FALLing into WINTER

10/5 - I went to see the historic biopic, Harriet, tonight at the Providence Theaters.  Thanks Regal Unlimited.  It was OK, but I thought it took a few too many short-cuts and soft blows for the subject matter.  I snuck in a beer from my variety four-pack from Asheville.  The Session IPA from Sweeton Creek Brewing in Asheville was smooth and tasty.

11/6 - Who's got the best wife around?  That would be me.  Ashlee went out to our local Aldi Grocery Store this morning and grabbed me a 2019 Beer Advent Calendar for next month.  That's a beer a day for 24 days!  Ho! Ho! Hell Yeah!! It's gonna be a Merry Christmas!  Thanks, sweet pea, you are the best!  And I will see you 12 oz. boys in a few weeks!!  

11/7 - Hoo-ray for International Stout Day!  To celebrate I cracked open the bomber bottle of the Batch One Theory - Mexican Hot Chocolate stout from Southern Grist Brewing here in Nashville (photo below).  It was fantastically rich and smooth.  Thanks again to my pal, Charly, for nabbing a couple bottles for us on release-day a couple weeks back when I was out of town.

Aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for over 12 months!

11/8 - So, they take sick days away from you at work if you are maxed out, which I am, and I have four days to burn before the end of the year, and today was my first one (cough, cough) or as I see it, my first of four mental health wellness days off.  

After a leisurely breakfast at the Waffle House, I killed a little time looking for a few neat spots in Nashville that I had heard about, but hadn't seen in person.  The first was the awesome hot air balloon mural (complete with basket) over in East Nashville on the side of the new, swanky Cleo Apartments Building.  

I went downtown to look for the Proper Saki Brewery location and also ran across this historic site of the Nashville Brewery built in 1859 and closed in 1954 after a few different owners. I love the vintage darkened hue I put around this shot with an IPhone filter. Salute!! 

I figured it was time for my "second breakfast" at Craft Brewed where I had a couple of...what else...breakfast stouts!  I started with the Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) (2019) from Founders Brewing (Grand Rapids, MI) and it was terrific. Next was the Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS) (2019) also from Founders.  I have the give the edge to the CBS for exceptional smoothness and creamy sweetness.  It probably helped that it was aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels.

After those 11%+ monsters, I finished with a low-ABV brown ale from Anderson Valley Brewing (CA) called their Black Rice Ale   It was a solidly decent brew.  I sat inside since the weather was pretty cold and actually never noticed what a great little room they have behind the bar to relax and have a cold one.  This place is easily my favorite beer bar in all of Nashville.  

With the two Founders Brewing check-ins, I earned the Beer City Brewsader badge on UNTAPPD in recognition of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Founders is located.  They are one of my favorite breweries, so I guess a trip to Michigan needs to be added to the ever-growing Beer Travel List.

I attended the noon showing of the new war pic, Mdway (2019) in RPX at the Hollywood 27 theaters (recliners!) and really enjoyed it.  The movie was, historically-based, well-crafted and well-researched, and was actually better than I was expecting.  It was also the surprise box-office winner of the weekend which makes me happy.  I would love to see a trilogy maybe with the battles of Iwo Jima and Guadacanal  next?  

I stopped by Catch 22 Brewpub in Mt. Juliet on the way home to finish out the day and  enjoyed a Suddenly Comfy cream ale from Dogfish Head Brewery (DE) and a half-pint of the LazerSnake IPA from 3 Floyds Brewing (IN).  

11/10 - We were in Chattanooga again this weekend and I got a chance to stop by Heaven and Ale Brewing for a couple of 9 oz. libations.  I started with their awesome black IPA called the Harsh Caw.  If you like dark chocolate, this is your beer!   I finished with their 2nd Anniversary Barrel Blend stout that was also top-notch.  I always enjoy the artwork that adorns the brewery here.  And it looks like I have found my new favorite superhero. HOPS-MAN!!  

I started a Crazy Pineapple online poker tournament on Global Poker as we drove back home from Chattanooga and wound up winning it over 52 other players and turning my $5 investment to just over $70 in profit.  I needed this since my results on Global lately haven't been stellar lately.  

11/11 - Thanks for your service, folks!  This one's for you!  I cracked open a can of Farm Island Organic IPA (made on contract from Peak Organic Brewing in Maine)  from my Trader Joe's variety pack to earn this cool badge on UNTAPPD on this special commemorative day.  

We saw an excellent show by Ryan Bingham at The Ryman tonight and before the show we ate at a little Mexican cantina called, Nectar, that had great food and a very nice beer list.  I had the oh-so nice Scotch Ale from 3 Floyds Brewing (IN) with my tasty street tacos.

11/12 - The highly-anticipated Disney + streaming service launched today and I ponied up a year's subscription for it, mostly to see the new Star Wars series, "The Mandalorian."  So far, so GREAT! 

11/13 - I checked out the new film, Motherless Brooklyn, tonight at the Providence Theaters (thanks Regal Unlimited!).  I snuck in another coat-pocket beer for the show.  I had a can of the very nice Revivalists Pale Ale from NOLA Brewing (LA) from my Asheville variety-pack.  The movie, a period-piece detective story starring and directed by Edward Norton, was very well done.  Norton's definitely got an eye for being behind the camera as well as solid acting chops in front of it.

11/15 - I was surprised to learn that I squeaked in to the Tournament of Champions at The Poker Barn in Mt. Juliet.thanks to my 2nd place finish earlier this year. I picked up a 3-beer variety pack from Providence Wine and Spirits to enjoy during the game.  The beers were enjoyable.  Getting my pocket kings cracked fairly early on was not.  But for the couple hours I was there, I had a can of Italian Pilsner from Untitled Art Brewing (WI) in collaboration with Fair State Brewing Cooperative (WI) that was tasty.  Next up was the outstanding Hazelnut Imperial Stout (best of the night) also from Untitled Art in collaboration with Mikerphone Brewing (IL).   I ended with a very good Again and Again pale ale pint can from Bearded Iris Brewing here in Nashville.

11/16 - I stopped by New Heights Brewing's 3rd Anniversary/Birthday Party in Nashville today to do a little Christmas shopping for my friend, Charly, my brother-in-law, Andy, and me, of course! They had three specific (and limited) new barrel-aged releases in bomber bottles that I was lucky to get.  More on those as I crack them open on future occasions.  

While Ashlee did a little early Christmas shopping at the Cool Springs Mall, she dropped me off at the excellent Brewhouse South where I watched some football and enjoyed a few cold ones.  I started with an awesome Dark Age Russian imperial stout from Wicked Weed Brewing over in Asheville.  Next up was the impressive Milk and Cookies double milk stout also from Wicked Weed.  After shopping, Ashlee came in and we had an early dinner there.  The food was excellent!  Catfish tacos with red beans and rice!  With dinner we shared a delicious White Chocolate Moo-Hoo (2019) milk stout from Terrapin Brewing (GA).  

I don't usually post 14th place finishes on Global Poker, but when it's vs. 599 players with unlimited rebuys, it's worth noting.  Too bad my $10 investment didn't get more than just under $60 in profit based on the prize pool of $7,500.  Talk about a top-heavy tournament!  I toasted my success with a can from my Trader Joe's variety-pack called the Boatswain H.L.V. Ale from Rhinelander Brewing (WI).  It was about as mediocre as my cash amount was in the tournament.

11/18 - I took another Mental Health Day Off today and headed north for a leisurely breakfast at a Waffle House in Gallatin.   I had a ticket to see an early showing of the controversial satire film, Jo Jo Rabbit, at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters in Hendersonville (recliners!).  I thought the movie was a bit lame and not overly funny.  Glad I got to see it at a huge discount thanks to Regal Unlimited.

To kill some time before the movie, I drove a surprisingly short distance farther north and checked out the Kentucky Downs Casino.  It's a nice place albeit with only slot machines.  Their bar did have some craft beer which was encouraging, but nothing I hadn't already had.  

After the movie I had a late lunch at Blossom Thai and Craft Cavern where I had a couple good libations with my excellent meal of Lao beef jerky and sticky rice (served up in its own tiny bamboo steamer)..  First up was the solid Crux-Mas Ale (in photo above) winter warmer from Hutton and Smith Brewing down in Chattanooga.  I finished with an excellent imperial Vanilla Bean Stout from Avery Brewing (CO). 

11/19 - Ashlee and I saw the excellent new film, Ford vs. Ferrari tonight at our local Roxy Theaters.  I had a coat-pocket beer from my Asheville variety pack.  It was a rather good can of fruit (blackberries) beer called Shade from Mad Tree Brewing (Cincinnati). 

11/20 - It was Lebanon Poker Night once again and I picked up a 3-beer variety pack from Lebanon Wine and Spirits to accompany me on my quest for good cards and better luck.  I eked out a ho-hum 4th place finish, but my beer choices were Top 3.  I started with an interesting and joyful, One-Y, an very tasty 100 CALORIE hazy session IPA from Oskar Blues Brewing (CO and NC).  Fat boys rejoice!!  Next up was a super-tasty and smooth Belgian dubbel from New Belgium Brewing (CO) called Abbey.  I finished up with a solid Festbier marzen-style lager from Victory Brewing (PA).

11/21 - We saw Augustana play tonight at The Mercy Lounge for the umpteenth time and enjoyed them as much as ever.  Before the show, we stopped by Homegrown Taproom and had a few libations with our friends, Wendy and Charly.  I started with a pint of the decent Easy Daze NEIPA from the recently-defunct Mill Creek Brewing over in Nolensville, TN (RIP).  I turned to eight-ounce pours for the next two rich and decadent pours.  The Spacebird pastry/donuts stout from Crosstown Brewing in Memphis was first.  Love their logo shown below.  I concluded with a 16th Dark Czech Lager from Yazoo Brewing here in Nashville.

11/22 - This mysterious posting on Facebook today could mean that Mill Creek Brewing over in Nolensville, TN, has gotten a last minute stay from execution by some lovely guv'nah. 
Lets hope for the best! 

FRANK+ASHE+CHAR = G.A.M.E. Weekend

It is G.A.M.E. Weekend again and while our Titans are about the most woeful offensive team I have seen in many years, we still manage to have a great time around the game itself.  We chose the Carolina Panthers game this season and headed to Charlotte, North Carolina via a couple other overnight stops in Frankfort, Kentucky, and Asheville, North Carolina also. 

10/30 - Ashlee and I picked up our pal, Jeremy, at the airport who was flying in from Salt Lake City, Utah, for the GAME Weekend.   We stopped at Homegrown Taproom for dinner and I had an excellent Vadose Zone stout from Hutton and Smith Brewing down in Chattanooga.  Later in evening back at home, I sipped on a pretty good Simpler Times Lager from Minhas Brewing (WI).  This was the first of a four-beer variety pack I got from Trader Joe's grocery store over in Green Hills last weekend.

10/31 -Four of our group of six going to see the Titans game, headed out early today due north to Kentucky to take in some of the famous Bourbon Trail.  Since my pal, Jeremy, came the farthest for this weekend, and loves bourbon, it only seemed right to include this area in the trip if possible.  Joining us were my good friends, Danny, from Brentwood, and Chris from Chattanooga.  

Our first stop was Willett Distillery for a light lunch and cocktails since they weren't having any tastings or tours that fit our schedule.  Even though this wasn't one our drinks in the video below, the bartender was cooking up some spooky concoctions for Halloween, and ours were excellent, especially the hot High Tea with bourbon.  

Our next stop was Woodford Reserve Distillery where we did get to a do nice tasting of their wares.  This place is really nice and their bourbon is fairly legendary.  The Double Oaked was my fave.

My favorite stop of the day was next at Castle and Key Distillery.  It's a fairly new distiller using a unique historic building and grounds.  Since their bourbon is still in the aging process, the could only offer gin and vodka after their brief tour, but it was good stuff mixed in a couple of very tasty cocktails. 

After checking in to our hotel in Frankfort, we traveled a short distance to  Buffalo Trace Distillery for their Ghost Tour.  I have done this one before, but it was pretty cool to do it again on Halloween.  

I even got a new brewery visit in while here in the land of bourbon, Sig Luscher Brewing was right around the corner from our hotel.  It was a cold walk as the temps dipped below freezing tonight, but the beer was just as cold inside and pretty darn good.  I started with a pint of their 1866 Lager (photo above) that was tasty.  Next was their Oktoberfest Lager which was equally solid.  This is a heritage brewery honoring the colorful character and brewer, Sigmund Luscher, who came from Switzerland in 1866 to Frankfort.

11/1 - We headed southeast toward Asheville, North Carolina, this morning where we were going to try out our first yurt glamping experience.  On the way, we took a nice detour to Cumberland Gap National Park.  The winding road up to the Pinnacle Overlook was worth it with this amazing view of three states( KY to the right, TN straight ahead and VA to the left).  We timed it good with weather too as the rain (or snow  up here at 2,220+ feet)  from the last couple days had moved on giving us miles and miles of visibility. 

We dipped back into Tennessee briefly and stopped for a lunch at the Frosty Mug in Harrogate. Despite the name, this little retro drive-in doesn't serve beer without the word root in front of it, but their food is fantastic.  Best Philly cheese-steak I have had in a good while! 

The yurts at Mountain Springs Cabins just outside Asheville, NC, were much cooler than I even expected.  Our group of six now, since my pals, Wayne and Charly, met us here coming in from Nashville, had plenty of room with both of these units and two private baths in the bathhouse next door.  There is a beautiful stream in the tree line behind them as well, and we were fortunate that the autumn color had arrived a little late this year here in the mountains.  We headed into Asheville for dinner at the Westville Pub/777 Brewery where I had the very nice All Sevens Porter with my tasty meal.

The inside of the yurts were cozy and spacious with plenty of beds to go around!

After dinner we stopped the awesome beer store in Asheville called Appalachian Vintner and picked up a good amount of craft beer to take back and enjoy at the campground deep into the night around a nice fire that was definitely needed as the temps dropped to around freezing again tonight.  I bought a six-pack of the Topwater blonde ale from Fonta Flora Brewery over in nearby Morganton, NC.  It was much hoppier than I was expecting, so I was much happier than I was expecting!  Danny gave me one of his six pack of Cocoa Bolo Coconut Brown ales from Burial Brewing in Asheville.  It was outstanding as well.  I also got a variety 4-pack that I will be taking care of over the next few weeks...stay tuned!!  

11/2 - We awoke to a very frosty morning and an interesting track on the back of Wayne's pickup truck.  Young bear perhaps snooping for food?  We think so although we couldn't find any other tracks.  There was also a garbage can knocked over nearby.  The guys said they also heard coyotes last night but not me (zzzzzz).  

It seemed appropriate that we chose to have breakfast at the local Asheville favorite, The Hungry Bear Cafe.  The food was awesome, and we felt very safe knowing there was a bear on guard duty outside.
We continued east after breakfast a couple hours to downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, and checked in to our Hilton hotel in walking distance of the Panthers home stadium.   To our surprise we learned it was also the Titans team hotel although, sadly, we didn't have any close encounters of the two-tone blue kind.

We headed out on foot in search of beer and found The Carolina Taphouse near our hotel.  Their beer selection was less than impressive so we had one and moved on.  I had their decent Papa Lou's pale ale made for them by Lonerider Brewing over in Raleigh.   We decided to Uber to a nearby local craft brewery called Birdsong Brewing.  Now THIS is what we were looking for!!  Great beer and a cool as hell place.  Their bird logo (photo above) is pretty cool too.  I started with their awesome Rich Girl Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Porter 2019.   I had a sip of Wayne's Windy Hills Hard Cider that they also make here.  It wasn't bad.  Charly gave me a sip of his Wake Up Coffee Vanilla Porter that was really good also. I was a little let down by my next selection, their Mexicali Stout.  I was expecting more of a jalapeno kick that was advertised.

We walked over to a where a local moonshine distiller was supposed to be only to find it was permanently closed (thanks a lot, Groupon).  Some friends that Ashlee and I made on a cruise a while back, John and Jessica Shurley, live here in Charlotte and met us at Birdsong Brewing.  When the moonshine place was a bust, the Shurleys came to the rescue with a suggestion to visit the awesome Old Mecklenberg Brauhaus and Biergarten and even gave a couple of us a ride in their convertible while the rest of us jumped in an Uber.  We didn't have a ton of time here which is too bad since it's such a cool place.  But I did have their top-notch Fat Boy Baltic Porter.

Gotta give a shout out to my old pal, Wayne, for downing a large pint of hefeweizen while at Old Mecklenberg Brewing.  Wayne's pretty anti-beer, but is always a good sport about visiting breweries with me.  Maybe he's starting to come around although he did complain it was too hoppy for him.  But, Wayne, it's a heff.  The hops you are tasting are in your head, not in your beer!!  

We had to get back across town to catch the new flick Terminator Dark Fate at the fancy Studio Movie Grill Epicenter back near our hotel.  It's a nice place where you can order tasty food to your seat as well as beer.  I had the Copper altbier from Old Mecklenberg.  The movie was OK, but kind of a repeat of the original and sequel.  What happened to creativity in Hollywood?
After the movie we stopped by World of Beer nearby and I ended the fun day with a Hot Pistol 2019 stout from NoDa Brewing here in Charlotte.  

11/3 - (Happy Birthday, Momma.  I miss you every day.)  Chris and I were the only ones willing to forgo the free hotel breakfast and check out Mert's nearby for a soul-food brunch.  I had their famous and awesome soul rolls (eggs rolls filled with collared greens, black-eyed peas, grilled chicken and season rice) as well as a side of perfectly-fried catfish.  For the record, it was reported that the hotel breakfast sucked.  Too bad, because Mert's only does brunch on the weekends.  

It was game-day so we walked toward the stadium and stopped by the Graham Street Pub and hung out on their rooftop for a bit enjoying the nice sunny skies and a few libations.  I had a couple really tasty drafts of Pumpkin Latte Blonde by Sycamore Brewing here in Charlotte.  

The weather was great, the Bank of America Stadium was nice, our seats were good...but our team stunk it up with a 30-20 loss that wasn't as close as the final score indicated.  It was a pleasure seeing Christian McCaffrey run all over us and I agree with the crowd chants of "MVP."  I had a tasty Captain James Jack Pilsner from Old Mecklenberg Brewing in a plastic bottle.  I was surprised they let me keep the bottle.  These babies could go flyin' in the wrong a-hole hands...i.e. Philly fans maybe?  

Good friends, good times and a back-assward team.  Whatcha gonna do?
We headed back over to World of Beer to drown our sorrows after the game and I had a tasty tropical IPA called Cruisin' Down the Street in My 6.4% from Amor Artis Brewing (SC).  

We had our final dinner of the trip together at Brazz Brazilian Steak House where my bottomless-pit friend, Charly, meant to make them hurt.  We all did a lot of damage, but Charly was the clear winner.  This wasn't the best Brazilian steak house around, but it is a good addition to our yearly trips.

11/4 - We had a  long drive home westward today.  Charly jumped on an early flight back to Nashville for work obligations.  Wayne headed out next with a stop in Johnson City to see relatives on his agenda.  The final four checked out a little later and we had a good breakfast at Holler and Dash, a regional breakfast chain with over the top biscuits. We dropped Jeremy off next at the airport for his flight back home to Salt Lake City later today.  Danny, Chris and I had an easy ride back with no issues.  We even got a stop in at Bee Rock Overlook in Monterey, TN, for another good view of the fall colors..

Our Hertz rental car, a nice Chevy Equinox, was a good pack-horse for us.  We logged in over 1,000 miles in it for this trip.  Can't wait for next year!!  Minnesota and Green Bay are our two front-runners!