REVIEW: We Drank MAPLE SYRUP ALE at EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival (And It Was Awesome)

It’s time for the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival, y’all!

Fantasia Topiary in EPCOT

We’ve been making our way around EPCOT, checking out all the fun activities, seeing the pretty topiaries, and trying to stop ourselves from buying way too many souvenirs. But what we’re really here for is the FOOD! So we’re headed over to the Northern Bloom Outdoor Kitchen to check out some noms.

This booth is located in the Canada pavilion of EPCOT’s World Showcase (as you might have guessed), so it serves up Canadian-inspired eats and drinks.

Northern Bloom

We’ve really enjoyed the items at this spot in years past, and we’re excited to return once again this year!

Menu

All of the food on the menu here is returning from previous years. We had those scallops, beef tenderloin tips, and griddled pound cake here last year.

Northern Bloom

And it’s exciting to see the delicious Maple Popcorn Shake on the menu again as well!

Northern Bloom menu

Note that a few of the drinks ARE new, like that beer flight!

Food

The Seared Scallops with French green beans, butter potatoes, brown butter vinaigrette, and applewood-smoked bacon are back. The beauty of this dish? It’s also gluten-free! You can get a serving for $7.25.

Seared Scallops

As always, we really enjoyed this dish. The scallops were cooked very well, and they didn’t have a fishy taste at all. The bacon topping is delicious, but it was also pretty salty.

Seared Scallops with French green beans, butter potatoes, brown butter vinaigrette, and applewood-smoked bacon

The Beef Tenderloin Tips with mushroom bordelaise sauce and whipped potatoes with garden vegetables is another returning dish this year. That should make the carnivores happy — this dish is always hearty and savory. You can grab these for $7.

Beef Tenderloin Tips

To satisfy that sweet tooth, the Griddled Maple Pound Cake with warm peach compote and sweet corn gelato is back! This is one of those snacks we think the kiddos will like. A serving of this cake is $5.

Griddled Maple Pound Cake with warm peach compote and sweet corn gelato

The cake doesn’t have a very strong maple flavor, but it’s definitely sweet. The popcorn adds a great crunch to an otherwise soft dessert, although its texture makes this dessert just a little bit too dry for our taste.

 

That’s it for the food, but what about those drinks?

Drinks

The very interesting non-alcoholic Maple Popcorn Shake is also a returning item. Sure, it might sound a little weird, but we LOVE it. This drink is $4.75. But if you add some Maple Rye Whisky to it (which we highly recommend if you enjoy whisky), it’ll be $13.

Maple Popcorn Shake with Tap 357 Maple Rye Whisky

There are THREE new ales to try out this year, and you can purchase them separately or try all three in a flight.

There’s the Blonde Ale, the Blueberry Fruit Beer, and the Apricot with Maple Syrup Blonde Ale. Each costs $5 for a 6 oz pour or $9 for a 12 oz pour. You can get the flight for $10.

Beer Flight

The Glutenberg Blonde Ale was our least favorite of the three. It had a dry taste and was just a little bit boring as far as flavors go. The after-taste, however, was pretty harsh.

Glutenberg Blonde Ale

The Collective Arts Brewing Blueberry Fruit Beer was very good! It wasn’t too heavy on the fruit flavors, but it had a lighter taste that was great for a hot day. Our only complaint is that we wish it were a little more carbonated, but overall we really enjoyed this one.

Blueberry Fruit Beer

The 81 Bay Brewing Co. Apricot with Maple Syrup Blonde Ale was definitely a heavier drink than that fruit beer. You can really taste the maple syrup in this drink, so it’s a fun option if you’re looking for a unique flavor!

81 Bay Brewing Co. Apricot with Maple Syrup Blonde Ale

We’re glad we got the flight to try out all of the new drinks, but if we were going to grab just one of the ales, we’d probably go with that Maple Syrup Blonde Ale! It’s the most unique of the three and definitely nods to Canadian flavors.

Overall

In general, this booth was a win for us again! Those scallops are so well-cooked and tasty, and we think any seafood lover would enjoy them. The cake is a great option for pickier eaters or little kids, and you don’t want to miss out on the Maple Popcorn Shake! We probably won’t get the Glutenberg Blonde Ale again, but it was the only one on the flight that disappointed us.

Northern Bloom Food Spread

We’re trying out EVERYTHING we can at the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival, so be sure to check back with us with more reviews!

Here are ALL The Menus For the 2022 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival

Click HERE to See All the Updated Details for EPCOT’s 2022 International Flower and Garden Festival!

Ready to Plan for Your 2022 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival Trip?


Order the DFB Guide to the 2022 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival e-Book today! This 200+ page guide to the Festival offers insider tips and advice as well as all of the details you need to know to plan your best Festival visit ever.

Your purchase includes several bonus items as well — including a full daily schedule of events at the Festival and a printable Outdoor Kitchens Booth Menu Checklist to carry with you as you Eat around the World!

Order your 2022 edition today! Don’t miss a moment of the fun!

Use code SPRING at check-out to get $2 off the cover price!

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