Belgian and another Ska (015 & 016)

Had another two beers the other day, plus the Chicken Wrap with sun-dried tomatoes (that was amazing!!! The beer may be top notch at the FC, but if you visit, make sure you get some grub, too! Everything is delicious! I especially recommend the Brat Nachos! Wow)

First I had a Shock Top Belgian White by Anheiser Busch. It's a lot like a Blue Moon, but better. Good taste, but not the best Belgian I've had.

Next I had a Pinstripe Red by the Ska Bewing Company. This was a beer drinker's beer. Just a flavorful taste without being too strong. I'd have it again. I'm becomng a big fan of Ska's beers.

Shock Top Belgian White
Container: Draught
Style: Belgian White Ale
Brewer: Anheuser-Bush Brewery
City: Houston, TX
Country: United States
Description: Hazy golden hue with a dense white head. Grassy wheat aroma with a hint of citrus. Good carbonation and light body. A bit of lemony flavor, with a strong malt backbone and a spicy finish.

Ska Pinstripe Red (BTL)
Container: Bottled
Style: Amber Ale
City: unassigned
Country: United States
Description: Their Flagship brew! An American Amber Ale brewed with caramel malts & liberty hops. Medium body and good fruit character on the finish.

St. Patty's (013 & 014)

Since it was St. Patrick's Day, I couldn't go domestic, could I?

Heck, NO!

I got a Murphy's Irish Red and a Sheboygan Brat (okay, the brat was German, but they didn't have any cabbage & corned beef). I also grabbed a Horn Dog Barley Wine, which was fantastic(like I said last time, the barley wine's aren't bad at all).

Murphy's Irish Red
Container: Draught
Style: Irish Red Ale
Brewer: Ladys Well Brewery
City: Cork
Country: Ireland
Description: This amber lager is mildly fragrant with a touch of malt and slight hops. It is smooth and rounded with a lingering malt finish.

Horn Dog Barley Wine
Container: Draught
Style: Barley Wine
Brewer: Flying Dog Brewery
City: Denver,CO
Country: United States
Description: This Barley Wine is made by the fine folks in Denver Co. It has a floral hop aroma with a noticeable alcohol flavor. Very full in body with a dry lingering finish. 10.2 abv.

Making progress and having fun :)

Three More... (010, 011 & 012)

Originally posted Sunday, March 09, 2008

Three more beers to add to my quest for Flying Saucer immortality:
Wells Banana Bread was the first. Like I mentioned in my last beer update, this one was a keeper. I had it again this time to count toward my total. Smithwicks Ale (pronounced 'Smiddicks') was my second not the best of the three but decent enough. Brooklyn Monster was my third and was great. It was served in a barley wine glass and was very fruity. I'm beginning to like the barley wine beers a bit more... Think I'll try the Harn Dog Barley Wine soon...

Wells Banana Bread
Container: Bottled
Style: English Ale
Brewer: Charles Wells Pub Co.
City: Bedfordshire, England
Country: United Kingdom
Desciption: Pours a clear amber body with a small creamy head. Aroma of "surprise" banana bread. Flavor of banana, mild hops, and nuts with citrus-peel bitterness in the finish.

Smithwicks Ale
Style: Amber Ale
Brewer: Guinness & Son Co.
City: Dublin
Country: Ireland
Description: This beer is imported from Dublin, Ireland & has been well sought after in the US. It is dark amberish red in color with a nice thick head. Very well rounded beer with some hops and roasty malts toward the finish.

Brooklyn Monster
Container: Bottled
Style: Barley Wine
Brewer: Brooklyn Brewery
City: Brooklyn, NY
Country: United States
Description: This classic Barley-Wine Style Ale, pours a deep copper color with a thin amber head. Aromas of apple, raisin bread, and a brief flourish of hops follow thru in the flavor with some bready and earthy malt notes. The high alcohol is hidden well in the lingering finish. It is vivacious when young, but will age gracefully for many years, becoming more complex over time. 10.8% abv.

A Month in the Making (005, 006, 007, 008 & 009)

Originally posted Saturday, January 26, 2008

Alright, in addition to the two flights we had when Dave & Tari came to visit, below are my latest additions to my 200 beer goal at the FS:

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dark
Container: Bottled
Style: Dunkel Weiss
Brewer: Weihenstephaner
City: Freising
Country: Germany
Description: Superb dark wheat beer. Full rich favor, sweet malt and hop finish.

Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale
Container: Drought
Style: Pale Ale
Brewer: Flying Dog Brewery
City: Denver, CO
Country: United States
Description: Two- time medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival. This Classic Pale Ale is dry-hopped with Cascade hops grown in the Pacific Northwest and has enough hop character to satisfy hopheads. Beautiful amber-copper color and pleasant malt flavor.

Big Boss Coffee Stout
Container: Draught
Style: Stout
Brewer: Big Boss Brewing Co.
City: Raleigh, NC
Country: United States
Description: Pleasant coffee aroma with some roasted malt and a hint of chocolate. Pours a thick reddish khaki head leaving spotty lacing. Dry, bitter coffee on the tongue. Medium bodied with good carbonation. Finishes with some bitter astringincy. (Brewed with Larry's Coffee Beans)

Again, these were were all very good. The Coffee Stout was a suprising thumbs-up, since I'm not a big Stout guy. The Dunkel Weiss was thick and had some great flavor. The Doggie Style Pale Ale was my favorite of the three. I've found that you just can't go wrong with any of the Flying Dog beers! Great stuff. I also had a bottle of Wells Banana Bread beer, but it didn't count towards my 200 since you're limited to tallying three per night, no matter how many you put down. Anyway, that beer was bananas (B-A-N-A-N-A-S), sorry, had to. THAT one was the best of the night. I'd order one of those every time I went if I could.

I promise I will post messages sooner next time.

Peace

3 More Down & New Job (002, 003, & 004)

Originally posted Friday, November 02, 2007

Well, today was my last day at Phillips Architecture. It was a great gig while it lasted, but hopefully the new job that I start on Monday will be another exciting and fruitful chapter in the Smith book of fun.

Speaking of fun, a handful of friends from Phillips met up at the Flying Saucer at quittin' time to knock a few back, and that we did. I marked three more notches on my 200 goal. Below are my latest additions:

Ska Buster Nut Brown Ale
Container: Bottled
Style: Brown Ale
City: unassigned
Country: United States
Description: This brown ale produces a nice head that lasts awhile. The flavor has a touch of nuttiness due to the use of Victory & Munich malts. Well rounded brown ale with a touch of hop character.

Pauwel Kwak
Container: Bottled
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brewer: Brouwerij Bosteels
City: Buggenhout
Country: Belgium
Description: Full-bodied Belgian Specialty Ale. Amber in color with beautiful foam and slightly sweet, seductive malt character. Rich, satisfying Belgian experience. 8% abv

Flying Dog Tire Bite
Container: Draught
Style: Kolsch
Brewer: Flying Dog Brewery
City: Denver,CO
Country: United States
Description: Light lager, Kolsch style beer, with a well balanced taste and a hint of hops. Finishes very smooth and is refreshing for hot days. 5.1% abvThey were all very good. The Ska ale was excellent, a micro-brew.

The Belgian ale was interesting, kinda wish they had served it in it's intended kwak glass though, that would have been cool. The Tire Bite kolsch tasted a lot like a Miller Lite. Sorry I'm not a better beer reviewer guy... Maybe by the time I reach 50, I'll do better :)

Anyway, on Monday I start at MI Homes. Really looking forward to making new friends, learning new stuff and having lots of fun.Wish me luck.

The Flying Saucer (001)

Originally posted Friday, October 19, 2007


Today, I became a member of the Flying Saucer's UFO Club.

My first beer was a Breckenridge Vanilla Porter on tap. It's listed as "an ale that has all the chocolate and roasted flavor of a classic Porter with an enigmatic surprise thrown in for good measure, real vanilla bean. Smooth, roasted and chocolate with a creamy vanilla finish."

Very interesting. I'm not a Porter-guy, but it wasn't bad.

One down, one hundred ninety-nine to go. Ah, an explaination is in order...

The Flying Saucer is a bar in downtown Raleigh. There are ten other Flying Saucer locations scattered throughout the U.S. as well. They have over 200 beers in house from all over the world. Some friends and I went there a month or so ago and sampled about 20 beers alone. We ordered a Ireland sampler, a UK sampler and a North Carolina sampler. Each sampler plate had 8 large shot glasses of different beers from that area. Needless to say, that was a very good night.

One of the cool things about the place is that the walls are absolutely plastered with gold plates (they look like drum cymbals). If members of the UFO Club drink 200 different beers, you get your name on a plate which is mounted on the wall and they give you a free $100 bar tab for the night to celebrate.

So, as I said earlier... one down, one hundred ninety-nine to go.