How I Go Columbia: Beer, trivia and couple time

Julia and Joe Hudson met at a summer camp in North Carolina when they were teenagers. As they grew up, they only saw each other once a year at camp until, as adults, they both found themselves in Columbia.

Joe invited Julia out to Thirsty Fellow to catch up over lunch. That’s when he introduced her to craft beer with a Westbrook IPA, and that one sip of hoppy heaven was all it took. The next time they went out, they went to Flying Saucer, where he showed her his UFO plate on the wall (plate No. 6 at the time), and it had a quote that read, “Give me a woman who loves beer, and I’ll conquer the world.”

Not long after, Joe invited Julia out to join him and his friends for their weekly trivia game at Flying Saucer on Tuesdays, which was usually followed by karaoke at Uncle Fester’s Bar.

All that time together brought them closer until they realized that their friendship was more than just that, and they started dating. Julia joined the Flying Saucer UFO club soon after. They had fun drinking the different beers available on tap and in bottles to get credit for 200 unique beers tasted so they could earn their plates on the wall, and earn them multiple times over.

After a year and a half of dating, and over 10 years of friendship, Joe proposed to Julia at the summer camp where they met. And last year, the couple eloped in Columbia among a small group of family, and later that day, they had a Plate Party at Flying Saucer as a surprise reception for their friends.

Now, the couple continues to try new beers at Flying Saucer and earn more plates on the wall. Currently, Julia has earned eight plates (the highest-ranking female at the Columbia Flying Saucer), and Joe has earned 17 (the second-highest plate total overall at the Columbia location).

EAT: We love to go to the local breweries when the BBQ Bus, Belgian Waffle Truck or other food trucks stop by. Sneaking out to Old Mill Brewpub (in Lexington) for a burger is always a treat. And for really good Southern comfort food, you can find us at Zesto for amazing fried chicken and soft-serve ice cream, or you can see us chilling at Southern Belly for scrumptious and unique barbecue sandwiches that we pair with a craft brew.

PLAY: We are trivia junkies. Tuesdays, we play Flying Saucer; Thursdays, we play at Random Tap. Other nights, we usually yell questions at the TV during Jeopardy. We also love chasing UnTappd badges by going around town to expose our taste buds to craft beers from all over the world that are available in our market at bottle shops like Total Wine, Green’s and Sam’s Fine Wine and Spirits.

DRINK: Flying Saucer is our primary watering hole. They have every kind of beer imaginable: hoppy, dark, sour, fruity. The Hudson special is an IPA with a slice of pickle – trust us, it’s tasty. When we are not at Flying Saucer or at home enjoying one of the beers we found to get a new Untappd badge, we venture out to nearby breweries, like Conquest, River Rat, Hunter-Gatherer and Old Mill Brewpub. Occasionally, we’ll take a little road trip to Krafty Draft in Lexington to taste from their amazingly stocked tap wall.

LISTEN: Karaoke: fun to sing, but also fun to spectate. We go to Uncle Fester’s religiously, but also follow Linda Carr, Kevin Snow and DJ Dapper like groupies.

SEE: The Flying Saucer patio is our favorite place to people watch. Sitting in our corner table, we see friends, meet strangers, pet visiting dogs (and sometimes a goat), and also get a kick out of watching Pokémon Go players checking out the “Historic Columbia” mural. Stopping by at sunset also gives a gorgeous view of the Capitol building, and after it rains, there is usually a beautiful view of a rainbow.

This story was originally published August 16, 2016 at 6:17 PM with the headline "How I Go Columbia: Beer, trivia and couple time."