BJs, HOBs and WOBs

A week of vacation, and what better way to spend it then representing my synod at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in sunny, hot, and humid Orlando.  I love the opportunity (Roberts rules and all), and I was looking forward to checking out some of the local watering holes that I had become fond of from my previous trips.  So with an itinerary in hand, I got my rental car and headed over to the Cricketer Arms.

Now I had tried 3 times to visit before, so I was excited to finally make it, only to find out that the place had closed, looking for a new facility.  Needless to say I was disappointed; my plans had included getting a proper English Breakfast and watching some English Premier league.  It was blistering hot, so I recalibrated Garmin and headed to the Big River Grille at Disney’s Boardwalk.  The folks at Disney allow visitors, but they make us park as far away as possible.  No worries, I made to my destination, bringing back the memories of staying over the pub (that was a pretty good day) with my family, and got a chicken quesadilla and their Summer Wheat.  Good food and the beer certainly was refreshing, but they only offered the one seasonal to go along with their flagship beers.  Not exactly my type of hangout, so I went over and checked in at the Assembly and then went to BJ’s brewpub to see what else was available. 

BJ’s is a chain, but a brewpub chain that I had never been to.  They had several of their own, and I was able to enjoy a flight with a wedge salad (is lettuce still healthy when you smother it in bleu cheese?).  I liked their PM Porter the best, but was also impressed with their listing of guest taps.  I got a ½ pint of the Swamphead Big Nose IPA, and the hoppiness of their beer did not disappoint.  The place was great, but a little too cookie cutter for me.  Don’t get me wrong, I really did appreciate the selection, but I decided to go explore another nearby spot, the House of Beer (HOB).

HOB is a chain in FL, but the Kissimmee location apparently isn’t affiliated with the others.  The place has both a great bottle and draft selection, and the staff was really laid back.  Kim did a great job finding their latest bottles and talking up the local drafts.  They had two specialty beers from Cigar City that were truly outstanding, a Table Saison and their Xeno Cream Ale.  The bottles were also special, and I got a selection to sample while in FL knowing that I’ll probably be bringing some home (everyone needs a souvenir from Disney).  I again got some beer from Cigar City (foreshadowing for the rest of the trip).  I picked up the Big Sound Scottish Ale, their 110K+OT Imperial Red, a Papaya IPA (great selection of fruit in beer), and their 2011 Marshal Zhukov’s Russian Imperial Stout.  Great beers, but big bottles, I hope I can check them in for my return home at the end of the week. 

I checked into my hotel, up by Universal Studios, and was ready for some dinner.  I found the Dr. Phillips World of Beer (WOB), right around the corner, but was disappointed that they had no food service.  The bartender let me know that I could bring in my own, so I got some Chipotle’s and checked out their draft selection.  I got a Swamphead Stump Knocker (a fine example of an American pale ale) and a Weyerbacher Papa (a rich and malty Scottish ale, had to come to FL to find this PA beer).  A relaxing way to close out my day before heading back to the hotel.

With all the choices close by, I was really looking forward to my week.  Now it was time to get some rest before the Assembly started. – 5795/11230

"Don’t undertake to drink a whole pitcher of beer.  Because if you then talk, from your mouth comes nonsense." – Papyrus Anastasi IV