Review: The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium

This past weekend, I made a long overdue trip to one of the two Houston area Flying Saucer Draught Emporiums--specifically the Sugar Land City Walk location.  As a fellow who loves a good craft beer and loves a nice relaxed pub with good food, I'm very surprised I did not try this place before.  I happened to notice the location when I was visiting BLU Sugar Land for a different event.  I managed to find a couple of hours in and around by busy Professor's Schedule (end of semester, grading student papers, et al) to pop over for a pint and some wonderful pub grub.  I visited twice during a week, joined the UFO Club, and tried 4 different Texas Craft Beers, along with some of their great pub grub.

Suffice it to say the Flying Saucer is wonderful as a limited run chain.  They have a great selection of taps and bottle, as extensive as The Gingerman or Yardhouse if not more!  And definitely a nice selection of local and national craft beer, as well as imports.  They have a great menu of different kinds of pub grub--some of the usual chicken wings and cheese fries, some of the more German and European style pub grub as well: soft pretzels with dipping sauces, and a snack board platter that they call the Hungry Farmer that includes a selection of 3 to 5 smoked meats and/or cheeses, with crackers apple slices, mustard and kalamata olive relish.  There's also a great selection of pizzas, sandwiches and burgers, along with salads.

On my first visit I enjoyed a Saucer Bratzel and 2 Soft Pretzels.  On my second visit, I had a Hungry Farmer that included crackers, roasted almonds, granny smith apple slices, kalamata olive relish, spicy mustard, Whiskey White Cheddar and Red Dragon Cheddar, and peppered salami.  Suffice it to say I was pleased, impressed and quite happy with both experiences.
I also took time to join their UFO club and during these 2 visits--I've knocked down 4 or 2% of the 200 to get once around the circle and earn my brass plate in the Ring of Honor.  I had the (512) Pecan Porter, The Southern Star Buried Hatchet Strong Stout, The Live Oak Schwarz-bier, and the Real Ale Full Moon Rye Pale Ale.

Bratzel toasted and covered with Swiss Cheese, Chives & Bratwurst
2 Soft Pretzels served with Queso and Cream Cheese Chive Sauce

The Food:

I am a fan of soft pretzels, especially when they are buttered, served with kosher salt and dipping sauce.  However, with melted Swiss cheese and beer brat slices its like a German Pizza!  Jawohl meine schön Fräulein!!!  Es schmecht ausgezeichnet!!!  (For you non Deutcherphones:  Yes my beautiful young lady!  It tastes excellent!!!)  I highly recommend both the plain soft pretzels and the Bratzel to enjoy with your beer. The pretzels were all crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and their saltiness mixed well with the smoothness of the cheese, the sourness of the onions and the savoury fennelly bite of the beer brats.  The plain soft pretzels were also quite tasty.  And they went well with the strong stout beers I drank during that visit (512 Pecan Porter and the Southern Star Buried Hatchet Strong Stout).

The Hungry Farmer Snack Platter 

As I said earlier, in Europe (especially Germany) when you go to a Biergarten or Pub, it's very common to be served a tray of smoked meats and a selection of local cheeses with bread or crackers and fruit to snack on as you drink.  Kind of like how many of our Tex-Mex places serve chips and salsa or some dive bars serve popcorn or peanuts for free, but on a higher level.  The Hungry Farmer is just such a platter, but you have to pay for it.  And it's well worth it.  The menu even recommends different kinds of beer to pair the different meats or cheeses with.  The crackers were fairly standard water crackers, but the two cheeses were robust, full of flavour and zest.  The roasted almonds had a smokey quality and the hard peppered salami was meaty and savoury.  It was nice to be able to nosh on the meats and cheeses, occasionally adding spicy mustard (tastes a bit like Grey Poupon) or kalamata olive relish for a change of pace.  The granny smith apple slices were a nice palate cleanser between tastes.  And this mixture of robust cheeses and savoury meat went quite well with the Live Oak Schwarz-beir and the Real Ale Full Moon Rye Pale Ale.

(l to r) (512) Pecan Porter, Southern Star Buried Hatchet Strong Stout,
Live Oak Schwarz-bier, Real Ale Full Moon Rye Pale Ale 

The Beer:

Saucer Flights leaving Daily

This is not a place to go in and ask for Coors Light or Bud Light lime.  This is a craft beer pub and if you check their current beer/tap list (always adding new ones and changing) you won't find any of the North American Bilgewater that's like making love in a canoe (Effing Close to Water!).  The whole point of The Flying Saucer is to expand your horizons and try different beer from different parts of the world, as well as local and regional craft beer.  If you're not sure about ordering a beer you can always try a Saucer Flight:  a batch of 5 oz tasting portions like the Around The World, which are on the back of the beer menu.  Here are my take on the 4 wonderful beers I had these 2 visits:

(512) Pecan Porter: Has a burnt, thick consistency, has a mildly acidic hoppy front note, a bitter middle and a smooth yet sour finish.  Reminds me of a smoky, thicker version of Anchor Porter.

Southern Star Buried Hatchet Strong Stout: Another beer with burnt hop top notes, but had a middle that reminded me a little of unsweetened Cacao and a strong, bitter finish.  It reminded me of a dark Oatmeal Stout I drank in the bar at the Sylvia Hotel in Vancouver, BC years ago.

Friendly Faces on the Flying Saucer Patio
In Sugar Land, TX 

Live Oak Schwarz-bier: The Beer Goddess (what they call the Female Wait Staff, who dress kind of like Ballista from Splatalot) described it as a Black Ale.  It was VERY SMOOTH, had hints of Cocoa and Guiness and roasted oats, with a mildly bitter finish.

Real Ale Full Moon Rye Pale Ale: This was the lightest of the beers I tried on these two visits (I'm partial to dark, stout, strong, bitter beer).  It had a top note of citrussy esters, a bit of a woody bite (reminded me a little of Sam Adam's Boston Lager) and had a clean yet hoppy bitter finish.

FYI:  Since I have joined the UFO club, I am now committed to getting my brass plate in the Ring of Honor at the Sugar Land Location.  I'm going to be adding another tab to the blog soon that will track the beer I've had and will give my impressions of their flavour, my grades of them, along with which ones are my favourites.

I will also add that the Beer Goddesses were knowledgeable about the beer, were readily available yet not intrusive nor excessive in their callbacks, and managers/buss boys were circulating to back them up.  And FYI:  Straight A's for the 4 Beers!

The Foodie Professor's Report Card for Flying Saucer Draught Emporium:
Bratzel: A+
Soft Pretzels: A
Hungry Farmer: A
Atmosphere (Faux Old Word Pub): A-
Service:
     Speed:  A-
     Friendliness: A+
Cleanliness: A

Overall Grade: A 

There are 2 Flying Saucer Draught Emporiums in the Houston area.  I went to the one at:
15929 City Walk
Sugar Land TX 77479
Mon-Wed: 11am-1am
Thu & Fri: 11am-2am
Sat: 11am-2am
Sun:11am-12am
Phone: (281) 242-7468

And Remember:
Eat Happy!!!
Zao an, Y'all!!!