I-P-A RIVER: Summ-beer in the Summer

It's hot.

If we are not in the pool, then let's stay inside and
play online poker, watch movies and DRINK BEER!

Time to put Austria on the travel wish list!

Well done, UNTAPPD, well done!

Why not start this month with some PRIDE and with some history. One of the newest historic markers in Nashville is on Charlotte Avenue touting the Nashville Porter and Ale Brewery. With a founding date of 1815, it was one of the first ever in Music City and its link to Nashville craft beer pioneer, Blackstone Brewery, makes it pretty cool.

6/2 - I had a bachelor Sunday to myself today since Ashlee flew up to Philly to see a work friend, and then for business a couple days next week. After dropping her off at the airport this morning, I decided to take a flier on the new Bright Burn movie. I am usually not a horror movie fan, but the intrigue of an evil kid with super-hero powers (kind of an anti-Superman) and the name of James Gunn as a writer had me interested. I headed over to the Hollywood 27 Theaters since they have recliners and they were showing something later that I wanted to see also. The movie wasn't bad although the excessive gore so they could call it a "horror" movie seemed stupid to me. It's definitely set-up for a sequel or two. We shall see if it improves and changes course away from being a gore-fest.

Beforehand, I stopped by the one of the newest craft breweries in Nashville called Various Artists Brewing. I love their cool logo. They are also now one of the closest to me with their location on Elm Hill Pike. Their beer is high quality also. My friend, Nate, brought me some of their fare to our pool party recently and I liked both of them that I tried. Today I had their excellent Big Impale IPA and their tasty Weave Street Robust Porter. The place is small, but nice. This should become a fairly regular stop for me while going in and out of Nashville.

I had just enough time between my double-feature to zip over to Craft Brewed and have a beer out on their sunny patio. I chose The Easygoing Drink, a grisette from Garden Path Fermentation Brewery (WA). What's a grisette? Good question. I had to Google it myself. It's a Belgian style of ale beer. This one was fermented in a foudre (large wine cask) and smells tart, but tastes dry and fruity. I enjoyed it, especially on this warm day outside.

With the grisette, I hit a milestone on UNTAPPD. I will be honest, I didn't know there were 130 different styles of beer, let alone, that I have tried that many. I certainly do get around!

My second film of the day back at the Hollywood 27 Theaters (recliners!) was the brief re-release of probably my favorite film ever, Saving Private Ryan. In honor of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day later this week, this 1998 classic was being shown back on the big screen, and I just couldn't miss it. I will put the first 20 minutes of this up against anything ever filmed as the best in history...

After the movie, I headed over to the cool developing neighborhood of The Nations in West Nashville to check out yet another new Nashville-based craft brewery. Harding House Brewing is a nano-brewery, so their selections are limited, but solid. I started with their very good Deep Roots Carrott APA made with carrots from a farm just a few miles away. In my mind, I poured a little out for the men who were at D-Day and silently thanked them for their service and sacrifice. I finished with their Joyful Be Summer Ale that was light and clean. Welcome to Music City, HHB!

I closed out the day back home with a small tournament win on Global Poker. I turned my $5 investment into a little over $70 in profit vs. 44 other players which isn't so impressive, but I needed the win for my self-confidence since I have been taking it on the chin lately. (Editor's note: I got 4th in the same tournament the next night to add another $20 to the coffers.)

Two movies, two new breweries and a poker win - THAT is a good day!

6/3: I had the day off today (and a bachelor day to boot) and decided to beat the heat again with an afternoon matinee of Godzilla: King of the Monsters once more, but this time on the new X Screen which is a new style of 270 degrees of projection now available at the Hollywood 27 Theaters. I saw it last week in the normal format because we couldn't find an IMAX showing that worked for us, so this new type of screening seemed worth a look. It was pretty cool, but nothing life-changing. The additional screens are not used throughout the entire movie and while they do a pretty good job on the big action scenes with matching what's on the main screen, it doesn't add that much. If the price is the same as a traditional showing, it might be worth another look, but that's about it.

Before the show, I stopped at Catch 22 in Mt. Juliet for lunch and a couple cold ones. I started with the solid Southern Sphere IPA from TrimTab Brewing (Birmingham, AL) and finished with an interesting Graeter's Key Lime Pie Ale from Braxton Brewing (KY) that was pretty darn good.

After the first movie (yep, it was another double-feature day for me) I made a fun stop at the corner of Edgehill Avenue and 12th Avenue at the tiny Polar Bear Park. These large humorous (and historic, circa 1930) polar bears engaged in a snowball fight were interesting to see on a hot, sunny day. It was probably good to see them during the day as well since this area is still a bit sketchy despite all the new development nearby.

Before my next film, I stopped by Hopdoddy and had an icy cold Neon Leon light lager from Hap and Harry's, one of least favorite Nashville "microbreweries" (owned by the Lippman Brothers Distribution so I doubt the realness of this being a true microbrewery), but it was all they had that I had not already checked in on UNTAPPD. It was actually decent and worth the check-in I guess.

To avoid rush-hour traffic back home, I made it another double-feature day by catching a showing of the documentary, The Biggest Little Farm, over at The Belcourt Theaters which is the only place it is showing in the Nashville area. The cinematography in the preview looked great, so I was hoping it was worth my time to see it on the big screen. Man, it was well worth the time and visit! Visually stunning and an amazing and moving story (teared up a little at the end). It's too bad more people aren't seeing this stunning film. Hoping it will get some Oscar love next year.

6/4 - I headed down to Murfreesboro after work today to meet my old pal, Craig, who was in town for work. I picked him from his hotel and we headed to Jack Brown's Beer and Burger Joint for a tasty dinner and a few libations. I started with the juicy goodness of the Transcendent IPA from Mill Creek Brewing over in Nolensville, TN. I finished with a disappointing Nightmare on Brett (Aged in Oak Barrels) sour porter/ale from the Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project (Denver, CO). Here's the problem with most sours in my opinion, the "sour" taste overwhelms everything else. I tasted no oak, no coffee since it was dark porter, just sour from start to finish. Luckily, Craig liked it and we swapped second beers halfway through and I finished his Transcendent IPA. We moved on to Hop Springs Beer Park for another libation as we enjoyed sunset, twilight and into darkness out on the patio of this beautiful new place.

At Hop Springs I had the Humulus Project: Rethink, a hazy New England IPA that was very good from one of the three small brewers producing here. It was served in a Steel Barrel brewing glass and I love their hash-tag/motto.

6/8 - Ashlee and I headed over to West Nashville this afternoon for a few fun stops. We met up with our pal, Wayne, at 51 Kitchen and Bar for lunch and with it I had an interesting Montucky Cold Snack lager from Montucky Cold Snacks (interesting and funny way to name your brewery) out of Bozeman, MT. It was very light, so much so it was almost water...but it actually had flavor unlike Miller Lite and other watery mass-produced swill.

After a very fun tour at Penningston Distillery nearby, we stopped by Harding House Brewing to try their brand new Strawberry Saison which was good, but not as great as I was hoping. During several rousing games of War between us three, I also had their very solid Dry Nitro Stout.

6/9 - We had to run up to Cookeville to pick up our niece, Ella, who was spending a week with us, I took a mini-growler with me and we stopped by Hix Farm Brewery and I got a fill-up of their Floatin' farmhouse ale that was very good. I enjoyed it back home in the pool as we dodged thunderstorms and rain throughout the day.

Another small success in online poker tonight was a 2nd place finish in the nightly No Limit Crazy Pineapple tournament as I outlasted 40 other players and turned $5 into $40+ worth of profit. Baby steps, baby steps...

6/14 - It was Friday, work was over and it was hot. Time for some pool and beer. I stopped by Lebanon Wine and Spirits and got a variety four-pack to imbibe in. I started with a very good can of the Blue Pants Brewery (AL) Pils.

In my variety pack I also got a bottle of London Porter from Fuller, Smith and Turner (England) so I could get the World Pint Badge from UNTAPPD. You have to check in at least two beers from two countries that have teams participating in this year's Women's World Cup. Go USWNT!!

I capped a good Friday night off with another win in the nightly Crazy Pineapple tournament on Global Poker. I topped 37 other players, which is about average for this tournament, and cleared close to $70 in profit.

6/15 - We went down to Chattanooga today with some errands to complete and were going to spend the night, but decided to head back home instead. It was a good choice since we got to witness this beautiful sunset on I-40 on the way back We also stopped by the Vine and Barrel Liquor Store in Hixson and stocked up some brews for the weekend and as birthday gifts for our brother-in-law, Andy, and our friend, Charly. I got a variety 4-pack for myself that included an excellent can of First Ascent Schwarzbier lager from Chattanooga's own Hutton and Smith Brewery that I had before we headed back.

Another bonus to heading home earlier than planned was a back-to-back win of the same Crazy Pineapple poker tournament on Global. This is the first time I have won the same daily tournament two times in a row. There was one more player than the night before and the pay-off was the same.

6/16 - In the immortal words of Jim Morrison of The Doors, "Well, I woke up this mornin' and I got myself a beer!" I was in the pool by 10 AM with a poured bottle of the decent Morland Old Speckled Hen ESB from Greene King Brewing (England) from my Lebanon Wine and Spirits variety pack. At 11 AM I cracked open a spectacular can of the Stone Revengeful Spirit Imperial IPA to salute the US Women's National Soccer Team 3-0 whup-up on Chile to advance to the Knockout Stage of the 2019 World Cup.

I was back in the pool by the second half with a can of the pretty-labelled and excellent tasting Fudgesicile imperial stout from Untitled Art (WI) from the Lebanon Wine and Spirits variety pack.

I got a cool badge on UNTAPPD for the Fudgesicle beer check-in because it was a collaboration between Untitled Art in Wisconsin and our very own Yazoo Brewing here in Nashville. We headed over to our friends'' Wendy and Charly this evening to celebrate Charly's birthday and I took a couple of pint cans from my Vine and Barrel variety pack to consume. First up was the solid Terpene IPA also from Untitled Art (WI). Next was the Pineapple Terpene IPA that was even better with its citrus twist on the classic IPA.

6/17 - I had a nice day off today and after taking our Subaru for an oil-change over in Franklin, I had lunch at the new-to-me Quinn's Neighborhood Pub and Eatery nearby. They have a solid craft beer list, of course, and with my tasty burger and fries I had a pint of the very good Deadhead IPA Series: Extended Jam from DESTIHL Brewery (IL) and a pint of the so-so Bourbon Cask Dark Ale from Innis and Gunn Brewing (Scotland).
After lunch I headed over to the Hollywood 27 Theaters (recliners!) and caught a matinee showing of the new comedy, Late Night. It was pretty good, but I was hoping it would be funnier. Emma Thompson was great in it and I have always had a thing for that mature English minx.

6/19 - We had to drive up to Cookeville this evening to collect our beloved CRV after service from the Honda dealership there. We stopped by Father Tom's Pub for a tasty dinner and I had a decent red ale from the local Red Silo Brewing called The Handyman. We moved on from there for a quick stop at Jig Head Brewing where I had an OK Jig Head Sunfish witbier. I also had a few sips (and created its UNTAPPD check-in since it's so new) for the pretty good Jig Head Sangria (photo above), a semi-sweet cider with notes of wine and citrus.

I completed the Cookeville Trifecta by stopping by Hix Farm Brewing for a small growler fill of Oenothera, a fascinating wild ale (photo above) made with the syrup for Sun Drop (my favorite soft drink of them all) and then aged two years in George Dickel whisky barrels. Oenothera, by the way, is the genus of the flower species used in Sun Drop syrup. This amazing beer (my first 4.75 rating for a sour beer) was on a guest tap from VonSeitz TheoreticAles in nearby Smithville. This new nano-brewery has a small beer garden open now in Smithville, so I can't wait to check it out ASAP!

I enjoyed my first half-pint of Oenothera while watching the first episode of the new season of Yellowstone, the best TV show on right now from the mind of Tyler Sheridan, the best writer in Hollywood right now.

6/22 - This close up of one of the wine tanks at Nashville Urban Winery made for a cool shot. We had a great tasting there tonight of some of their pretty good wines and excellent food. They also have a nice beer menu, and afterwards I had a decent Strawberry Gose wheat pale ale from local Little Harpeth Brewing that wasn't sour, but had a little tartness that was pleasant and tolerable.

6/25 - I took a solo trip into Nashville tonight to catch a showing of the 25th Anniversary of Forrest Gump at the Hollywood 27 Theaters (recliners!). It is still one of my most vivid memories of seeing a movie in a theater (the gunfire in the Vietnam scenes is downright scary). I am still not sure it should have won Best Picture over The Shawshank Redemption, but it's a damn fine film.
Beforehand, I stopped by Craft Brewed for a libation. I had a terrific Wisconsin Stout from Untitled Art Brewing (Milwaukee, WI). I moved across the street next to the Melrose location of M.L. Rose Craft Beer and Burgers to catch a few innings of Vandy baseball in the College World Series. There I had a solid Official Hazy IPA from Bell's Brewery (MI) and a light and refreshing Ripple White Ale from 4 Hands Brewing (St. Louis) that was perfect with a slice of orange floating in it. (Editor's note: Vandy went on to win Game 2 of the series, forcing a decisive Game 3 tonight vs. Michigan for the title. Go Dores! Anchor Down!)(Second editor's note: Vandy took the 2019 title in Game 3!!)

6/26 - The online poker success continued tonight with a decent 3rd place finish from a fairly large 90+ field. With the buy-in and an add-on, I cleared just over $90 in profit.

6/30 - We had a great lazy weekend spent mostly in the pool, and today I ran over to Lebanon Wine and Spirits and got me a variety 3-pack to float around with. I started with a decent bottle of the Double Bean Blonde by Schlafly Brewing (St. Louis). Next up was a terrific draught can of Belhaven Black Nitro stout (Scotland), and then I ended with a one I have had before, but never checked in on UNTAPPD: a bottle of the solid Turbodog English-style brown ale from Abita Brewing (LA).