BEVruary 2019 - (Dedicated to Evelyn Carroll)

2/3 - Man, was that a boring Super Bowl.  Even the commercials were ho-hum.  Plus, I am not sure I could have cared less who won since the Rams didn't deserve to be there (Saints got robbed) and I will never pull for the Patriots.  But I did have a couple of good beers while I played online poker on the couch with it on.  I started with a solid pint can of Irish Stout from Hi-Wire Brewing (Asheville, NC) in collaboration with Zillicoah Brewing (Woodfin, NC, near Asheville).  I finished with another Asheville product, the tasty Midnight Summit milk stout from Highland Brewing.  

2/4 - Not my favorite style of beer by any means, but I have forged through a few of them including a decent Passion Fruit Kicker wheat beer from Green Flash Brewing (CA) tonight while I watched two of my favorite new shows on "regular TV" ---  "The Passage" on Fox and "I Am the Night" on TNT.

2/5 -  I attended the Preds game vs. the Phoenix Coyotes tonight thanks to some good seats in the shoot-twice area that I bought from my co-worker, Dale.  Ashlee was supposed to go with me, but had to be in Chattanooga for her mom, so I was on my own.  I parked at M.L. Rose - Capitol View again for free and had a couple libations there as well.   My pal, Wayne, met me for dinner there also.  The Preds brought the pain and posted a solid 5-2 win with goal # 4 being a two-pass beauty right in front of me as well as the empty-netter at the end.

At M.L. Rose - I had a couple new beers to check in on UNTAPPD including the beautiful can of I'm On A Boat golden ale from Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta.  The brewers even liked my check-in on Twitter with my quote that  "I'm On a Boat - metaphysically, this is true at all times..."  It was a solid beer also.  I followed that up with so-so Juicy Trip IPA from Garr's Beer Company over in Franklin, TN.  

At the game, I got another colorful craft beer can full of the the tart and refreshing Larry's Latest Flamingo Fruit Fight from Bell's Brewery (MI).     

2/8 - I had the day off and was in Chattanooga today and had a couple good beers with dinner tonight at Basecamp Bar and Restaurant.  I started with the Appalachian Alt from the newest local brewery here, Wanderlinger Brewing.  I have yet to go by and check this place out yet, but the beers I have had of theirs, including this one, have been solid.   I finished up with the super-hoppy and delicious Beyond the Galaxy IPA from Terrapin Beer Company (Athens, GA).

2/9 - At dinner tonight in Chattanooga at The Bitter Alibi I had a can of the dank and tasty Lucid double IPA from Bearded Iris Brewing in Nashville.  The food and beer list here are outstanding.  I will be back! 

2/10 - I drove back home tonight from Chattanooga with a heavy heart since I had to leave Ashlee with her mom, Evelyn, in ICU.  She had a serious bowel perforation and had to have emergency surgery.  Luckily, she was already in the hospital for a UTI when it happened which probably saved her life.  I decided to stop by Hix Farm Brewery in Cookeville and hoisted one to "Evie-baby."  The Hoppycock! IPA wasn't super hoppy, but I enjoyed it's clean, crisp flavor.  

2/11 - I headed over to Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet this evening to catch an early showing of Miss Bala which was OK, but fairly predictable and a little eye-rolling at times. Thanks for the Sinemia deep discount at least.   I did sneak a great beer in at least to watch it with.  The Nuttercup porter from Brew Link Brewing (IN) was really smooth and tasty.  

2/12 - They had an early screening of the new flick, Alita: Battle Angel, tonight at the Opry Mills IMAX, so I decided go check it out.  The visuals were pretty good, but the dialog and acting were so-so.  Before the show I stopped by the Bavarian Bierhaus for dinner and a brew.  I had a half-litre of the Pfungstadter Schwarzbier  (Germany) dark lager that was a little better than the movie.  

2/13 - It was Lebanon poker night for me again and I took a 3-beer variety pack with me that I picked up at Lebanon Wine and Spirits.   It was a frustrating 4th place finish, but at least the beer was good.  My first of the night was a tasty pint can of Hard Wired Nitro porter from Left Hand Brewing (CO).  Next up was the super-good Harpoon The Craic Irish Red IPA.  I loved the hops rush of this one.  Harpoon is one of my favorite "old school" micro-brewers from Boston.  The finale was a really good Mardi Gras Bock (2018) from Abita Brewing (LA).  

2/17 - I was in Chattanooga for the day meeting Ashlee who was staying down there with her mom in ICU.  Before the scheduled afternoon visitation, we stopped by Heaven and Ale Brewing for a couple of togs and a tasty cheese plate.  I had a 5 oz. pour of their solid Born Again pale ale and another 5-ouncer of their Hazy Lullaby, a light and flavorful New England style IPA.   They always have the coolest murals on their walls at Heaven and Ale and this new one was pretty cool.
At dinner a little later on at the Frothy Monkey in the old Choo Choo building I had a delightful Citrus Pepper saison from Garr's Beer Company out of Franklin, TN.  

2/18 - I had the day off and cruised into Nashville to catch another Oscar-contender film, If Beale Street Could Talk, at the Hollywood 27 Theaters over at 100 Oaks since it was one of the only places showing it now.   I got to say I was overall disappointed in the film and while I love Regina King, I just didn't see her performance as a front-runner for Best Supporting Actress.  Right now, I would give it to the almost-always-vanilla, Amy Adams, for her impressive portrayal of Lynne Cheney in Vice.  Who really got screwed was Nicole Kidman as she was snubbed for her excellent turn in Boy Erased in my humble opinion.   What didn't disappoint was the Barrel Aged Dubhe Imperial Black IPA from Uinta Brewing (UT) that I had at Craft Brewed before the show.  It was beautiful and tasty.  

Another cool new badge from UNTAPPD.  

2/19 - It was $5 Bargain Tuesday at our local Roxy Movie Theaters, so I went to check out the fact-based dramedy, The Upside, which I had heard good things about and which I did in turn, enjoy very much.  I was able to sneak in a craft beer for the show, of course, and tonight's contestant was the Pixan pepper-infused porter from Left Hand Brewing (CO).  It was smooth and rich with just the right amount of pepper kick. 

2/22 - Had another day off today and so I headed into Nashville to catch a showing of Fighting With My Family in the new recliner-theaters at the Hollywood 27 with my Sinemia account.  I thought it was pretty good even though I am not much of a wrestling fan.  Before the show I stopped by the new, tiny Mill Creek Brewing Taproom over on 12 South and had their Absolute Magnitude double IPA which was solid.  The rent must be pretty high here because this pint was PRICEY!  Doubt I will be back here.  I have not, as of yet, visited their actually brewery in nearby Nolensville, but it's definitely on my list.  

2/24 - I had to watch the Oscars alone this year with Ashlee still in Chattanooga with her mom still in the ICU.  It was an enjoyable show and I didn't have too many gripes about who won although I thought Richard E. Grant deserved the Best Supporting Actor nod.  I did have dinner in Chattanooga with Ashlee before I headed home and we ate at Edley's BBQ where I had their signature beer, the Edley's Granny White Ale, which is brewed for them by The Black Abbey Brewing Company up in Nashville.  It's a nice witbier that goes pretty well with the barbecue and all the fixings.  

The month ended on a very sad note as Ashlee lost her mom, Evelyn, who fought long and hard through a series of medical issues.  As a mother-in-law, I couldn't ask for much better.  She was always kind to me and showed me more than my share of love.  We will miss you, Evie-baby.  I raised a couple to Mrs. Carroll over the weekend of her service.  The first was a Michelob Amber Bock that my brother-in-law, Andy, shared.  I have had this decent mass-produced beer before, but never checked it in on UNTAPPD.  After her service at dinner at Edley's BBQ in Chattanooga I raised a pint of the English Brown Ale from Chattanooga''s own, OddStory Brewing, which was very good.  RIP, sweet lady.

 Evelyn never looked down on my craft beer obsession and even tried a few with me now and then if the flavor sounded good to her.  Here's a great picture Ashlee snapped of her at The Brewhaus just down the street from her home in North Chattanooga.  Salute, Evie-baby!