Progress report – #19: Earn a plate at the Flying Saucer

Beer is an acquired taste, or at least that’s what I was told as I choked down a Natty Light during my introduction to beer.  Natural Light will never be an acquired taste; it sucks.  Fratastic bros and college freshmen everywhere can roar in outrage, but just because it’s the cheapest beer around does not mean it should ever actually be consumed.

I can condemn Natty Light because I’ve become a beer connoisseur along my journey to earn a plate at the Flying Saucer, number 19 on my super senior year bucket list.

Earning a plate is no easy task.  I have to consume 200 different brews before I’ll see my name mounted among the beer stars that have come before me.

My journey to stardom began in June when I committed my summer to making major progress before the school year hit.  I paid the $18 membership fee, donned my Beerknurd shirt with pride and never missed a free Sunday brunch.

Flanked by my fellow plate hopeful, Erika, I could be found at the Saucer every Sunday for brunch, Monday for pint night and Tuesday for trivia.  People weren’t sure if they should start sending mail to my booth at the Saucer (it’s the second one after the U.F.O. machine in case you were wondering), that’s how seriously committed I was to my goal.

Despite my over-enthusiastic attendance during the summer, progress has been slow.  I wanted to be halfway done by Christmas break, but I’m only at 56.  A hectic semester has kept me from pint night and trivia.  In fact, I usually only make it to the Saucer around 2 p.m. once a week and grab a beer while doing homework on the couches.  Don’t judge; it’s surprisingly productive.

To end my progress report, I will include my three favorite beers so far.  Spoiler alert: not a single one of them ends in any form of the word “light”.  I will also include one beer to avoid at all costs.  Save yourself $7 bucks and don’t even try it.

The best of the brews:

1. Blanche De Bruxelles
   If you ever feel like splurging, this is the beer to do it on.  Erika and I affectionately nicknamed it “Heaven Beer”.  There really is no other way to describe it.  Heaven.
2. Uinta Punk’n
   This beer tastes like Thanksgiving.  The flavors of cinnamon, pumpkin and nutmeg weave through the brew to create a heavenly, seasonal favorite.
3. RJ Rockers Son of Peach
   I discovered this beer over the summer and it was hard not to order it every single time. Despite its name it’s not too sweet.  I would go so far as to say this is the perfect summer draft.

The worst of the bunch:

Southern Tier Crème Brulee – Don’t be fooled by its name and deliciously sweet aroma, this beer is disgusting.  It smells exactly like crème brulee and at first the tastes matches the name, but it has an extremely bitter finish that made this one difficult to finish.

I will continue to pick away at the monstrous beer list until I reach 200.  In the meantime, remember, friends don’t let friends fly drunk.

Photo courtesy of the Flying Saucer