2021...FINALLY!!

 

"That is horseshit on [two] basic levels..." - "World War Z"

Well, some things were OK in 2020

See.....not all bad....problem?  What problem?  Everyone else are just slackers!!

1/2 - I had to go down and visit my crazy sister  today which believe me was not how I wanted to start the new year, but I was able to squeeze some sanity out of the day with a stop in Cookeville on the way back home to check out pretty little City Lake Falls, and make a stop at Red Silo Brewing where I ran into my UNTAPPD pal, Robert, and had a pint of their so-so Husky Stallion cream ale...needs to be actually CREAMY as the name implies, folks.  

1/3 - I watched the Titans and the Texans today in a crazy game that the boys almost blew, but eked out a win and took the 2020 AFC South Division title and move on to the NFL Playoffs next week as a #4 seed.    During the game, I cracked open the first of a couple pint bottles that I picked up while at Red Silo Brewing in Cookeville yesterday.  Their coffee stout, The Dublin 2020, was outstandingly smooth and creamy (unlike their "cream" ale yesterday?).  

1/4 - I finally got off a long losing/barely-cashing slide in online poker tonight with a first-place chop with another player vs. 13 others for $120+ in profit on PokerStars.  It would have been a little more, but we gave $15 off the top two places to the bubble-boy in 5th.  The text message blurb above was from my friend, Richard, who got knocked out in third place and was sweating my comeback as I was down about 5 to 1 in chips when it got heads up and I battled back to actually pull a little ahead in chip-count when I asked my opponent if he wanted to chop.  I appreciate Richard's encouragement and confidence that I could have won it, but it was late and I was no longer at the beach as he thought and had to get up and go to work in the morning...unlike him.  

I watched a pretty good French-made cops and robbers film called The Crew on Netflix this week.  They've gotten really good at dubbing foreign movies now where it's a pretty smooth flow.

I helped out our local art-house Belcourt Theater by virtually renting from them the new wild and weird WWII creature-feature, Shadow in the Cloud.  It is an over-the-top ride, but was kind of enjoyable. And, man, that Chloe Grace Moretz has grown up to become a stunner.

1/6 - Christ, what a shameful day for this country.  Nothing like living through history that is embarrassing and sad.  I had a beer to calm my nerves while watching the news coverage tonight and ironically it was from Bold Patriot Brewing over in West Nashville.  Well, these people today at The Capitol were thugs, not patriots, so let's get that straight right now.  It was actually a pretty good stout called the Henry Knox Vanilla Oatmeal Stout.  And while Knox may have been instrumental as a general in the War for Independence, later in his life, he led a shameful campaign of organized genocide of Native Americans as the Secretary of War.  So fuck him too.
Thanks to Ashlee for picking me up a variety 4-pack of 12-oz. crowlers today from BPBC while she was working nearby there today.  It sure would be nice to hoist the other three to happier times.

1/9 - I found a charity to give my 10% of poker winnings from the other night, a meager $15, to, but every dollar counts I guess.  These guys are based in Lawrenceburg, TN, and  help sexually-abused children.   I found out about them through a Facebook Group I am in called The Nashville Craft Beer Social Club who are running a beer-raffle next weekend as a fund-raiser for this same organization.   

 
I bought four $5 raffle tickets as well, of course.

We were in Chattanooga today and picked up some lunch while shopping the Whole Foods in North Chatt.  With my tasty pizza slice I also got a single can of The Gorge IPA from Naked River Brewing which is here locally.  It was tasty and light, and I just love their cool can wraps.  

I also finally got off a long slide of small cashes or just plain zilch in tournament poker lately on Global with a 2nd place finish in a small daily Crazy Pineapple progressive bounty game vs. 68 others that netted me $84 in profit.  I think I could have even gotten first place, but the butthole I was playing said he was tired and just kept pushing all-in after I had cut his big lead down to almost even, and, of course, he eeked out a knockout when I fell for his antics.  My mistake.  Hopefully, this is a good omen as I start a week of tournaments on here in their Micro Thunder Series.  

(for my 10% donation to charity I gave a little more with a $10 donation to Support Crew Nation that helps out live music crew-members who are definitely not getting much work during Covid-19) 

1/10 - I settled in on the couch today to watch the Titans in the playoffs vs. the Baltimore Ravens.  It was gonna be hard to beat this talented team three times in a row, but at least the last two times it was in Baltimore.   And it didn't happen...as we lost by a  touchdown.  But, we did have our opportunities, but some bad decisions by coaches and players doomed us in the end. Well, at least hockey is back this coming week!  During the game I cracked open an extremely tasty Vienna lager in a crowler can from Bold Patriot Brewing over in West Nashville called the Bernardo De Galvez.  

1/11 - Ashlee and I tuned into the free weekly travel conversation via Zoom called "Monday Night Travel " with Rick Steves tonight.  Since the talk was of European festivals including Oktoberfest which we both want to try and attend someday (and since Steve was drinking a couple beers as well), I cracked open a bottle of a Belgian-style blonde ale from Red Silo Brewing up in Cookeville that I picked up the other day. They call it The Belgian Thong.  Seemed an appropriate enough beer name!  It was smooth, light and enjoyable.   Cheers to Rick and the hope to travel internationally again soon!

1/12 - I bought a livestream show from Marc Roberge of O/A/R tonight and while Ashlee and I were watching it, I also played some online poker...so, rarely do you get a chance to actually play poker while "Crazy Game of Poker" is being played live (a small portion of it in the video below)...no big news on the poker front unfortunately, but I did have my first two small cashes among huge fields in Global Poker's Micro Thunders Series.

1/14 - I tuned in to the Nashville Predators opening night game vs. Columbus to start a truncated 2021 season and with no fans at Bridgestone Arena for now.  But despite all that, it looked pretty good on our new 50" television!!  And we got the 3-1 win!! During the game I cracked open a crowler can of their brand new George Washington chocolate porter from Bold Patriot Brewing.  It was very good and so new that I had to add it to UNTAPPD.  

Earlier at lunch today I took a nice a nice mile-long walk on the loop trail at the Couchville Cedar Glade State Natural Area over near Mt. Juliet.  I plan to this nice stroll as many times as I can this year for a little bit of fitness.  And it's a great place to have lunch as well which I mentioned before in this blog.  Doesn't this pic look something out of The Ghost and the Darkness...?

1/15 - Not two of my more favorite characters from the MCU, but the first-ever Marvel TV series, "Wandavision" started streaming on Disney+ today, so I figured I would give it a look.  I watched the first two episodes and they were a little goofy, but interesting enough to keep me tuned in for the rest of the season.  

Ashlee and I streamed the new film One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime and thought it was very good .  And as Regina King's first directing gig: pretty impressive!  

With Ashlee in Key West with a her friend, Mollie, for her birthday, I was free to do some "beeroaming" over the weekend.

1/16 - I headed west this morning intent on trying a famous "slaw burger" at Honey's Restaurant in Fayetteville, TN.  The historic (1923) place was jumping when I arrived, but I found a place at the bar and ordered a double slaw burger with tots.   It was decent and interesting.  The slaw is served cold and contrasting with the warm beef patty, was a memorable taste.  But I can't say it changed my life or anything.  I would come again, but it would have to because I was in the area for some other reason. 

I headed south next into Alabama and checked out the Green Mountain Land Trust area just outside Huntsville.  This area contains Alum Cave and small, but pretty, Alum Falls.  The hike was about a mile in and then back out and my old knee did well.  The scary and weird thing that happened was that while on my hike, two cars next to mine were broken into.  I feel fortunate that mine was spared.  It would have been a long ride home with a busted window in the winter air.  I was shocked this happened here because the trailhead is very close to a main road feeding some very affluent home developments.  Man, people suck everywhere.  

Alum Cave is less of a cave and more of giant overhang of beautiful rock that provided shelter for Native Americans in the distant past.  Of course, in true Alabama redneck fashion there was an old pick-up truck in the woods below that had been pushed off the cliffs above in the not-so-distant past. 

Ok, now we get to the beer.  Huntsville has quite a collection of craft breweries, a couple of which I have had a beer or two from while in Chattanooga, but I've never visited any of the actual breweries themselves.  The closest one to the hiking trail was Fractal Brewing Project, so they became my first visit and I was impressed.  It's a beautiful new facility and the beer is legit.  I started with their flagship Fractal IPA which was excellent.  I intended to take some 16 oz. crowler cans home with me, but they were out of them, so I settled for another pint there.  I chose the light in calories and ABV Jogger Lager which was tasty and smooth.  I was able to buy a bottle of a barrel-aged porter they had available that I plan to crack open and share with my pal, Charly, next week as we toast President Biden taking office on Inauguration Day! 

As I mentioned above, I had a bevy of choices for my second stop.  Unfortunately, this would be my last stop for this trip because of time and a long drive home ahead of me.  I chose the small nano-brewery, Chandlers Ford Brewing, because they had a badge on UNTAPPD you could earn, and I liked the name.  Turns out it was a great choice!  Man, what a cool little place in historic downtown Huntsville. The brewery is part of the BeeZr Gastropub which also includes a taco company (the chorizo tacos were excellent!).  I chose the incredibly good Hash Passion NEIPA.  Plus the glass it was served in and their European-style logo were also very cool.  I will definitely be back here and back to Huntsville ASAP for an overnight trip to take in some more of this cool little city and its many craft breweries. Plus, they got rockets here!! 

1/17 - I got up early this morning and headed toward West Nashville to meet my best friend, Craig, and do some hiking and some craft beer drinking.  But my first stop was the brand new location of Just Love Coffee Café in the fancy McEwen Northside area of Franklin.  I chose this café because it's owned by my favorite Titan player of all time, Keith Bulluck, and I was hoping he might be around.  He was not, unfortunately, this morning but my Chai tea latte and breakfast burrito were delicious nonetheless.  I will be back again, # 53!!     

I met Craig at Narrows of the Harpeth which is part of the Harpeth River State Park.  I had never seen the  historic Montgomery Bell Tunnel in person and wanted to check it out.  I thought this shot of it looking straight into the morning sun was pretty cool.

While the tunnel was interesting, the weathered cliffs above it steal the show.  They are quite amazing with commanding views of the Harpeth River Valley.  It was a chilly day, but quite beautiful for a winter view.  Can't wait to come back to see this view all decked out in green.

My favorite shot of the day was this gnarled old cedar atop the cliffs at The Narrows.  Look how the root has bridged across the rock to find soil to grasp on to for life.  What an amazing world that is just all around us.  It was great being out with Craig again like the old times in college when we shared a love of nature photography and hiking was the cheapest and best form of entertainment for us.

Our next stop was another section of the HRSP called Hidden Lake.  This former renowned retreat and spa has been taken back over by nature and it's a beautiful area to walk around and discover.  This large quarry lake lies right next to the Harpeth River, but is definitely "hidden" among the hills here.  This will be another place worth a re-visit in the spring or summer.  

We ended the day over in Craig's old hometown of Dickson where Furnace Brewing has started operation in their historic downtown.  We both had a flight of 4 samplers and I was very impressed with each of mine.  The went as follows:  their brut IPA, the Champagne of Dickson; their Belgian blonde called the Two Timer; their smoked Furnace Brewing Back Alley Bier; and their Puh Con Porter.  I finished with a pint of their also-tasty Furnace Brewery Pig Iron Amber.  We got to meet the owner and brewer, Chris, who was very nice.  I hope to throw these nice folks some more business any time I pass through here in the future.  

I got home in time to jump into the Main Event of the Micro Thunder Series on Global Poker and while it only a little more than doubled my entry fee, I was pretty proud to have finished 70th out of 1006 other players.  This was also my best finish in this week-long series that dealt me out a bevy of brutal bad beats and coolers throughout.  

1/18 -  I headed down late this afternoon to the Malco Theaters in Smyrna to check out the new film, The Marksman -wait isn't this just another Liam Neeson action film?  Really?  Yes, really.  It looked halfway interesting to me.  It was OK at best, and a little overly and needlessly violent, but I will always give Mr. Neeson a chance because he has produced two of my favorite characters ever in cinematic history:  big brother Briar in the otherwise awful Next of Kin; and John Ottway in the awesome film, The Grey.  After the show I stopped by the The Casual Pint and had a decent cream ale from nearby Half Batch Brewing in Hendersonville called Two Foot.

I also finally got to make a brief stop at the Smyrna Airport today to check out the Blue Angel jet up close that they have displayed there.  I didn't know this is actually a memorial to a Blue Angel pilot who died some years back at an airshow accident here in Tennessee.  

1/20 - Oh, happy day!!  I took my usual day off from work specifically today to celebrate the last day that POS would be in the White House.  We went over to our friends, Wendy and Charly's house to celebrate the Inauguration of Joe Biden as our new president this afternoon and, of course, I raised a beer to the wonderful occasion. I shared a bomber bottle of Culture Spark: Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter that I brought back from Fractal Brewing down in the Huntsville, AL, recently.  It was smooth and delicious just like the transition of power today.  That was my only beer of the day as shots of 46 Bourbon from Maker's Mark seemed appropriate for our 46th president and a champagne as well. 

Netflix dropped another new action/sci-fi flick, Outside the Wire, this month that I watched recently wishing it had been on the big screen.  Man, I love Anthony Mackie is just about anything he does! 

1/24 - We were in Murfreesboro today and Ashlee was kind enough to drop me off at Mayday Brewery while she did a little shopping and I watched some of the NFL Playoffs where The Goat eked by the Packers to get to yet another Super Bowl. While there I had a pint of their boozy, but pretty good, Holiday Reserve Barrel Aged Milk Stout (aged a year in a Heaven Hill barrel).  I finished with their excellent NEIPA called Daddy's Money (photo above).

We were out so late shopping that I had to start this PokerStars regional home-game tournament on my phone as we were at the grocery story, but got home in time to switch to my laptop and take home a first-place chop with two others vs. 13 players for a nice $140 in profit.  I had been chip leader for a good part of the tournament and had a slight lead in chips when I suggested the chop since it was already past 10 PM and we all still had relatively deep stacks.  

1/25 - The "Snowpiercer" TV show Season 2 started tonight.  I really enjoyed Season 1 and it has a great cast including the addition of the always-great, Sean Bean, now!  I toasted the new season with my last variety 4-pack pint crowler from Bold Patriot Brewing over in West Nashville:  a jim-dandy rye IPA called Thomas Jefferson.

Well, it's official...I'm going to Mars!!!  Well, my name is at least.  See ya in 2026!

1/27 - My January Beer Drop order arrived today, and it looks like a great mix of varieties with an imperial stout, an NEIPA (of course), a Belgian-style ale, an interesting wood-aged pub ale, and a Mexican-style lager.   Cheers to the new year of beer!! 

I got another three-way chop for first tonight in our regional game on PokerStars.  Only $70 in profit, but it was hard-earned since it was an idiotic turbo format in which I had to rebuy.

(with 10% of this win and the other on 1/24 - I gave $25 to my old high school chum, Kim, and his church down in Alabama who do mission trips to Guatemala and have been for several years now.)

1/29 - I took my usual day off today so I could go see the new serial killer film with three Oscar winners in it called The Little Things.  I mean come on, it's  Denzel Washington, Rami Malek AND Jared Leto??  It has to be awesome, right?    Before the late afternoon show at my favorite pandemic movie theater, the Malco in Smyrna, I headed down to Manchester to check out some waterfalls at Old Stone Fort State Park and planned to have lunch at the craft-beer-friendly Harvest Local Foods nearby.  Except they didn't have any food, except groceries to take home?  Oh well, they had a great craft beer bar and I had two tasty libations before seeking out lunch somewhere else.  I started with the The Horizon - a double IPA from Common John Brewing which is just around the corner (but not open til later in the day).  Second was another CJBC brew, their golden ale called the Straight and Narrow.  

With a recommendation for lunch from the Harvest staff, I drove a mile or so to Jiffy Burger, a Manchester instituion since 1965.  What a cool local hangout!  My burger was excellent and them having Sun Drop on tap was as thrilling as the beers I just had!!  Gotta come by here again! 

Another couple miles down the road is Old Stone Fort State Park which is sandwiched between the Duck and Little Duck Rivers and it was a quick and easy hike to three sets of cascading stairstep waterfalls here.  Why I have never been here before is beyond me.  What a beautiful and easily accessible area!  I mean look at the honey-hole below Big Falls on the Duck River in the photo above?  That's gotta be full of red-eye rock bass, doesn't it?  Time to renew my fishing license and get back down here this spring!!

I actually hiked past Blue Hole Falls on the Duck River on my way to Big Falls.  So I doubled back and enjoyed the brink-high view of it in the decently warm weather for late January.  

Little Falls must be named for the river it's on, the Little Duck River, because it's anything, but little.  I was running out of time before I needed to head out, so the best shot I could get of the long series of cascades from the trail up above was with the video below.  I will definitely be back when I have more time and can climb down to the water level for better photos (and fishing hopefully).  I also had a beer after my hike as I brought a can from my Beer Drop order with me.  No alcohol is permitted in Tennessee state parks, so I had to be discreet when I enjoyed my tasty Eastern Star NEIPA from High Hops Brewing (CO). 

Remember when I said The Little Things had to be good with this much acting power in it? Well, it wasn't....there are a few interesting moments, but overall it was a weak story, not very dramatic, and really fell apart in the third act including a beyond stupid "WTF" moment (where'd he get the shovel from????)  Oh well, the beer I snuck in was good at least.  It was another can from Beer Drop order, the somewhat boozy, but interesting, Oak Tooth wood-aged pub ale from Locavore Beer Works (CO).

1/30 - I met my pal, Charly, over at New Heights Brewing in downtown Nashville today to peruse their cellar clean-out bottle sale.  Bottles were flying out of there, and we were lucky to get a few despite getting there only a little while after they opened.  I got a couple of bombers to be named later, and while I was there I had a pint of their  tasty, coffee-rich Stay Gold Ponyboy white stout.  

Charly had never been to nearby Various Artists Brewing, and I wanted to check out their recent addition to their tasting room, so we headed there next for a couple more libations.  I started with their excellent Juicy Modo IPA that was dank and hoppy as hell.  Yummo!!  I finished with their amazing Russian imperial stout, the Russian Concussion (great name!).  Ashlee stopped by as well and joined me for that last one along with a young guy passing through who looked a lot like the lead character "hunk" in the Netflix show "Bridgerton."  Her words, not mine.  LOL. 

1/31 - I closed out the month with a nice freeroll win of an $11 ticket to the upcoming Grizzly Series on Global Poker today.  Not a huge win, but finishing 169th out of 3,500 in a goofy turbo freeroll ain't too shabby.  

Totally tubular, dudes....

Beer is your DESTINy

 BEACH - BUM - BEER - BUM

11/21 - We headed south today as Ashlee is snow-birding again down in Destin, Florida, for six weeks.  I will be coming back and forth as work allows.   We had the cats in tow so our stops going down were limited, but Ashlee did let me make a quick stop at Interstellar Brewing in Alabaster, Alabama, where I grabbed two four-packs of plastic-bottle mini-growlers of their always-interesting ginger beer.  I cracked opened one of each for the rest of the ride south including their fantastic Dark and Spicy (their take on a dark and stormy) that was full of spice and flavor.  Next up, I toasted the sunset in the photo above with a Ginger Colada that was tropical and smooth.  Both of these will be great on the beach this week!  

11/22 - One of my first goals in Destin today was to go by Beach Liquors and peruse their always-awesome craft beer selection for some beach beers for the week. I picked up a couple of variety six-packs to get me going. We had great weather and headed to Crystal Beach (a short walk from our rental house this year) where I enjoyed the following couple of newly bought brews: a 12 oz. can of the really good Okobee pale ale from Big Top Brewing over in Sarasota, FL; and a pint can (photo above) of the solid double NEIPA called Interstellar Fog from Captain Lawrence Brewing (NY)

11/23 - It was back to the beach again today with more beer in tow.  I started with a 12 oz. can of the light and enjoyable brut IPA known as BamaMosa from Back Forty Brewing (AL); then a terrific NEIPA pint can called Spreadsheets and Deadlines frim DSSOLVR Brewing (Asheville, NC).  I waded out in the surf and finished this next one in the Gulf of Mexico.  The German-style pilsner pint can called Pills Mafia from Thin Man Brewing (NY) was smooth and tasty.

My lovely niece, Ella, wanted to sport my Jig Head Brewing hat for a bit  while we were there on the beach, and I thought it looked pretty good on her.  She's gonna be a heart-breaker for sure! 

11/24 - We  arrived at the beach today to see quite the feeding frenzy going with the aquatic birds feasting on a large school of fish near the beach.  Cool video below:

There was a beer-frenzy this afternoon for me back up on the shore as I continued with my variety packs from Beach Liquors.  I started with a pint can of the excellent double IPA called Bullet Takes Flight from Shebeen Brewing (CT).  I had a couple sips of Ashlee's Delirium Red fruit saison, but wasn't much of a fan of it's tartness.  I bounced back with the amazing Category 5 IPA from Due South Brewing  over in Boynton Beach, FL, that absolutely reeked of hops!! I finished the frenzy with a nice hefeweizen called Weissenheimer from DESTIHL Brewing (IL).  

Back at the house tonight I hollered and screamed throughout the MLS playoff game and into overtime when my NSC squad scored a huge 1-0 upset over the #2 seed, Toronto, to move to the semi-finals in the Eastern Division.  During the game, I enjoyed a Delirium Tremens, the well-known Belgian golden ale (which somehow I have never checked in on UNTAPPD),  First time I've ever seen this legendary beer in a pint can.

11/25 - Destin - Today's first beer on the beach, the solid Mill Pond Dirty Blonde ale from Oyster City Brewing in nearby Apalachicola, FL, earned me a milestone badge on UNTAPPD.  My next two beers were even better.  The Conch Republic Key Lime wheat beer from Big Top Brewing (Sarasota, FL) was light and refreshing.  I finished the day with an excellent can of Peanut Butter Porter from Saugatuck Brewing (MI). 

Fields of gold, how about a beach of gold!   This was actually yesterday's (11/24/20) sunset.

11/26 - Happy Thanksgiving from Destin!!  The weather turned out to be much better than forecasted today, so we opted to shift our holiday meal to the evening instead of the afternoon, so we could enjoy some more beach time. The photo above is probably one of my favorite "beer on a beach" pics ever. I loved how I manipulated the "brilliance" scale  to get this effect.  If Intuition Ales over in Jacksonville, FL, wants to pay me for this great pic of their tasty Easy on the Eyes session IPA, I am sure we could make a deal in money or in beer! 
I followed with another excellent IPA called Sticky Icky Icky from Short's Brewing (MI), plus a few sips of Ashlee's Strawgator strawberry bock from Abita Brewing (LA) that was nice, and a too sour taste of her Bam Biere saison from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales (MI).  

With our Thanksgiving feast from Cracker Barrel tonight I had a pint can of the decent Devil's Advocate Belgian strong golden ale from Church Street Brewing (IL).

11/27 - We woke up to warm temps, but a crazy dense fog over The Gulf today.  The girls went shopping for Black Friday deals and my sister-in-law, Paige, was kind enough to let me borrow her sweet Volkswagen Bug convertible to do a little exploring (and brewery-hopping, of course).

I headed west toward Pensacola and wound up in the little historic town of Milton, Florida, at the Brew Angels Brew Pub.  It's housed in the town's old post office building and its theme is a clever take on the Blue Angels jet-plane team that call nearby Pensacola home.  Their beer was solid. I had their Blood Orange IPA first, and then finished with their Brew Angels Rye.  I had some outstanding cheese curds too while there.

Built in 1921 this historical brick road was a long-time Florida state route outside Pensacola.  It's now a biking/walking path and is in amazingly good shape.  

I circled back east next and stopped by St. Michael's Brewing in Navarre, FL.  Love their logo!  Loved their beer even more.  This is some of the best craft beer I have had here along The Gulf.  While being new kids on the block, they are right up there with Idyll Hounds in my opinion.  Their Longtabber Irish Stout was as close to perfect as you are going to get.  Wow, was it good!  Their Trooper Brown Ale was only a step behind in taste and smoothness.  I will definitely be back here!! 

The fog finally cleared and we even got a little time on the beach this afternoon when I got back.  I took a pint can of Calabaza Blanca, a tart, but light, farmhouse ale from Jolly Pumpkin (MI), with me and thought it was pretty good.  These guys have a great can art by the way.  Well worth a look.

11/28 - Well it was time for me to head home today for some work next week, so we drove over to the Panama City and had lunch at the Hang Five Beachside Grill for lunch before I flew out of the airport there.  With my excellent grilled mahi mahi tacos I had their decent Hang Five Ipa (not sure who makes it for them).  I finished with the award-winning (easy to taste why) Hooter Brown Ale (photo above) from Oyster City Brewing (Apalachicola, FL).  I will see you again next weekend, Mr. Beach and Ms. Craft Beer!!    

My flight home was short and sweet, and I was even able to play a little online poker tonight where I chopped first place on PokerStars for $60+ in profit vs. 9 other players and two other rebuys.

11.29 - I woke up with a week of bachelor time on my hands.  Let's make the most of it!!  Let's start by watching the Titans kick the Colts' asses in Indy to go to 8-3 and take up first place in the AFC South (whooo!!) and then by celebrating  Small Brewery Sunday which I did by cracking open a bomber bottle of Brothers Bourbon Barrel Brown ale from the very small, but very mighty, Calfkiller Brewing over in Sparta, TN.  Salute to the little guys!  The beer was pretty boozy, but not heavy and went down nice and easy.

Tonight our boys with the NSC take on Columbus in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.  We are the first MLS expansion team since 1988 to make it this far.  It was another tough game that went into overtime (again), but Columbus pulled ahead 2-0 to secure the win.  Great season, tough ending, but I am glad I had them to cheer on in this crappy, crazy year.

I also was able to play online poker on the new 50-inch TV screen in the den!! I cashed for a little in a tournament on Global Poker, but nothing to get too excited about.  But it sure is fun to have it on the big screen although there are a few limitations.

I also got a great early Christmas present from Ashlee today.  This is from mine and Zippy's time serving in the military during the Napoleonic years. LOL!    Hilarious.

I also reached a pretty big milestone badge on UNTAPPD with today's check-in also.

11/30 - Well, with Regal Theaters still closed due to Covid-19, I decided to mask up and give another theater some business and went to see Let Him Go tonight at the Malco Theaters in Smyrna.  I had the theater to myself (recliners!) thanks to this film being out a while (and the pandemic) and thoroughly enjoyed the crazy, tense drama. How does Diane Lane still look so good!!  I will be doing this again!   After the show I stopped at The Casual Pint in Smyrna (my first visit here) and had a couple of drafts.  I had the excellent Barbarian Haze, 3 Floyds Brewing's (IN) first-ever NEIPA.  I finished with the equally-terrific Coffee Table blonde ale from MadTree Brewing (Cincinnati).  I have always loved these golden-colored coffee brews.  Guess what? I will be coming here again as well whenever I attend a movie at Malco since it's less than a mile away!

I got home in time to jump in a small online tournament on PokerStars vs. 9 others (and two other rebuys) where I chopped for first-place and made $90 in profit.  Not too shabby!  With this win and another small profit win the other night, I gave the Nashville Film Festival a donation of a little more than 10% of my winnings ($20) since it was Giving Tuesday tomorrow.  

With a win tonight, I also became the sole leader of our fantasy football league with only one game left until the playoffs...could this be the year?  Yeah, well, I've only said that 20 other times....

 

12/1 - I got an unexpected Christmas present delivered to our house today from Ashlee's new-to-her cousin, Leslie, who lives up in Cincinnati.  She's a craft beer fan like myself and sent me an amazing box of four Big Ass Beer Soaps from Duke Cannon Supply Co. which all smell amazing.  My favorite, of course, is the fresh-squeezed IPA one.  Can't wait to lather up with these babies!!  What a kind and generous gesture.  Thanks so much, Leslie!! 

12/2 - I bumped my November Beer Drop order a week since I was out of town and it arrived today...WITH ONE DAMN BEER IN IT...WTF?  How do you mess that up?  Hey, thanks for the $50 pint can of stout...I sure hope it's good!!    What are ya'll, drunk out there in Colorado?  Morons!  #youhadonejob 

 As promised, I masked up and returned to the basically deserted Malco Theaters in Smyrna tonight to catch a showing of the historical drama, The Last Vermeer.  Guy Pearce has always been one of my favorite actors and he is awesome in this slow, but beautifully crafted, true post-WWII story.  I again had the theater to myself.  So sweet!! After the show, I again returned to the Casual Pint  in Smyrna for a couple of brews. First up was the very good Fountain City Wet Hop DIPA from Half Batch Brewing over in Hendersonville.  I finished with probably the best pumpkin beer I have had this season, The Monster Mash, from Spencer Brewery (MA). 

12/3 -  I went to see the interesting new black and white historical Hollywood film, Mank, tonight at The Belcourt Theaters,  Directed by the talented David Fincher, this one's getting a lot of Oscar buzz, so I thought I would check it out on the big screen, and support our local art-house movie theater which I know has taken a beating during Covid.   It was OK, but didn't rock my world, but it's always interesting when Hollywood turns the camera around on itself.  There were a good number of people at the show which is encouraging for The Belcourt.

Beforehand I stopped by Jackalope Brewing's nearby location known as The Ranch  for a brew or two. I started with their brand-new imperial brown ale called Goliath.  It was drinkable, but a hair two sweet for me.  I finished with their outstanding NEIPA called Moon Rabbit.  The place was a ghost town with only a couple customers.  The staff told me the weekends were better, so I was glad to stop by and support them.  I will try and do that again next week when I plan to return to The Belcourt.

Also before the show, I drove over to check out the beautiful and large Christmas ball lights over in a nearby swanky Green Hills/Belle Meade neighborhood decorating over 20 homes there.  Who says I don't look at Christmas light without Ashlee!!  I also got take-out from Vui's Kitchen over in Berry Hill that was fantastic.  That is something I will be doing again next week if possible as well.  

Check out this handsome fella all ready for Christmas.  I have enjoyed my bachelor week with just Zippy in the house.  He's been good about coming in and staying in the house since the weather's been cold and crappy.

Online I rented for free off of Amazon (thanks promotional rewards) a new independent sci-fi flick called Dune Drifter.  I had heard good things about it and thought I would give it a try.  It was actually pretty darn good with a solid story and terrific production design on a limited budget.

12/ 4 - Sound of Metal - This new film was free to watch on Amazon Prime.  I had hoped to see it on the big screen somewhere, but it just didn't work out.  I love Riz Ahmed as an actor and this story of him as a heavy metal drummer losing his hearing sounded intriguing.  He is absolutely amazing in this film.  Oscar, please!! 

The live-action version of Mulan is also available for free now on Disney+, so I gave it a look also tonight. I cracked open my ONE new beer from Beer Drop (I did get a refund on my shorted order) while watching this one.  It was a pint can of .  

12/5 - I flew back down to Panama City early today and Ashlee picked me up to head back to Destin for the long weekend.  The weather was beautiful and flight in was a sight to see.

I immediately headed to Beach Liquors in Paige's VW Bug with the top down, of course, and secured a a couple more variety six-packs of canned beer for the beach for me and Ashlee.  

Despite our weather apps saying it was only 57 degrees, it was glorious in the sun on the beach today.  I started with a can of delicious and as the name implies, Light Hearted Ale from Bell's Brewing (MI).  This low-calorie IPA take on their classic Two Hearted Ale is a fat-boy's dream! 

Next up was a can of Dr. Juice, a very solid NEIPA from Parish Brewing (LA).  I hit a milestone with this one on UNTAPPD also.  I closed the beach day out with a very tasty Caramel Cream Ale from Due South Brewing over in Boynton Beach, FL. 

12/6 - I had the Destin beach house (and the hot-tub I found!!) to myself this afternoon as Ashlee had to run a friend to the airport in Pensacola and I was waiting on my old beer pal, Nate, and his wife, Ginny, who were driving down to stay for a week with us on the beach.   Finding the hot-tub tucked in a corner of our community pool area is a game-changer because we didn't think there was one here and it's perfect for those cloudy and cool days (like today) when the beach isn't a good option.  I had three more of my variety pack beers while lounging in the hot-tub and by the also-empty pool (my kind of social-distancing!!).  I started with a pint can of the tasty and tropical Sabrosa DNEIPA from Almanac Beer Company (CA).  Next was the equally good pint can of Faded Nights NEIPA from Sun Lab Brewing down in Miami.  I ended on a nice sweet note with a 12 oz. can of Big Shanty Graham Cracker Stout from Burnt Hickory Brewing (GA).  I also got the milestone badge below with this check-in on UNTAPPD.  And, cuz, at this point I does has a buzz!! 

Nate and Ginny arrived by late afternoon and were hungry, so we had an early dinner at the always-great gastropub, The Craft Bar - Destin.  With dinner I had the excellent Stone Enjoy by 01.01.21 Unfiltered IPA by my all-time faves over in California.  I finished my meal with a decent One Hop: Lotus IPA exclusively made for Wine World: the adjoining liquor, wine and beer store.  Still not sure who makes it for them.   After dinner we did sort of an impromptu liquor store tour of Destin with three different stops at the aforementioned Wine World, the ABC Liquor Store, and my favorite of them all, Beach Liquors where I was able to have my first-ever draft pour there.  I chose well with the fantastic Fisherman's Joust IPA from Idyll Hounds Brewing just up the road in Santa Rosa Beach (and probably my favorite brewery in this area).  I finished out my fullest days of beer drinking in a long time with a can of the solid I-10 IPA from Intuition Ale Works over in Jacksonville, FL, back at the house as a night-cap. 

12/7 - I headed back east this afternoon to fly home from the Panama City airport again.  While waiting on my flight I had lunch and a brew at the Grayton Beer Landing Strip Bar there in the airport.  I had a repeat check-in of their solid Pale Ale with my meal.  My last one was in 2017.

12/8 - Congrats to...well...ME!  With the win confirmed tonight, I locked up sole possession of first place and was the regular season champ  of the BFFFL.  This is my first time capturing the regular season title in 21 tries.  Three more wins and I take the elusive title of a league I created so long ago, but have actually never won.

Monsters of Man was a pretty decent new killer-robot movie I rented off Amazon.  It was a little long in places, but overall the special f/x were good.  

12/9 - This was another movie I could have watched at home on a streaming service, but I wanted to help out The Belcourt Theater again, so I checked out a showing of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom there tonight.  Starring the late, great Chadwick Boseman, in his final film performance about the American blues singing legend, Ma Rainey, and her band, was adapted from an August Wilson play.  Bozeman, and Viola Davis in the title role, were fantastic.  I could see both being nominated and winning Oscars for these performances.  With only two other people in the theater, it was almost another private screening for me too.

Before the show I stopped by The Black Abbey Brewing Company and had a couple of their libations.  My first one was the incredibly smooth and delicious Guy Fawkes (Cask Conditioned) brown ale.  I toasted to my 8 years on UNTAPPD today as well! 

While hoppy beers are always gonna be my favorites, I did reach another milestone on UNTAPPD with my second check-in at The Black Abbey.  Their Red Jack red ale is malty, rich and enjoyable.  

After the show, I ordered another outstanding beef and chicken rice bowl to go at Vui's Kitchen.  This time I sate and ate it in the car over in the Berry Hill recording studios area which is nearby.  More music influence, more flavor, more beer.  Good night! 

 

12/10 - I headed back over to the Malco Theaters in Symrna tonight to catch a showing of Half Brothers.  I hadn't heard of this movie until last week when I saw a pretty funny trailer for it here.  I thought I would give it a try.  It was sometimes funny, sometimes sappy, but overall a decent way to kill and hour and a half.  No matter how good the film, I, again, got to see it alone and that was pretty cool. 

After the show, I stopped by The Casual Pint for a brew or two, but the place was packed and I wasn't feeling it, so I headed home and cracked open my ONE AND ONLY beer sent to me in my November Beer Drop (remember that fiasco as reported earlier in this blog entry?).  At least it was a really good one.  It was a pint can of the Pallet Present salted nut roll (remember those from a previous blog entry?) imperial stout by Jagged Mountain Brewing (remember their hot female brewer from a previous blog entry?) in Colorado.  

12/11 -  I had the day off today before flying back down to Panama City again late this afternoon for another long weekend in Destin, so I headed to Nashville for some lunch and libations.  I had the new limited edition double burger (the buns were corn-cakes!) at the new high-end fast food joint called Joyland over in East Nashville.  I also had a pint can of the MoonPie Stout from Naked River Brewing down in Chattanooga with my lunch.  I have had this one before on draft at NRBC, but this was my first can of it, and I loved the Chattanooga skyline wrap on the can.  It was sweet and delicious as ever! 

My next stop was downtown at the new complex called 6th and Peabody that houses Ole Smokey Distilling and Yee Haw Beer production which originated up in Johnson City, TN.  It's a large cool place with indoor and outdoor seating, so I was given a table outside in the beer garden since the weather was fairly mild.  They have a lot of small-batch, draft-only beers from Yee Haw that you can't find anywhere else in town.  I started with their really good Vanilla Porter and finished up with an equally impressive Green Reaper IPA.   I will definitely be back here! 

I finished up my Nashville tour by heading west and having a couple of brews at Harding House Brewing, my favorite nano-brewery here in town.  I had their excellent Jimmy Red lager and finished with their mild and mellow Respite Rye.  

My gate at the airport was right next to the newish Fat Bottom Brewing kiosk and they actually had something on tap that I had not had from them.  Their Teddy Loves Pilsner was pretty good and much appreciated as I had to just sit and wait.

I grabbed a rental car when I landed and met Ashlee and my beer pal, Nate, halfway back to Destin at Idyll Hounds Brewing in Santa Rosa Beach, one of my favorite crafter breweries down here on The Gulf.  I got a four-pour taster flight that included their excellent Rosemary and Sage Saison; their decent but a little too sweet Capt. Pooh imperial Russian stout; their solid Sticky Floors Vol. 2 DNEIPA; and their better Russian imperial stout called Capt. Vlad.    Their catchphrase on their glasses definitely suits me down here! 

Back at the rental house I cracked open a can of Last Snow coffee stout from Funky Buddha Brewing over in Oakland Park, FL.  I had bought a six-pack of these yummies on my last visit down here at Chan's Wine World next to The Craft Bar - Destin.  They don't sell singles there...boo!!  I did hit a milestone badge with this check-in.  

12/12 - Ashlee was kind enough this afternoon to be the DD and take me and Nate on a planned Niceville Brewery Crawl.  This little town north of Destin has three, yes three, breweries in it and all of them are within just a few miles of each other.  Our first stop was a repeat (sort of) for me.  We had lunch and a couple libations at Props Ale House first.  There are three locations for Props Brewing including their brewpub in Ft. Walton Beach that I visited back in 2014 on another visit down this way. I started with their smoky and solid California common called Gunslinger and finished with their delicious Bourbon Barrel Age Double Four Kings brown ale.

Next up was 3rd Planet Brewing.  I've had a few of their brews down in Destin and liked them, so I was excited to visit "The Mothership" as they call it.  It's a great little place with a large outdoor area that is great for social-distancing AND drinking!!  I started with their fantastic IPA called Dank Side of the Moon (best beer name in a while).  Next up was their tasty saison called Ancient Field which was a collaboration with Odd Colony Brewing over in Pensacola.  The bathroom art shown above was pretty cool I thought with names of several of their past and present brews.  

We finished up at the smaller, but very impressive, Strange Colt Brewery.  I had an interesting 5-taster flight starting with the four shown above - the sweet and a little hot Mango Habanero IPA; the terrific Headless Horseman Pumpkin Ale; the decent Maple Bacon Porter; and the amazing Rum Barrel Monkey NEIPA.  Not pictured was my finale:  another taster portion of tart and refreshing Hatch Chili Lime Kolsch.  I will give the nod of Best of the Day to these guys, but enjoyed all three stops.  I may have to do this trio again sometime soon since I have some bachelor time coming up here on The Gulf.

Back at the house, Nate shared a pint can of Capt. Encino Man stout with me from a 4-pack that he picked up the other night at Idyll Hounds Brewing.  It was very enjoyable.  

12/13 - It was cloudy and bit rainy this morning, so the beach was out, but the wet weather gave me a great chance to go see something very unique to this flat, flat area....a 73' waterfall!!  I just had to visit this unique natural wonder and today was the perfect time.  Ashlee didn't want to endure the hour ride north...her loss!!!  It was amazing and this picture above does it no justice!!  Falling into a deep  natural sink hole, this tiny creek creates a beautiful veil of water.  I am so proud of the state of Florida for recognizing this amazing place and creating Falling Water State Park around it. 

Speaking of unique, I looped on southeast to to the small town of Vernon, Florida, to check out Moss Hill Church, built in 1857 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.  I was really impressed with my rental car, a KIA Optima, which was an upgrade from my mid-size I reserved at Dollar Rental Cars, but they were out of them when I arrived and I got the free full-size ride instead.  

No one was the at the church when I arrived and amazingly the front door was unlocked.  I felt honored and a little nervous going in, but I just had to have a peek.  It was simply amazing inside Moss Hill Church.  The craftmanship, the longevity, the history and the sheer reverence here are overwhelming.  And to be here alone, somewhat like being in the movies alone recently, made me feel pretty special.

The real reason I stopped by here and what got this place on my radar was an article on AtlasObscura.com (love that website!) about the wood here having 163- year-old hand- and preserved in it.  The soft pine was so fresh with sap and resin when installed, the oil and sweat of the laborers was forever preserved in it.  

I was sitting in my car back outside checking out some of my pictures when an elderly lady pulled in and started to go in the church.  She looked me over so I felt obliged to let her know I was just taking a look.  She asked if I had been inside and I sheepishly said yes and she said that was fine!  She even invited me to their 2 PM Christmas service which would have been great with more notice (maybe next year?).  What a great visit and interaction!  I love the beach, but I am so happy I sought both of these wonderful places out today.  

Did I feel guilt to be drinking a beer about the time the Christmas service was starting at Moss Hill Church...no, not at all.  We all have our "church" and our own relationship with God.  My churches just happen to be a little different that most.  I continued south and back to the beach because the the skies were lightening up and the sun even tried to peak out a time or two and it was turning into "a 30A kinda day."  I sought out the Growler Garage - a beer bar, surfer shop and motorcycle accessory store (yep, all that)  in Santa Rosa Beach for a couple of brews.  I, again, was the lone customer for a little while and enjoyed a pint of the outstanding DNEIPA called Boomsauce from Lord Hobo Brewing (MA) out on their front patio.  I finished with the Reel So Irish Red ale from 81Bay Brewing from over in Tampa.  It was extremely good as well.  

I snapped the photo above in the public bathroom in the complex where the beer bar was.  It's not weird that I like toilet art is it?

I got back to Destin in time to enjoy a little decent beach weather before sunset and took a can of Blue Moon Lightsky Citrus Wheat with me to chug while there.  It wasn't too bad for a macro-brew.  I bought a pack of them for our friend, Stephanie, last week, so thanks...me...for the beer.

12/14 - It was a blustery day to fly home from Panama City once more later today.  The surf was booming and spraying in the windy fray.  Beautiful and angry.  

"we all live in a..." so says The Beatles - but they were all skinny.  I can't imagine even getting in this little fella and then going under the water!  This interesting little submarine and a lot of other cool bathyspheres including SeaLab I outside the Man in the Sea Museum in Panama City.  The rest of the museum was closed today, but it was still an interesting stop to look around at on the way to lunch and then on to the airport.

I headed on into Panama City's historic (and kinda pretty) downtown for lunch.  Just like Vegas off of The Strip, this town is a real working city outside the tourist draws at PC Beach.  I stopped at House of Henry, a fairly new Irish pub that was a pretty cool place and, of course, had a nice craft beer list.  I had the delicious grilled pork loin lunch special along with a bottle of tasty Christmas Ale from Abita Brewing (LA).  I finished with a can of with the decent Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale ale from Elysian Brewing (WA).  

Just a "plane ol' shadow" as  I headed home with beautiful weather into the bitter cold of Nashville.   Oh well, be back in just a few days.

12/15 - Look what I scored today in the mail at home!  20 years at MTEMC recognized Covid-style.  Which is fine with me.  Thanks for the fancy watch even though I don't wear watches with a logo we are about to change.  It's still the thought, right?  Let's log 10 more years here and call it I say.

The 2020 Beer Tree was a little bare this year - typical with these crazy times and the fact we are snow-birding down south over Christmas - but I did add over a dozen new coasters from breweries all over the place.  Cheers!  

12/16 - I took a chance and went to see the new Wild Mountain Thyme movie at the Malco Theaters in Smyrna tonight.  Man, was it great!  Great cast (that's what drew me in.  The divine Emily Blunt will always draw me in.  And this was probably my favorite Christopher Walken role ever.).  Beautiful Ireland scenery (another strong draw).  And it was based on "Outside  Mullingar" - a Broadway play Ashlee and I saw in New York back in 2914 (that really sealed it).  It was yet another private screening for me which I really enjoyed.  After the show, I stopped by The Casual Pint there in Smyrna and had a couple of new-to-me brews including the tasty Hi-Wire Loves Avl: Corn Lager w/ Chili Peppers and Lime - not as zesty as I was hoping, but a nice libation. It was a collab with Catawba Brewing which is also in NC.  I finished with another Hi-Wire brew, their Winter Bock - Local Lager Series which was terrific as well.  Those Asheville brewers are always a a force to be reckoned with.

12/17 - I had the day off before flying down once more to Panama City where this long weekend I would have some bachelor time on the beach with Ashlee going to Disney with her sister and neice.  I decided to do a little "noshing and sloshing" at a few different places before my afternoon flight.  I had my first light lunch (the Hobbits call it "elevensies" I believe) at Catch 22 in Mt. Juliet where I had some killer poutine made with pulled pork.  I started with a draft of a great Russian imperial stout called Blaecorn Unidragon from Clown Shoes Brewing (Boston).  Two reps from Orpheus Brewing in Atlanta were there at the bar having lunch as well and seemed nice to talk to and one of them, Mike, is even friends with me on UNTAPPD.   In their honor, I next ordered their imperial stout called Crumbling and it was terrific. But, hey, no OBC swag for moi??  Well, thanks for nothing, fellas.    

My next stop was at the new Waldo's Chicken and Beer in the Germantown area of Nashville near the Sounds ballpark.  Great place!!  I had my second light lunch, their awesome mini chicken and biscuits as well as a draft pour of the long-sought-after Hershey's Chocolate Porter from Yuengling Brewing (PA) which I thought was damn good.  I tried to go for a sausage trifecta just down the street at the excellent Von Elrod's Beer Hall, but alas, they didn't open til 4 PM.  Ho-hum...moving on.

I decided to get sophisticated and tasty and headed over to East Nashville to what is turning quickly into my favorite Nashville craft brewery, Living Waters.  Such a great space with spread-out seating for pandemic ease of mind and out of this world great IPAs!!  I started the Alma (named after a waterfall in Kansas...wait, Kansas has waterfalls?  Well, I did just go to one in equally-flat Florida..).  This DNEIPA is fantastic.  Next up was Yosemite (we all know where that one is), another DNEIPA that was equally good, but a little different in citrus notes.

When I got to the airport, guess who was right next to my gate...what am I gonna say...no?   Of course not...Hello, Yazoo Brewing Kiosk!  They didn't have anything new for me to try, so I stuck with their solid IPA called Hop Perfect...and it almost is, as was the sweet seat at the end of their bar that I snagged until it was time to board.  

I got into Panama City fairly late (plane delay), but with enough time to check out the only two microbreweries there.  Both are in the downtown area away from the Redneck Riviera which was fine with me.  Salty Oak Brewing was closing earliest so I headed there first....look, I am all about being positive for the most part on here, but, man, this placed sucked out loud.  First up I am all for nano-breweries without a lot of offerings, but these guys had one...only one, and a few other guest taps.  And their one was AWFUL...yeech...it's their Orange Creamsicle IPA and it was soapy and sweet.  Just horrible.  I had to choke it down since the place is tiny and I hate to be rude.  I do appreciate this visit earning me a milestone badge on UNTAPPD, but I won't ever be back.  Sorry.  The last place I felt this way about was Creekside Brewing up near Crossville and guess what...it's closed now...just sayin'...get your shit together or get out of the business.  

Now THIS is more like it!! History Class Brewing is right in historic downtown Panama City and it was great!  I mean Christmas lights, attentive wait staff, cool old building, live music and, yes, great craft beer!!  First up I had their Union Soldier, a solid NEIPA.  I followed that with their tasty English mild ale called Walpuluxy Bay. I would have loved to have more, but it was long, late-night drive to Destin awaiting me.  I usually don't take cheesy pictures of myself (do I?  there seem to be a few in this very post!), but this pic earned me a $5 tournament entry ticket on Global Poker, so why not?  I will definitely return to HCBC whenever I get a chance.  

12/18 - Million-dollar house around the corner from the beach, sunny skies and a VW convertible bug in the driveway...now THIS IS A BACHELOR WEEKEND! 

I was waiting around the house this morning and early afternoon for a FedEx package to arrive with a Christmas gift for Ashlee in it that I had to sign for, so I played some online poker and cracked open a crowler of CitySide # 1, an IPA from Various Artists Brewing in Nashville that Nate had brought down.  I poured it in the pretty New Heights Brewing glass that he also brought me that came with buying three special-release bottles from them.  Thanks again, Nate.  I am sure VABC won't mind their wares in a neighboring NHBC glass.

I also ordered some very good Dynasty Chinese Cuisine food through Uber Eats for lunch because I am now a fancy-pants staying in a million dollar house near the beach.

After the package finally came and the temps had warmed up some for me to peel the top down on the VW Bug, I headed west this afternoon.  My first stop was a second visit to the tiny Destin Brewery where I had their tasty Raspberry Beeret stout.  Good name, RIP, Prince.  See, Salty Oak Brewing, this is how to be small, but mighty.
Next up was my first visit to Ft. Walton Brewing Company a little farther west.  I had tried to stop here before on a previous visit to this area, but they were closed.  They are another small operation run by a husband and wife team, but they've expanded the place to included a really nice beer garden.  I started with their Tacocat light lager that was solid.  I finished with an awesome black IPA they called (hilariously) I'm Rick James Bitch (somebody's a Chappelle fan). I also had an OK grilled cheese sandwich from the Cheesus food truck for dinner.  I was expecting a little more gusto flavor from their Philly-cheesesteak inspired deadly-sin sandwich named "Pride."  Honestly, I would rather have just had an acutal Philly from Jersey Mike's...just sayin'. 

It was a cool ride back home with the top down as the sunset behind me.  

12/ 19 - It was a nice sunny day so I decided to head west again (top down on the bug obviously...who cares if it's only in the 50's, that' what a heater is for)  and check out some places in Pensacola including, of course, some craft breweries.  My first stop was Graffiti Bridge in downtown Pensacola (thanks AtlasObscura.com) where evidently it is legal (or at least ignored by the po-po) to bedazzle the 17th Avenue train trestle bridge built in 1888 with pretty much anything you want.  I had ordered a can of sky-blue paint from Lowe's because I was ready to show the bridge some Titan-love.  My first-ever "tagging" looks pretty good I think. 

Here's a panoramic shot of the entire Graffiti Bridge.

Beer time!  The closest and earliest open to me after my graffiti effort was Perfect Plain Brewing.  It's a hip little place downtown and their beer was spot on.  I started with their flagship IPA, Holy Spin, and holy moly was it good!  I finished with one of their newest brews, the English Coffee Mild (photo above) that was outstanding.  A return visit here is a definite possibility.  

Not sure why I gave a "damma" about Flora-Bama, but I went anyway on past Pensacola to the famous beach bar on the Florida-Alabama state line.  The Crimson Tide and the Gators were playing college football against each other also tonight, so I thought it might be an interesting atmosphere.  It wasn't really.  The place was kinda dead, but it was still fairly early in the day.  Their beer menu was predictably lame.  I had a Corona Light because I've never checked one in on UNTAPPD somehow.  I sat outside and drank it in the cool air because no one inside was wearing a mask but me...another predictable non-shocker.  But now I can say I've been here and doubt I will ever come back.  Check it off the list, mother.  

Ahh, that's better, back to real beer and real mask-wearing in the city limits of Pensacola (good job, local government).  I stopped by Emerald Republic Brewing and sat outside (under the watchful eye of John Wick) and enjoyed their smashingly good farmhouse ale The Gift of Longsuffering (photo above).  It was a long drive back, so I limited myself to one here with one other stop in mind as I headed east toward Destin.  But I shall return if given the chance.  

Check out my new, sweet St. Michael's Brewing hat with a real leather patch logo!!  I saw a post on Facebook from them that they had just got them in and I knew it was a sign from beer gods.  Plus, SMBC was right on my way back to Destin.  I had to have beer there too, of course.  I had their terrific Whiting Winter Ale out back in their small beer garden before officially calling it a day.  

12/20 - I woke up to a cold, rainy day, but no fear...I had a plan.  And that plan was to Titan Up!!!  I remembered that World of Beer, just around the corner from the house, had lots of TVs and one of them would surely have the Titans/Lions game on and wah-lah, there she blows!!  I got a great seat right in front of the TV at the bar and had this honey, I mean honey, of a barkeep taking care of me too!  The Titans roared over the Lions (pun intended) and I enjoyed a trio of good beers from their wide selection here along with my tasty nacho platter for lunch.  In order of consumption was the a-bit-sour, but decent, Mango Pineapple Ale (photo above) from Secret Llama Brewing (great name) over in Lakeland, Florida.  Next up (and best of the day) was the Moonjumper (Nitro) milk stout from DESTIHL Brewing (IL) and finally the Belgian strong (and I do mean strong) golden ale called the Merry Monkey from Victory Brewing (PA).   

Another milestone badge earned while at World of Beer with Secret Llama being my 500th different brewery checked in.  Salute!!  

After the game I had a ticket to see the new flick, Monster Hunter, in IMAX at the AMC Destin Common Theaters just around the corner.  It was OK with some great special f/x monsters being battled by the still-good-looking Milla Jovovich (can't believe she's 45!).   It was a fine way to spend a rainy and cold afternoon.  Shout out to AMC for doing a good job with social-distancing and cleaning.  
When I got back to the house I cracked open the other crowler Nate had brought from Various Artists Brewing in Nashville.  It was the Cityside Haze No. 2 and it was a solid and tasty NEIPA.   Thanks once again, Nate! 

12/21 - Well, just before I would be taking my last flight back home from snow-birding this year from the Panama City airport, I took our youngest cat, Dudley, down to the beach for a look-see.  He loves to ride (and sleep) in his stroller.  It was a beautiful day and warming up nicely.  Time to drop the top on the Bug and head east! 

I stopped back at Idyll Hounds Brewing on the way to meet Ashlee and the girls for lunch and then on to the airport.  These guys are my favorite brewery down here for several reasons.  First, the have GREAT beer!  Second, they are open EVERY damn day!  Third, they open at 11 AM EVERY damn day!!!  Take that Monday!! I enjoyed a 10 oz. pour of their take on the recent Black is Beautiful brewing event concoction and this imperial stout is truly amazing.  I finished with awesomely named Flatten the Swerve NEIPA that was also very, very good.  And, yep, I got another hat to add to my growing collection.

The Black is Beautiful stout gave me another milestone badge on UNTAPPD.

I also got this new-to-me badge on UNTAPPD which struck me as funny.  Like with these beers, I drank them alone (and usually do) so I am not sure I would be deemed a "social drinker."  I'm no George Thorogood, but I do drink alone a lot and that's OK by me. 

Well, speaking of being social AND drinking, I did meet Ashlee, Paige and Ella for lunch in Seagrove as they drove back from Disney and I drove toward the airport in Panama City.  We met at the awesome Seagrove Village Market Café where I had the excellent grilled grouper tacos and a can of one of my favorite Florida beers, the Hooter Brown Ale (first time in a can for me) from Oyster City Brewing over in Apalachicola.   

On the flight home I got a pretty good view of the "Christmas star" even though my phone camera didn't do it much justice.  With my eye I could see Saturn and Jupiter very close together as two light dots in the sky.  Only happens every 1,200 years.  Maybe I will have a good telescope for the next time!  

A kind of a cool feature I discovered while watching for the Christmas Star was that the compass on your IPhone even works in Airplane Mode.  .

For the record:  I cancelled my December Beer Drop for this month.  Not mad about last month's goofed shipment, just not home a lot this month, so it was easier to just skip it since that is an option.

12/23 - Tonight was my last time flying down to the Panama City airport after work today for this year's snow-birding. I stopped by a new-to-me beer bar in Rosemary Beach called Beach and Brew for a nightcap on the way back to Destin.  I had the very good Red Sky Rye Ale from the Destin Brewery.  When I got back to Destin I cracked open an outstanding Double Dramanatrix Russian imperial stout from Saugatuck Brewing (MI).  This was one of the few cans left from my Beach Liquors variety packs I had picked up last time I was down here.

12/24 - Christmas Eve in Destin!  I opened my first New Heights Brewing special release bottle tonight that Nate had brought me down from Nashville.  I had the Leiper's Fork Whiskey Barrel-Aged Navel Gazer Finished with Rum Oak Staves poured into their special Four-Year-Anniversary glass that I got when buying all three of their special release bottles.  It was boozy and terrific.  Merry Christmas and cheers to NHBC! 

12/25 - Merry Christmas from Destin! - It was nice enough today to spend some of the holiday on the beach.  I had a couple cans left from my Beach Liquor variety pack and enjoyed the Prickly Pear Margarita Kissing Giants sour gose  from Proof Brewing over in Tallahassee more than I thought I would.  I guess I like the taste of margaritas if tequila isn't involved! Back at the house, I also cracked open another New Heights Brewing special release bottle, the boozy and heavy Barrel Aged Gobsmacked barleywine that was a little too intense for me.

One beer-related gift I got was this cool leather koozie, but I can't figure out if its message is funny or insulting?  Oh well, I put a can of Last Snow stout in it from my Funky Buddha Brewing (FL) six-pack and sat around FAT and HAPPY.  

I took everyone to see Wonder Woman 1984 in IMAX tonight as a Christmas gift over at the AMC Theaters at Destin Commons.  It was a little cheesy at times, but overall a fun movie.

An even better movie that I watched recently on Netflix, but would have loved to have seen on the big screen was The Midnight Sky, directed by and starring George Clooney.  

12/26 - One of my best Christmas gifts was a $50 gift card to Beach Liquors from Paige and Andy.  I promptly drove over there this morning and cashed it in for three more variety six-packs some of which I then took immediately to the beach!   First up was a pint can of the very good Graffiti Orange Wheat (photo above) from 7venth Sun Brewing over in Dunedin, Florida.  I also had a surprisingly good Third Coast Old Ale which is considered a barleywine which I don't always like much.  It was from Bell's Brewing up in Michigan who are almost always solid in the beer-making.  I finished the day back at the house with a bottle of the very impressive Narwhal Imperial Stout from Sierra Nevada Brewing (CA). 

12/27 - Back to the beach I say!! It was great day to once more sink my toes in the sand, watch the ways roll in and sip on some tasty libations.  I started the day with a terrific MANGrOve Pale Ale from Oyster City Brewing (photo above) from Apalachicola Florida.  I gotta go see these folks sometime.  They are brewing some great things there.  I had a taste of the Strawberry Sky kolsch from Breckenridge Brewing (CO) that I gave Ashlee and thought it was solid.

I had bought the Xmas Pickle sour gose from Urban Artifact Brewing (Cincinnati) with Ashlee in mind and she liked the pretty can wrap, but not the beer.  Well, I love cucumbers, so I kind of liked it for a "sour" and finished it off for her. 

My Toasted Lager from Bluepoint Brewing (NY) with dinner tonight at Pompano Joe's was a repeat (last time was in London), but it's a good beer along with a beauty of a sunset. 

I got back home to anxiously watch Sunday Night Football with the Titans vs. the Green Bay Packers, but it was a bust, but at least I had some good beer during the debacle.  I had an excellent Mexican Standoff porter from Due South Brewing over in Boynton Beach, FL, that was spicy and delicious.  I finished with a solid Dockside Porter from Destin Brewery. Despite the woeful results, it still hurts that me and my pals weren't there for our annual G.A.M.E. trip as planned,  So, eff you, Packers, and eff you more, Covid-19.  

12/28 - Man, was there ever a beer made more for another day of watching waves than one called Waves West Coast IPA??  I don't think so.  This Almanac Brewing (CA) concoction was tasty and hoppy.  I also had a nice Arcus Southern Pale Ale from Big Storm Brewing  over in Clearwater, FL.  I finished the day with a really good blonde ale called Imperial Sunshine from Blue Point Brewing (NY). All these were from my Beach Liquors variety six-packs.  

I got a nice holler-back on Twitter from the folks over at St. Michael's Brewing in Navarre, FL, for my pic of me wearing my new SMBC hat out on the beach today.

12/29 - Speaking of great holler-backs on Twitter, check out this hilarious response above from the folks at Toppling Goliath Brewing (IA) for my check-in of their outstanding Mornin' Latte Imperial Coffee Milk Stout back out on the beach today.  I also checked in a very nice Peanut Butter Porter (2020) from Saugatuck Brewing (MI), and finished off Nate's four-pack of Capt. Encino Man stouts from Idyll Hounds Brewing just down the road in Santa Rosa Beach.  

I masked up and went and saw the new Tom Hanks' sweeping western, News of the World,  tonight at the AMC Theaters in Destin Commons. And, I thought it was great.  Man, talk about a film that was made for the big screen.  

I was a little late in seeing this, but it was such a powerful film/miniseries, that I need to mention it on here so as to not forget its importance and the affect it had on me.  I streamed When They See Us on Netflix this week and finished it today.  What an incredibly sad and painful chapter in American history.  I am so ashamed of the injustice that went on with The Central Park Five.

12/30 - Well, this would be our last day of good weather on the beach in Destin for this trip, so we made it a good one.  I cleaned out the fridge at the rental house and finished all my variety six-packs.  First up was the terrific Boggy Bayou Stout from 3rd Planet Brewing over in Niceville, FL.  I was kind of dreading opening the Jovian farmhouse ale from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales (MI) because the last Belgian-style beer I had from them was pretty sour.  This one was actually better.  Still a bit tart, but a much better finish.  Last, but not least, was the Cannon Dragger double IPA from Burnt Hickory Brewing (GA).  A little less hoppy than I was hoping for, but still a solid brew.  It's been another fun run here on the Emerald Coast beach.  Thanks again to Beach Liquors for all the great canned craft beer choices.  

Well, I guess I gotta put Grand Rapids, Michigan, on the beer-travel list! 

12/31 - Happy New Year's from Destin!  The weather was not great today, so I decided to take a drive west a few miles and check out the  nice, but small place, called The Boardroom Pub and Grub in Ft. Walton Beach which boasts a nice beer list and good food.  I had a really good Cuban sandwich and jasmine rice for a side for lunch along with two new-to-me brews including the solid White Marlin Wit (photo above) from Sailfish Brewing over in Fort Pierce, FL, and the nice Sawgrass Wheat from Pensacola Bay Brewing which was one of the breweries out toward Pensacola that I didn't get to visit...yet.   Besides here and the couple places up on 30A, still nothing really beats The Craft Bar in Destin for an absolute stellar beer menu and knockout food.

1/1 - The drive home from Destin was long, but uneventful and we were happy to be home and heading into 2021.  I scrounged around in the fridge and found a beer to check in for a New Year's Day badge on UNTAPPD, but didn't get one...WTF?  Oh well, the beer was a really good double raspberry milkshake IPA from Brew Dog (Scotland/Ohio) called Pulp Patriot.  Thanks to my pal, Nate, for leaving this one for me a while back.  I tried to enjoy the Clemson/OSU college football playoff game with my beer, but it turned into a route for the Buckeyes who look ready to take on Bama (again) for a national championship.