Corless