The leaves are falling and the beer is calling...

10/10 - It was opening night for the Nashville Predators 2017-2018 season and they were going to raise our Western Conference Champs banner from last year's Stanley Cup run, so I didn't want to miss it. With the banner up the puck went down for a crazy 6-5 win that started with us losing a 3-0 lead, and then having a comeback from a 5-3 deficit by the end of regulation.  Wow!   I had a beer beforehand at Czann's Brewing for exchange for some free parking with my pal, Wayne.  I had their newly-brewed and tasty Pumpkin Ale.

10/11 - I finally got to go see Blade Runner 2049 in IMAX with my pal, Wayne, tonight.  It was excellent.  Beforehand, I stopped at the Homegrown Taproom for a trio of half-pints that included a very good Smells Like a Safety Meeting IPA from Dark Horse Brewing (MI),  the Red Trail Ale IPA from Nashville's own Blackstone Brewing that I thought was way too devoid of hops, and the spice-laden Pumking (2017) ale from Southern Tier Brewing (NY).  

10/16 - My pal, Wayne, invited me to go with him to see our beloved Tennessee Titans take on our division rival, the Indianapolis Colts, on Monday Night Football tonight.  Combine that with a day off from work to seek out some good beer in Nashville beforehand, makes for a pretty excellent time overall!  

Titans win!  Titans win!  A nice second-half comeback led to a final score of 36-22 for the good guys and giving us a piece of first place in the AFC South...for now.  And we broke an 11-game losing streak to these pukes also!  I even found a new craft beer at Nissan Stadium as Yee-Haw Brewing out of Johnson City, TN, has made a large presence there.  I had their very good Yee-Haw IPA to start the game.  

Earlier that day, after sitting around for hours waiting on bad news, of course, at the Honda dealership in Franklin (hang in there, Jose...that's our 14-year-old CRV), I needed a beer, stat!  I headed straight to Craft Brewed on Franklin Pike for a couple of pints...and my little car got me there just fine, thank you!  I started out with a Schnickelfritz hefeweizen from Urban Chestnut Brewing in St. Louis.  I have to say it was one of the best heffs I have ever had because they are just not my favorite style of beer.   Next up was a hoppy and delicious pint of Wavvy (Batch 2) IPA from Stillwater Artisanal  Brewing in Baltimore.

I Ubered downtown to the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium next.  I haven't been to this seasoned beer bar in a while and I have surely missed it.  I started with a solid Keith's Korner IPA from Perennial Artisan Ales  also out of St. Louis.  This beer name seemed appropriate since I had one of my favorite players, Keith Bulluck. on my mind as a former "Mr. Monday Night Football" in the hey-days of the Titans of the past.  I followed that up with an always-delicious Stone Enjoy by 10.31.17 IPA which had an interesting combo of fall spices and hops.  This California craft-beer giant remains my favorite brewery of them all.

Hey, you gonna throw all that good beer away?  The Flying Saucer is such a cool place (those are pennies behind the taps) and they are real professionals when it comes to making great craft beer available here in Nashville. 

I met Wayne for dinner before the game at the HQ Beercade across the river from the stadium.  After a few rousing games of Galaga, I had their Glazed and Confused bacon burger where the buns consist of glazed donuts.  Jim Gaffigan would be so proud!  With dinner I had a great beer called The Grizz double IPA from Tallgrass Brewing (KS). 

10/18 -  I had a training class for work down in Murfreesboro today, so I drove my own car so I could hang out afterwards in town and catch a showing of American Made with Tom Cruise.  It was a great flick.

Mayday Brewery is a fun place to hang.

Afterwards, I went by The Green Dragon Pub with a beer and some dinner in mind.  The place was so crowded, however, that I couldn't even find a place to sit.  I hate that I didn't get to stay, but I am very happy to see the little place so popular on a Wednesday night!

Since Mayday Brewery is nearby, I ambled over that way for at least a beer.  It too was very busy, but I did manage to get a pint of their yummy Jubilee IPA before heading home.  I was sad to hear earlier in the day that the prolific lead singer for the amazing Canadian rock band, The Tragically Hip, Gord Downie, had passed away after battling cancer, so I lifted this one for him.

RIP, Gord.  

10/20 -  It was Poker Night in Mt. Juliet tonight for me, and I grabbed three new-to-me beers from Lebanon Wine and Spirits' always-excellent craft beer cooler.  First up was the tasty and smooth #Basic Pumpkin Ale from Tailgate Brewing here in Nashville.  Next up was the super-hoppy (which makes me super happy!) Juice Box IPA from 450 North Brewing (IN).  I finished the night with a not-so-great Apex IPA from Bear Republic Brewing (CA).

Finally, a decent finish at The Poker Barn with a 2nd place showing.  It was quite the feat considering I came to the final table as the short stack with well under 10 big blinds...and a little luck with a 9 on the river for a straight to stay alive. 

10/22 - We were over in the 12 South area of Nashville and I got a chance to pop in to The Filling Station and have a pint while Ashlee and a couple other female friends did some shopping around the corner.  Evidently, the shopping wasn't that great because before I could finish my tasty Hitchin' Post Pale Ale from BriarScratch Brewing in nearby Gallatin, TN, they were all back to have a beer as well.  So I got a taste of Ashlee's Garr's Tripel as well from Garr's Beer Company in nearby Franklin, TN.  

Later on we met up with an old, old friend from college, James (Doug) Garza for dinner at Saint Alejo, a great upscale Mexican restaurant in The Gulch.  They had a decent  craft beer list, but I figured a cerveza was called for in this occasion and had the good Victoria Vienna-style lager from Modelo.  Good to see you again, Garza!  Thanks for the pic, Ashlee.

I usually don't like to repeat beer check-ins in this blog, but this view is worth it.  I had another Rompo red ale from Nashville's own Jackalope Brewing  (first one was back in January 2016 at the City Winery here in Nashville) way up on top of the new Westin Hotel in the L27  Rooftop Bar and it was tasty and the scenery was amazing on a beautiful night in Music City.

10/23 - We had dinner at The Pharmacy in East Nashville tonight and I had a terrific Trellis Buster double IPA from Crooked Stave Brewing (CO) with my burger and tots. I also had a sip of Ashlee's Bard of Laketown Saison from The Black Abbey Brewing here in Nashville.

Pilgrimage Pours, Bermuda Shorts and Virginia Creepers

9/23 - 9/24 -  We attended our second ever Pilgrimage Festival this weekend over in Franklin and I was pleasantly surprised at the craft beer choices available...almost as abundant as the great performers they had throughout.

Listening to The Texas Gentleman and  drinking a Michigan craft beer.  Bell's Brewery was a big sponsor of the festival and dominated most of the craft beer choices there.  I didn't mind.  Those Yankees make some great beer!  First off for me was the tasty and hoppy Oatsmobile Ale.  Next was their decent Amber Ale.  I strayed from the Bell's Reservation next with a solid Oktoberfest Gemutlichkeit (2017) from Wiseacre Brewing out in Memphis.

New beer, new band...the tart Oarsman Ale from Bell's Brewing (MI) and Walk the Moon from Cincinnati.

9/24 - Sounding like a young Robert Cray, Devon Gilfillian, had a great set to start Day 2 off with at the new Shady Grove Stage.  While I didn't have any beer at the festival today, I did start the day off with a Hop Lift IPA from Third Street Brewing  (MN) that I got at our local Aldi's grocery store and brought with me.  It was really, really good, but, hey, what do you expect from Aldi?  

9/29 thru 10/8 - We took a cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda, and then to close out the week when we got back, we spent a few extra days in Northern Virginia checking out some wineries and, of course, some breweries.   

I even had a beer I could check in on the flight up to BWI as I saw that Southwest was carrying the Oktoberfest ale from Leinenkugel Brewing (WI).  It wasn't great, but it beats the hell out of their usual choices of domestic, mass-produced swill, and it was free since I had some Southwest drink coupons.  Cheers!

When we got to Baltimore, we went and got a late dinner and a couple beers at the local DuClaw Brewing over at the Arundel Mills Mall .  The beer was decent.  I had the Hop Hammer IPA that was nice and hoppy, and a bit disappointing DLF Coconut Caramel Chocolate Ale.  Their food was outstanding however.

One of of faults I have against cruising is that the beers available on-board are usually pretty unexciting.   The Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas was no exception, but it was actually better than some I have been on and did at least have some choices other than Bud or Bud Light.   Since we did get the unlimited drink package,  because it was such a good deal, I got what I could to check in to my UNTAPPD app.  I had a Paulaner Hefe-Weizen Natural Wheat out of Germany that was decent, plus an Amstel Light lager and a Newcastle Brown Ale (because I never checked them in before).  Other decent stuff I had on the boat that was already checked in were some Sierra Nevada Pale Ales, Guinness Stouts and Red Stripe Lagers.

I loved Bermuda, but was surprised to find they don't have a national beer like many other island nations.  Not that I am big fan of weak lager beers like Red Stripe (Jamaica), Kalik (Bahamas), Belikin (Belize) or Balashi (Aruba), I still always look for what a new-to-me country has to offer.  Thanks to Ashlee, I did find a small craft brewery inside an English pub near our dock called The Frog and the Onion where I had a decent Trunk Island Pale Ale from Dockyard Brewing.  I also had a sip of Ashlee's nice Black Anchor Porter.   

VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS...OF BEER! 

10/5:  Our very first stop after getting back to port and driving to Northern Virginia was Vanish Farms Brewing in picturesque Leesburg, VA, where I had their amazing 6-pack flight.  From left to right was the superb Farmhouse Table Ale; the excellent and tangy Mango Smoothie IPA; the solid Session IPA; the good Fresh Hop Pale Ale; their top-notch flagship IPA, Ghost Fleet; and the amazing Imperial Ghost Fleet IV double IPA.  Very impressive from start to finish.

Little did I know I was on the LoCo Virginia Ale Trail which means this area is chock full of great little breweries...I may need to come back soon!

Before dinner tonight in the movie-set cute town of Purcellville, Virginia, we stopped in Jack's Run Brewing for a four-bang flight that was from right to left:  the goodbye-to-summer Berry White Raspberry Wit, the smooth Happy Ending Cream Ale, the robust yet light Mornin' Joe oatmeal stout and the outstanding Afterburner Mango-Habernero IPA.  I also had a sip of Ashlee's solid Haunted Harvest pumpkin ale.

10/6: You are looking at the only survivor of a mission I tried to carry out to sneak three good beers onto the cruise ship.  Since you are allowed a bottle of wine each to carry on and since Ashlee and our friend, Bethany, were getting the unlimited drink package and didn't need to bring wine, they agreed to bring bomber bottles of beer on for me and hope they would pass for wine bottles.  It didn't work...for the most part...they let this one in because it said wine on the label...lol...whatcha gonna do?  I decided to save this one and not drink it on the boat since I too bought the unlimited drink package and instead toted it all the way Fairfield, Virginia, in a Styrofoam cooler to drink in front of a tee-pee (long story).  I give you the Vivid Sauvage Belgian Style IPA Aged in Red Wine Barrels from Green Flash Brewing (CA).  After all that trouble, it wasn't all that great, but I drank it  anyway for the story.

10/7:  Is there anything better than good beer with a view?  If you don't think so, this place is heaven.  Dirt Farm Brewing up on Blue Ridge Mountain in  Bluemont, VA, is easily one of my Top Ten favorite breweries now not only for their great product, but their outstanding locale.  This pic is of the terrific Boots Off IPA.  I also had their decent Milk Stout and a taste of Ashlee's solid Peter Peter Pumpkin ale.  I also finished the shandy my friend, John, ordered mostly because he doesn't like beer.  It was their Straw golden ale and their own grape soda.  Not to shabby for a shandy. 

Later on at dinner back in Leesburg, I had a Punkin Ale (2017) from Dogfish Head Brewing (DE) with my dinner at Lightfoot Restaurant.

I would love to have a cold one with Jack Nicholson!