Event: Plate Unveiled at The Flying Saucer Sugar Land

On Saturday Feb 2nd 2013, the day finally came.  I'd been working my way through the UFO club since the Springtime, making sure to get my chits, turn them in to the Beer Goddesses, and ensuring that even if I got the same beer, it was a different variation (Cask, Nitro, Bottle, Tap, Special Barrel Aged, etc.  I'd slogged through a bunch of IPAs that I did not care for when it was that season, but managed to find more than a few I'd liked.  I found a ton of Wheat Beers and Belgian Wit Biers that were just wonderful and added them to my list of beers I enjoyed.  I'd earned several badges on the UnTapp'd App along the way as well.  Before I realized it, it had been almost a year since I'd drank my last Molson Canadian Lager! After all this, I'd learned to appreciate our local craft beers like Saint Arnold and Karbach than I already had, and discovered new local craft beers like No Label and Buffalo Bayou that are up and coming.  I reached the point I could recognize a style on sight, and in some cases a brand--just in a plain glass, no bottle anywhere in sight!  And I have the Flying Saucer in Sugar Land to thank for all of it.

Matt, the long-suffering Manager who relocated here from Carolina set up my small group of friends in the Loon Room.  Lan, one of my favourite Beer Goddesses worked the party.  I added a couple more beers to my second trip around the ring--Fort Bend Brewing's Texas Thunder Stout and Chimay Belgian Cinq Cents.  My son Jason enjoyed their soft pretzels and lemonade, while my work colleague and friend Allen enjoyed 3 different recommendations of mine--the Fort Bend Texas Thunder Stout, Storm King Victory Russian Imperial Stout and Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat Beer.

The Urban Swank ladies try a flight I put together

My dear friends, the sassy ladies of Urban Swank (Felice and Shanna) enjoyed Vodka tonics and tried a build it yourself flight that I set up for them (Leinenkugels Sunsent Wheat, Framboise Rasperry Belgian, St. Arnold's Lawnmower, Blanche due Bruexelles & Fort Bend Thunder Stout).   We chillaxed, talked about beer and food, talked about restaurants we tried and other places we wanted to try.  Nothing intense, no pressure, just a nice relaxing time hanging with friends, catching up on things and sipping some nice, properly served craft beer and finger foods.  What more could a man ask for, I say?

Immortalized on the Ring of Honor 

After about an hour, we headed into the main dining area for the unveiling of the plate.  Those of y'all who've been reading me for a while and have followed me on social media have seen my silly 15 second video touts, many of which are done from the Flying Saucer Sugar Land.  They're very tongue in cheek, and done to show the enthusiasm I have for good craft beer in a great pub like the Flying Saucer.  I always hashtag it as #BEEERRRR!!! said in a loud, bold, Viking-like voice that was inspired by my old grad school roommate at Baylor, a big barrel of a man named Greg Parke.  Greg introduced me to several good imports and craft beers back in the early 1990s when most of us were calling them "Microbrews"--but even then I knew that if I was going to drink beer, I'd rather drink beer that had flavour and character rather than just alcohol and not much else going for it.  Besides that Hashtag, I chose to include this website, a variation on my ending tagline, and the logo of our beloved Houston Texans.  My plate is #201 in the ring of honor, under a rafter across from the main entrance, just above a large Duvel Metal Plate by about 3 or 4 feet.

Just after the unveiling and saying goodbye to my friends, my son called attention to his own little editing touch to the usual sign you see posted near the front entrance of the Flying Saucer in Sugar Land.  While cheeky, my son is a smart kid and Matt told me he didn't mind it in this one instance.  You can see the editing job on the left.  Too funny, and a very kind thing my son wanted to do for this dubious achievement of his dear old dad.  In any event, my plate party was a nice laid back get together, as it should be when enjoying a good craft beer that you can just sip and savour for a while.  This is the way beer has been enjoyed for centuries in Europe and more and more this way in North America thanks to the noble efforts of local craft breweries.  My hat's off to them--they make our lives better by brewing this wonderful elixir so well.

And remember to Drink Craft Beer Y'all!!!
喝啤酒愉快!!!