We’re not apologizing for the pun. Nope, had to go there, sorry! Bad jokes aside, we loved the Beer Tasting on the Disney Magic recently! We sampled 5 different beers, 4 of which we’ve never tried before. We tried one that is exclusive to the ship, and one you could even pair with ice cream.
Intrigued? Let’s go!
O’Gills Exclusive!
Our first sample was an O’Gills exclusve IPA. This beer is made exclusively for the O’Gills Pub on the Disney Magic and Wonder. Unfortunately, we are not fans of IPAs, and therefore were not fans of this O’Gills IPA. It’s very hop-forward, for sure. IPA fans, give this a try: they have it on tap!
I mean, it’s not made on the ship. It’s made on land (in America) and then it’s brought onto the ship. Sorry if that wasn’t clear; didn’t want you to think they’re making the beer on the ship. Moving on…
Too Smooth, Too Easy
Our second beer sample was Delerium Tremens. This was incredibly light and smooth, with very little after taste. In fact, this beer went down too easy. We could easily drink more of this beer, and maybe for that reason we should just stick to one. Researching online by the can, we can tell you this is a Belgian Golden Strong Ale, made in Belgium (naturally), and has an ABV of 8.5%
Holy Brew?
Our third sample is Chimay Grand Reserve. This beer is brewed by monks. Yep, monks! Another beer made in Belgium, this is a 9% ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Originally crafted in 1954 as a Christmas exclusive beer, two years later it became available year-round. Fun fact: this brewery has been around since the 1800s and survived both world wars!
We really enjoyed this beer! It was heavier than the last sample we tried and feel like this would be really good with burgers, and/or while hanging around outside during a barbecue watching someone else grill burgers.
One of the great things about these tastings on Disney Cruise Line is the opportunity to try new-to-us beverages in a category we enjoy. Now that we know about this beer, we will be keeping an eye out if it appears on the menu at a restaurant or a pub.
The Beer that Didn’t Taste Like Beer.
This raspberry beer was very confusing. It very much tasted like raspberries, and very much did not taste like beer. In fact, it tasted more like a raspberry flavored sparkling grape juice. This is Lindemans Framboise Lambic. Coming in at only a 2.5% ABV, this lambic wheat beer is made in Brussels.
More of a beer to be paired with desserts, our instructor told us some people add ice cream to this beer and enjoy it that way. We can see that. Ice cream would definitely make a raspberry beer shake out of this. Normally, adding ice cream to beer would be unheard of. In this case, with such a strong raspberry flavor, we’d try it!
Here Comes Trouble.
Hello, old friend. This is a Boilermaker, a Guinness served with a shot of whiskey.
Normally, it would be a pint of Guinness that you drop the shot glass into. For this tasting, we were told to enjoy half of the Guinness first, then pour the whiskey shot into it before drinking the rest.
Guinness is an Irish Stout with a 4.2% ABV. It is known for being a beer you have to order in advance to give the head time to settle. It’s not a beer you can pour and immediately enjoy, oh no! You must pour it into a glass, and then wait for the foam to settle into a nice head before enjoying. Too soon, and half of your beer will be foam. Patience is a virtue.
We’ve been fans of Guinness since our fantastic dinner experience at Rose and Crown Pub in EPCOT. If your vacation includes a trip to Walt Disney World, consider stopping in at Rose and Crown in the UK pavillion at EPCOT for a pint of Guinness and some fish and chips. The food is great and the atmosphere was fantastic!
This gets the coveted seal!
All in all, we thought the Beer Tasting was a great beverage tasting! We tried a variety of beers; some we loved, some we didn’t. We tried beers that we normally wouldn’t, and beers we didn’t even know about. Overall, for around $45, we feel this is a great tasting to try if you enjoy beer.
Great experience, great variety, and a really reasonable price! Not to mention it was a really great time! That is why we are awarding the Beer Tasting our coveted Disney Rover Seal of Approval!
Definitely give this tasting a try if you enjoy beer and want to try a few different ones from your usual brews.
Thank you very much for reading!
We’ll see you next time.
Disney Rover 