The entrance to the Wantilan Pavilion at Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando is marked with a banner that reads "Jake's Beer Festival".
The Wantilan Pavilion is where most of Jake's Beer Festival happens. Most of the beer and food vendors are located on the outskirts of the main pavilion.
A typical beer tasting station includes signage and additional information about the beers being offered.
We encountered two cups sizes at Jake's Beer Festival... I would say these were 4oz and 5oz cups. There didn't seem to be any reason or rules as to which vendor had which cups.
The Fresh Baked Soft Mini Pretzels at Jake's Beer Festival were quite good, but were also the glossiest "pretzels" I've ever seen. A Four Cheese Porter Fondue was also available for dipping (and was also very good, if not particularly photogenic).
This Lamb Kefta Slider from Jake's Beer Festival (spring 2016) combined a spiced lamb patty, marinated feta, and tzatzaki on a brioche bun.
Pork Belly & Zellwood Corn Grits was one of the food offerings at Jake's Beer Festival (spring 2016).
The Gulf Shrimp & Fish Crudo (it's a lot like a Ceviche) combined snapper, shrimp, red onions, garlic, lemon juice and dill. In many ways, it was the one "foodie" dish at the festival.
A popular food item at Jake's Beer Festival was the Chicken & Waffles with Jalapeno Glaze. While good, we found it a bit messy to eat. Trying to stuff the whole thing in your mouth (finger food / hors d'oeuvre style) ended up being the best course of action.
Many of the food items at Jake's Beer Festival paired easily with just about any beer or ale. This Baby Spinach & Artichoke Flatbread also contained sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella.
We think these were the Peach Blondies on the "Sweets" section of the Jake's Beer Festival menu card. They were heavy on the "blondie" but not so much with the "peach".
Chocolate goes with everything... even beer! The Oreo Cream Pie Shooters paired really well with the Southern Tier "Creme Brulee" Stout.
For an additional fee, the VIP ticket gets you into the Clipper Room at Jake's, where a few additional beer vendors had slightly more exotic beers to sample. The room was also air-conditioned.
Three of the "VIP Beers" at the Spring 2016 "Jake's Beer Festival" were Southern Tier's Creme Brulee, New Belgium's Hof Ten Dormaal, and Goose Island's Madame Rose.
In the center of the Wantilan Pavilion at Loews Royal Pacific Resort, a few tables were set for Jake's Beer Festival. A live band played to the far left (outside the frame).
A typical food station at Jake's Beer Festival. Many of the food items were either being plated and kept under a heat lamp, or were "build yourself" type options. All fell into the "keep warm" category and were not being "made to order" per say.
The only other seating at Jake's Beer Festival was at these exiled "smoking" tables far off in the distance.
Seating is at a premium at Jake's Beer Festival. For those that don't need the back support that a chair provides, these stepped earthen benches make for a great place to sit down.
The check-in both is where you'll pick up your credentials for Jake's Beer Festival... a colored wrist band system lets vendors know you get unlimited beer and food for the full three-hour event!
A look back at the Jake's Beer Festival Sign at the end of the evening.