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).