Plates and Saucers

Ta da!  Our plates (or a close facimile of them) at the Saucer. 

And the Saucers are tapping their Oktoberfests! 

Saint Arnold's
Sam Adams
New Belgium
Warsteiner
Spaten
Brooklyn
Hacker-Pschorr
Paulaner
and
Shiner

So get out there and get to drinkin'!  Oktoberfests are generally wonderful blends of hops and malts, spices and just the right fizz.  Color varies from light copper to rich amber.  And the abv is usually about 5%.  Oktoberfests are great session beers and typically not on the shelf too long.  So go on a tasting spree!  I'm absolutely certain you'll find something you'll like.

Whoo Hoo!!

Well, it's official!  Joe and I are Masters of the Universe.  (I pretty much was anyway, but I love the affirmation.  I'm just sayin'.)

This Saturday we'll celebrate with our friends and then do the only logical next thing...start on our second plate!

We've Done It!

We've drunk 200 different beers at the Flying Saucer and earned our first plates.  Joe had a Lone Star, a Boulevard Wheat and an Around the World Taster.  Of all the beers from around the world, of all the beer I could have had and have had, I decided today would be a Texas beer day.  I had a Lone Star, a Live Oak Pilz and a Live Oak Hefe.  Here's my 200th beer.

The Live Oak Hefe with an orange slice.  Very nice.  Cloudy, wheat-y and full of banana and clove flavors. It was really good.  We ripped up my "Beers I Haven't Tasted" list and used it for confetti.

So on Thursday, we'll go and swipe our cards and get credit for drinking 200 beers.  We'll start all over again for our second plate. And our party and plate presentation will be on Saturday. 

I know it's not like being an Eagle Scout or making the grade to play pro ball or anything, but it's something pretty cool, among friends.  And since I haven't finished a lot of things in my life: my novel, my house redecoration, my laundry today, I'm looking forward to our toast next Saturday and the realization that I have, in fact, finished something. 

And it was good, too, hon!

How Similar!

Tracy, Joe and I are at the Flying Saucer. One of the new beers is Lagunitas A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale. So, Joe and I order it. When I sniffed the beer a definite orange aroma came through. Tracy further refined it as candied orange. It was a delightful beer. So, later, when it came time for Tracy to order another beer, she went for A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale herself. But, when it came, she noted it was NOT A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale. She surmised it was Lagunitas IPA. Remember, she is a true beer nerd. I tasted it and also noted, it was NOT the beer she ordered. Tracy lets our server know that this isn't the right beer. Our server thinks it might be, but she brought a taster for each of the two beers to the table. Interestingly, there is also an orange smell to the IPA, but not nearly as orange as the ale. They were almost the same color. It was a fun experiment to taste two beers from the same brewer that ended up being so similar, yet different.

Try your own compare and contrast between beers you find similar. What were your results??

Chipotle Porter

Somethings are too good they just won't wait.

We were wandering down the beer aisle in Central Market this afternoon, when I spotted Mikkeller Chipotle Porter.  This is a beer I've been looking forward to...the Saucer is tapping it on August 26th.  But, yeah, I'm just not gonna wait.

We chilled it a bit more and then drank it with dinner: grilled jalapeno and cheddar sausages w/Sierra Nevada Porter mustard.  Oh my goodness, life is good.

This is a wonderful beer.  It pours like chocolate syrup, but darker.  The head is huge and dark mocha colored.  Lots of chocolate and coffee with just a hint of the spicy chipotle.  Of course, after a few sips, the heat begins to build.  I taste salt and spice, chocolate and roasty malts.  This is one damn fine beer.

But just like anything else...maybe there's something out there that's better...Mikkeller Chipotle Porter on draught.  Good things come to those who wait.  And to those who cruise the beer aisle at Central Market.

Southern Star - Buried Hatchet Stout - Revisited

This was the beer at Tap Night tonight at the Saucer.  Sure, we've had it in the fridge.  In a can.  But let me tell you...tapped...surely the better way to go. 

Semi-sweet chocolate morsels, married with day old coffee, some vanilla and a dash of alcohol makes for a mighty fine beer.  I wish I'd had some chocolate to eat with it.  I guess I'll have to just be happy with the bonus brewery pint glass we got for ordering it.  (I know...I didn't even HAVE to steal it!)

This is one of those beers that you drink and think..."Hey, the alcohol is not that big."  Hah!  Yeah!  A couple of these would totally prove you wrong.  But you'd have such a good buzz goin' on you wouldn't even really care. 

This is a great beer in the can.  It's an outstanding beer on tap.  Give it a shot.  You won't be disappointed.  Take some dark chocolate...you won't wanna leave the bar.

Almost A Master of the Universe

As of today, Joe and I are 20 beers away from our first plate in the Ring of Honor at the Flying Saucer.

20! 

We started our quest to drink 200 different beers in March of 2008.  At first, we were very casual about it.  We went once in March, once in April, then didn't have another Saucer beer until September! Oh, I'm sure we were drinking on our own, but we didn't really start frequenting the FS until January of 2009.  So, I suppose we could have reached 200 long ago, if we'd been paying attention. 

Now we're down to 20, and we're going again today...so, 17 by this evening.

See, we're on a mission.  The Sammys are coming to town the 27th, so we're hoping to hit 200 either while they're here (so we can celebrate) or before (so we can claim our $200 toast...and celebrate).  Six more times in the next three weeks.  Yes! We Can!

The best part about drinking all this beer is that I, well, both of us, have really learned a lot about it.  We've hosted a tasting.  We've got all of our friends trying new things.  We're exercising our sense of smell and taste, and learning to describe what's going on in our mouths.   We're sort of all in this together: us, the Reverend, the Sammys...and you can bet everyone else we know when they get wind that we have a $200 toast to spend.

The downside is the extra weight we've ended up carrying around.  I was bemoaning the tonnage to the Rev, saying that, other than an extraordinary amount of beer consumption (both at the Saucer, at home and every other chance we get), we really haven't changed anything else in our diet.  So, it's either the beer or age that's getting the best of our waistlines (and I refuse to accept that second reason...I'm sure Joe does, too).

Bottom line?  It's been fun.  It's been educational.  It's been social.  It's been interesting.  It's been a blast.  And, yeah, we're soooo doing it again.

Cheers!

I Miss The Saucer

I've been away at a conference all week.  I traveled last week.  And have just been busy, in general.  Joe and I only have 26 or so more beers to reach 200 and become Masters of the Universe with a plate on the wall.  I'm getting a little concerned that we're not going to make it before friends come at the end of August.

Well, I'm not THAT concerned.  I'm sure we can start making time this weekend.  We're going to skip our home-based Saucer and venture out to the one on Lake Ray Hubbard.  They have a very different menu, for both beer and food.  Looking forward to trying out some new stuff.

I've been in Vegas at a resort that sports a Yard House (great beer/restaurant chain).  As good as that is...I really miss the Saucer.  I'll bet they miss me, too.

Yeah. Right.

For our gentlemen readers:  just because it's posted on the Internet, that doesn't mean it's true.  Don't be seduced by misinformation like the following.  Read and discuss:

Beer contains female hormones! Yes, that's right, FEMALE hormones!
 
Last month, Montreal University and scientists released the results of a
recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in beer. Men should take a concerned look at their beer consumption. The theory is that beer contains female hormones (hops contain Phytoestrogens) and that by drinking enough beer, men turn into women.
 
 To test the theory, 100 men each drank 8 schooners of beer within a one (1) hour period. 
 
 It was then observed that 100% of the test subjects, yes, 100% of all these men:-
 
1) Argued over nothing.
2) Refused to apologize when obviously wrong.
3) Gained weight.
4) Talked excessively without making sense.
5) Became overly emotional
6) Couldn't drive.
7) Failed to think rationally, and
8) Had to sit down while urinating. 
 
No further testing was considered necessary!

Wow! It's Been A While

But don't despair.  I haven't stopped drinking beer.  Just been on a little vacation and now I'm at a week-long conference.  The best part?  I just discovered that this hotel has a Yard House in it.  I expect to visit it several times and will report back.  Promise! 

Meanwhile, check out this beer of the day yesterday...

COCOA PORTER

Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub, Idaho Springs, Colorado

This porter pours dark brown, with reddish tints and beige foam—a bit lighter than your average porter, but about on target for a brown ale. Lots of sweet cocoa and caramel malt hang around in the aroma. In the flavor, there’s no indication of alcohol content, but there isn’t a whole lot of that in this winter warmer, which might be classified as a brown porter. No harsh grain bitterness, either, and not much hop character at all; finish is long, but not too sweet, with lots of chocolate flavor. Though honey is featured, it’s indistinguishable from the overall chocolate-cakey, cocoa flavor. A nice dessert porter, very approachable and not too thick or overly sweet.

Yeah...I'd totally hate that!!