I confess. I am a wine lover. Wine magazines litter my coffee table while books about wine are crammed into my sagging bookshelves. I can easily navigate my way through the lengthiest wine list. When it comes to beer, however, I am an admitted neophyte. Sure, beer hits the spot on hot days, at ball games and in Irish pubs. Beer is my beverage of choice at Indian restaurants and nothing beats traveling though Belgium and Germany trying out the various local brews.
Yet I have come to the realization that my limited knowledge of beer is something akin to liking wine in a box in the wine world. Lambrics evidently are not metered poetry but are rather complex wheat or barley beers, which have a cidery finish obtained by aging in wooden casks for periods up to three years and/or having a second fermentation with fruit. Fermentation? Aging in wood? I can relate to this.
The 160-seat Flying Saucer Draught Emporium which opened in the Terraces near UNC-Charlotte last June is all about beer. Reading through “The Fly Paper,” their beer list, takes considerable time and is an impressive collection of 82 beers on tap and about 120 bottles. New arrivals are listed on the board. Beers range in price from $2.75 to $12 for such beers as Lindeman’s Peche Vlezenbeek. Four flights are offered as well with a sample tray of five five-ounce pours: Around the world, UK and Ireland, US, and Germany. Wine, by the way, is offered too, by the glass or bottle.
Semi-oblong booths with views of the televisions line the long side wall. On the opposing side is a lengthy bar, which has a backsplash of copper pennies. In front, hops connoisseurs seem to pay more attention to their drinks than the football game. The walls sport thousands of plates. Some are kitschy while others would have been excellent eBay resells. Was that Flow Blue on the ceiling? A 60-seat patio overlooks a three hole golf course. No worries, though: the course doesn’t have lights. Manager Shawn Shaw describes the crowd as diverse and says, “This is the kind of place with a casual atmosphere where anyone could feel comfortable and have a good time.”
After hoisting a few, well actually 200 individual beers, members of the U.F.O. club, those who have paid 14 bucks and received a “Beer Knurd” tee-shirt, can have their names put on a brass plate and placed in the “Ring of Honor,” a permanent prominent place on the wall. Shaw said each plate will contain the person’s name, date, and a brief quote. “We limit it to three beers a day,” Shaw notes. Two Charlotteans have recently qualified to have their names on plates. Another club member is “about to become eligible” Shaw says.
Charlotte is the 10th location of this Texas-based chain owned by Dallas/Fort Worth entrepreneur Shannon Wynne, who has a few successful bar/club concepts under his belt and is son of the founder of Six Flags Over Texas. A Flying Saucer in Raleigh preceded this location, however the Charlotte store has a grill and deep fat fryers and the Raleigh location has only an oven. This difference permitted changes in the basic menu. At the Raleigh store and all other locations, except San Antonio, which also has a grill and fryers, oven warmed sandwiches, wraps, pretzels, and chips with salsa fill the menu.
In Charlotte, the menu takes a different twist: French fries, onion rings, wings, chili, beer cheese soup, salads, burgers, hot dogs and bratwurst. In other words, it’s a predictable menu of rib-sticking pub grub. I found the lack of adventure on the menu disappointing only in light of this brilliant beer list. A good restaurant with a decent wine list usually offers a menu that is compatible and complementary to the wine offered. As Champagne is to oysters, isn’t an aromatic light brew to freshly steamed mussels? Is food merely an afterthought for beer aficionados? The Porterhouse steak, after all, is named for the steak served in taverns that served porter.
This is not to say, however, that the fare at Flying Saucer is lacking. The choices are reasonably priced in the $6 to $8 range and fairly well executed. The onion rings were crisp. The Frankenstein-sized burger was juicy while the chicken quesadilla was unobtrusive. The only misstep was the too-dry grilled chicken on the Caesar salad. Yet none was a scene stealer. None of these dishes could compare to the sparkle in the glass.
My beer drinking buddies tell me that food does not really matter to them and that the whole “food and beer matching” idea sounds elitist. Beer stands alone I’m told, and the amazing beer selection at Flying Saucer is what will keep customers coming back.
Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, The Terraces at University Place, 9605 North Tryon Street, 704-717-8179. Hours: Monday through Wednesday, 11am until 1am; Thursday through Saturday, 11am until 2am; and Sunday noon until midnight. Same menu all day. Patio. AmEx, MC, Visa, Diners, Dis, no checks.
This article appears in Sep 11-17, 2002.
