Anyone know about Beermasters school at SW? About This Page:

[Minnie Lor]

I've heard that Sea World has or had a BeerMaster school. I think the SeaWorld website is hard to manuever and couldn't find info on this.

Do they still do this and when?
How much is it?
Do I make reservations in advance?
What did you think of it?

[mom23k9s]

We tried the Brewmaster's Club when we were at SeaWorld in September. It's not a school, but I learned a little bit. You know how people eat different cheeses or fruits to bring out flavors in wine? Well, this is the same thing, but with beer. The sessions are small. Ours was 6 people and the brewmaster guy. He described 4 different categories of beers and other malt beverages brewed by AB and showed us a few different examples of each category. We picked one from each category to sample and he gave us samples of cheese or fruit or chocolate to pair with the beer to enhance the flavors. It was very interesting and fun.

The sessions were complimentary, but we had to make a reservation ahead of time at guest services. Since we were there during September, we didn't have any problem making a reservation the day of. I think we had to wait about half an hour. I don't remember if the sessions are held every hour or half hour.

This was actually our second time doing the Brewmaster's Club. We did it at Busch Gardens Tampa the year before. We both enjoyed it and would do it again. The group we were in were fun and talkative. If you decide to do it, let me suggest you eat beforehand. I'm not a heavy drinker and was a little toasty afterwards.

[Minnie Lor]

That's just the info I was looking for. We're going late October. Maybe I should call the week before to get our name on list.

Originally Posted by mom23k9s

If you decide to do it, let me suggest you eat beforehand. I'm not a heavy drinker and was a little toasty afterwards.

Excellent tip!!!

[Minnie Lor]

Thanks!!!

[RobDVC]

They don't do "Beer School" anymore? I did that in 2002 and had a good time.
We're headed back to Sea World this summer and I was looking forward to renewing my "Certified Beer Master" certificate. Guess I'll have to settle for the Brewmaster's Club.

[Minnie Lor]

Originally Posted by RobDVC

They don't do "Beer School" anymore? I did that in 2002 and had a good time.
We're headed back to Sea World this summer and I was looking forward to renewing my "Certified Beer Master" certificate. Guess I'll have to settle for the Brewmaster's Club.

I'm curious Rob, how is the school different than the "club"? I just listened this am. to an episode of Trapped on Vacation podcast and he was at the SeaWorld Brewmasters Club. He intimated that the Samuel Adams beer 'school' at F&W was better. Both are free and we may do both. I'll bet the one at Epcot has long lines, though. I'm not a beer aficionado but my DH likes trying new beers and micro-brews.

[RobDVC]

Beer School was about an hour-long presentation in a room, where attendees got to sample 4 beers, one of which was not "fresh". This was during their "Born On Date" advertising campaign, so the emphasis was on how to keep beer fresh. They also showed us how to decipher the code underneath the Born On Date so you could tell where and when your beer was made. They gave us a presenatation regarding all the ingredients that go into making beer as well. The samples were in 6oz cups, so you had the equivalent of 2 beers. Crackers were available for palette cleansing between samples, and a short quiz was given at the end. If you passed the quiz, you were awarded a "Certified Beer Master" certificate.

It sounds like they've changed "Beer School" into the "Brewmaster's Club".

[Minnie Lor]

Hmmm, sounds interesting. I lived in St. Louis for 13 years and lived fairly close to the AB brewery. (20 min drive) (I lived even closer to the Clydesdales) Anyways, we did the brewery tour quite aften.

The 'school' at SW sounds like it would've been something my DH would've enjoyed. We'll probably still do the 'club' thing. Let me know how it turns out, if you go this summer.

[DopeyGirl]

We did the Brewmaster's Club (formerly Beer School) at Busch Gardens Europe (in Williamsburg) . . . it was pretty much like the one described above about Sea World.

We got a menu of all the A-B products they offered and got to choose 4 to try. They had a plate of cheese, fruit and chocolates to taste the beers with and crackers to cleanse the palette. They give you a bit of a history of the company and tell you about the different types of drinks and the different processes involved in making them.

I am not a beer drinker but there were still drinks available that I could try and rather enjoyed (they carry the Bacardi malt drinks, PEELS and such). If you aren't a drinker at all, but want to go along with your party anyways, they offer you water or Pepsi products.

They did them all throughout the day, but they recommended that a reservation be made, so to be safe, we went back just after we got there and made one for after lunch so we'd have full bellies and wouldn't be walking around the park half tipsy.

[Minnie Lor]

Originally Posted by DopeyGirl

I am not a beer drinker but there were still drinks available that I could try and rather enjoyed (they carry the Bacardi malt drinks, PEELS and such). If you aren't a drinker at all, but want to go along with your party anyways, they offer you water or Pepsi products.

I'm not much of beer drinker either unless it's really hot at Card's game and the beer is icy cold. The Bacardi drinks sound right up my alley. I'm a rum girl through and through.

They did them all throughout the day, but they recommended that a reservation be made, so to be safe, we went back just after we got there and made one for after lunch so we'd have full bellies and wouldn't be walking around the park half tipsy.

I think we'll be safe doing that. Thanks for the review, info, and tips.

[MGW]

This sounds like fun maybe we can do this if we have time in a few weeks. I'll let you know how it goes!