I-P-A RIVER: A Rousing Game of 52-YEAR Pick-Up

I have voices in my head, but don't get me wrong...we're good people...

It's my birthday month, time to mature and change my evils ways, right? Nahh!

4/1 - I decided to take off a slow afternoon at work today and go check out the new film, Hotel Mumbai over at the Green Hills Theaters with its recliner seats since it was one of only two places that it was showing this week in Nashville. It is a well-made, intense thriller that was hard to watch at times, but that I won't soon forget.

4/4 - I was on my own tonight to catch opening night of Shazam! at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters in Hendersonville. It was a very enjoyable movie. It's nice to see DC getting its SHIZZam together as a movie studio. Before the show, I had dinner and a couple craft brews at Growler USA a few doors down. I started with a pretty good Powder white IPA from Rhinegeist Brewing (Cincinnati). I finished with the juicy excellence of a Paradise Lost IPA from Southern Prohibition Brewing (MS).

4/5 - I had a good Friday night of online poker with a small win against 48 other players in a $5 Crazy Pineapple tournament for a $70+ profit, and then a 5th place finish in a larger $3 NLHE tournament vs. 123 other players for about $55 in profit.

4/6 - I got this badge today even though National Beer Day is on 4/7. At dinner in Chattanooga at a great Italian place called Il Primo that had a pretty primo beer list, I had a solid On-Sight Alt from nearby Hutton and Smith Brewing.

4/7 - Ashlee and I did celebrate National Beer Day today with a stop at Happy Trails Brewing in Sparta on our way back from Chattanooga. She had the Pine Divine saison from the guest tap of nearby Calfkiller Brewing which I had a couple sips of and thought it was very good. I chose Happy Trails' Twin Arches - Cappuccino Tiramisu brown ale that was outstanding. This was Ashlee's first visit her and she was impressed.

I got a cool early birthday present from my sister-in-law, Paige, today. It's a great (and masculine) smelling candle housed in a cut beer bottle from Torched Products. The label is theirs, but there are some Blackforest Lagers out there from different microbreweries according to UNTAPPD.

4/9 - Tonight was the final Lebanon Poker Night for the season and it was a BIG ONE as my partner, Derek, and I held on to a slim 7-point lead for second place (which pays $2K) and we were 15 points behind first place which was probably going to very hard to overtake. I got a variety 3-pack from Lebanon Wine and Spirits to help me through the night. I started with a pint can of Mango Milkshake IPA from Honky Tonk Brewing over in Nashville. It was light and tasty. Next up was a dark and delicious bottle of Old Rasputin stout from North Coast Brewing (CA). I have had this great beer before, but never checked it into UNTAPPD. I finished with a so-so can of Can-O-Bliss Tropical IPA from Oskar Blue Brewing (CO and NC).
I never got my favorite hand last night, the above-shown pocket threes, which I have gotten for quads more than once live and many times online, but I did get quad sevens which won me a big pot over a full house! I was maintaining a good stack and then I ran KK straight into AA for a nasty cooler to be knocked out in 5th. Fortunately for us, my friend, John, who was right behind us in points got knocked out next and our seven-point lead held for the $2K second-place season win for me and Derek! Congrats to my pal, Quintin, on his second time winning the league and going to Vegas again to represent us in the WSOP Main Event in July.

4/11 - I was scheduled to see Hellboy at the Opry Mills IMAX Theater tonight, but since it was getting horrendous reviews, I changed my plans and saw The Best of Enemies instead at the Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet since it was getting better reviews, and I love pretty much anything Sam Rockwell does as an actor. It was a moving and awesome film based on an inspiring true story. I definitely think I made the best choice!

Before the movie, I stopped by Catch 22 in Mt. Juliet for dinner and a few craft brews. I started with the must-have Stone Enjoy by 04.20.19 IPA since 4/20 is coming soon, happens to be my birthday, and Stone Brewing (CA) is my favorite craft brewer of them all. It was excellent, as expected.

I got a cool little badge on UNTAPPD on my second check-in, the fruity and light Dragons and YumYums pale ale from Dogfish Head Brewing (DE). It was OK, but a little tart for my taste if I am drinking a pale ale.

4/13 - Ashlee and I attended the hilarious comedy show of John Crist today at The Ryman. Before the show, we had a very early and very tasty dinner at City Tap around the corner. They have a great beer list, so I opened with avery juicy and delicious Tropic Flare New England IPA from Braxton Brewing (KY).

My second beer at City Tap was Game of Thrones: For the Throne Belgian strong golden ale from Ommegang Brewing (NY). It was decent and seemed like a timely choice since the final season of the epic show starts this weekend. Too bad I don't have HBO anymore...

4/14 - We had a great Sunday Funday today that included our first visit to the new (and "controversial"...whatever) Kid Rock's BIG ASS Honky Tonk. They have a nice rooftop bar and it was a beautiful day despite being very windy. The band was killer and the beer list was decent. I had a pretty good Hippies and Cowboys IPA from Tennessee Brew Works here in Nashville which seems an appropriate beer for this fine establishment.

Our next Sunday Funday stop was the also fairly new Pearl Diver tiki bar over in East Nashville. What a cool place! Someone dropped some serious coin creating this swanky joint. I had a can of Rec. League, a New England style pale ale from Harpoon Brewing (Boston) that was just OK. The food was better, so we will definitely be back.
Our real dinner came next back over in Wilson County at the always-great Cherokee Steak House where my pal, Charly, snuck in a bomber bottle of Dragons Milk (2018) imperial stout that we passed off as dark red wine. It went terrific with my giant NY strip!!

4/18 - I had a day off today and headed up to Hendersonville for an early showing of Disneynature's Penguins in IMAX at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters. It was very good with some amazing footage, and it's good to know some of what I paid goes to helping preserve their way of life. Before the movie, I stopped by Growler USA for lunch and a couple brews. I started with a pint of the awesome Frothy Monkey Coffee white stout from TailGate Brewing here in Nashville. It's the first "white stout" I have had from a local brewer where it looks like a pale ale or pilsner, but has the body and flavor of a stout. I closed out with a small 5 oz. pour of Guns 'n' Rose' fruit beer from Oskar Blues Brewing (CO and NC). It might as well be a cider....yawn...not impressed.

2015 throwback pic from our trip to Wisconsin for my birthday and our stop at Potosi Brewing taken by my pal, Danny.

4/19 - We went to City Winery with some friends as a pre-birthday celebration for me and saw the vastly underrated, Martin Sexton, perform. His show was amazing, as was the food, and I even had a new beer from their decent beer menu despite being a winery. I had two pints of the light and refreshing Technicolor pilsner from Bearded Iris Brewing here in Nashville.

4/20 - My best present I got this year for my birthday today was being allowed by my awesome wife, Ashlee, a chance to play some tournament poker over in Cherokee, North Carolina over the weekend. I headed that way this morning and stopped in Knoxville for lunch and a couple craft brews. This was my first visit to the popular and fairly new Abridged Beer Company. These guys are doing it right and even have the approval of their neighbors, a church, to use their large parking lot during business hours....you gotta love Presbyterians! I had their famous Abridge Burger for lunch and it was supremely good. I started the libation list with a Toppy Rock, an outstanding New England IPA (pictured above). Being big UT fans since they are in KnoxVegas, the beer name is pretty outstanding as well. Next up was a supremely solid Maple Latte' Junct double stout.. I ended with their Pride of Bearden English bitter (nitro version) that was also very good. Good thing they had the Preds on the TV so I could kill some time to let these beers wear off before continuing my drive.

Who you callin' an old-timer? Oh wait, yeah, that's me...Cheers!

I thought I was making great time and was looking forward to winding through the Smoky Mountains National Park from Galtinburg to Cherokee when I discovered the road was closed over the Newfound Gap due to high winds (and probably snow and ice which I saw on the trees at higher elevations). So, I had to wind my way around Hwy 321 near Crosby, TN back to the interstate. At least I found this beautiful cascade along the road their to ease my pain.

I made it to Cherokee, NC just in time to check into my hotel (more like motel...but at least the room was clean and quiet) and buy-in to the nightly deep-stack tournament at the World Series of Poker Circuit stop at the Harrah's Casino.

Despite the structure being horrible, I eked out a small cash-out for a 25th place finish which would pay for most of the buy-in for tomorrow's target tournament.

4/21 - I celebrated Easter morning with my own kind of sunrise service at my own kind of church: the Church of Nature. I took a short drive from my hotel and then a short, but steep, hike just after sunrise up to Mingo Falls. My pal, Craig and I, visited and photographed this beauty many years ago, and I impressed myself by remembering the unique shape of the falls before seeming them again. I was the only person at the falls when I visited this morning, and it was a lovely, religious experience.

At noon I sat down for my first-ever seniors poker tournament which wound up with an amazing 440 entrants (with re-entries). I never rebought in and lasted to about 190th place before taking a terrible bad beat that knocked me out. I really enjoyed the experience (up to the end) and will definitely try and play again when possible.

No, thank YOU North Carolina craft beer!

4/22 - I woke up to a gorgeous day today and was bummed I had to leave the beautiful mountains, poker and beer of North Carolina, but I shall return for all three!! The road through the Smokies was opened back up at least, so I got a pleasant drive thru without much traffic this morning. The leaves aren't even out on the higher elevations as this shot above from Newfound Gap shows, but it won't be long.

Another great stop and overlook on the way home was Bee Rock in Monterey just off I-40. I discovered this place for the first time just back in January of this year, but now it all it's spring glory, it's a whole new experience.

My third great view of the day was back home in our pool and the first float of the year and first beer to accompany that float. I got a four-pack of the tasty Stateside Saison (Remastered; 2017) from Stillwater Artisanal Brewing (Brooklyn, NY) at a liquor and beer store in Cookeville called Happy Hour. They had a great selection of craft beer, but no singles to make variety packs, so I got something I knew I could share with Ashlee who let me go on this great trip to start with. Cheers, honey, and thanks!

4/23 - My pal Wayne is a Titans season-tickets holder and I was his plus-one tonight at a 2019 NFL Draft pre-party on the rooftop at The George Jones in downtown Nashville. The free food was delicious and plentiful. The event was hosted by voice of the Titans, Mike Keith, and the guest speaker was former UT player and current NFL analyst, Charles Davis, who we also met briefly before his time in the spotlight breaking down the upcoming draft here in Music City. The view from the rooftop was stunning thanks to mild weather and clear skies with high clouds. In the foreground of the photo above is press row for the draft which starts in a couple days. Thanks again, Wayne, for the invite.

We also got a couple free drink coupons with our entry ticket and some nice Titans/Draft swag including this koozie of mine holding a Yuengling Traditional Lager which I have actually never checked in on UNTAPPD. I started with a local favorite of mine, the Bearwalker brown ale from Jackalope Brewing here in Nashville.

After the party we walked a few blocks over to the east end of Broadway to see the epic 2019 NFL Draft stage that has been erected. Note the tractor-trailer in the foreground for perspective of just how big the stage is.

As we walked closer to the stage, one of my favorite things I spotted in the busy background were these huge Hatch Prints of several NFL teams. That is SO NASHVILLE!

4/25 - Opening night of the NFL Draft in Nashville, be damned, my pal, Wayne, and I just had to be there for Opening Night of Avengers: Endgame in IMAX at Streets of Indian Lake Theaters in Hendersonville. At three epic hours long, it was a great film and an amazing finish to a helluva run by the MCU. Can't wait to see what they have in store for us next! Before the show, we had dinner at Growler USA and with my terrific grilled chicken tacos I had a pint of the excellently smooth Slow Jam IPA from Rhinegeist Brewing (Cincinnati). I also had a 5 oz. taster of the hilariously named double IPA Citra Ass Down from Against the Grain Brewing (Louisville) that was pretty good. Thanks to Wayne for my dinner and brews as a late birthday present.

4/26 - We did make it down for Day 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville that has become quite the media phenomenon. We broke attendance records with close to 600K over the three days.

The "mystery" craft beer was pricey, but at least available, as a choice at the NFL Experience that was spread around Nissan Stadium.

Mystery solved! A can of The Rose blonde ale from Nashville's own Black Abbey Brewing was acquired. Don't you think they should have served "draught" beer at "the draft?"

Titans OT, Taylor Lewan, was signing autographs, but I bet he'd rather being drinking beer...

The flying camera they had running up and down Broadway made for some cool TV shots as Music City showed off well to the world during the NFL Draft. Before entering the fray of the huge crowds in front of the giant draft stage, we stopped in HQ Beercade for some snacks and beer and we were lucky to find immediate seating. I had a good new-to-me IPA that I forgot to check-in (old people problems) and a light, but decent, Radler - Grapefruit and Blood Orange shandy from T.W. Pritchers' Brewing Company (San Francisco).

We watched a majority of the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft with pretty good proximity to the stage. It was a lot of fun and the crowds were jovial and polite to each other which was nice to experience. Overall, it was one of the best times we've had in downtown Nashville in quite a while. Oh, and TITAN UP!!

4/27 - Incredibly, I talked Ashlee into driving 100 miles RT this afternoon to Hix Farm Brewery in Cookeville for a doughnuts and beer pairing. Hix Farm is my favorite of the three breweries in Cookeville and when I saw they were pairing with doughnuts from the legendary Ralph's Donut Shop across the street, I knew I wanted to be there. It was so worth the trip!! The pairings were all excellent with the surprisingly best in our opinion being their Beer is My Weiss sour with Ralph's buttery chess square. First up was their nice Corn Fed Cream Ale with a strawberry cake with cream doughnut. They paired their solid Hix Tennessee Common (Kentucky Common) ale with a maple nut doughnut. The finale was their excellent Papa's Peculiar Percolation coffee stout with a red velvet and cream doughnut.
We spent a little more time in Cookeville checking out an outdoor festival they were having and ended up at Father Tom's Pub where we split a giant burger for an early dinner and I had a half-pint of the really good Royal Quaff English Bitter from Calfkiller Brewing over in nearby Sparta.

4/28 - I won a small crazy pineapple tournament tonight on Global Poker besting 38 other players and turning my $5 investment into almost $70. I needed this for my confidence as I have been running pretty bad on here lately, and earlier tonight took a huge cooler to get knocked out of my WSOP online tourney very early in the going.

4/29 - Ashlee did me another birthday-month favor and accompanied me tonight to a SOLD OUT Lucero Unplugged show at Acme Feed and Seed. It took place on their private-events 3rd floor of which this was our first visit, and it's a great little venue. They had a great opener, and Lucero's hour-long set was excellent. I first saw these guys a couple years ago (see previous beer blog entry) open for Steve Earle, and have been intrigued with their sound, especially the unique gravelly voice of lead singer, Ben Nichols, ever since. Before the show we had a tasty dinner downstairs, and I had a draft pint of the solid Jai Alai IPA from Cigar City Brewing (Tampa) which I have had before but never checked in on UNTAPPD.