Drinking Through Disney: Canada Edition
Time to release a new series of posts! After returning from hitting the theme parks of Florida for a week and a half, I have much to share with you. Tolerating the combination of searing Orlando heat and crowds of sweaty people can be made so much easier when you realize there is always a good beverage or three to be had.
So, yeah...I worked on vacation, and I am proud to have done it just for you. This week's installment of Drinking Through Disney takes us to Epcot, a place that our entire family can agree to go to at any time. More specifically, we made a stop at Canada in World Showcase, a place we often breezed through in order to grab a beer at an English pub or a dessert from the French pastry shop. With July 1st being Canada Day, I thought it made a ton of sense to share the lunchtime experience at Le Cellier Steakhouse.
When we sat down, our greeter informed us that the character of Winnie-the-Pooh was inspired by the city of Winnipeg, which was also a bear named by World War I Lt. Harry Colebourn of a Canadian cavalry regiment. He bought a black bear cub in 1914, named him after his hometown of Winnipeg (shortened to "Winnie"), and joined on Colebourn's journey to the his training camp in Valcartier, Quebec. Winnie eventually accompanied the lieutenant to England as a pet for the Second Canadian Infantry Brigade Headquarters. Winnie stayed at the London Zoo while Colebourn was sent to France. Mind you, I thought this was all made up nonsense; it all sounded like something I would just tell people if I was a tour guide. However, the good ol' Internet proved it to be true.
With this blog being called Flight School, I could not have been more excited to see so many flights of beer, wine, and spirits made available to me throughout Disney. At Le Cellier, I had many options.
There was the Ice Wine flight (delightful-looking, but drinking sweet wines on a 90+ degree day wasn't appealing), the French dessert wine flight (same as above, but kind of cheating by using France), the Crown Royal flight (fun, but prefer not to fall asleep while walking through World Showcase mid-afternoon), and the Unibroue Brewery's beer flight (ding, ding, ding...I'm in!).
Unibroue, based in Chambly, Quebec, produces a lot of Belgian-style beers. Their La Fin du Monde was the first non-American craft beer I ever had, and it was part of this flight, along with the Éphémère Pomme and the Trois Pistoles. One of things I really like about Unibroue is that they tend to bottle their beers unfiltered, so the brews are packed with flavor.
Left to right: Éphémère Pomme, La Fin du Monde, Trois Pistoles.
The Éphémère (5.5% abv, $7/4-pack) is actually a series of white ales brewed with different types of fruit; Pomme (apple) is available year-round, while others such as Canneberge (cranberry) and Sureau (elderberry) come out seasonally. The Pomme tastes almost like a refreshing cider; you really notice the green apple flavor, but it doesn't take over the whole beer. It's tart and lively.
La Fin du Monde (9% abv, $10/4-pack) is a Belgian-style Tripel ale; I remember how hard this beer hit me the first time I had it since I never noticed the alcohol content back in my days of ignorance. Today, I appreciate its tropical fruit flavor and creamy texture. Unibroue considers this to be their international flagship product as it has gone over in the U.S. better than any beer in their range.
Trois Pistoles (9% abv, $10/4-pack) is a Strong Dark Belgian-style Ale that is sturdy and chocolatey, but it finishes very clean and refreshing. This is one of those dark beers you can drink year-round without it feeling too heavy on your palate.
The beers were all very enjoyable with the prix fixe menu that I ordered from. The Éphémère went so well with the poached pears and blue cheese appetizer, while both the La Fin du Monde and Trois Pistoles each worked with Le Cellier's Wagyu beef burger "Oscar." The Trois Pistoles even worked nicely with the chocolate mousse dessert since the whipped cream was not sweet.
Our server mentioned that these should all be available to order through your local retail store, though I always put in the caveat that each state might have different products available due to individual state regulations, taxes, etc. Additionally, I encourage you to visit their web site; I love how it is set up. Unibroue has tons of food pairings, and they also show you the type of glass to use for maximum enjoyment, but a standard pint glass will always do fine in a pinch. They even have some unbelievable recipes (La Fin du Monde Bacon Jam, for instance).
I couldn't be happier to have taken the time to slow down and explore Canada's food and beverage in World Showcase. The best part is, even if you can't get down to Le Cellier, you know you have access to the beers, too. Additionally, keep an eye out for wine and spirits from the other flights. If you want to see those, I have them below.
Now I raise a glass to our neighbors to the north...Cheers/À votre santé!
