Too Ooh Won Ate

It's a new year and here's some new beer....go!  

1/5 - I was down in Chattanooga on some family business today, but was able to sneak away late tonight and grab a beer at The Casual Pint in Hixson before seeing a late showing of Darkest Hour thanks to MoviePass. I had a pint of the Mex-I-Can Vienna lager from Studio Brewing up in Bristol, TN (that's a new brewery to me).  It was a decent brew, but the movie was far better with an incredible portrayal of Winston Churchill by Gary Oldman who I felt would win some statues for his work. (Editor's note: Sure enough, Oldman grabs the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama two days later).

 1/6 - We headed up to East Tennessee today to spend a night in the mountains.

On our way to Pigeon Forge  we stopped in Knoxville at the Pretentious Beer and Glass Company where they are brewing great beer and creating beautifully unique glasses to serve it in.  Kinda cool to grab a pint at the bar and then stroll over and watch them blow glass creations in front of you.  I had their tasty, but super-cirtrusy For Lack of a Better Term IPA.  I will definitely be back by here when in town and have more time.  Later that night in Pigeon Forge we had a late dinner at the Smoky Mountain Brewery where I had a very mediocre Appalachian Pale Ale.

1/ 7 - I headed into the woods despite the cold weather today while Ashlee, her sister, Paige, and our niece, Ella, opted for some indoor entertainment.

The half frozen West Prong of the Little Pigeon River was a reminder of the harsh temps we have been hit with these last couple weeks.  The temps creeped into the 40's today and it felt like spring!

I went to check out the longest swinging bridge (400' plus) in the U.S. at Foxfire Mountain, a family-owned adventure park in Sevierville.  There is a waterfall on the property also that I wanted to check out, but my time was limited and the hike was longer than I was anticipating.  Plus, it was probably froze solid!  I will just have to come back!  

They had a wishing bridge at Foxfire Mountain so I figured I would wish for what I really, really want.   Help me out Poker Gods.  When I got back to town I stopped at the Mellow Mushroom pizza joint there to await the ladies to finish up their activities.  This regional chain seems to always have a good craft beer selection  at the ones I have been to before, and this location was no different.  I started with a draft pint of  the Stone Xocoveza imperial milk stout that was fantastic.  This California brewery continues to be my favorite of them all.  Next up I had a can of pretty good Hotbox Coffee Porter from Oskar Blues Brewery.  I should have checked to see if this can was filled in their fairly new North Carolina location or at the original source in Colorado.   Ashlee and I stayed for lunch and had some tasty pizza before heading back home.

1/9 -  I had a bachelor night and headed over to Nashville to catch The Shape of Water at The Belcourt Theater.  I really liked this rather odd film, but didn't agree that it should have won the best director Golden Globe over Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk.   Let's see what the Oscar voters think. Before the movie, I walked up 21st Avenue a short distance to Kay Bob's Grill and Ale for a pint.  The place is basically a small casual restaurant without a bar, but I found a stool and ordered a very good Vesethius pale ale from Nashville's own Smith and Lentz Brewing.   It was two-fer Tuesday, so I got a token for another brew, so I guess I will be back.  Plus, the food looked pretty good too. After the film, I stopped by Kung Fu Saloon and had a St. Charles Porter from Nashville veteran, Blackstone Brewing.  I have had this tasty porter before, but never checked it in on UNTAPPD.  Similar to HQ Beercade downtown, this place is packed with vintage video games except the difference here is they expect you to pay to play??  Are you serious??  No wonder the place was DEAD!  You want me to pay $6.50 for a pint of craft beer AND push quarters in a video game from the 80's?  Keep dreamin', hipsters.  Guess where I will never set foot in again....

1/15 - Had a day off today with my baby in honor of Dr. King, and we ambled into Nashville to catch a movie and stopped at the 12 South Taproom beforehand where I had a fairly boozy B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal Imperial Stout from Hoppin' Frog Brewery (OH).

1/21 - I finally got to see one of my all-time favorite films on the big screen today.  As part of a Daniel Day Lewis retrospective, The Belcourt Theater in Nashville played Last of the Mohicans. During this classic film I had a classic craft beer, an Anchor Steam from Anchor Brewing (CA).  I had a few of these before, but never checked one in on the UNTAPPD app.    Afterwards, I walked down to Kay-Bobs Grill and Ale and had a DeadHead Imperial Red IPA from DESTIHL Brewing (IL).  The weather was so unseasonably warm that I was able to sit out side and drink it.  Ashlee picked me for brunch next and we finally settled on The Stillery on Broadway where I had a Palm Retro pale ale from Palm Brewing (Belgium) with my meal.

1/22 - I dropped by our local Roxy Theaters
(recliners!) tonight to catch a showing of the excellent film and amazing true story, 12 Strong.  I flew solo tonight since Ashlee isn't into war movies.    They don't serve beer at The Roxy (yet?  fingers crossed), so I had to settle for some more beer-flavored Jelly Belly jellybeans leftover from Robtoberfest last summer.

1/24 - It was Lebanon Poker Night and I grabbed a variety 3-pack (cutting back a bit from my usual 4-pack).  I got 3rd in the 9-man tournament when my flush draw didn't hit against AA, but such is life.  The beer trio was pretty good starting with a nice Fest Helles lager froun Uinta Brewing (UT), an excellent Belgian quad from Ommegang Brewing (NY) called Three Philosophers and a good and hoppy local IPA I thought I had already tried from Nashville's own Bearded Iris Brewing called Scatterbrain that my UNTAPPD app  had not yet registered.

"And so this is Christmas, and what beers have you had..."

12/24 -12/25 - I got a variety 4-pack to take with me to Chattanooga for the holiday weekend.  I made some good choices as each one was very tasty.  I had the Narwhal Imperial Stout from Sierra Nevada Brewing (CA); the Prairie Paradise imperial stout from Prairie Artisan Ales (OK); the Rise and Pine dark ale from Uinta Brewing (UT) and the Mumbai Rye IPA from Good People Brewing (AL).  

12/24 - I met a couple friends, Chris and Bill, today to drop off some T-shirts I had bought for us and we met at Heaven and Ale Brewing in Chattanooga which thankfully was open.  I had a handful of 3 oz. pours that included their solid School of Thought Vol.1 pale ale; the really good One Trick Pony IPA; the interesting Love Nog imperial milk stout and the quite sour Gondorff's Pie Berliner weisse

Love my new beer coozy I got from my sister-in-law, Paige, for Christmas.  Now, how does she know I like to sit around in my underwear and drink beer???

More great Christmas gifts from Ashlee included this Craft IPA Shampoo and Conditioner from Duffy's.  Smells great, feels good on the old noggin' and keeps me close to beer all day! 

12/29 - 12/31 - I got another variety 4-pack from Lebanon Wine and Spirits for the New Year's holiday long weekend.  It included an excellent Peanut Butter Porter from Back Forty Beer Company (AL), a solid Flannel Friday red ale from Harpoon Brewing (Boston, MA),  a really tasty Cinnamon Roll spiced beer from Southern Tier Brewing (NY) and an OK Kentucky Old Fashioned Barrel Ale from Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling (KY).  

12/30 - My friend, Wayne, and I went back to see The Last Jedi again, this time in IMAX (as it should be) and I enjoyed it even more I think.  

After the movie I stopped by Homegrown Taproom for a few libations.  Saw my pal, Nate, there as well.  The three half-pints I had included the solid Country Boy IPA from Everybody's Brewing (WA), a tasty Scorched Hooker IPA from Calf Killer Brewing (Sparta, TN) which I had had before but never checked in on UNTAPPD, and a very, very good Barista Brew  (2017) coffee stout from Nashville's own Blackstone Brewing.  It earned me the UNTAPPD badge shown above which seemed appropriate given that I just left from seeing a Star Wars flick!  

12-31 - We went  to downtown Nashville tonight to ring in the new year at Acme Feed and Seed and they had a surprisingly good beer menu to choose from.  I had a good Golden Gate IPA from Napa Smith Brewery (CA) and a tasty Northern Lights IPA from Starr Hill Brewery (VA) which I had had before but never checked in on UNTAPPD.  

I ended the night and rang in the new year with a Smashville blonde ale from Wicked Weed Brewing over in Asheville, NC, brewed special for my favorite hockey team who I happened to be sporting my pride that night.