I-P-A RIVER: WARNING: The preceding craft beer post is for entertainment purposes only

Momma always said to take your vitamins...

7/3 - My friends, Craig and Barry, met me at our house today to do a little brewery/bar crawling before the Jeff Lynne's ELO show tonight at the Bridgestone Arena.

We started our crawl at Catch 22 in Mt. Juliet for lunch and a libation or two. Both of them had flights, but as the driver for this part of the afternoon, I just had one pint and it was a very good New England IPA called Orderville from Modern Times Brewing (CA).

I really didn't know that Elm Hill Pike was considered a "separate region of the world" but I got this badge from UNTAPPD for my next check in at Various Artists Brewing which was our second stop of the day. Unbeknownst to me, Various Artists was actually closed today, but we got very lucky that Pat, the cook( and crack PR coordinator) for VAB was on site when we pulled in. He turned off the pressure-washer he was using on their large smoker out back to tell us that unfortunately they were closed...BUT...let's have a beer anyway! Thanks, Pat!! We promised him we only needed one, but over the next hour or so, we not only had one, but a bunch of samples thanks to our pal, Pat. He said everything was on the house, but we tipped him well anyway. In order, here's what I had that was new to me: a pint of the solid Cityside IPA; a sample of their new (Blueberry Sour which isn't even for sale yet, but should be a big seller because it's pretty darn good); another sample of their very good Elm Hill Amber lager: and a final sample of their decent Bobby Shorts pale ale. What a great visit!

Pat told us about the new Krobar in the Kroger grocery store in Brentwood which I had heard vaguely about recently. He confirmed that it did exist and it was awesome. Guess I have another reason to go visit Brentwood again ASAP!

We headed on downtown and parked the car before any more beer got in my system and then hopped on some pay-scooters before they are gone from the streets of Nashville...just kidding...good riddance to this nuisances and you would never catch me actually riding one...I have too much life to live and craft beer to drink! We parked in the new convention center parking garage and walked a short distance to Barlines in the Omni Hotel to catch the opening half of the game that would determine the opponents for the USWNT in the World Cup. Their craft beer selection is limited here and the only new-to-me beer I found on tap was a so-so Country Style NEIPA from Honky Tonk Brewing here in Nashville.

We decided to move on to watch the second half from City Tap nearby which I knew had TVs and a much better beer list. As we watched The Netherlands eek out a win over Sweden and I had a Bel Air Sour from Brooklyn Brewing (NY) that wasn't bad. I am still not the biggest fan of sours, but on a tip from Pat back at Various Artists, he recommended a sour in the middle of a day of IPAs to cleanse the palette and "reset" your taste-buds. And it worked I think! The Hop Circus Vol. 5 Tropical White IPA I had next from Hi-Wire Brewing over in Asheville, NC, was outstanding!

Speaking of Asheville Breweries, I lusted after this little gem during our walk downtown. I still want this to be my kind of work car!!

Since it was a Wednesday, our choice of microbreweries that were actually open was limited. We finally got to another one after 4 PM. We Ubered over to Honky Tonk Brewing because it was close by and since Craig and Barry had never been here. This isn't my favorite Nashville brewery by a long shot, but ya gotta have some variety now and then. The vibe here has never done much for me either, although I do like the IPA dragon on the wall. I opted for a can, yes a can, of their Giggawatt double IPA...how do you not have that on draft if it's listed on your board? Anyway, it was outstanding, and probably one of my favorites of the day, so I will give them that.

We needed food now...well, Barry and I did, Craig had kinda hit the wall (without hitting the floor, lol)...so after an unsuccessful Uber over to Von Elrod's Beer and Kitchen Hall...the place was packed due to an upcoming Nashville Sounds baseball game...we walked a few blocks away from the stadium to the Sedona Tap House which I knew had a good beer menu and great food from a previous visit. Neither fact had changed. I had some outstanding Thai shrimp and a draft pint of The Stonewall Inn IPA from Brooklyn Brewery in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the riot at the historic Stonewall Inn in New York that was a milestone in civil rights for the LGBT community. Salute! Sorry I missed having this during Pride Month by just a few days. It was very good and a great way to close out a day of day-drinking with two great pals.

Oh yeah, the concert...it was AWESOME...Jeff Lynne is 72-years-old and a living legend who still brought it all night with a wonderful show full of hits and spectacle. Our seats were up high, but dead center and even my wife and friend, Bridgette, joined us. We got back home late and the boys spent the night with us since it was a holiday the next day.

7/4 - The next day was Independence Day and we celebrated out by the pool (at least til the storms came) and I got three half-growlers from Providence Wine and Spirits to imbibe during the day. First up was the Stick Horse Cowboy IPA from Tailgate Brewing over in Nashville. It was pretty good. Next up was the outstanding (and boozy, 11+% ABV) Beerista imperial stout from Terrapin Brewing (GA). Last up, but not least, was the excellent Damguday 8 NEIPA from New Heights Brewing in Nashville.

Big thanks to my pal, Nate (Jul Bock), for setting up our pool on FourSquare as a check-in place for beer on the UNTAPPD app. He settled on FC Lagoon as the moniker (Fulfer-Carroll Lagoon) and I love it. Thanks also to Nate for sharing a can of the oustanding Old World Russian Imperial Stout (2018 edition) from his visit recently to the Brewdog Brewing facility over in Scotland. A trip he actually won through Brewdog. Congrats and thanks again, Nate!

7/5 - We saw the new Spiderman: Far From Home film in IMAX tonight at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters in Hendersonville. I didn't get to stop by my usual haunt, Growler USA, while up that way, but I did get to have another Nate-gift in a can of Midnight Cab saison from Rahr and Sons Brewing (TX) before heading out. It was interesting to say the least. It's a whirlwind of flavor as a Cabernet-barrel-aged black farmhouse ale.

7/7 - It was a great day of soccer in and for America today as the USWNT started with a 2-0 win over The Netherlands for the 2019 World Cup! My boys with Atlanta United blew a late lead in front of a crowd of 70+K at home to score a 3-3 tie with their growing rival, the New York Red Bulls. And the USMNT took a tough 1-0 loss on the chin in the final for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup vs. Mexico. I toasted the great day of footie with another Nate-gift: a can of tart and refreshing Pickle gose from Urban Architect Brewing (Cincinnati).

During all the soccer, I also scored a decent 2nd place finish today vs. 99 other players on Global Poker for just under $80 in profit.

7/9 - We saw a great show tonight at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville from Rob Thomas who we've loved for a long time. Before the show, we stopped by City Tap for a libation and I had an awesome draft pint of Double Two-Hearted Ale from Bell's Brewing (MI). That took their classic IPA and added double the hops and you know I like that!

7/10 - It was another night at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center tonight and another craft beer beforehand nearby. Tonight's event was a guest speaker for National Geographic Live, and the beer was a cool and refreshing Catfish kolsch from Turtle Anarchy Brewiing here in Nashville with a tasty dinner out on the patio at The Southern Steak and Oyster restaurant across the street.

7/12 - We were back downtown tonight for a beautiful evening at Ascend Amphitheater to see one of our favorite live bands, Fitz and the Tantrums. At the show, I bought an overpriced, but refreshing and tastier than I expected, pint can of Del's Shandy from Narragansett Brewing (RI).

7/14 - I scored another win in the daily late-night Crazy Pineapple online tournament that I play pretty regularly. I bested 41 other players for a profit of just over $65. I did this also while watching this year's WSOP Main Event Final Table begin where the stakes were just a bit higher...first place, $8 million.....one day, maybe, one day.....

7/15 - Another night of watching the WSOP Main Event Final Table and another night of success online for me. I got second vs. 83 other players in a nightly Pot-Limit Omaha (definitely not my best game) tournament for a large $175 profit. At the same time I got fourth in the nightly Crazy Pineapple tournament that I won the night before.

7/16 - We were back at Ascend Amphitheater tonight to catch a twin headliner show by The Goo Goo Dolls and Train. I ponied up for another way-overpriced beer, but at least it was big and cold. The Double Nothing Fancy cream ale from Nashville's own New Heights Brewing went down smooth and easy. And the show was great!

7/20 - It was a good Saturday pool-day, so I dropped by Lebanon Wine and Spirits for a variety six-pack to split over the weekend. I gotta say that collectively this was one of the best set of selections I have ever made. Every one of the beers were solid. I started with one of the best in taste and the absolute best in title, Adios Pantalones, a light lager cerveza with hints of lemon and lime from Rahr and Sons Brewing (TX). Perfect for pool time and no-pants time! Next up was another great product from Rahr and Sons called Palenta De Mango, a kolsch with chile and lime and a collaboration with a Casa Cervecera Morenos, a microbrewery in Mexico. I hope to visit Rahr and Sons over the new year when we are in Fort Worth. Next up was the super-tasty UFO Georgia Peach hefeweizen from Harpoon Brewing (Boston). The swimming lingered late into the day so I broke my rule and popped by fourth brew, a tasty session IPA from Braxton Brewing (KY) called Jam Session.

7/21 - The swimming was a little more intermittent today, but I had enough time between dark rain clouds to finish off the variety six-pack. This bottle of Cirrusly Wheat from Abita Brewing (LA) was great. I finished up with a tasty can of Golden Ale from Terrapin Beer Company (GA).

7/23 - I got another variety 3-pack from Lebanon Wine and Spirits tonight to accompany me in my first outing in this year's WSOP League here in Lebanon. I am splitting my seat this year with a guy named, Chip, and he had a decent showing in our first game by coming in fourth. I got down early in chips when I ran my QQ into AA, but battled back to finish a very respectable 3rd place. Along the way I had the following in order: a pint can of the solid Forecast lager from Bearded Iris Brewing in Nashville; a surprisingly good Icebox sour gose from Southern Prohibition Brewing (MS) that was actually more tart than sour; and finally a Stone Brewing Enjoy Be .07.04.19 Unfiltered IPA, and while I was a little late to the suggested date, it was still an almost perfect craft beer.

7/24 - I had a much-needed bachelor day off today with Ashlee away for work, so I decided to make it another double-feature movie day along with some brewskies, of course. I headed up to Hendersonville to start the day and had a little time to kill before lunch, so I decided to check out the historic Rock Castle plantation home which was completed in 1796 on the edge of Old Hickory Lake. It was a nice day for a quick walk around the pretty property. I didn't get a chance to go inside, and didn't really want to since a large school group was visiting at the same time.

I had an awesome lunch at Blossom Thai Restaurant and Cellar Door Craft Cavern (yes, I found it again!). I had their chicken fried rice and a very interesting adult beverage called the Lemon Orchard Kombuca from Flying Embers Brewing (CA). A kombuca is sort of a hard lemonade concoction. This one was very tasty and went perfect with the Thai food since it lingered in taste with ginger and a few other Far East spices.

My next stop was in East Nashville at Southern Grist Brewing where I had just enough time before my movies started to enjoy a DDH Mixed Greens XXXVIII (38) New England IPA out in the sunshine. It was outstanding, and these guys continue to be my favorite Nashville-based craft brewer.

I had a free movie voucher on my Regal app, so I took a flyer and went to an early-afternoon showing of the new horror flick, Crawl at the Hollywood 27 Theaters at 100 Oaks in Nashville. I had heard positive reviews of it and I thought it was decent. The CGI "super-gators" looked pretty good.

I moved on next to the see the brief re-release of Glory on its 30th Anniversary. This is one my favorite films and I don't recall ever seeing it on the big screen, so I loved it, and only teared-up three times! "Give 'em hell, 54th!!"

7/25 - I had a chance to see Once Upon A Time in Hollywood at the Belcourt Theaters with my friends Danny, Brenda and Kyle tonight. The kicker to this showing was that we saw it in a SOLD OUT 35 mm print screening, one of only a few places in the nation showing it in this format. Tarantino continues to be a bit overrated as a director in my opinion, but it was an interesting alternate-reality flick with some great turns by Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. Before the show, I stopped by New Height Brewing in downtown Nashville for a couple snorts that included their excellent Double Tryestar imperial IPA and their refreshing and light Apricot IPA.