Let's just call it Febby - it's just too hard to spell

1/31 - I ended my not-so-dry January with a 5K afternoon walk at least.  Gonna try and do more of these this year on days when it's not brutally hot, cold or raining.   

It was nice to get even a small win tonight in online poker on a Pokerstars home game tournament given how bad I have been running lately.  This one gave me a profit of over $60, but it all had to back into the bankroll to recoup other losses. 

2/2 - Finally!  A very small, but very important win on Global Poker today after suffering through one of the worst months ever in online poker.  This was only a dollar tournament but vs. 54 other players, and I cleared a mere $14 with the first-place finish, but that's the progress I needed to see.  Slow and steady is the comeback hopefully. 

Well, the Mug Club mugs at The Cedar Tap were supposed to be in by today, but they were not, but at least they had mugs of some sort.  I stopped by for happy hour and enjoyed first off the light and tasty Honky Tonk Sleepy Hollow Coffee Cream Stout from HTBC over in Nashville (photo above).  Next up was the solid Emergency Drinking Beer pilsner from Wild Heaven Brewing down in Atlanta.  I am sure I've had this one before, but never checked it on UNTAPPD and probably not on draft.   I closed out light and delightful as well with the 17th Anniversary Bergamo Pils from Yazoo Brewing up in Madison.  Cheers to one of the granddaddies of Nashville craft beer! 

2/4 - I went to see the new disaster flick, Moonfall, in IMAX at Street of Indian Lake Theaters in Hendersonville this afternoon.   Beforehand, I stopped by Blossom and Cellar Door Craft Cavern for an early dinner and a few libations.    First up was very good NEIPA called Satsuma Snoball Juice from Urban South Brewing (New Orleans).  I finished on a light note with the solid pilsner called Wasioto from Barrique Brewing here in Nashville.  Cool little factoid:  Wasioto was the original name of the Cumberland River by the Shawnee.  And praise be, they had not taken the Thai beef jerky off the menu as I thought before!!  They just moved it on the menu!  It's their best seller evidently.  And I know why...yummm!!! The movie was goofy and over the top, but I actually enjoyed it.  The special effects were dazzling, and the storyline was more interesting than I was expecting. 

2/5 - I toasted Coach K's last game coaching at the evil empire, UNC, today as I watched the game at home.  I cracked open a bomber bottle of the Jack Daniels Barrel-Aged Gobsmacked barley wine from New Heights Brewing.  I picked this one up during their recent 5-year anniversary bottle release.  It was fantastic as was the 20-point beat down of the Tarholes and their rude fans.  #GODUKE! 

We went and had lunch at Red Robin in Mt. Juliet this afternoon and while I didn't have a craft beer there (not a great selection), I did admire their craft beer map of the U.S. hanging on their wall.  Why not have one of each of these brewers on tap?? Wishful thinking, I guess. 

2/6 - After some hiking and some shopping, Ashlee and I stopped by Tailgate Brewing on the west side of Nashville for a libation and wound up eating an early dinner here too.  The food was fantastic, and the beer was top notch.  I started with their NEIPA called Trees: Hop in Smoke (lacey photo above) that I thought was excellent.  I drained it quick!   I had a sip of Ashlee's excellent choice called Krazy Kyle's Holiday Ale. This spiced brown ale was spot-on!   I finished with their bombastic and tasty Imperial Peanut Butter and Banana Milk Stout.  Dang, wish these guys were closer to us.   

2/8 - I am continuing my Afternoon 5K walks this week and today I saw this cool blue heron fishing in a stream on my route that doesn't always have water in it.  Get 'em while they are there, I guess.  

2/9 - Instead of my usual 5K loop today, I instead walked to The Cedar Tap Happy Hour this afternoon (a little over two miles round-trip).  My arrival beer was a pint of the impressive Scottish Ale from Marrowbone Brewing over in Ashland City called the Black Watch Tartan.   My departure choice was the boozy, but smooth, imperial milk stout from Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta) called Tears of My Enemies - Bourbon Barrel Aged.  I was treated to a beautiful sunset on my way back as I cut through the Cumberland University Campus (photo above). 

2/10 - I watched some Winter Olympics highlights tonight while enjoying a can of farmhouse ale from my most recent Beer Drop order.  It was the tasty Tropic King from Funkwerks Brewing (CO). 

2/11 - Man, what a great day off!  Despite having to scrap a trip planned to California.  I still had great weather today for some hiking and waterfall chasing, followed by a little craft beer.  Fueled with a nearby-purchased Mountain Burger and a Sun-Drop in a glass bottle (as God intended), I tackled my biggest hike in recent memory with a moderate 3-mile-plus roundtrip to the fairly newly acquired Denny Cove Falls of the South Cumberland State Park.  This beauty is just 20 minutes from where I grew up, but I had never heard of it until recently and certainly never been here until today.  I had the falls all to myself when I arrived, and the rainbow was just an added bonus to the beauty. 

On the way out, I took a short spur trail to the base of Mini Denny Cove Falls.  I just love the holly tree growing among the rocky bottom of the falls.   

With daylight still with me, I decided to visit an old friend while in the area.  I haven't been to Upper Greeter Falls in easily 20-plus years.  This one's also part of the SCSP.  The half-mile-plus steep hike in and out was worth it, but I was tanked when I got back to the car.  It was cool to still see evidence of the mill that was once here.

I also got to see the top of booming Lower Greeter Falls just downstream as well.  No way were my knees and stamina gonna make it to the bottom of this one today.  This view was good enough.  

I stopped by the busy Common John Brewing in Manchester on the way home and had a couple of their own solid libations including their Damage Control pale ale and their Belgian dubbel called Lost Frequencies.

I also made another quick stop at Cedar Glade Brews in Murfreesboro and enjoyed their new black IPA called Midnight Sun.  This place was jumping too.  So great to see small regional craft breweries doing so well! 

2/12 - Man, talk about a bad beat.  The beloved Poker Barn in Mt. Juliet burned down the other night.  No human injuries, but some animals unfortunately didn't make it.  So sad.  My poker buddy, Zack, says he's rebuilding, and it will be better than ever.  Good luck to him.  Can't wait to get outdrawn by some jackass in there soon!    I poured one down in tribute to the loss:  a can of Fireside (pun intended) Scottish ale from Berthoud Brewing (CO) from my most recent Beer Drop order. 

2/13 - Figured I'd have a Super Bowl brew or two today even though I had little interest in the game itself.  From my most recent Beer Drop order, I chose a can of the very good Darklands Dark Lager from Ratio Beerworks (CO).  I followed that up with the extremely tasty Vanilla Caramel Amber red ale from Lone Tree Brewing (CO).   Byron was disappointed that the Bengals (you know, cuz they're cats) didn't win, but it was a pretty good game overall. 

2/14 - My Valentine's Day brew from my most recent Beer Drop order was a can of the enjoyably sweet and also tart Blackberry Betty Belgian Wit from Locavore Brewing (CO) which I enjoyed while watching the Jim Cuddy Valentines Blues streaming show online.   Best ballad voice out there!! 

2/15 - I went to see the classic Raiders of the Lost Ark in 4DX at the Opry Mills Theaters this afternoon.  It was a fun "ride" to see this classic again on the big screen.  Beforehand, I finished up work at the Homegrown Taproom where I was able to rack up the check-ins with their half-pint pours.  I started with the so-so session IPA from Southern Grist Brewing here in Nashville called Sliver of Credit.  Next up was the better Woodland St. (Remastered 2021) session IPA from the East Nashville Beer Works.  I turned to the dark side next with a very good stout from Wanderlinger Brewing down in Chattanooga called Stout of Tune.  I finished with an excellent Belgian quad from Living Waters Brewing here in Nashville called Meuse.   I also took a stroll over the Cumberland River Pedestrian Bridge at Two Rivers Park, so it wasn't just an afternoon of gluttony and sitting around.

2/16 - I started including some Cumberland University baseball in my afternoon walks.  The ball pictured above was unfortunately a 3-run dinger against the CU Phoenix that landed over the fence near where I was watching from recently.  

Ashlee and I slipped by The Cedar Tap tonight to check out their weekly bingo game.  It gave me a chance to see if our Mug Club mugs were in yet.  They weren't, but I enjoyed a couple plain mugs of some new to me libations.  I started with the tasty Don't Be Mean to People.  A Golden Rule Saison.  It was a collaboration between Ponysaurus Brewing (Durham, NC) and Mystery Brewing (Hillsborough, NC).  I finished with the wild ale called Foeder Classic from Blackberry Farm Brewing over in Maryville, TN.  I wasn't sure about it to start with, but the light tartness grew on me as the sips continued and I wound up really liking it.   And we won a game of bingo for a $5 gift certificate! 

2/18 - I went to see the new action/adventure film Uncharted in IMAX this afternoon at The Street of Indian Lake Theaters in Hendersonville.  I thought it was a decent popcorn flick, but nothing all that great.  Beforehand, I finished up work at the nearby Blossom Thai and Cellar Door Craft Cavern for an early dinner and some libations.   I started with the super-cloudy and tasty IPA called Sendy from Outer Range Brewing (CO).   I finished with a crisp, corn-heavy pilsner called Southern Crisp from Southern Grist Brewing here in Nashville. 

2/20 - It was $1 Pours Day at The Cedar Tap for Mug Club members today, and I took full advantage!  Ashlee walked with me up to The Square (a nice 2-plus-miles roundtrip jaunt) in the nice weather for late Febby, and she enjoyed one to my three libations.  I started with a 10 oz. pour of the great 10% ABV Hopslam (2022) double IPA from Bells Brewing (MI).  For some reason I've never checked one of these in, but I know I've had earlier versions.  Next up was the very good Blood Orange Belgian Pale Ale from New Heights Brewing here in Nashville.  I finished up with the excellent and smooth Black Forest Nitro stout (photo above) from Left Hand Brewing (CO). 

2/22 - This month's Beer Drop order arrived today and it looks like a very good one! There's an English brown ale, a Belgian-style farmhouse pale ale, a honey ale with habanero, a Mexican-style lager and a German pilsner.   Variety is the spice of life and the key to Beer Drop! 

2/23 - I decided to work the afternoon away at a couple new craft beer locales recently opened in Nashville.    I started for lunch at a new location of Rock-n-Dough Pizza and Brewery; a regional brewpub chain started out in West Tennessee. There are now two locations here in Nashville.  I went to the closer one for me north of downtown.    For starters, the food was fantastic! And the beer was solid.  I started with their very nice Pizza Whisperer (photo above) amber ale.   I finished with their also very good Barbarian Pale Ale.  I will definitely be back by here again when I can! 

Next, I headed downtown to checked out Fait La Force Brewery - a brand new nano-brewery in a cool new complex at the end of 3rd Avenue.  Fait La Force is French for "Makes Strength."  They focus on old-school European-influenced beers which is a cool little niche.   I started with a half-pint of their Frosty Pop NEIPA which I thought was very unique and flavorful (photo above).  I finished with another half-pint (gotta drive home) of their interesting international pale ale called Top of the Walk-in.  It was very light and bit underwhelming in hops which I know is a European pale ale standard, but still enjoyable and again, unique. I had the place to myself and had a nice chat with one of the very nice owners/brewers as well.    I will definitely be back here again as well.  What a good afternoon of new craft beer finds! 

2/24 - I decided to try some ring game poker on Global since the tournament variance has been so bad lately that I suspect some kind of algorithm change in their software.  My goal was to simply run my $10 buy-in up to $21 to justify and pay my way into a good-structured $11 tournament later.  I was giving myself an hour to do it or when I lost half or all of the $10.  Well, this flopped set of quad treys (my signature hand) was a good sign early on, and a set of treys a few hands later got my $11 in profit needed to quit in just under 10 minutes of play.  Wish every day was like this!  Maybe ring games are my future online?  We shall see...

2/27 - I headed over to the south side of Nashville this afternoon to the only place showing The Godfather 50th anniversary on the big screen at The AMC Thoroughbred Theaters over in Cool Springs.  While in that area beforehand, I dropped by Curio Brewing and had their delightful Belgian blonde called Spindle.  It's been so popular that I had to have a can of it since the keg was already tapped.  I have to admit I've never seen The Godfather in its entirety until today.   Such a travesty!  I thought it was really good and I am already ready to see Part II.  I was impressed that the huge Dolby theater (recliners!) was almost half full this afternoon as well. 

The NSC is back! The Boys in Gold got an impressive 1-0 win on the road in the heavy rain of Seattle tonight to start the new 2022 season off right!!  I enjoyed a tasty can of Squirrel Nut Brown Ale from Locavore Brewing (CO) from my recent Beer Drop order while watching the game at home.