I-P-A RIVER: Ladies and gentlemen...the next beer post

Finally got my funny and cool Belching Beaver Brewery (CA) patch that my wife got me a while back put on a Dickies work shirt thanks to a local alterations shop here in town.

Speaking of beer wardrobe, I am enjoying my new UNTAPPD hat. I am wearing it "hipster-style" so I don't give away my age...I am sure it's working....LOL

6/1 - I was able to go to the Poker Barn tonight for some live tournament poker action. I stopped beforehand and got a 3-variety pack from Beer World in Mt. Juliet which continues to impress me with its selection. I started off with a tasty Goalden Ale from Mill Creek Brewing over in Nolensville, TN. This looks to be the official beer of the new Nashville Soccer Club of the USL League (photo right). I love that a local craft beer is a team sponsor! I wonder if they will continue their relationship when the new MLS team arrives? Next up was a Windy Hill IPA from Mikkeller Brewing (San Diego) that was very good. I finished with a Resting Brew Face (hilarious name, photo above) IPA also from Mikkeller. This one was solid as well. Speaking of finishing up, I got second place tonight and several $20 bounties in the tournament for a nice $400+ profit. I think I could have gotten first, but as 2 AM approached I just didn't have the stamina to grind any further and ran my A9 straight into AK.

6/2 - I was headed to Chattanooga today for a concert and decided to stop at Red Silo Brewing in Cookeville on the way. I had a couple pints: the You Mango Me Crazy fruit beer that was pretty good and the extremely good Float the Creek Session IPA. It was early and the place was quiet and I was able to have a nice conversation with the brewer and a couple of nice ladies who like to run before they drink in the A.M. My kind of thinking! My other stop on the way to Chatt-town was a roadside wet-weather waterfall on Cagle Mountain that I have been wanting to check out for years now. She's a beauty that dumps into Little Brush Creek and was running nicely thanks to all the stormy weather as of late.

Before the show in Chattanooga (an awesome gig by Fitz and the Tantrums) we had an outstanding dinner at Edley's Barbecue which also has a nice craft beer menu. I especially liked their chalkboard art depicting the beers currently on tap of which I had the solid AVL IPA from Highland Brewing (Asheville, NC).

6/3 - I was excited today to check out the new American Draft Beer Hall set up in a train car at the Chattanooga Choo Choo along with my beer-loving friend, Chris, and, my beer-loving wife, Ashlee.

What a cool concept! You give them a credit card and in exchange they give you a card key to activate any of their several draft stations of craft beer, pouring it yourself for as much or as little as you want. They had a much better selection than I was expecting with more than a dozen craft beers on tap both local, regional and from across the U.S. I started with a nice half-pint pour of the Coral Bay IPA from Jig Head Brewing up in Cookeville. It was tasty. I tried Jig Head's porter next called the 48 Fathom which was really good. I got a sip of the CocoNutorious red ale from Four Sons Brewing (CA) before the keg blew.

Here's a shot of the draft station in one end of the converted rail car. There were window seats to the right and a few booths (behind me in this shot) and even a bathroom. Next up for me was the Chattanooga Dynamo Appalachian Pale Ale from in-town Chattanooga Brewing. It was terrific.

I even got a cool UNTAPPD badge from the experience. I ended with an excellent Astronomical IPA from Wicked Weed Brewing (Asheville, NC). All my beers plus Ashlee's came out to around $20. Not bad at all! We will definitely be back to check this unique place out again!

6/4 - I saw a film tonight called Upgrade that is probably my favorite of the year so far. The strange thing is there is basically zero marketing for this great, but unheard of, movie even though it won the Audience Award at SXSW earlier this year. They don't even have a good poster for it!!

6/5 - It was Lebanon Poker Night tonight and I got a variety 3-pack from Lebanon Wine and Spirits. The card-playing wasn't good, but the beer sure was as I enjoyed all three. First up was a refreshing grapefruit-based Schofferhofer Hefeweizen from German macro-brewer, Radeberger Gruppe. I followed that with an updated and super-hoppy Hop Stoopid (2018) from Lagunitas Brewing (CA). Last, but not least, was a very tasty coffee-based Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Stout from Alltech Lexington Brewing.

6/7 - I had the day off today from work today and volunteered to take my mother-in-law back home to Chattanooga after she had been visiting us for a couple days. On the way back, I made a couple stops to enrich the trip. First, I dropped by Heaven and Ale Brewing in Chattanooga and had a couple libations including their outstanding IPA called Juice Buckets. I followed that with another solid pale ale called Class Dismissed. My second stop was a first for me. I finally got to visit Cookeville's third microbrewery (how does Cookeville have three and my town of Lebanon has ZERO??), Jig Head Brewing. Very cool facility and their saison Skipjack (photo above) was extremely good. With them being less than a mile from the interstate, this will definitely not be my last visit here!

6/8 - Ashlee to airport. Rob to beer. After dropping off Ashlee at the airport tonight for a trip to Philly, I officially began my "bachelor weekend" and my first stop was just a couple miles down the road at the Homegrown Taproom for a couple half-pints. I started with a delightful Friki Tiki - Pineapple IPA from Catawba Brewing (NC) and finished with a Han Brolo (great beer, great name) pale ale from Monday Night Brewing down in Atlanta.

6/9 - I really deserved some beer today after spending the early afternoon with my crazy sister on her birthday, seeing the house I grew up in had been torn down, and seeing my mom and dad's grave-site hadn't been cared for all year...SHEESH...so I took I-24 home from The Valley and timed it just right to check out Ole She Brewing in Tullahoma. What a great little place! I have been a fan of their beer for a while, but this was my first chance to visit their taproom next to their microbrewery. Wish they were closer to the interstate. The place was quiet since they just opened for the day and I started with a decent Vanilla Nut Brown ale. I got a bonus of being able to watch my "almost-mater" Tennessee Tech maintain a lead over # 13 Texas in Game 1 of their 3-game series in the college world series playoffs. I finished with a very memorable and interesting Red Wine Aged Porter. I couldn't drink of lot of this one, but I sure won't forget it. I also won't forget this great little place and will return whenever I can.

Just a few miles from Ole Shed Brewing is a dandy little privately-owned but graciously open to the public place in Manchester called Rutledge Falls. I seem to remember visiting this place in the past, but never got a good photo of it and don't remember it being so pretty. I deserved this beautiful site and tranquility also after the day I had!

6/10 - I finished the weekend with an entire bachelor Sunday to myself. After sleeping in a little and playing some online poker that didn't go too well, I headed to Hendersonville to check out the new film, Hotel Artemis, in the recliner seats at the Regal Theaters at Streets of Indian Lake. What a snooze that film is! Too bad: great cast, neat story idea, but it just really went nowhere.

The ho-hum day was saved a bit by some great food (Asian chicken bites...I had two orders of them!) and good beer just down the way from the theaters in Hendersonville at Growler USA, my favorite new-to-me beer bar in the area. I even got to watch TN Tech play in Game 2 of the three-game series against Texas although the result was a tough 4-2 loss for the Golden Eagles. On to the rubber match Game 3...Go TECH! I started with a good Phone-A-Friend pale ale from MadTree Brewing in Cincinnati. Next up was the solid Schlossbier from Hollow Pointe Brewery here in Nashville (photo above with one of my favorite beer quotes also on the wall from Ben Franklin). I finished with a nice half-pint of the Salmon Pants helles lager from WarPigs Brewpub in Copenhagen, Denmark.

6/12 - We saw the living legend, Al Stewart, tonight at the City Winery in downtown Nashville. I gotta say the guy is pretty spry and his musical talent remains sharp for a 72-year-old! Before we headed downtown, we had a dip in the pool after work and I had a couple pint cans of Honey Do Golden Ales that I picked up at Ole Shed Brewing in Tullahoma a few days ago during my visit there (post above). At the show I had a decent Solid Gold lager from Founders Brewing (MI).

6/16 - It was pool-day today with hot temps and a free Saturday to ourselves, so I dropped by Lebanon Wine and Spirits for a variety four-pack to have by the pool. I started with a tasty bottle of the IPA from Omission Beer (OR) which I tried out my new Wonder Woman Koozy on (thanks to my sis-in-law, Paige, for this neat beer-gift). Next up was a boozy bottle of Scotty Karate bourbon barrel Scotch ale from Dark Horse Brewing (MI). Then it was the zesty and refreshing bottle of Tangerine Wheat from Lost Cost Brewing (CA). I finished the day with a hoppy and delicious can of Hoppyright Infringement IPA from NOLA Brewing (LA).

6/17 - It was another pool day with some guests this time, so since I had to share, I opted for three new-to-me six-pack cans from Lebanon Wine and Spirits including the pretty good pale wheat ale called The Volunteer from BriarScratch Brewing just up the road in Gallatin. What a beautiful can wrapper! Go Vols!! Next was an outstandingly smooth milk stout from BrewDog (Scotland) called Jet Black Heart. I had a taste of Ashlee's Strawberry Fields sour gose from Little Harpeth Brewing over in Nashville. Yuck... I finished the day with a surprisingly good TN Times Pilsner from Blackberry Farms Brewery up in the Smokies.

6/19 - I saw the movie, Tag, with my work buddy, Casey, tonight. What a great movie. Really well done and funny as hell.

6/21 - I headed up to Hendersonville after work today to catch opening night of Jurassic World: Fallen Empire in IMAX at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters there. The movie was quite good. Scary and sad at times also. I had dinner and a couple of belts at Growler USA near the theaters before the show and watched some of the NBA Draft as three of my Duke boys went in the first round. Good luck Marvin, Wendell and Grayson! I started with a tasty and interesting Citreamsicle IPA from Mantra Artisan Ales over in Franklin. I could swear there was a pepper kick to it?? I finished with a 5 oz. taster pour of the Summertime Wheat hefeweizen from Rahr and Sons Brewing (TX).