Baby in a bar

This weekend, I took the baby to a bar and enjoyed several tall, frosty glasses of water with lemon (and one shot of root beer.)

When we moved to Tennessee over a year ago, the Husband and I discovered a restaurant/bar called "The Flying Saucer" which specializes in offering a very long list of domestic, imported, and specialty beer from around the world. Being beer people ourselves, we have always wanted to visit...unfortunately, that didn't happen until this past weekend while I'm 4 months pregnant and unable to drink. So of course I became the official designated driver for my husband and 3 friends who were on a mission to sample some exotic beer from around the world.

After a promise that I could order an appetizer of my choosing and all the root beer I could drink, we all piled into the mini van Swagger Wagon and headed to The Flying Saucer. We were seated and given a food menu and a separate beer menu, complete with several different kinds of root beer for those of us who prefer the non-alcoholic kind. I have never seen a longer list of beer before! It was like a delicious catalogue of awesomeness broken down by style: lager, strong ale, fruit ale, stout, herbed/spiced beer, and the list goes on and on. If you visit the website, they list all beer available at each location and also give you the history of each beer.

You can choose from selections like:

• Schneider Aventinus. The oldest example of a wheat dopplebock, dating back to 1907. This top fermenting beer has a deep tawny color with malty notes in the nose and chocolate and fruit spices on the palate. The label bears a picture of Johannes Aventinues, the historian who first described Bavaria and its people.

Or maybe this one, with a background related to Santa Claus:

• Samichlaus. Meaning "Santa Claus," this specialty beer was brewed once a year on December 6, St. Nicholas Day. The beer was aged a full year and not released until the following December 6th. This was once the strongest beer in the world at 14% abv and was brewed by the Hurlimann Brewery in Switzerland. A larger German brewery bought Hurlimann and decided not to continue brewing this special beer. Schlossbrauerei, or "castle brewery" Eggenberg picked up the rights to brew the beer and reintroduced it to the world. This beer is ruby red with an intense malt aroma with notes of toffee, tawny port and nuts. The palate is round, smooth and sweet with perfectly tuned hops that help with a clean finish.

Or one that sounds more like a dessert than a beer:

• Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan. This American Brown ale brewed with pecan is the mash to provide a unique and pleasant nutty brew. Pours a deep brown in color. Fresh pecans and light hops are in the aroma. A deep rich nutty and sweet caramel flavor.

And, if you're like me and can't drink/don't want anything alcoholic, The Flying Saucer offers a classic with an simple description:

• IBC. Cool root beer!

'Nuff said. The root beer was cool and refreshing, the perfect partner to my plate of cheese fries with jalapenos. Everyone had a great time and got to try several beers they may have never had the opportunity to try.

I'll be going back in 5 months to try some of the beer for myself. And by that time, I'll be leaving the baby at home.