I’ll keep this as brief as it deserves to be. Last week in Little Rock, Arkansas, me & a co-worker decided to try out the FLYING SAUCER DRAFT EMPORIUM, which is a chain of beerhalls in the American South. You may recall we went to the one in Nashville earlier in the year; this one is situated in downtown Little Rock, right in the city’s small-ish entertainment district. On a Tuesday night, it was packed for pub quiz/trivia night, and at 10pm it appears that the intoxication level was quite high. Good times. Having already downed several pints at VINO’S a couple of miles away (more on that another time), I gave myself one roll of the craft beer dice at this place, one lone pint to close out my stay in Little Rock. As it turned out, I rolled quite poorly. I chose the PRESIDENTIAL IPA from local brewer DIAMOND BEAR BREWERY, and regretted the decision from the word go. This IPA was just awful. Hopped in a strange manner, redolent of soap, and possessing a weird sour tang that made me wonder if it was “off”, the Presidential IPA reminded me of eye-watering homebrew that you drink with a wince & furiously nod your head to as your homebrewer friend looks closely for your reaction. Locals only for sure. Wow. Maybe the worst beer of the year. 2.5/10.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
LET’S GO…DRINKING IN LITTLE ROCK (PART 2 – DIAMOND BEAR)
I’ll keep this as brief as it deserves to be. Last week in Little Rock, Arkansas, me & a co-worker decided to try out the FLYING SAUCER DRAFT EMPORIUM, which is a chain of beerhalls in the American South. You may recall we went to the one in Nashville earlier in the year; this one is situated in downtown Little Rock, right in the city’s small-ish entertainment district. On a Tuesday night, it was packed for pub quiz/trivia night, and at 10pm it appears that the intoxication level was quite high. Good times. Having already downed several pints at VINO’S a couple of miles away (more on that another time), I gave myself one roll of the craft beer dice at this place, one lone pint to close out my stay in Little Rock. As it turned out, I rolled quite poorly. I chose the PRESIDENTIAL IPA from local brewer DIAMOND BEAR BREWERY, and regretted the decision from the word go. This IPA was just awful. Hopped in a strange manner, redolent of soap, and possessing a weird sour tang that made me wonder if it was “off”, the Presidential IPA reminded me of eye-watering homebrew that you drink with a wince & furiously nod your head to as your homebrewer friend looks closely for your reaction. Locals only for sure. Wow. Maybe the worst beer of the year. 2.5/10.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
It's got to be the bar not the brewery. Everybody that tries Diamond Bear at the Saucer says it sucks. Anywhere else and the reviews are much more positive. Dirty tap lines for sure would give you the sour tang and "off" flavors. Diamond Bear is a top-notch brewery that does not sell crap if they can help it. Give them another chance anywhere but the saucer.
I'm gonna have to disagree with Robert on this one. Although I've never had Diamond Bear on tap, I've had quite a few of their bottled beers, and every single one has failed to impress me, although some were fairly drinkable.
Guess what? You're both right... the brewer who made award winning beer left. They now routinely package "off" beer. Every time you open a bottle, cross your fingers for "Homebrew Twang". A great idea gone bad. How do you screw up a good thing???
Jay,
Thanks for giving Diamond Bear a try. I am sorry to hear about your bad experience with our product. If you are in Little Rock in the near future, please know I have a pint waiting for you. I can assure you there will be no off taste.
Sincerely,
Joseph
Post a Comment