Review: Appleseed Orchard Epcot Food and Wine Festival

We continue from Desserts and Champagne in the same building this year.

Appleseed Orchard returns for its second year, now inside the World ShowPlace. More on this location, and how you may gain access, can be gleaned from the Wine & Dine Favorites review in case you missed it. With four Marketplaces in one indoor location, you have a lot of options, in addition to ample air-conditioning. On the other hand, the darkness and artificial lighting aren’t doing the quality of the pictures much good.

Last year, Appleseed Orchard was inside Canada’s Circle-Vision 360 theater, since O’ Canada was in the process of being switched over to Canada Far & Wide.

Just about everything returns from one location or another over the years. Let’s see how we do.

Charcuterie and Cheese Plate featuring Burton’s Maplewood Farm Applejack Brandy Barrel Aged Maple Syrup — $6.50

I apologize for what may be the worst picture of food that I’ve ever taken. This is particularly true on an item that deserved better. As will be the theme of Appleseed, this is a wide variety of flavors that pair well with the various ciders, wines, beers, and drinks available inside the ShowPlace this year. They’re not shy with the Maple Syrup, which sweetens up several of the soft and hard cheeses on the fun little plastic board. The syrup doesn’t always work, but you can be your own judge of that.

Caramel-Apple Popcorn – $7

Next, we have the Caramel-Apple Popcorn, served in this adorable red plastic apple.

The Apple does say Epcot on it, so if you want to carry it around with you for the rest of the day, and you like stale caramel corn, then you might want to pick one up.

Otherwise, pick up some Caramel Corn from Karamell-Kuche in Germany for half the money. It’s much tastier.

Frozen Apple Pie – $4

The Frozen Apple Pie in the middle should keep the kids busy. It offers a sweet take on the usual slush with a lot of crumbly graham cracker on top. It could certainly use a straw, though.

Short’s Brewing Co. Mule Beer – $4.50 or $8.50

This moves over from the Coastal Eats Marketplace from 2019. It’s an interesting beer that smells almost exactly like a ginger ale with a lot of sweet lime up front followed by a more bitter ginger. I’m not entirely sure what it’s supposed to pair with here; the modest carbonation makes it easy to drink, and if you don’t love it, there’s a total of six (or twelve) ounces in the cup, anyway. I had never tried it before, so I appreciated the opportunity, but it’s not something that I’d seek out again. The sugar and mouthfeel were too much of a departure from your standard beer. Those who “don’t like beer” may appreciate it more.

Heavy Seas Brewery TropiCannon Citrus IPA – $4.50 or $8.50

The Heavy Seas TropiCannon Citrus IPA was our least favorite when Disney offered it at Citrus Blossom for Flower and Garden. It has a surprisingly thin mouthfeel and an artificial citrus flavor. I’d commit to a 6-ounce pour or skip over it in favor of something else.

Parish Brewing Co. Ghost in the Machine Double IPA – $4.50 or $8.50

The IPA moves over from Magnolia Terrace from this year’s Flower and Garden Festival. The Ghost in the Machine is a world class beer – citrus-y and aromatic with the perfect balance of hops and acidity with very little bitterness, despite the style and 8.5% ABV. I wish I could get one in the 22-ounce souvenir cups of the past. At least this year it’s available in a 12-ounce pour for a slight per-ounce savings. You will note that my personal tastes tend towards the hoppier, higher ABV beers. It’s rare that I review a beer with an overwhelmingly positive reputation negatively or vice versa. Just because something might not be to our personal tastes doesn’t mean that we can’t appreciate the quality. Or we could just love everything. That seems easier.

3 Daughters Raspberry Lemonade Dry Hard Cider, Short’s Brewing Company Starcut Ciders Mosa Hard Cider, and Ciderboys Banana Bliss Hard Cider – $4.50 or $8.50 each

The three Ciders move over from Refreshment Outpost, when they were available as a Flight for Flower and Garden.

The Raspberry Lemonade, which tasted more like cherry juice to me, goes down easy with a lot of sugar up front tempered by a tart berry aftertaste.

The Mosa brings more of an orange, citrus-y vibe with a very juicy quality. I’d probably hold out for the Mimosa Royale from Morocco. Those who “don’t like beer,” but do like mimosas, may want to give it a whirl. Of course, champagne is also available next door.

The Banana Bliss Cider is another sweet one, this time with banana packaged up with the sweet flavors of apples and strawberries.

I’m not a big cider person, so I appreciated the opportunity to try each as part of the flight. Of course, you can still basically do the same, by picking up one of each of the 6-ounce pours. Back in the Flight days, each was a 4-ounce cup and the per-ounce price was typically higher than putting together a slightly-larger flight yourself. You can try all three Ciders for $13.50 and come away with six more ounces than the Flight. Disney priced those at $9.50.

Apple Blossom Sky – $11

With Fanta Apple, Ginger Beer, Floodwall Apple Brandy, Burton’s Maplewood Farm Applejack Brandy Barrel Aged Syrup and Mini Marshmallows

This is a strange one with soda, ginger beer, brandy, maple syrup, and marshmallows in a plastic disposable mule cup. The flavors are all over the place. It’s carbonated, sweet, gingery, apple-y, and maple-y, with a thick, viscous mouthfeel and so much ice and marshmallows that you’re liable to pour half the thing down your shirt if you’re not careful. It was certainly interesting to try, but I wouldn’t order another. Someone in your group will likely be happy to finish it. But there might only be one. I would have preferred a drink that showcased the brandy and syrup more, instead of just diluting the flavors with a bunch of other stuff.

Appleseed Orchard was sort of shoehorned in here for the Festival, but it does offer quite the assortment of beers and ciders to try alongside the Charcuterie or a dish from one of the other Marketplaces in World ShowPlace. The Ghost in the Machine Double IPA is the only item that I would strongly endorse, but there are a lot of flavor opportunities.