Refreshment Outpost, a year-round kiosk at EPCOT usually featuring hot dogs, ice cream and cold beverages has added some specialty items for this year’s International Festival of the Arts. This year, the Outpost is offering a plant-based bratwurst, churros and an assortment of beers.
Menu for Refreshment Outpost at the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts
Food:
Plant-based Bratwurst with Spicy Turmeric Aïoli, Coffee Barbecue Jackfruit, and Slaw – $9.50- Paintbrush Churros: Cinnamon-Sugar Churros Dipped in Colorful White Chocolate – $6.50
Plant-based Bratwurst with Spicy Turmeric Aïoli, Coffee Barbecue Jackfruit, and Slaw – $9.50Beverages:
- Barrel of Monks Brewery Endless Enigma Golden Pale Ale, Boca Raton, FL (6.0% ABV) – $9.75
- Collective Arts Brewing Life in the Clouds Hazy IPA, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (6.1% ABV) – $9.75
- M.I.A. Beer Company Malt Bach Brown Ale, Doral, FL (8.5% ABV) – $9.75
- Popcorn Pairing Flight – $11.00
The Paintbrush Churros come to Refreshment Outpost in 2020, having been at Taste Track last year. Last year, a Popcorn Pairing Flight was located at The Painter’s Palate, but with completely different beers.
Photos of Menu Items for Refreshment Outpost at the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts
*NEW* Plant-based Bratwurst with Spicy Turmeric Aïoli, Coffee Barbecue Jackfruit, and Slaw – $9.50
Admittedly, we were afraid when we read “spicy turmeric aioli”, but this vegan brat was quite tasty! The coffee barbecue jackfruit and coleslaw balances that spicy turmeric aioli we feared, and the brat itself was very flavorful.
The dish as a whole all worked well, and we were all impressed with this offering given the combination of unique ingredients.
Paintbrush Churros: Cinnamon-Sugar Churros Dipped in Colorful White Chocolate – $6.50
We usually hate Walt Disney World churros, but these do not taste like Walt Disney World churros. They are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and well-complimented by the white chocolate.
We just wish there was more chocolate to dip them in, as the uncovered bites aren’t as amazing as those combining the cinnamon and sweet flavors.
*NEW* Barrel of Monks Brewery Endless Enigma Golden Pale Ale, Boca Raton, FL (6.0% ABV) – $9.75
From Barrel of Monks Brewery: “Endless Enigma is our tip of the hat to the hop heads amongst you. Although certainly not as hoppy as a typical west coast IPA, this uses several types of continental hops to give a hop bitterness that is firm but not harsh. It is light amber in color. The mouthfeel is refreshing, with lively carbonation and a rich head. The light malt backbone gives a mild sweetness balanced by a healthy dose of noble hops.”
The pale ale is good, a solid pale ale, fairly hoppy with a bit more body than your average pale ale.
*NEW* Collective Arts Brewing Life in the Clouds Hazy IPA, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (6.1% ABV) – $9.75
From Collective Arts Brewing: “…We dialed in the Simcoe and Mosaic hops and malt balance to optimize this juicy IPA’s pleasantly fruit-forward (think citrus and melon) taste and aroma. In keeping with the nouveau NEIPA tradition, Life in the Clouds is an unfiltered beer, neither overly-sweet nor bitter, with a pillowy mouthfeel.”
The hazy IPA was very good, a great example of the style and the best of the 3 beers for sure.
*NEW* M.I.A. Beer Company Malt Bach Brown Ale, Doral, FL (8.5% ABV) – $9.75
From correspondence with M.I.A. Beer Company: “This smooth drinking 8.5% ABV Imperial Brown Ale has a pleasant roasty character to it that is backed by a slightly sweet flavor from the malts. This beer has a medium body and earthy yet subtle hop character. As we brewed this beer we played some classic Johann Sebastian Bach compositions.”
We all strongly disliked this beer so do not get it unless you love this style of beer.
Popcorn Pairing Flight – $11.00
We were most excited about the bacon barbecue popcorn, but it turned out to be the blandest of the three. The flavor is there, but it is very faint, which isn’t what you expect from that flavor of popcorn. The pale ale is good too, a solid pale ale that’s fairly hoppy with a bit more body than your average pale ale. It pairs best with the buffalo bleu cheese popcorn.
The jalapeño ranch popcorn was somewhat bland too, spicy enough, but the ranch was overpowered by the spice. The hazy IPA was very good, a great example of the style and the best of the three beers.
The buffalo bleu cheese popcorn was our favorite as the flavors were pungent, but not overpowering, just what you would expect. However, it does not pair well with the malt brown ale, but that’s most likely because nothing would pair well with that beer, we all strongly disliked it.
The biggest problem with this flight was what you would least expect: the wind. We lost close to half the popcorn given the unique containers.
Location of Refreshment Outpost at the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts
Refreshment Outpost is located on the World Showcase promenade, just over the drawbridge from China. You can find it at Number 7 on the map below.
We’re loving that more booths and kitchens are supporting healthy eating options with plant-based items, and we’re interested to see if this becomes a trend for future festivals.