Below, newly minted Beerknurd “The Gator” shares his account of embarking on his UFO Club quest.
Joining the UFO Club is probably the second biggest commitment of my life. I say “second biggest” because, well, I’m married. And that’s taking precedence. But just barely.
I joined at the Fort Worth, Texas, Flying Saucer, located downtown just off beautiful Sundance Square. My wife and I bellied up to the bar, under a ceiling covered in plates and directly in front of an awe-inspiring collection of craft beers. It was intimidating.
The barkeep stood there (patiently), waiting for me to make my decision. It was my first UFO Club beer. From this point forward, I was a card-carrying Beerknurd and had a delicious burden to bear. 200 beers will be my challenge, but right now, I couldn’t even pull the trigger on my first beer.
I was overwhelmed by options. Light? Dark? Sweet? Bitter? Hoppy? What was I in the mood for?
Then, my eyes landed on an old standby: Lakewood’s Temptress on NITRO! Smooth, silky, sweet and comforting. This would be my gentle first step on this long journey of beer. Each sip was welcoming, familiar and delicious. I had made the best choice. That’s all that mattered at that point.
I followed up with a rich, creamy Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin. This was my first FW brew, and it was quite good. The dry finish left me wanting to try another and cross one more off my list. 198 beers now stand between me and my plate. It will be a great day when I make my way to the bottom of that list.
Until then, I’ll have the memories of my delicious stout start. Oh, and my UFO Club t-shirt.
Stay tuned for more Beerknurd stories, and don’t forget to submit a tale of your own for possible publication.
