Walt Disney World offers its annual dining event this fall, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The 45-day event runs between Sept. 30 – Nov. 13, 2011, and access to the festival is free with theme-park admission.

The Epcot Food & Wine Festival, now in its 16th year, is themed “A Passport to a World of Flavors” to reflect its focused on international cuisine and beverages. The event offers tapas-sized portions and tasting samples at more than two dozen Marketplace kiosks, with prices of between $3 - $8. (Some items are also on the Disney Dining Plan.)

Epcot Food & Wine Festival: Craft Beer Collection (New in 2011)

Drink:

• Full Sail IPA
• Sierra Nevada
• Abita - Purple Haze
• Red Hook Pilsner
• Blue Moon
• Leinenkugal
• Key West Sunset Ale
• Widmer Hefeweizen

Epcot Food & Wine Festival Recommendations for Craft Beer Collection

Wait, what's a "drupe?" Technically, the fruit of any member of the hickory tree genus is not a nut. Pecans, such as walnuts, are pits that are surrounded by a husk. Odd name aside, turns out pecans are incredibly nutritious and have some pretty significant health benefits. They're high in protein and unsaturated fat, possess high levels of omega-6 fatty acid and are shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels. The ladies receive an added bonus: studies show they're effective in lowering the risk of gallstones.

The only major tree nut native to North America, the name "pecan" is of Algonquin origin meaning "any nut requiring a stone to crack." European settlers began orchards to cultivate pecans in Long Island, N.Y. in 1772 and only three years later its popularity had spread to the gardens of founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson (both avid home brewers). By the end of the century orchards and natural pecan groves could be found all along the eastern seaboard down through the South and on into northern Mexico where it's believed they originated.

New Orleans' establishment as a major shipping port fueled the demand for pecans, and their worth exceeded cotton harvests in certain areas of the country. To meet the demand, farmers began early flowering and cross-breeding techniques to increase crop output. In 1876 a slave gardener named Antoine (no last name known) successfully grafted wild pecan to seedling stock and it was deemed important enough a technique to win Best Exhibited Award at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.

Abita uses Louisiana pecans descended from these superior "Centennial" crops' original 126 trees in their Pecan Harvest Ale. The result is a shimmering amber color with a thin off-white head that leaves behind some nice lacing. A dusty, malt-sweet nose reveals some caramel, nut shell and slightly-burnt biscuit. Flavors of maple, sweet grain and, of course, toasted pecan ride on a thin-ish texture, which is good, as had the mouth-feel been any thicker this ale may have come off as too sickly and cloying. Instead, it's a refreshing hint at the crisp fall days ahead of us.

Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom, 10 Palafox Place. 497-6073, or visit www.hopjacks.com.

Tropic Chillerz -- they float!

Area liquor retailers, including Boulevard Wine and Spirits in Maumelle, are offering beverages that pack the punch of a cocktail but have a lighter, fruitier taste than most liquor-based drinks.

They include:

Tropic Chillerz: These wine-based cocktails are made with 100 percent fruit juice and are fortified with 188-proof brandy, resulting in a beverage that's 17 percent alcohol by volume (for the cake of comparison, most wines are 11-13 percent alcohol). They're served chilled or frozen (they stay a little slushy) and are available in cranberry, strawberry, sour apple, lime-rita and pina colada flavors. An added bonus: Their unbreakable containers float in coolers, pools, etc. Price: around $2.99.

The company also makes BuzzBallz, mixed drinks made with fruit juices plus rum, vodka, gin or tequila that contain 20 percent alcohol by volume. SRP: $3.29. 

Shark Attack Margaritas: These are single-serve margaritas, made with Blue Agave Reposado tequila, orange liqueur, cane sugar and lime juice, are packaged in a 100ml tube like popsicles for grownups. They freeze in about six hours and conain 6.7 alcohol (about the same as a high-powered beer). Price: $1.99.

Fruity beers like Louisiana-based Abita Springs Purple Haze, a crisp American style wheat beer (alcohol content 4.2 percent by volume) with raspberry puree added after filtration. The raspberries (you can sometimes see the pulp in the bottle) provide the lager with a subtle purple coloration and haze, a fruity aroma, and a tartly sweet taste. Abita Springs also makes seasonal brews such as Strawberry Harvest lager, Pecan Harvest ale and Satsuma Harvest Wit, a white beer with a subtle orange flavor. Price: around $8 for a six-pack.