Beer Review - Kungaloosh Spiced Excursion Ale

"Kungaloosh Spiced Excursion Ale"

This beer looks like danger, let’s get closer!

When I first started exploring “Kungaloosh Spiced Excursion Ale” I was left with a mystery. Who is brewing this little number. It’s a mystery filled with excitement and fun, and maybe no answers, which would please any Jungle Cruise fan!

Concrete Beach Brewery’s “Kungaloosh Spiced Excursion Ale” is a Jungle Cruise-themed Walt Disney World exclusive beer which can be found in the Magic Kingdom at the Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen, Disney Springs at Jock Lindseys’ Hanger Bar, and the Animal Kingdom at the Nomad Lounge and Tiffin’s Restaurant. For a specialty beer, you can find it fairly widely in the adventurous parts of the World! You miss it on one turn of your river adventure, perhaps it will pop up like a hippo at another spot. It is a 6% ABV, no IBU herbed or spiced beer. For me it tastes like a wheat bread with the flair of ale with some light spice. I really want the spice to pop more and really lead with those pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg flavors that you would find in a winter warmer. It’s good, solid, and different than many other available brews all year long. I just want it spicy…baking spicy! I spent a few winters drinking Indeed Brewing’s “Stir Crazy” winter warmer exclusively. And there the spices were really showcased and to me helped define winter.

Wynwood’s Concrete Beach Brewery in the Miami area is the brewer of this exclusive beer. The brewery was founded in 2013, had a taproom full of social events and is reported to be a very adventurous spot! It also closed in 2020! The social media presence has been erased. It appears that Concrete Beach Brewery is truly no more. So this is the mystery to me? Who is brewing this beer? Did Disney take on the recipe and is contract brewing it through another partner. Does Concrete Beach exist as a company for their recipes and are contract brewing it and selling it to Disney. Did another brewery purchase the recipe and is taking it on for Disney, like Dogfish Head Brewing, who took on the Concrete Beach space when they closed. But Dogfish closed the Miami taproom in 2022! Is this temple cursed? I will rest before I find an answer to this mystery! But what a river to travel down. Is this a ghost beer that should be themed to The Haunted Mansion instead?


Who Drinks This? Jungle Cruise Fans, Adventurer’s Club fans will want to give this beer some love and vote with their sips to ensure this is a beer that stays on Disney taps. Honestly, I like it, but am not obsessed as I would like more flavor. It may also be based on location. At Skipper’s Canteen it is my go-to. At Nomad Lounge it’s coming in behind the “Tempting Tigress” as my go-to drink! “Kungaloosh Spiced Excursion Ale” is fun and has some flavor. I just don’t know if guests, who may only be running in for a few days, will have time to grab a second when there are other great choices on the itinerary.

Beer Review - Duff

"Duff" Beer

I think Universal Studios Florida’s Fast Food Boulevard in Springfield USA has been designed to steal the joy of all guests and team members in the building. As the home of Krusty Burger and Flaming Moe’s it should be fun. But the addition of Lisa’s Teahouse of Horror, The Frying Dutchman, Cletus’ Chicken Shack, and Luigi’s Pizza steals all whimsy as you navigate a food course best abandoned in the 1980s.

Sure you think you know where the line starts. You don’t. A very unhappy team member will redirect you. Then you can enter the switchbacked second line. Once you clear that, you can get in line at each restaurant you want to order and pick up at. If you are lucky, there’s no line to pay as everyone is in line trying to juggle trays in their next lines. Well, you won’t wait, unless your kind team member is in the middle of a story with the team members standing behind them, I mean we’ve all told those stories to colleagues that must be finished. They need to pass these stories as the majority of guests are bouncing between and standing in all the other lines.

I’ve literally seen team members get into screaming fights here (it was over five years ago and I assume those team members are gone)! It’s not a place I ever want to go, and when my out-of-town guests stated they really wanted a “Duff” and a Krusty Burger, I yelled, “Doh!”

Spoiler, he grabbed a pizza not a burger and I grumbled about preferring Minion food!

I needed a beer after the multiple lines to grab food. And since we all got our food at different times and I was eating alone as my party stared at me, I needed an adult beverage to calm my nerves. “Duff” is a no IBU, 4.8% ABV beer from Carib Brewery USA. It is a beer with the flavor of…beer. It has no hop at all. And while I view this as “Duff Heavy” the lack of strong flavor made me wonder if the light version had any flavor. It is completely and utterly fine, but has no outstanding qualities to it other than name to make me ever want to sample another one other than the two I’ve had over the years.

Sorry Homer, your taste in beer and mine don’t match.

Who Drinks This? To me this beer has two audiences. First, you may be a big fan of macrobrewery pilsners and lagers. Since you are in Springfield, this is your offering in this category. Though to be 100, I prefer a “Yuengling Traditional Lager.” Second, you’re a big fan of The Simpsons so you need for the immersive experience a Krusty Burger and a “Duff!” Live your dream! Me, if I need to order a beer in Springfield, maybe I will be lucky and it’s “Dufftobfest” season. Or maybe more likely, I’ll plan to have a beer over in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter instead!

Also, I would 100 percent urge you to not pick it up within Fast Food Boulevard which is neither fast nor a boulevard. Order your’s at the Duff Brewery beer garden and reclaim your time!

Beer Review - Sunshine Stroll

"Sunshine Stroll"

I’m walking on sunshine?

Am I? Because I think it’s been pretty gray this winter, even in Central Florida. With a sunny, yet windy chilly day, I had a date day in Disney Springs. My lovely bride and I decided to grab a break and some snacks at Jock Lindsay’s Hanger Bar…which has super fun small bites, but also a pint of Sunshine.

“Sunshine Stroll” by Playalinda Brewing Company is a 4.5% ABV with no IBU pilsner. It has a base of what everyone expects from beer! But “Sunshine Stroll” is a smidge above your basic canned beer you can find in a grocery store (I’m looking at you buddy who drinks a lot of Busch Light) with a slight addition of orange zest. It is just enough to make it a little citrusy without making it orange juice. It’s no hazy juice bomb IPA, it’s a pilsner that you know is a pilsner with a slight adjunct of orange sunshine.

Playalinda Brewing Company is a brand that has been known to show up on property like at festivals. For example, I’ve enjoyed “Maple Cookie Ale”a nice little pale ale with some maple without being overpowering at Epcot. Am I the only one who likes maple? Playalinda was founded in 2014 on the Space Coast, really putting it a hop, skip, and a jump away from playing the world and could serve as a possible spot if you ran to Cocoa Beach or NASA and needed an adult beverage. I personally like it when we see Disney partnering with the craft breweries in the greater Central Florida Community…so I want to see more of this.

Who Drinks This? You like macrobeers? Drink this! “Sunshine Stroll” has that backbone of beer that tastes like beer, which you expect from a pilsner. But it still has a slight orange tang to it to make you feel like you are on vacation in a location that is generally warm. You will be able to get those big guys everywhere. But “Sunshine Stroll” you will only get here with it’s sunny orangey vibes!

Beer Review - Irish Hen Pub Blend

 

 

I’m no scientist, but I am a little mad.

I had been wandering Epcot and was ready for a break. I took a seat to enjoy the full chaos of a nighttime spectacular. I reached for the classic fish and chips from the Yorkshire County Fish Shop. It always calms a wandering tummy with its classic hardiness. Then more inspiration struck me and I exclaimed, “I NEED A BEER!” I stood, pushed my chair away from the table, and ran to the Rose & Crown Pub. But what to get, I was feeling like an innovator, needing to reach for something new yet solidly fulfilling. I didn’t want just any regular tap…I wanted the magic of chemistry! Let’s combine two things to make a new creation!

And there it was on the menu! Pub Blends! The chemistry of adding two beers together. The most well-known experiment is a “Black & Tan,” with the combination of “Guinness Draught” stout and “Harp Premium Lager” known worldwide, and for heaven’s sake, I have had a good one from a beer stand in a baseball stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Definitely that craftsman was not one of the royal subjects and beer masters pouring these taps. The menu included the world-famous “Snake Bite”, a combination of cider and “Harp” but the sweetness was not my desire to match with my fish. But then I saw “Irish Hen” a combination of “Old Speckled Hen” and “Guinness.” Eureka, I hoped the bubbly creaminess would blend wonderfully with both having a strong mix of nitro bubbles from the tap.

I was right. 

"Irish Hen"

“Irish Hen” does take some time to create. First, the “Old Specked Hen” half was poured! And then we waited and waited and waited and waited. The barkeep having good manners and apologized to this old-world scientist several times. The bubbles had to control themselves and settle down to mostly just liquid in the cup. Then the “Guinness” was added, over a spoon to slow the mixing as the plastic glass was filled. The pint showed a clear two-color division. The first sip, was super creamy as the two had blended wonderfully despite mostly forming layers. The pale ale had cut the maltiness of the stout, giving us a less heavy start than a pure “Guinness” fill. The bottom, as I did not mix, shake, or stir the pint, was a hoppy creaminess with a heavier bread flavor than the pale al alone.

I pulled out my journal to remember this particular alchemy. Actually, I couldn’t as Untapped will not allow you to rate blends!

Who Drinks This? If you enjoy English beers, this really is a fun way to play around with classic English ales. The bartenders are trained well in mixing the pub blends, and I would and do plan on having one in the future when I feel a little mad.

Beer Review - Barrel Aged Cognac Porter

 

The 2025 Festival of the Arts at Epcot has a barrel aged dark beer….let me run as fast as I can before this festival screams to an end so I can be somewhat confused! Disney, you’re making me think too hard!

At the 2025 festival, a new booth was offered in “Fictional Victuals” which is described as “Novel Dishes Inspired by Beloved Books.” Let’s be honest, theme park adults, we love some themed food, regardless if it’s Avatar, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Minions and more. This should be a hit. But why can’t them tell us what’s inspiring the dishes. Some non-Disney descriptions list 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas as inspiring something there. But is it the Squid or Octopus or both? Is Cognac a favorite of Captain Nemo? Hey are the kids reading Jules Verne today, and is this really a happening booth. I’ll argue there is plenty of food I’d like to try to from Disney stories. I just don’t get this booth. I mean wink wink nudge nudge, the butterscotch milk shake if inspired by books feels like it should be over at Universal!

Oh yeah, the barrel aged dark beer! Let’s run to that!

Barrel Aged Cognac Porter

"Barrel Aged Cognac Porter” by 3 Daughters Brewing is giving us the festival barrel aged beer, The taste is very malt forward, providing us a dark bread, rich and malty flavor. But there is also a slight sweet tang from the barrel, which is very different than the caramel or chocolate sweetness I get from many bourbon barrel aged stouts and porters. Honestly, I think I have had cognac once, and the internet tells me that cognac flavors can be all over the place so I don’t think the sweet tang is against the brewery goals for this 0 IBU dark liquid treat from Saint Pete!

I’m still lost,on why cognac and why butterscotch at this booth! But let’s not question and just drink!

Who Drinks This? Barrel beer fans will want to give this a try, even if it’s just once. It’s good to try out the different things wood and the homes of former spirits can do to a brew. I found it interesting, but not really enough for a second pour. The nice thing about an Epcot festival is you can try and play, and this is what 3 Daughters is offering me here, the chance to have some fancy undersea (maybe) fun?

Brewery Review - Zymarium Meadery

Zymarium Meadery

Let’s drink like Thor Disney Adults!

It was date day, but I wasn’t fully in a brewery mood. That’s a lie, I am always up for a brewery! Okay, let’s be honest after visiting some fantastic Tampa area breweries the week before…I figured my date would consider non-beer options their first choice. So I got sneaky and went with a Meadery!

Having convinced my companion that we were running to Sideward, I led our longship to Zymarium Meadery.

The first question on my companion’s mind is simply what was mead. It wasn’t a good start for me to say the preferred brew of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s god of lightning. Mead is an alcoholic beverage that is made by fermenting honey, not grain like beer, and adding other ingredients for flavor. It has been called honey wine, but whenever I watch Thor, our hero is drinking it from big tankards like beer. As the server and the internet explained to me, there are still meads that very much come off like an Ale, which I believe the Norse one’s drink of choice. And there are bubbly ones that are more like wine, which I automatically knew was not my zone. There is also a whole range of dry to sweet, which means a range of flavor profiles could be satisfied.

"Florida Lychee"

My table ordered two very similar items, but with different tasting profiles. My companion ordered “Florida Lychee” a 6.5% ABV mead with zero IBUs. The choice was based almost entirety on the use of Lychee, a household favorite flavor, to flavor the mead. The light yellow liquid was a true sweet sweet lychee bomb, which may not please those who want a drier taste.

"Lychee Mead-Mosa"

I went with the “Lychee Mead-Mosa” which was labeled as being on more of the dry side. It was an 8% ABV, with what I assume was no IBUs, but it’s also Untapped unrateble as it was a blend of the “Florida Lychee” with their “Miel de Miel” mead which is the traditional mead that I think the hammer wielder would enjoy. The blend flattened out the sweetness quite a bit, making it more approachable for the non sweet lovers. And I found it delightful, and a great substitute for a fruit-forward ale. It also had a feel that felt more beerish to me than the non-blend which was more wine like in feel.

Feeling Like a Hive?

The taproom is a wide open medium room with seats and booths with a lot of black splashed around the room. The black does make the metal tap handles on the wall pop out. It’s a clean hip vibe that made me feel comfortable. But I will admit, having been to a lot of Midwestern Norse themed breweries, it was different than what I expected.

You don’t want to try mead…well, you must have gotten dragged here then! There are a number of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic options. I was lucky enough to pick up the collaboration beer “City Brewtiful” IPA which was brewed by pretty much every Orlando brewery together and has awesome artwork. I was tempted by a beer/mead collaboration where I could have selected a beer and a mead that Zymarium and Tactical brewed separately to be drank side-by-side.

I will say, I’ve spent some dough on specialty beers before and will do so again. I honestly have a price point in my head that says a good beer can cost this much to take home and a great beer can cost that much. And those prices for me generally all end at $50. But Zymarium had a lot of take-home meads that ran past and laughed at my number, making drinking a taster or pint on-site seem a lot more affordable. Is this what wine costs? It felt like I had entered the land of bourbon and not beer price tags!

Who Drinks Here? Honestly, if you like beer, wine, or spirits, you should give this a try. The menu is extensive enough that I think most tastes can find something to enjoy, much like my small little party did. It’s a nice spot to break up the IPAs in your life as you may visit other nearby venues like GB’s Bottleship or Sideward. I think that everyone, of drinking age, should give this spot a try at least once. Whoever drinks this mead shall have the power of Thor! I mean, who doesn’t want that?

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 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. 

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.