If you head to EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort to escape the midwestern chill, you may be greeted by a familiar local brewery. Urban Artifact is serving up their signature fresh fruit tart beers at the park’s seasonal events.
The brand stands out in a park full of beverages that mostly come from Florida or countries represented in the World Showcase. Among hundreds of drinks you can choose from in EPCOT, Urban Artifact beers are the only ones from Ohio.
A quirky independent brewer running out of an old church in Northside may not at first appear to be a perfect match for service in Disney World, but Urban Artifact’s unique fruit flavor profiles have made them mainstays of the Orlando institution. EPCOT’s upcoming spring festival will mark the fourth time UA beer has been featured.
“[Disney] is familiar with our brand now,” says Scotty Hunter, CFO of Urban Artifact. “They ran Gadget [fruited sour] twice at different events, so they know there’s customer interest, which is really cool. They want to have a good curated list.”
The 2023 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival marked the brewery’s Disney debut. The Pineapple Promenade booth served up Teak Tropical American Fruit Tart alongside the pineapple Dole Whip and a hot dog with pineapple chutney, a Cincinnati craft beer next to a Disney icon. It was dream long held by the local brewers.
“[Disney World] always been an interest [to us] as a major retailer in that region,”Hunter says. “We had made submissions before and not been successful, and we’ve been more successful over the last two and a half years.”
Until February 19 you can order the Gadget Mixed Berry Midwest Fruit Tart at the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts. The beer is served at Figment’s Inspiration Station at The Odyssey, a booth honoring the fan-favorite purple dragon character from the ride Journey Into Imagination with Figment. It pairs well with the highly sought-after collectible Figment popcorn bucket.
The brewery returns to the park from February 28 through May 27 for the 2024 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival. This event will serve as the larger-scale launch for its newest product, Capy Snacks. The beer is described as a Fruit Punch Ale with a sweeter and more accessible flavor profile the typical Urban Artifact fruit tart.
Urban Artifact sees its growing wholesale market and Disney partnership as not only great for business, but great for the city. “I don‘t think many people recognize how far-reaching the Urban Artifact brand is,” says Hunter. “You can go to states that are a 10 or 12 hour drive away and they know Cincinnati because of our brand.”
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