Flying Saucer's seasonal beer offerings get customers experimenting with different brews

Nation's Restaurant News,  Nov 20, 2006  by Stephen Beaumont

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Keith Schlabs is food and beverage manager for The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, a Dallas-based group of 11 beer bars. He recently spoke with NRN about seasonal changes to the chain's beer menu.

How does adjusting your beer menu seasonally benefit Flying Saucer customers?

Our customers enjoy being introduced to new beers, and by changing the menu quarterly, we can offer the best selections of each season.

We keep a new arrival board high above the bar for everyone to see which new beers have just landed in the market.

Do your regulars ask when the new crop of beers will be arriving, as one season drifts into the next?

Yes, our regular clientele expects us to carry their seasonal favorites. We cannot carry every seasonal offering, so we pick the ones we think fit our program best.

What qualities would you say make a typical winter warmer?

Typically, a winter warmer will be a darker brew [with] a robust malt character and more warming alcoholic strength than the brewery's standard offerings. Often breweries will add a touch of holiday spice to their winter brews.

What are one or two of your favorite styles of winter beer?

Strong ales, particularly Belgian or Belgian-style strong ales. I like the dark fruit, warming alcohol, full body and roasted malt characters that these beers provide. Also barley wine--some of the big, full-bodied American versions are making their way into my refrigerator right now.

Do you find that customers are more experimental with the beers they buy when the winter beers arrive?

They love to experiment, and we let them create "flights" of winter beers to try five at a time. This season is the most exciting for our customers due to the range of characteristics in the winter beers.

Do people mostly drink the winter beers on their own or with food?

We are more of a bar than a restaurant, so we see our customers drink them on their own quite a lot. We do offer cold plates with gourmet cheeses and Italian salamis for fun food and beer pairings, offering suggestions for pairing the flavors of the beer with the various cheeses. Every year we host winter ale tastings with special guest speakers and make up a menu to complement the attributes of each beer.

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