Enjoy Kelly Burns’ account of what his final beer will be in his quest for his first UFO Club plate.
First off, I am an Irish guy, and I like to drink beer. (Did I mention I’m Irish?) For the past few years, I’ve lived in a quiet town in New York, right on the Hudson River. My alarm clock every morning was the 6:30AM cannon at West Point. My favorite place to go to get some real beer was a little Irish pub not far from where I lived. I thought it was amazing because it had 20 beers on tap. Not bad for a small pub back east.
So you can imagine my surprise when I moved to Texas in August of 2014 and walked into a beer joint named The Flying Saucer, not far from where I live on The Lake in Garland. My eyes were as wide as, well, SAUCERS!
I immediately joined the UFO Club and began my quest for The Plate. As of today, I’m 125 beers in to my goal of 200, and the experience has been amazing. So many great beers and types that I’ve never tasted before.
I was and still am an Imperial IPA kind of guy, but I’ve learned to appreciate that there are other remarkable brews to be enjoyed—all types and from all states, including the great state of Texas.
Prior to moving to Texas, I had never tasted any Texas beers. In fact, the only the only Texas beer I knew by name was from Urban Cowboy, where I first saw the fabled Lone Star beer. From my perspective, you can’t get a better name for a Texas beer than Lone Star!
Sadly, upon moving to Texas I learned that Lone Star beer is not held in the highest esteem, and that I would be wise to give it a pass. But with such a great name, I wondered, isn’t there something I can do to improve its status?
Well, I live in Texas now. I love the Texas culture and lifestyle. I love The Flying Saucer, and I am enjoying my journey for The Plate. It’s hard to keep track of all the beers I’ve had along the way and what beers I still have yet to drink. But one thing’s for sure, I will always remember my 200th beer—I’m choosing Lone Star! On that day, I will taste this Texas brew for the first time.
Will I have it again after it being my 200th? Who knows? But, anything is possible…
Stay tuned for more Beerknurd stories, and don’t forget to submit a tale of your own for possible publication.
