Theme Parks

May 1, 2012 By Brian Yaeger

Denmark’s oldest brewpub—now more than 20 years old—is Bryggeriet Apollo (Bryggeriet.dk, Vesterbrogade 3), located at the entrance of Tivoli Gardens about half-a-kilometer from Mikkeller BAR. There are a handful of watering holes near the park, but Papsø says it’s show time at the Apollo again now that “a new brewer has increased the quality of the beers.” The food is also good, though the pricing takes advantage of tourists ($17 for lunch, $46 for a sirlion steak).

To get away from the park and into the Hareskoven birch forest, check out Bryggeri Skovlyst (Skovlystproduction.dk/, Skovlystvej 2, just outside Copenhagen in Værløse). The brewers there use forest ingredients in their beers. This means you can try a birch beer quite unlike the birch beer soft drink found stateside, or a licorice stout with anise. This brewpub makes for a killer picnic setting when the weather’s nice.

No beer trip to Copenhagen is complete without a little shopping spree at Ølbutikken (Olbutikken.dk, Istedgade 44), the bottle shop run by Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø. It is widely considered the greatest in the world. Bjergsø also created Evil Twin Brewing, playing off the fact that he’s the identical twin of Mikkel Borg Bjergsø of Mikkeller. If you’re traveling with children, don’t worry that the shop is in the middle of Copenhagen’s red light district. It’s cleaned up and near Hans Christian Andersen Square. The shop stocks only high-quality beers, according to Papsø. They include Danish micros, rare American imports and even harder to find Belgian lambics. This is the only store you can find bottles of Cantillon Blåbær, the blueberry lambic that Jarnit-Bjergsø helps make at Cantillon. Park yourself at the long table to enjoy your beer—bottled or draft—among friendly enthusiasts. And know that cheers in Danish is pronounced skaal.

Speaking of H.C. Andersen, the Danish fairy tale author, your kids will no doubt want to see the famous sculpture of the Little Mermaid in the Copenhagen Harbor. Instead of staring at it for an hour, hop on a harbor cruise that will whisk your family past the statue and lots more sites, and help you get back to Ølbutikken or Mikkeller.

Orlando, Florida

Metro Orlando has more than 2 million residents, but it welcomes 50 million tourists a year—more than any U.S. city, including New York. So central Florida has been forced to develop a beer scene. Local Gerard Walen, who blogs at BeerInFlorida.com and RoadTripsForBeer.com, says that “a trickle of craft beers from other states has turned into a flood, and homegrown breweries have sprouted up faster than most of us can keep track.”

Families visit the Orlando area for its many theme parks: Disney World Resort (including Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom); Universal Orlando Resort; Sea World, which until recently operated under the umbrella of Anheuser-Busch; and the one that started it all in this area, Gatorland.

Walen starts the beer-oriented tour at Redlight Redlight (RedlightRedlightBeerParlour.com, 745 Bennett Road). He says it would be easy to drive by this place because it appears to be a shady dive from the outside. “But once you walk in,” Walen says, “you’ll find beer geek heaven” in the form of 23 rotating taps, two beer engines and more than 200 bottles. Look for Tampa’s Cigar City and Swamp Head from Gainesville among other in-state brews on draft.

As for local breweries, your only bet is Orlando Brewing (OrlandoBrewing.com, 1301 Atlanta Ave.), purveyors of organic beer. While its beers are ubiquitous in Orlando, “It’s worth a trip to the tasting room,” Walen says, “because there are always some great beers that aren’t available anywhere else,” such as the awesomely named Miami Weiss. Not only are there free tours, but also every 30th of the month there is Beer:30, when all drafts are $2. The service epitomizes Southern hospitality.

Pubwise, start with The Ravenous Pig (TheRavenousPig.com, 1234 N. Orange Ave., Winter Park). There’s a small tap and bottle list, but Walen insists “the quality is top-notch,” pointing to a recent keg of the rare Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout from Cigar City. As for food, Walen’s a fan of nontraditional dishes such as crispy quail salad ($14) and grilled venison ($29). “Prices can be a bit steeper than some other places, but if it’s in your budget, the great beer, food and atmosphere are worth it.”