Thursday, January 30, 2025

Beer Review - Lost Coast Brewery’s “Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout"

A purple dragin with a crown drinking a pint of stout.


As Lord Figment, ruler of Epcot welcomes guests to the first festival of 2025, we know I am searching for beer. Now, at the The Artist’s Table in the American Adventure pavilion, I’ve heard some chatter about Wicked Weed’s “Pineapple Daydream IPA.” Now, I love me Dole Whip, but I was fooled once by Wicked Weed with a Pineapple IPA where I just couldn't really find the pineapple hidden in dankness. So Pass! But as I grabbed the Deviled Egg Trio I also saw a stout and I jumped in. 

A pint of Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout sitting on a picnic table.
Lost Coast's "Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout"


Lost Coast Brewery’s “Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout” is one of a few milk stouts that are offered at the 2025 Festival of the Arts…or FARTS (school kids all chuckle)! “Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout” is a 5.6% ABV with 21 IBU milk stout, though I didn’t really catch any hop bite. The sips are malty to give a light chocolate flavor or a light dark sweet bread. The peanut butter is balanced but not overwhelming. A milk stout has the addition of lactose which does make this brew a little sweeter than a normal stout, but not overly sweet (a theme). And the lactose makes it super silky on the palette. On a cool festival night, it’s a nice addition.

But, it’s not my favorite peanut butter stout ever. I’ve been raised on Minnesota’s Dangerous Man "Peanut Butter Porter"! That brew explodes with chocolate and peanut butter. I’ve added small portions of it to a regular porter, and instantly made it a peanut butter bomb. I’ll confess that beer was so thick and filling, that I couldn't even make a dent in a second pint bought the first night I had it. So not to be a pain, my festival sips were a little light for me.

Now, my drinking companion made an audible gasp with their first sips and found it to be a milky peanut butter chocolate. But if you are sharing my tastes, it was a light not overly sweet peanut butter brew. I think they found the flavors to be sweeter and stronger.

Lost Coast Brewery is nearer to Disneyland than Epcot, founded in 2014 in Eureka, California. For a brewery that I have never tasted before, they have some impressive capacity, with 225,000 cans and bottles and 800 kegs produced daily. They do this through what many breweries would die for, a state-of-the-art and highly efficient facility. And after ten years, it is a production that I assume had dialed in their recipes for their high-tech equipment. While they have some seasonals, it looks like they have focused on a core lineup. Honestly, I love getting a taste from so far away.
 

Who Drinks This? If you like stouts or milk stouts, you won’t be disappointed. It is also a beer you can consider if you want to try this style, as it drinks smooth but is not overwhelming in flavors, unlike Dangerous Man’s peanut butter classic! This beer is out there in cans in some U.S. markets, and I can see it being a nice drinkable stout for get-togethers and hangouts.

Friday, January 24, 2025

Beer Review - Blantons Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

 

A tulip glass filled with dark black Blanton Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout
"Blanton Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout"


Let’s use a cliche!

If there is one fan of Goose Island’s “Bourbon County Stout” it’s me. If there are no fans, I am dead! “Bourbon County Stout”, which you can get nearly everywhere in the fall, is the beer that really started my fascination with beer and Imperial Stouts that have been aged in barrels. But they are expensive to make with higher ingredient costs, smaller batches, and longer brew times. These are expensive beers that have lower profit margins, so I was resigned to the fact that maybe one would show up at a festival since these beers scare some drinkers. Or hey, I can live with the mass-produced, “Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.” I mean I’m not drinking it at home, but sometimes a barrel is a barrel. But find my unicorns on Disney property, I don’t think so.

I walked into Polite Pig and saw it. “Blantons Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout” was the pricey seasonal on tap. It cost more, and it was a smaller pour (it always is because these are higher ABV), and it called my name.

I confidently walked up and ordered this tulip of beer. The server looked at me approvingly, like there’s a bold drinker. Or maybe it was, hey we can finally move some of this. I joked about taking some home, she started to tell me I could but then made a comment about “opening it” which made me think it was canned or bottled instead of being on tap. What a world! A craft made Imperial Stout on Disney property. I was living the dream.

“Blantons Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout” by Ravenous Pig Brewing Company, the Polite Pig’s sibling brewery, is an 11% ABV and 46 IBU imperial stout. It was brewed and then placed into Blanton’s bourbon barrels to live and soak up the character of wood and remains of the bourbon qualities of the Blanton’s that was born there. I have to use “Bourbon County Stout” as my comparison. It is definitely more bitter than the Goose Island original releases of the last two years, and I enjoy that sweetness found in the original barrel-aged imperial stout. The hop bitters lead the taste, with some oak from the barrel, giving me more dryness than sweetness in this dark-colored liquid elixir. It reminds me of a hoppy Surly “Darkness” variant I had a few years ago that was a special one-time keg. I was surprised I could find a quality imperial on property and found it fit well with my lunch.

A plate with Polite Pig's brisket sandwhich with a side of brussel sprouts next to a tulip of dark Blanton Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
A Winning Lunch!


That being said, no one else in my group wanted to touch it. They all wanted beer-colored beer or mixed drinks.

But me, I was surprised by a location that I already had a high opinion of because I was able to order something I never expected to see. That’s a magical Disney Springs type of day! 

Who Drinks This? Me! I think if you are someone who enjoys “Bourbon County Stout” you should grab one while it’s there to compare how it hits your palate. Who knows how long it will be on menu? In Central Florida, imperial stouts tend to linger on menus longer than what I have seen in the Midwest as those drinkers tend to view these as very special releases. Despite the care put into these beers, I am well aware that the price, style, dark malty color, and even flavor for some can be an obstacle. This is not a candy bar of an imperial stout. But it is a nice representation of what you can do with a category of beer that “Bourbon County Stout” created.

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Venue Review - Hog's Head Pub

 

The rooftops of Hogsmeade showing wooden roofed brick buildings.
Snowy Hogsmeade the Home of Hog's Head Pub


It’s where every Wizard knows your name!

Whenever I want to feel magical, I find myself visiting the Hog’s Head Pub in Hogsmeade in Universal Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando. The pub is honestly a long well themed hallway with a bar and taps next to a few tables. Still, it really does make you feel like you are in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with the moving Boar head behind the bar and the sounds of magical creatures on the second floor. The Hog’s Head is my preferred location to grab a pint. 

A worn wood sign for the Hog's Head Pub
A Worn and Welcoming Sign


You will be able to order from these Wizard Brews at the bar (in my preference order):


  • “Daisyroot Ale” - A smooth and slightly sweet Golden/Blonde Ale.
  • “Dark Forest Ale” - A brownish pint that tastes more like lager than any potion of this color has the right to.


If one wishes to be adventurous, patrons can ask for a layered beer, including mixing with “Strongbow Cider” to craft very traditional English mixes like a “Snakebite”. Or maybe you want a “Triple Layer Beer” which one should only order by this name!

There are also non-Wizarding beers available. The Hog’s Head is where you can grab a “Guinness” or a “Bodington’s Pub Ale.” If you don’t want a Wizarding Beer, you will find a familiar European import, which still feels in theme. I just don’t know why one would select these when there are very approachable Wizard pints, unless you are looking for a stout that fails to appear among the magical beers. You can also select a glass of wine. Or if you want stronger drinks, there are hard liquors behind the bar like “Fire Whiskey” and gin which continue to tell the story of you being in a traditional English pub.

But what if you wish to avoid booze? You can grab your many varieties of Butterbeer here, maybe with a shorter line than outside. This is the spot where I grab warm Butterbeer! Grabbing a round of Butterbeers for the family permits me to grab a pint! If they don’t want a Butterbeer, you can also find “Tongue Typing Lemon Squash”, “Pumpkin Juice”, and other alcohol-free delights.

Now what the Hog’s Head is not is a place to grab a snack. You won’t find a big pretzel or distinctive pub snack to pair with your pint. For food, you need to go next door to the Three Broomsticks. This is an all-liquid menu.

I do need to throw out some protocol’s here. First, it’s one alcoholic potion per ID. So, you won’t run up to the counter and ask the Wizard or Witch for a round for the whole crew without proper paperwork. Also, if you visit while there is a line, the line starts not at the front door but the backdoor at the patio. It seems like every busy day I’m there, a dark wizard materializes trying to cut the line. However, the bartenders are fully authorized by the Ministry of Magic to redirect you to the queue.

 

A look at an animated hog's head wedged between two red Butterbeer casks.
A Magical View!


I’d also say that the Wizards and Witches at the Hog’s Head are always a delight behind the taps. They are always helpful especially guiding Muggles through the menu, providing bad news (like you’re not in line) with a smile, and making you feel like this is your local village watering hole. The Hog’s Head to me is more like BaseLine at Disney, where you can drop in and grab a pint with great customer service, and not like the themed Oga’s where you feel a rush to get out.

For seating, if you want out of the sun, there are some tables inside with not all of them reserved for the Three Broomsticks. But, I like to grab a seat on the patio under an umbrella. But since your pint is served in a plastic cup, you could and maybe should grab one for the wait at Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Sipping a beverage does make a longer line just a little less feel like a curse.

Who Drinks Here? Anyone identifying as a Wizard drinks here. For me, this is the spot where craft beer drinkers who want to feel immersed in the books and movies of Harry Potter grab a pint. It also is the easiest spot to grab a to-go brew for waiting in Hagrid’s line across the street. But it’s also not the place to grab a beer if you want some food. Instead, you will need to go to the neighboring Three Broomsticks where you have the same slate of Wizarding beers to accompany your meal.

You never know, that Hufflepuff you see sipping a pint and laughing with family, could just be Between Pints apparating to a favorite pub to enjoy a “Hog’s Head Brew”

Thursday, January 2, 2025

Beer Review - Daisyroot Ale

An older male wizard in his lab makes a potion with daisyroots.


Does a pint make you a bigger or smaller personality? In the world of Harry Potter, Daisy Roots can be found in every well-stocked potions cabinet, as it is an essential ingredient of Shrinking Solution. Would this Golden Ale work magic on me and make me smaller?

A pint of yellowish Daisyroot Ale sitting on a wooden table in the Wizarding World.
"Daisyroot Ale"


“Daisyroot Ale” is a 4.8% ABV with no IBUs specially brewed by Crooked Can Brewing Company for Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I do need to chuckle a little bit as I researched the style. Universal’s website calls this a “refreshing traditional English mild with a light malty flavor profile.” Untapped lists this as a different traditional English brew, “Blonde/Golden Ale.” Untapped wins on this concoction. The color is bright yellow and clear, reminding one of the daisy that inspired it. There is no color from malt, and an English Mild is generally a darker color. An English Mild is also generally beardy or malty. “Daisyroot Ale” is the opposite of that, with it being smooth and clean with a slight sweetness on the end. There is no hop bite as we would expect by the lack of IBUs. It is light, crushable, and easy to enjoy. Lager drinkers would find this to be very approachable, especially if one wanted a beer that reminded them of their 12 packs at home.

I’m sad to say if you ordered this brew based on Universal’s menu, you won’t get the potion you are looking for!

Golden Ales or Blonde Ales gained popularity in the early days of craft brewing in the 1970s and 80s as it provided an approachable and sweet pint to drinkers who may have been wary of the more hop or malt-forward recipes that many early craft brewers created their reputation on. A British version of a Golden Ale, much like this one would downplay the hop flavors, while an American version would look to highlight the hop character in the glass. “Daiseyroot Ale” is a very English brew and something that fits in the Wizarding World very well.

Did “Daisyroot Ale” provide a shrinking effect? As I sipped mine, I needed a break from the cares of the day. I sat behind the Hog’s Head sipping, wizard-watching, and cheering for those running from velociraptors. I will give it credit for shrinking the reality of the Muggle world away even for a brief time.

Who Drinks This? While this is not my favorite of Wizarding beers, it did surprise me on how well-balanced and refreshing it was. “Daisyroot Ale” will likely be my choice on days I want something light or am hot and want to cool off. The lack of hop and malt makes it the easy I don’t want something heavy Wizarding choice. Also if you are a parent pulled by your wizard into the Wizarding World and want a beer that reminds you of a lager or pilsner of the macro variety, this is a sweeter version of a familiar beer.

Beer Review - Lost Coast Brewery’s “Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout"

As Lord Figment, ruler of Epcot welcomes guests to the first festival of 2025, we know I am searching for beer. Now, at the The Artist’s Ta...