Image credit: Flying Saucer Draught Emporium. |
After nearly 25 years of shining as a craft beer beacon across the northern reaches of the Metroplex, the Addison outpost of the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium is ending its run, with last call set for close of business on December 31.
The Addison pub opened in February 1996, occupying of all things a former Colter's Barbecue building. It was the second Flying Saucer to debut, following the Fort Worth original which introduced the brand in 1994. And in a curious bit of trivia, it was Kumar the Magnificent, a 70-something plate-spinning guru once featured on The Ed Sullivan Show, who entertained guests on the night of the official grand opening that March.
Of course, beer was and always has been the main draw at all of the Flying Saucer locations. In fact, the Addison Flying Saucer was ground zero for my own craft beer journey in North Texas. I was on assignment in another state when my craft beer epiphany occurred in late 1998, but once I moved back home, I quickly learned the Flying Saucer was the place to go for better beer. Having lived north of the wall ever since, it was only natural for the Addison Flying Saucer to become my go-to spot, a status it maintained for a decade or more at least.
In addition to drinking my first Texas-brewed beer at the Addison Flying Saucer, I remember drinking my first Christmas beer there, and attending the first (of entirely too many) keep the glass nights there. I even remember the time a few buddies and I stopped in for Stone Brewery Night, when the beer in the spotlight was none other than Arrogant Bastard Ale. We had no idea what the beer was all about...just that it had a great name and a great logo, so it was a given we had to try it. By night's end, I had undergone what I now call my extreme beer epiphany. I think this was pre-Millennium, mind you, when big beers really weren't much of a big thing.
As for any additional firsts, I'm sure others occurred at the Addison Flying Saucer, for I certainly enjoyed many more beers there along the way. Indeed, it's a mystery as to why I never joined the UFO Club. I surely would have had a plate or three by now, but I guess my focus was always on the beer and the experience, as opposed to achieving any accolades.
Along those lines, I always say it's the experiences I'll remember above all else when it comes to my time in the beer industry, and I can say I've had my share of them among friends over the years at the Addison Flying Saucer. So, here's one last cheers to a place that for me represents yet another unforgettable loss in what has been a completely forgettable year.
According a report in the Dallas Morning News, the lease was up on the Flying Saucer's location in Addison, with co-owner Shannon Wynne choosing not to renew it due to an inability to create adequate patio space.
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