SIPtemper 2021

I'm exhausted!  I need a beer!! 

 

9/8 - It's fantasy football DRAUGHT night...well. it's DRAFT night and while I didn't have any draughts to drink while building my (hopefully) winning team.  I did have a couple of brews left from a variety six-pack that I picked up over the holiday weekend from Lebanon Wine and Spirits. My first-rounder was a tasty bottle of  Octoberfest Beer from Bell's Brewing (MI).  . My sleeper pick was a bottle of the boozy and more than a bit "wee heavy" Scotch ale called Backwoods Bastard from Founders Brewing (MI).

I also got off a pretty long snide in online poker today with a final table in an afternoon deep-stack on Global Poker.  I wound up finishing 5th out of 124 other players for $64 in profit which goes right back into the depleted bankroll. 

9/9 - I had planned to do back-to-back movies this afternoon and evening with a showing of The Protégé at the AMC Antioch 8. and then one of my top-five favorite films ever, Heat, at The Belcourt Theaters.  Before The Protégé which was decent and saw privately since no one else was in the theater, I had a couple of local craft brews from Various Artists Brewing - their solid NEIPA called City Haze Project # 7 and their light and crisp Pick Your Switch lager.  I also did some work via laptop out on their breezy patio.  So nice!!   And after the first movie I stopped at Jackalope Brewing at their cool Ranch location and had two of their tasty NEIPAs called Leonidas and Be Legendary.   When I got to Belcourt, I found out sadly that the Heat showing was sold out.  Good for them.  Bad for me.  And to think I almost pre-bought my ticket.  That mistake won't happen again.  

So instead, I just came home and bought a streaming copy of Heat for about the same price and watched it on AppleTV+ on my couch.  What a great flick! 

9/10 - Ashlee went on a week-long cruise for her birthday with a girlfriend and not me, so that means some bachelor time!! 

After dropping Ashlee at the airport, I headed up to Yazoo Brewing in Madison for a little more work on the laptop and a couple beers, or course.  I started with their very good Pilot Series: Smoked Brown Ale and ended with their nice and crisp Pilot Series: Festbier .  Afterward, I caught a late matinee showing of the new film, The Card Counter  at Opry Mills.  Let's see, a poker/crime movie with one of my favorite actors, Oscar Isaac?  Yeah, I'm in...and I was disappointed...wandering story, the use of poker was meaningless....uggh.   

9/11 - I went stag tonight to see Scott Miller at The City Winery.  I had bought tickets for me and Ashlee before she decided to go cruising on her birthday.  Oh, well, Scott's worth it live.  I started my bachelor Saturday in Murfreesboro with a brew and two at Deep South Growlers.  It was the Urban South Brewing (New Orleans) Oktoberfest first and it was solid. I finished with an impressive Key Lime Dr. Robot from Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta) that was incredibly good.  Definitely my favorite sours are Dr. Robot and this key lime hybrid.    Never been here, but heard good things about it, and I will be back.   Great little place, friendly barkeep, UT on the TV (losing, unfortunately) and a great beer list.   Next, I checked out the new film, Small Engine Repair, at the AMC 16 Theaters in Murfreesboro.   It was powerful and engrossing.  From there, I went on into Nashville and checked out the Game Terminal arcade which has been on my list for a while now to visit.  They have craft beer as well.  It is a fun place albeit the beer list is a little run-of-the-mill but at least there are craft choices.  I had a can of Elvis Juice IPA from Brew Dog (Scotland and Ohio).  I've had it before, but this was my first check-in of it on UNTAPPD.  Scott was excellent as always and I even had a front row seat and saw him after the show smoking a cig outside.  Classic, Scott.  I Ubered back and forth to the show from Game Terminal's free parking lot as well which worked out nice.   

9/12 - Happy Birthday, Ashlee!  I got me a convertible Lexus for your birthday!!  Wait, what??  Yep, I went a little crazy and decided to rent an individually-owned older model Lexus IS 250 C off the TURO app.  It was so easy!  I was trying to get a convertible rented from the airport, but it was telling me there were none in stock.  I completely forgot I had the TURO app until I googled renting convertibles in Nashville.   While it's a 2010 with 90K miles on it, she's in great shape and was a real joy to drive down to NW Alabama and back today for a road-trip I've been wanting to do for a while.  I picked it up in Murfreesboro and headed west instead of going to the Titans game as first planned (good thing...they got roasted).   This is her in front of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Rosenbaum House in Florence, Alabama. Two old girls looking good! 

My first stop was for lunch at The Rattlesnake Saloon outside Tuscumbia, Alabama.   What an amazing place and concept.   You ride in and out of the natural area via "taxi'  a big 4x4 pick-up truck.  I sat in the cave and had grilled chicken strips and fries that were pretty tasty.  In wetter weather these is even a nearby waterfall in the same hollow.  I will just have to come back!   

My next stop was the aforementioned historic Rosenbaum House in Florence, AL. I've been addicted to Frank Lloyd Wright structures ever since visiting Fallwater years ago.  This 1939 one is a beauty and the only FLW-designed structure in Alabama.  It is a miracle in conservation and restoration too and is was on death's door as a structure by the late 90's, but has been lovingly saved and brought back to life.   I was able to catch the last tour of the day and  loved every inch of the place inside and out especially the living room and amazing book shelves running almost the entire length of the house.  

I stayed in Florence for my next stop at Singin' River Brewing.  It gets its name from the Native American term for the nearby Muscle Shoals of the Tennessee River.  Their beer was pretty good.  I started with their flagship IPAcalypse Now and finished with their Shoals Oktoberfest.  Just another reason to come back this way again sometime!  

I headed back east and was able to just get a quick pic of Falls Mill in Belvedere,  TN, since it was technically closed and the sun had just set as well.  I will definitely be back here since it has a B and B onsite and looks to be a honey of a place. 

Man, what  a great day with the top down. I savored every minute of it including the long drive back in the dark with top still down.   It sure made me miss my old Infiniti M30.   Love ya, Ruby.  

9/13 - I enjoyed more top-down driving and even did a little work on the go this afternoon with a stop first at Living Waters Brewing in East Nashville where I had their terrific double IPA called Nymph.  I finished with their Octoberfest marzen called Rottach which was impressive.  I finished the work day at the Bavarian Bierhaus at Opry Mills where I had the always-tasty curry-wurst and  a pint of the decent Urban Underdog Pale Ale from Urban Chestnut Brewing (St. Louis).  Immediately after work, I saw the new documentary, The Alpinist at the Opry Mills Theaters.  It was amazing to see the daredevil free solo climbing on ice, snow and rock and then so sad to find out the star of the film, Marc Andre Leclerc, died in a climbing accident avalanche as they were editing the incredible footage they already had and getting it ready for distribution.   RIP, you wild man. 

9/14 - Another sunny day for the most part, so I took the convertible up to check out Flytes Brewhouse in Pleasant View, TN this afternoon while working from my phone as needed.   A lovely hour or so drive up and back.  It's a nice little town (my first visit) and a nice little place and I had two great beers of theirs:  the light, but rich, Cafe Blonde ale (photo above) and then their crushable Summertime Blue blonde ale with blueberry sweetness.  I could come back here for sure.

9/15 - Despite some rainy weather this afternoon, my impromptu tour of regional new-to-me breweries in my rented convertible continued today first with BS Brew Works in Springfield, TN. This was my first time visiting this quaint little town, and the brewery and beers I had there were pretty good.  I started with the decent Sulfur Fork Saison that had a bit of a soapy finish unfortunately. I closed with their much better Shady West Coast IPA,

The weather improved as the afternoon continued and I was able to drop the convertible top on the way to Marrowbone Creek Brewing in Ashland City, TN, to meet my long-time best friend, Craig.  I was a bit disappointed that these guys only had one of their own beers on tap (and a cider...pass!). But it was a pretty good one: their Belgian strong golden ale called Puzzle Fool's Gold was very impressive.   They did have a nice selection of other regional craft beers on tap, and I enjoyed the Irish dry stout from The Black Abbey Brewing in Nashville called Saint Oliver Dry Stout with my tasty flat-bread dinner.    We sat outside and enjoyed the mild weather and marveled at how far this little town has come since Craig lived here right after college many, many years ago.  Time flies and craft beer arises! 

9/16 - I didn't get to enjoy my last full day with the convertible as I planned, but still got to take it for a few spins around town and to and from my return to our Lebanon WSOP League tonight.  Finally, some live poker!!  I didn't do great in tonight's game.  So card-dead.  But me and my partner, Chip, did luckily stay in second place to get $2K back to split for the season. My good friend, Richard, won the league and I am very happy for him since it will his first time playing The Main Event.   Looks like Chip and I are going as a team again in this new season.  I did enjoy two good new-to-me beers while playing that I picked up from Yazoo Brewing up in Madison earlier in the week.   I started with a bomber bottle of Saison DEte, a shandy/radler-style saison that was light and tasty.   I finished with a bottle of their Blanche Tank 4, a rather tart wheat beer but still very good. 

9/17 - After dropping the convertible off this morning (sad face) in Murfreesboro after 819 miles of pure enjoyment, I headed back to work until later this afternoon when I finished off my work day at the Homegrown Taproom in Donelson.  I sipped on a nice NEIPA from Rhinegeist Brewing (Cincy) called Cloud Harvest 5.  I finished with the decent marzen called Tailgate Fest (2021) from Tailgate Brewing here in town.  Immediately after work I went to see the new film,  Blue Bayou at the Opry Mills Theaters where I cried like a baby.  Man, was it powerful with great acting and it kinda hit very close to home at times with me as a naturalized citizen.  

9/18 - I was blown away today at how great the East Nashville Beer Festival is!  I decided to go on a whim after a kind of last-minute invitation from my best pal,  Craig, who had someone else bow out who was supposed to go.  Also joining us was our friend, Barry and his wife, plus Craig's wife, Alison, serving as the DD.   They had over 60 breweries in attendance and even the local guys brought out unique brews that I had had before.  Here's the taster list:

The Dark Side of Hope - NEIPA - DSSOLVR Brewing - Asheville, NC
Pigeon Chess Blonde ale - Contrast Artisan Ales - Chamblee, GA
POG Basement - IPA - Scofflaw Brewing - Atlanta
Phantom Forest - Double IPA - MadTree Brewing - Cincy
Old Gods Are Dead - Czech Pilsner - Good Word Brewing - Duluth, GA
VHS 0333 (ENBF Edition) - Imperial Stout - Xul Brewing - Knoxville - on the best of the fest
Ukiyo Premium Lager - rice-based - Three Taverns Brewing - Decatur, GA
8th Day IPA VIII - Harding House Brewing - Nashville
Tipsy Mule Saison - Harding House again
Paradise Park - light lager - Urban South Brewing - New Orleans 
100 Day IPA - Wanderlinger Brewing - Chattanooga
Somethin' Strange 4 - double IPA - Pontoon Brewing - Sandy Springs, GA

We got so lucky with the weather.  It rained hard all morning, but by the time we got to the festival it had stopped and remained cloudy, but dry the rest of the day.  Despite a lot of mud, it was a great time.  We also had great food for lunch from the food trucks on site.  We closed out the day with an amazing unnamed fruity IPA with great strawberry smell and taste from Honky Tonk Brewing here in town.  I can't wait to come to this awesome event again next year!!  Well done, ENBF!! 

After the beer fest, I had some time to kill before Ashlee's plane landed as she got back from her birthday cruise.  So I stopped by the Irish pub The Lost Paddy who are a Pub Partner with the Nashville Soccer Club.  I enjoyed a tasty pub burger and a free 3/4 pint of Irish Gold ale from Sullivan's Brewing (Ireland).  The keg blew is why I got it on the house.  Good thing because it wasn't that great.  I watched the first half of our boys in gold take on Toronto on the road.  

9/21 - I finally got to use one of my "official asshole" stickers from Redbubble.com today on this old fart at Publix who figured he needed two parking spaces for his gigantic pick-up.  Enjoy your honorary title, jerk-wad.  You earned it!!  

9/22 - I got to a final table tonight on Global Poker while watching NSC kick some ass down in Miami 5-1.  I wound up getting 7th vs. 128 other players in a $33 super deep-stack netting me $150 in profit that goes right back in the bankroll. 

9/23 - I had planned to go to a movie late this afternoon, but work was light and it was just so beautiful outside, I decided to take a last-minute road trip instead up northeast to a waterfall just across the Kentucky State line that I have been wanting to see in person for a long time called Seventy Six Falls.  It used to be a 76' tall drop of Indian Creek, but it's lost some height with the making of Lake Cumberland which it falls into a snug arm of the massive back-up of the Cumberland River.   She's a beauty and would a great one to come back and maybe kayak to the base of someday.  On the way,  I stopped in Cookeville to answer a few work emails and drink a couple brews at Hix Farm Brewery.  I started with their solid Belgian tripel called the Drunk Monk.  I ended on a bit of a down as I thought their IPA called Trippy Chicken was in need of more hops. 

I got home in time to win a small No Limit Crazy Pineapple turbo tournament on Global Poker for $70 in profit that joined the still-growing bankroll.  I had seven bounty knockouts vs. 31 other players to take it all down.

9/25 - We attended the Pilgrimage Music Festival this weekend in Franklin, TN.  They did a decent job with having some good craft beer in their Wicked Weed Brew Hall.  This Asheville-based brewery recently sold out to AB-In Bev, so they aren't my favorite by a long shot, but you take what you can get I guess.  I started today with their fruit-based wheat beer the Fresh Pressed (Mango, Pineapple, Guava) that I thought was pretty good.   The beer lines got atrocious as the day wore on,  so I will save the other two they have on tap that I haven't checked in on UNTAPPD until tomorrow.  I did enjoy a can of Samuel Adams Octoberfest (2021) after the long day back at at my friend Danny's house where we were crashing for the night.

9/26 - Our second day at The Pilgrimage Festival saw more great weather and more great music.  Just before listening to J.D. McPherson and his band throw down some great rockabilly on the main stage, I stopped back by The Wicked Weed Brew Hall and the other two beers they had on tap that I hadn't checked in on UNTAPPD yet.  The first was the surprisingly good (tart) sour called the Watermelon Dragon Fruit Burst.  I closed with the disappointing and extremely light lager called Day Light.  Might as well be drinking water...

9/28 - My September Beer Drop order arrived today!! What do you do with your pool when it's too cold to swim?  You float on top and turn it into the world's largest beer cooler!  #ARiverRunsThroughIt-Style.  I got another nice selection this month including a lager, a chocolate porter, a couple different IPAs and an apricot blonde ale.  Cheers!! 

I got to another final table tonight on Global Poker.  I finished third for $90+ in profit vs. 99 other players.  More ammo for the bankroll.  And this happened while watching one of the greatest comedies of the last 20 years, Sideways. "I am not drinkin' any fuckin' merlot!!!" 

9/29 - I headed into Nashville this afternoon to see NSC vs. Orlando City at Nissan Stadium with my beer/soccer pal, Nate.  We did some tailgating before the game and some beer sharing, of course.  I gave him a few extras from recent Beer Drop orders, and Nate gave me one of these awesome cans of Barrel Aged 20 Degrees of Nowhere dopplebock from nearby Barrique Brewing .   I also cracked open a couple of new Beer Drop arrivals including the decent light lager called The Ballroom Beer from Call to Arms Brewing (Denver) and a top-notch Crikey IPA from Reuben's Brews (Seattle).   The game was frustrating and we blew a 2-0 lead in extra minutes and had to settle for a 2-2 tie.  Beforehand, I finished up work at Catch 22 in Mt. Juliet where I had a draft pint of a good pale ale called Juicy Gossip from Bell's Brewery (MI), and finished with a very good marzen from Sierra Nevada Brewing (CA) which is their Octoberfest (2021).  

I 2 PA

Yeah, I am in to fitness...fittin'dis whole six-pack in my belly!!

8/12 - We flew to Philly today and then drove west toward Hershey, PA.  Our first stop was the beautiful Longwood Gardens. There were no hops in the Wall of Green that I saw, but I did have a decent can of  an English mild ale here with my lunch called Brawler from Yards Brewing over in nearby Philly. 

We were staying in the town of Lebanon (sounds familiar), PA, just east of Hershey and as soon as we had checked in to our hotel I zipped over to Snitz Creek Brewing for a couple of cold ones.  Their flagship Opening Day IPA was very good.  I finished with their outstanding Lemon Meringue Pie Ale (spoiler alert: best of the trip).  I also got a can of their nice Blueberry Cream Ale to go to enjoy back in the room (and maybe share with Ashlee). 

Well, sadly, UNTAPPD didn't even give me a badge for my 3,500th unique beer checked in, so I rewarded myself with this nice hat celebrating that exact beer.   The Nimble Giant double IPA from Troeg's Independent Brewing in Hershey, PA, was awesome, and I was happy to find this new lid to honor it! I completed the visit with their very good Lucky Holler Hazy IPA and their flagship Perpetual IPA that was solid.  What a cool place!  And the food was very good as well!

8/13 - We were back at Troeg's Brewing again today waiting out some weather before heading over to the outdoor concert nearby. While there we had some more great food and I took down their really nice Field Study IPA, the light and tasty Sunshine Pils and a taste of Ashlee's Troegenator Doublebock that was excellent.  

The beer lines were crazy at the concert, but Ashlee braved them before Green Day came on to close out the night, and she brought me a great NEIPA  pint can called Cliffside Push by Ever Grain Brewing in nearby Camp Hill, PA.  Thanks, sweetie!  And thanks to Hershey Park for embracing local craft beer at their venue.  

8/14 - We drove back to back to Philly today and met some friends at the Old Town Beer Garden which had a great beer list, but was nothing much to look at, so instead I will honor each of the brews I had there with some fun pics before then.  First up at The Rocky Steps looking toward downtown Philly, I salute the interesting and tasty Cashmere Hibiscus Lime IPA from Winding Path Brewing in Dallastown, PA.  Hey, Adrian, dat's a good beer!!! 

My second beer at the Old City Beer Garden was a knockout (get it).  It was the light and refreshing Solar Power Belgian blonde from Big Oyster Brewing down in Delaware.  This cropped pic of the Rocky statue at the base of the famous steps is from a distance because there was a long-ass line to get to stand next to it for a picture.  

My 3rd and final beer at The Old Town Beer Garden salutes (and helped me digest) my Pat's vs. Geno's Philly Cheese Steaks challenge.  Both were great (as was the beer), but I give Pat's a slight edge.  The pint can beer was the NEIPA called Groovy Juice from Fat Head's Brewing (OH). 

Hey, when in Rome (or at the Philly airport).  They were OK, as was the bottle of Philadelphia Pale Ale I had with them from Yards Brewing here in town.  

8/16 - We saw Jackson Browne and James Taylor tonight at the Bridgestone Arena.  Both were great and it was nice to hear JB actually sing some of his hits like "Running on Empty" (unlike at The Ryman years ago...still pissed about that one).   I even found a craft beer at The Tennessee Craft Bar that I had not had.  It was a pint can of the very good Regular pale ale from WISEACRE Brewing in Memphis.  

8/18 - Due to pending bad weather and  a prior commitment by Ashlee, I wound up going  to the NSC game vs. Orlando City tonight by myself.  I waited out some of the rain at the new Up Down arcade bar in East Nashville that boasts 60 beers on tap.  Unfortunately, I struggled to fine a couple I hadn't had.  I started with the NEIPA from Pontoon Brewing called We Are Going to Need a Bigger Pontoon.  It was pretty good. 

I got to Nissan Stadium before half time with a small break in the rain after I finished a really tasty Sizzupr Nitro Shake porter from Boulder Beer Company (CO).   A half-time I got to see the NSC mascot, Tempo, posing with some fancy hardware from the CONCACAF Cups.  The rain continued in the second half, but I found a dry place to stand and watch as the game drew to a tough 1-1 draw.

8/19 - I slipped off to Franklin this afternoon for a much-needed oil change for the Subaru.  While over that way I stopped by and checked out the brand new Curio Brewing in the space that used to be occupied by Mantra Artisan Ales and Turtle Anarchy before that.  They had WIFI, so I able to do some work while enjoying their very good Woke AF coffee stout, their very interesting and tasty Quizzical pineapple habanero ale (photo above) and a half-pour of their decent NEIPA called Orange-U-Curious. Welcome to the area, folks.  Good job on the beers!  Keep up the good work! Afterwards I went to the AMC Thoroughbred Theaters nearby and saw the new flick, Free Guy in IMAX.  It was pretty funny and innovative and worth seeing on the big, big screen. 

8/20 - Just a shout out to the Three Forks Market in little ol' Watertown for rockin' a pretty good craft beer section for a small town.  I picked up a six-pack of the very good Hazy Wonder NEIPA from Lagunitas Brewing (CA) there today. I usually don't buy six-packs and Lagunitas isn't the smallest of craft breweries, but I want to support the little supermarket whenever I can.   

8/22 - With a forecast of some multiple upcoming pool days, I went and got a variety 8-pack at the Mt. Juliet Beer Company today.  They had posted on Facebook about a bunch of new Octoberfest beers they got in, but I wound up with mostly new-to-me  IPAs (shocker).  I started with a pint can of the very good double IPA called 88 Miles Per Hour from Edmund's Oast Brewing (SC).  Next up was the equally tasty Hazy Hero NEIPA from Revolution Brewing up in Chicago.  I love their can artwork on this one. I broke my two-beers-a-day rule and cracked open another pint can to finish of the afternoon.  It was the solid double IPA from Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta) called Dinosaur Connoisseur.  And then it rained...figures...good job on the forecasting...

8/23 - Whew!  What a long Monday!  I really needed some pool time after work today and some BEER!!  I had a couple more from my variety 8-pack from the Mt. Juliet Beer Company.  First up was a can of the very good IPA from Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta) called Death Raptor.  Next up was the nice session IPA from Harding House Brewing over in West Nashville called Tennessee Haze.  It's not a big, bold IPA but she's all homegrown!! 

8/24 - I took some early  pool time during work this afternoon  (and came back to 11 emails, aack!).  I continued working on my variety 8-pack from the Mt. Juliet Beer Company starting with a nice pint can of the really good Oat Cream IPA from Untitled Art Brewing (WI).  Man, these guys continue to have the coolest can wraps out there.  So pretty!  I finished with an NEIPA from Hutton and Smith Brewing down in Chattanooga called Magic Mama.  It was crisp and tasty.   Out of the pool and back to the grind...sort of....

8/25 - I finished off my variety 8-pack from Mt. Juliet Beer Company in the pool again with a pint can of the decent Grip and Rip  Juicy Pale Ale from East Nashville Beer Works that I thought could have used a few more hops in it.  Luckily, this month's Beer Drop order also arrived today.   It's a nice variety including a fruit-based IPA, a pilsner, a saison, a Belgian-style golden ale, and a pumpkin ale because 'tis almost the season! 

8/26 - I went to the opening night showing for the new film, Flag Day, at the AMC Thoroughbred Theaters in Cool Springs tonight since it's the only one in the Nashville area showing it right now.  I thought it was pretty good.  Sean Penn could get an Oscar nod for his direction which was spot on.  His daughter, Dylan, has definitely got some of her dad's acting chops.  The closing song "My Father's Daughter" by Olivia Vedder (Eddie's little girl) is awesome and should get an Oscar nomination and might even win.

Since I was on the south end of Nashville for the movie, I made a few stops beforehand and worked a little from a brewery again this afternoon.  My first stop was at the once-dead Mill Creek Brewing in Nolensville.  Glad to see them still alive!  I started with their double IPA called Happiness.  I agree with that name!  It was very good.  Next up was their Peachy Darlin (photo above) wheat beer that I thought was excellent. I had a great burger and fries from their kitchen as well.  Good visit!  I will be back here again hopefully soon to kill an afternoon working via their free internet.  My next stop was a return to the new Franklin nano-brewery, Curio Brewing.  They had their popular Kilt the Cat Scottish ale back on tap and that I thought was pretty good.  In my opinion, their kolsch called Light Bulb was a little better however.  My last stop to kill a little time before the movie was a new-to-me Irish pub with an impressive beer tap list that I thought I would check out.  It's called Quinn's Neighborhood Pub and it was busy and hot (just like an actual Irish pub!).  Evidently their A/C is out.  I found a place at the bar and ordered a Stone Hazy IPA.  California's Stone Brewing continues to be my favorite brewery of them all, but I can't say this was their best brew.  It was decent, but a little thin.  Still I was glad this place had it on tap.  I ordered an appetizer of fried cucumbers (not pickles).  They were decent...but, man, I miss Durty Nelly's in Chattanooga. 

8/27 - I had to summon some liquid courage this afternoon with a pool beer or two before heading to this craziness in East Nashville.  Drag queens at a gay bar...what we do for our wives!!  I broke into my August Beer Drop order with an excellent West Coast IPA called It's A Run-by Fruiting (big ups to Robin Williams, RIP, you comedy genius and the ultimate drag queen, Mrs. Doubtfire) from Call to Arms Brewing in Denver.  It was really smooth and refreshing.  Next up was the Cloud 9 Saison from Aspen Brewing that I thought was rather good also.  After the show, I was granted a good-husband stop at  Crazy Gnome Brewing in East Nashville where I had their solid Summer Sunset Amber Ale.  They've made some nice additions here since I was here last time on their opening day.  

8/29 -I had a few more pool beers today as summer is starting to wind down.  I had a few repeats and a couple new ones from this month's Beer Drop order including a ho-um German-style pilsner called Bohemian Girl from Tivoli Brewing (Denver).  Evidently this is a revival of an old famous brew from the past before Prohibition.  My best guess is from my tasting experiences, the beer in the past...wasn't that great.  I ended with a much-better Haunted Hayride Pumpkin Ale from Masthead Brewing (Cleveland, OH).  It was very good and has got me in the mood for fall! 

9/1 - Well, dang, I was sure that West Meade Falls over on the west side of Nashville would be flowing good after all the rain the last couple days from Hurricane Ida, but it was just a little more than a trickle, but was more than the last time I was here at least.  I guess I have to wait for flood conditions to see real flow here.  Well, what wasn't dry were the taps just down the road at Tailgate Brewing where I had a tasty bratwurst, onion and mustard pizza with my two NEIPAs.  The first was was their Triple Trees: Tre See Me Rollin' Triple Hazy IPA and it was great!  The next one was their regular Trees: Dab on 'Em and it was a little thin.  Probably shoulda had these in reverse order.  

I went back to Nashville tonight to see a band I like called The Cadillac Three at The Ryman on the cheap thanks to a fire sale on Stubhub.  Before the show I discovered the band had collaborated with Flytes Brewhouse up in Pleasant View, TN, for a very good honey-infused pale ale called Country Buzz, a take-off on the band's style of music known as Country Fuzz.  I may have to scoot on up to Flytes soon and see what else they got brewing there.  

I couldn't stay for the whole late-starting show, but I heard a few of my early faves by TC3 in their opening set.  The looked and sounded great.  Being together now for 10 years, the shows followed their start until now.  They had a fun opener too that I caught a couple songs from called Hey Steve.  Before the show, I parked at the M.L. Rose location at Capitol View for free and then Ubered to and from the show.  I stopped in before the show as well and had a decent session IPA from Braxton Brewing (FL) called Hop Fit. 

9/2 - Well, it was good to be back in Neyland Stadium tonight after a very long, self-imposed hiatus from UT football.   But, they have a new head coach now that I have some belief in, so when my friend, Toney, invited me to go for their season opener against Bowling Green (OH), I jumped at the chance.  Toney isn't a beer guy so I didn't have any chance for some craft beer while in Knoxville and you know they were just selling sheeple crap at the game itself.  The Vols pulled away at the end with a solid 38-6 win on a beautiful evening with no crowded seating in the half-full upper deck.

9/3 - I had the day off today, so when we got back from Knoxville early, I had a good pool afternoon.  I went and got a variety six-pack at Lebanon Wine and Spirits for the long weekend coming.  I started with the lovely Sultry Seagull which is local Jackalope Brewing's Lovebird fruit beer with even more fruit added like strawberries, raspberries and lemons.  I followed that with my one remaining Beer Drop brew, the Hellraiser Belgian strong golden ale from Bruz Beers (CO).  It was very good. 
Later in the evening we met some friends down in Murfreesboro at Mayday Brewery (my suggestion) for dinner and a beer.  I had their very nice She's Good in Bread Peanut Butter Blonde.

9/4 - We had a fun day in Nashville today playing tour guide for some out-of-town friends, and here were my treats for the day:
With lunch at the Homegrown Taproom in Donelson I had a solid Oktoberfest beer from Good People Brewing down in Birmingham.
I had a surprisingly lightly tart sour beer at the Corsair Distilling and Taproom called the Double Vanilla Pineapple Creamsicle Hill from Southern Grist Brewing here in Nashville.  That was probably my most favorite "sour" ever.
I had the light, but decent, Prince's Local Lager, at Prince's Hot Chicken Shack over on Nolensville Road.  Says it's a "house brew" but I am thinking maybe Yee Haw Brewing's local spot might be making it for them.
We didn't get any hot chicken at Prince's (hour-plus wait...no thanks), so we checked out Bolton's Spicy Chicken and Fish over in East Nashville where I had the "mild" chicken on a stick that left my eyes watering and my nose running!!  No beer here, but I coulda used one!!

9/5 -I "paid" Toney back for the UT ticket on Thursday with a seat tonight at the USA vs. Canada for World Cup Qualifying at Nissan Stadium.  The place was packed (maybe too much with this Covid Delta Variant creeping around) with over 43K folks in attendance.  It was a frustrating 1-1 tie and at least another point toward qualifying for Qatar next year, but we are going to need some wins to solidify a spot in the group.  It was great seeing my favorite USMNT player, Christian Pulisic, on the field in person, but a winning goal from him would have been even better!! 
Toney was gracious enough to allow us to eat dinner before the game at City Tap downtown where I could also have a couple brews.  I started with the excellent Flannel Friday amber ale from Harpoon Brewing (Boston).  I finished with light-calorie and pretty decent Oskar's Lager from Oskar Blues Brewing (CO and NC).

9/6 - Happy Octoberfest...I mean, Labor Day!  But you couldn't tell it from my choice of pool beers today.  They definitely leaned toward the fall weather coming soon.  I started with a bottle of the fantastic Pecan Ale from the good folks down at Abita Brewing (LA). I stayed in the south with my next bottle of the equally awesome Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale (2021) from Lexington Brewing.  I got in  a New York state of mind next with a couple of goodies from Southern Tier Brewing  including their very good Pumking (2021) and their monstrously good Warlock 2021 imperial stout.    Let's just say I was "buzzin' like a chainsaw" (miss ya, Brian, RIP) after those four in a row. 

I did pull myself together enough to go see the newest Marvel flick, Shang Chi, tonight at The Roxy Theaters (recliners!!) with Toney (again) and my old work bud, Casey, and his nephew, Colin.  We all enjoyed it, but were hoping for some better CGI dragons than we got, but still another solid double off the wall for Marvel Studios hit machine.