“I can tell you that my love for you will still be strong after the BEERS of summer have gone”

That, my friends, is a "shload of beer!" 

8/12/22 - This month's Beer Box came today, and this is the first one that's had a beer I've already had in it.  But that's OK because the rest of the line-up looks stellar! 

8/13 - I headed east this afternoon bound for North Carolina and a stay in Waynesville.  I had decided to give the WSOPC Senior Poker Tournament another try on Sunday.  On the way I stopped in Knoxville at Xul Beer Company.  I have had some of their wares before and liked them, but I've never visited the brewery.  It was a busy place and a cool set-up in an old, repurposed building downtown.  I started with their very nice New England pale ale called Hello, My Name is Human.  Next up was their fantastic Mexican-style lager called Toro Y Oso.  That's it in the photo above with a sort of suspect-looking lime slice?   I do like their logo. 

My second brewery stop in Knoxville was about 30 steps away at Geezer Brewing...because them and Xul are in the same repurposed old building??   And they have no association with each other!  Wow!  That's a first and probably pretty rare!  They are a smaller operation and the barkeep said they stick to more traditional styles while Xul gets pretty exploratory in their libations.  Since I had to drive on afterwards, I only had one here and it was their solid NEIPA called Unicorn Zombie. 

I got to Waynesville and checked into my great little AirBnB room in a nice apartment complex there.  Despite a little rainy weather, I headed straight to the Blue Ridge Parkway and captured this great view from Wesner Bald with a little bit of all the weather showing in the distance. 

I stopped by pretty Woodfin Cascades on the BRP as well which was running pretty well for the dead of summer. 

I got a nice little rental car from the local Hertz office in Lebanon.  The little Ford Eurosport was gas efficient, roomy and comfortable for the ride up and back.  

Time for some beer!  And some shrimp tacos again at Frog Level Brewing.  The place was packed, but I was able to share a picnic table out by the creek, and enjoyed my tacos and their Dragonfly IPA which was tasty.  I finished up here with their quite good English brown ale called the Nutty Brunette. Before heading in, I also stopped by Boojum Brewing also in Waynesville (there's a reason I picked this town to stay in!). The place was also jam packed, but I got a seat at the bar where I enjoyed their lovely Hounds of Helles (great name) lager.  I finished with their OK Last Straw Farmhouse Ale before calling it a night. 

8/14 - I entered Event # 15 at the WSOPC Series at the Harrah's Casino in Cherokee, The Seniors $50K Guaranteed, just hoping to do better than my very early exit last time I was up here for this tournament.  Covid is over I guess because the place was packed.  I stayed at the same table the entire day and despite a so-so structure, I managed to build my stack gradually.  As we got close to the money, I felt pretty good about how I had played all day. 

Hey! Hey!  My first cash in a Seniors Tournament!  So much better than my last trip up here when I was out in 30 minutes!!  I took a bad beat to send me to the rail (AJ loses to A10 on the river), but I was still very happy with my results vs. 913 other entries, a fast-paced structure, and a very aggressive and skillful player to my left all day.   With a $250 buy-in, my profit wasn't even double, but it keeps the live tournament bankroll intact for now.  I "treated" myself with my meager winnings to a tasty bowl of jambalaya and a $3 can of Mountain Dew from a food truck outside!  

Daylight was burning and I was itching to get back outside again after my long day indoors and bust out around 5 PM, but I also really wanted a craft beer, so I decided to check the nearby Native American Beer Company taps at the Native Brews Tap and Grill here in Cherokee.  Their Flaming Arrow IPA was solid, but they tricked me with their Sunrise Hard Vanilla ale...ale?...Oh ALE no!  That's a hard soda (photo above) which was fine with ice and maybe a lump of ice cream in it, but, please, that's no ale.

With daylight still with me, I made it the base of nearby Soco Falls early this evening.  Like today's poker tournament, this was so much better than the last time I visited here after my early exit from the same tournament and just a quick view from the overlook deck.  This view was amazing! 
I still had that damn sweet taste from the hard SODA in my mouth and decided to drop by Boojum Brewing again before heading back to my room.  I had their terrific Oak Aged Onyx Imperial Stout and called it a night...sort of...I grabbed a large bag of Cool Ranch Doritos and a Diet Mountain Dew for my late-night snack and drink and went on to cash in a deep stack tournament on Global Poker as well tonight.  Not a bad day on the real and virtual felt! 

8/15 - I headed home pretty early this morning since I was technically working and enjoyed continuing to listen my new "Heat 2" audiobook.  What a cool idea.  The director (and one of my directors out there), Michael Mann decided to do a sequel to his 1995 classic cops-and-robbers film, but in a book instead.  Kinda brilliant.  The story is a combination of a continuance of events just after the films ends as well as flashbacks in time of the characters in the film as well.  The narrator is awesome as well.  He does a very good Al Pacino/Vincent Hanna!  "Cause she's got a great ass!!" 

 I cracked open the first beer from my new Beer Box order hanging out by the pool this afternoon.  There's been enough pictures of our pool on this blog, so I figured I would just mention how much I am looking forward to the new Marvel series "She Hulk Attorney at Law" later this week.  I raise my can of A Light in the Black, a very good German pilsner from War Pigs Brewing (USA?) to the real golden age of television thanks to great streaming services like Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, Paramount+, Netflix and HBO Max.  Salute! 

8/17 -It was a hoot to watch the latest episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" tonight which featured one of my fave craft beer bars in Nashville, Homegrown Taproom.  I toasted the secret being out now about this awesome place earlier in the day with a pool beer, the very light and nice Drumroll New England-style pale ale from Odell Brewing (CO).  The show also featured another low-key Nashville dining spot I like, Pie Town Tacos! 

8/18 - My pal, Toney, and I went to the local Roxy Theaters (recliners!) tonight to catch opening night of the new Beast movie.  The film was quick, but well done.   Beforehand, I had a beer after working from the pool this afternoon.  It was can of the hoppy and delicious Husky IPA from Alaskan Brewing.  Also beforehand, we had dinner at the brand-new Whataburger here in town.  It was decent.  

8/19 - You said it, Scar! Lord, I needed a couple of beers by the end of the workday today.  Geez, what a bunch of dopes I have to work with sometimes at this Aptive job!  I eased the pain, and my anger, with a nice (and aptly named) Spiteful Lager from Spiteful Brewing (Chicago).  I followed that up with a very well put together key lime gose called Suburban Beverage from Perennial Artisan Ales (St. Louis). 
TGIF!! and TGTB!! 

Sunny, our new golden retriever pup, went to her first brewery today!  Well, actually, she went to her first three breweries today!  I needed to swing by Southern Grist Brewing over in East Nashville today so I could pick an order of a newly barrel-aged bottle release of theirs.  I wound up getting four since three of my craft beer loving friends wanted in on it as well.  More on it later when I actually crack it open.  Ashlee decided to come along, and we brought Sunny as well for an adventure.  Our first stop was actually East Nashville Beer Works because they have a big patio area for doggies.  I started with their very good Golden Week Japanese rice lager.  Sunny liked this one as well and checked it in!  I had some of Ashlee's very tasty Augustfest Wheat Ale with Blackberries as well.  Sunny approved of this one as well after giving it a couple licks.  I finished up with their solid Schwarz Army Romance schwarzbier.
We weren't sure we were going to actually hang out at Southern Grist Brewing, but their smaller patio had an open table, so we decided to give it a go.  After picking up my bottle order, I had a pint of their interesting Gin Crisp pilsner aged in gin barrels for 10 weeks.  I also had a taste of Ashlee's (the driver) 5 oz. taster of quite amazing, fruited sour called Tropical Whip Hill.  The Dole Whip addition to the brew really mellowed the sour fruit taste.  
Crazy Gnome Brewing was very close by and, again, we thought we take a look and see if we could get parking and a spot outside.  It was actually very quiet I here (kind of worried about the longevity of these guys to be this dead on a Saturday night) and so we made our third brewery visit in this afternoon's spur of the moment crawl.    Here I had their solid NEIPA called Lack-a-haze-ical.  

8/21 - Update!  Our hammock frame out by the pool is now completely covered in craft beer can labels!  Thanks to Ashlee for allowing me to adorn them here. I celebrated the completion with a can of the decent Pachanga Mexican-style lager from Sun King Brewing (Indy).

8/22 - Bachelor week! Ashlee's gone on a business trip until Thursday evening, so it's time to do some fun man stuff.   I started this afternoon with a trip down to Smyrna to the Malco Theaters (recliners! and it's been a while!) to catch a late afternoon matinee of the new thriller film, Fall.  It was decent, but the camera work didn't blow me away based on the subject matter, but still worthy of the big screen and I got a private showing as well.  Beforehand, I finished up work at The Casual Pint (it's also been a while) just up the road.  I had a couple of libations while I was there including the much too sweet Kentucky Tangerine Cream Ale from Lexington Brewing, and then the much better Sweet Baby Swirl white stout from DuClaw Brewing (Baltimore). 

When I got home, I won a dollar NLCP tournament vs. 21 others that helped the old bankroll a little with a 9X my buy-in cash. 

8/23 - It was just two pretty a day not to take my work on the road somewhere, so I headed east to Knoxville this afternoon where my first stop was downtown at Balter Beerworks.  This was my first time here.  I caught up on a little work at the bar and had their decent kolsch called Good Neighbor.  Their IPA called Firebelly was even a little better.

I went to Balter Beerworks first for two reasons:  the craft beer, of course, and the free parking.  It was an easy, scenic walk over to The Sunsphere from there.

How have I have been to The Space Needle and The Eiffel Tower, but not this Tennessee beauty?  The Sunsphere was earning its namesake today.   

I had the 360-degree Sunsphere Observation Deck to myself other than a couple of staff people this afternoon.  It was a beautiful view in all directions.  

I sure would like to check one of these in on UNTAPPD!  Wonder if they're skunky? 

I went by another new-to-me Knoxville craft brewery, Fanatic Brewing, before heading home.  Cool little place and their beer was excellent.  I started with their terrific Tropical Heat IPA.  This session IPA has an excellent pepper finish to it.  I finished with the Knoxville Area Brewers Association collaborative pilsner that was tasty and impressive called Down in the Tennessee Pils.

I took a slight detour heading home through the little area of west Knoxville known as Powell to check out the historic (1931) airplane filling station which is now on the National Register of Historic Places (and is evidently for sale currently).  Thanks to AtlasObscura.com for the tip.  I had also planned a scouting trip up to the Triple Falls Trailhead aka Little Egypt north of Knoxville but ran out of time.  Next time, I guess. 

8/24 - I went to the Hollywood 24 Theaters (recliners!) today for a late-afternoon matinee of the new crime film, Emily the Criminal.  The movie was very good , and there is something kind of sultry hot about that Aubrey Plaza.  

Beforehand, I closed out work at Craft Brewed where I had the very good Dank Dust IPA from Elysian Brewing (Seattle) and the well-balanced and enjoyable Key Lime Pie Gose from Westbrook Brewing (SC).  I moved on to New Heights Brewing next and sat at the bar watching some Little League World Series and enjoyed their Red Lasso ale and their yummy Community Smoked Pecan Amber red ale.  

8/25 - I closed out work today at Yazoo Brewing up in Madison before picking Ashlee up from the airport.  I started with their excellent Pilot Series:  Hop Project # 3 IPA, and then finished with their impressive Pilot Series: English Bitter. 

When I got home, I had an 11th place finish on Global, but this was a pretty big one.  This was one of the U.S. Poker Open Tournaments with 696 other players in it.  I cleared about $170 in profit on it.  

8/26 - We finally got some good weather for an outdoor concert tonight after having the last two stormed out.  Up on the new-to-us Skydeck stage above the 5th and Broadway complex, we saw Michael Franti and Spearhead put on a great show.  They had nice bar space and decent prices, and I had a can of Hap 'n Harry's light lager from Hap 'n Harry's Brewing here in Nashville.  I was sure I had already checked in this mediocre beer since it's available pretty much everywhere, but I had not.   We also ran into my Cedar Tap drinking buddy, Curtis, and his wife, Kate, so we kicked back a few more local craft brews, but no new-to-me ones. 

8/27 - Another night, another concert.  This time indoors and with some friends instead of Ashlee.  It was my third time seeing, Rogers Waters, and second time at The Bridgestone Arena.  This time around it was for his new "This Is Not a Drill" Tour.  I think I liked this one more than the previous two.  It's seemed very personal, and if you didn't like it, you can "fuck off to the bar!!" 
We did some brewery/bar hopping before the show starting at Crazy Gnome Brewery where I had their decent Hop Blonde Summer Belgian ale.  

We checked into our small, but nice East Nashville AirBnB next and then Ubered over to Rice Vice, the new location (and name) of Proper Sake.  The place is very cool and though there were no new-to-me beers on tap, I did enjoy their signature Koji Gold Gingo beer (photo above) and one of their sakes made in-house.   They also had a pop-up food station called Foods with Metta with some out of this world fixings!  Their jerk chicken thighs were the bomb!!  
We continued our Ubering over to Smith and Lentz Brewing next where we split a tasty pizza and I washed my slice down with their very good Kellerbier.  

Roger encored with "Two Suns in the Sunset" from the vastly underrated last Pink Floyd album "The Final Cut."  So awesome!  The set-up in the round was amazing! 

8/29 - I made a final table tonight on Global and finished fourth vs. 93 others for a profit of over $66 that goes back in the bankroll after taking some terrible beats earlier on today.  

8/31 - My beer pal, Nate, offered me his other season ticket to tonight's NSC game vs. Colorado since his wife had to work.   Too bad, so sad! J/K, thanks, Ginny.  We parked at Fait La Force Brewing as usual, and I had a couple of pre-game libations including their newest farmhouse ale, the lovely Nelson Fanfare.  I followed that up with a surprisingly good Italian pilsner they call Venetian Nobleman.   Man, these guys continue to brew some tasty and unique craft beer!  
The Boys in Gold went on to stomp a mud-hole in the asses of Colorado by a 4-1 margin continuing their winning streak and push toward the playoffs. 

9/1 -I had to run to Mt. Juliet to get a recall fix on the old Honda CRV today, so I decided to wait for the work to be down the road a piece at M.L. Rose for lunch, some work and some libations.  It was an easy walk there and back.  With my burger special I had a nice NEIPA from Good People Brewing (Birmingham) called Hazy Snake.  I finished with a very solid Belgian strong golden ale from Cigar City Brewing (Tampa) called Cosmic Crown.  

9/2 - There he is: the man, the myth, the bad-beat and cooler legend, DecadeofDuke!!
I had a decent day of poker on Global today that should have been so much more if not for the aforementioned bad beats and coolers that seems to always find me.  I made two final tables today.  One was just a $3 micro-tournament where I finished 9th and only double my buy-in.  The other was a nice third place finish in an $11 super deep stack tournament with a lot of players that netted me $215 in profit.  And I should have cashed in an even bigger tournament if not for a mind-numbing cooler of my pocket aces that I guess I should have recognized as a possibility...no matter how minute the chances were of it...

9/3 - Wow!  The CCBC is looking good!  Those beautiful front doors are from reclaimed wood from the floor of the old store that used to be here on The Square.  Very cool!  I can't wait for it to open!!  In the meantime, I stopped by The Cedar Tap instead and enjoyed a couple new-to-me libations while enjoying the fact that college football is back.   First up was the solid double IPA from Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta, Nashville) called Cosmic Cabbage.  I finished with a pricey, but delicious, strong ale also from MNBC called Tier 11.   The name comes from their 11th anniversary blend of eight different base beers in 25 different spirit barrels.  The result was a whopper of a brew with 12.5 ABV. 

9/4 - Despite the dismal weather forecast for today, we got an unexpected holiday weekend pool day, so I cracked open my newly acquired bomber bottle of the Dancing on Barrels wee heavy Scotch ale from Southern Grist Brewing that I picked up the other day in East Nashville.  I probably should have waited for cooler temps for this one, but I just couldn't, and it was terrific to sip on while in the pool. 

9/8 - Well, I missed it by a day, but I had nice walk to The Cedar Tap tonight with a stop at Sushi Max for a couple rolls for dinner and then celebrated National Beer Lover's Day with a pint of the sweet, but decent, Oktoberfest from Founders Brewing (MI).  I closed out with an interesting fruit sour called Watermelon Jolly from TrimTab Brewing (Birmingham).  Accurate name too.  It tasted just like a Jolly Rancher candy!  

9/10 - We flew to down to Los Cabos, Mexico, today to celebrate Ashlee's birthday at the Hyatt Ziva All-Inclusive Resort.  The beer selections were minimal, but I did enjoy my first Tecate Light checked in on UNTAPPD as we took a dip in our swim-up room.  Cheers! 

9/11 - I got up for sunrise in Cabo this morning and she was a beauty! 

Check out that tan-line!  I've gotten the best tan I've ever had this summer thanks to my many days of "working" from the pool.

My favorite pic from our sunset sail from the marina at Cabo San Lucas today was this black and white capture of a huge wave hitting El Arco.  The colorful sunset was a beauty too, but there was just something about this shot that wowed me.  

9/12 - OK, enough with the unlimited Tecate and Dos Equis!  I need hops!!! Ashlee spent a good part of her birthday afternoon getting some spa treatments, so that gave me a window of opportunity to take a quick Uber ride from the resort to Baja Brewing Company in nearby San Jose del Cabo.  Our friend, Emily, joined me since she had her spa day yesterday and likes craft beer as well.  I started with their excellent Hazy IPA and then moved on to the so-new-it-isn't-on UNTAPPD yet delicious DIPA called Donkey Rodeo.  Their donkey being led by a beer bottle logo is awesome, so I had to get a hat, of course.  I finished up with the interesting and tasty copper-colored Peyote India Pale Ale.  I also had a taste of Emily's La Surfa German pilsner which is a gold medal winner, and I can taste why.  
Cheers and happy birthday, honey!! 

9/13 - The last sunrise in Cabo.  Fun trip with some good beer found! 

9/14 - We went to see OneRepublic tonight at the Bridgestone Arena and I thought it was cool that lead singer and founder, Ryan Tedder, was sporting a craft beer hat during the show.  I had to zoom in on the big screen to read it clearly.  Looks like Calidad Beer Company is a cerveza-focused microbrewery in LA with some MLB player ownership ties.  I wonder if Tedder has some ownership too because that's pretty good free advertising! 

9/15 - I went to see opening night of the new film, The Woman King, with my pal, Toney, at the local Roxy Theaters (recliners!).  It was such a nice evening that I was able to walk to the theater for the 7 PM show!  Man, what a fantastic film!   Another possible Oscar nom for Viola Davis, I think.  Might have to go see this one again! 

9/16 - This month's Beer Box arrived today just in time for what looks to be a good pool weekend coming up.  Despite the still warm temps here, this month's box had a couple Oktoberfest brews since it's getting that time of year.  It also had a couple IPAs, a lemon sour, a wheat ale, and a couple lagers. 
While those chilled, I cracked open a "Mexican refugee" from our recent trip down to Cabo.  I had the excellent bottle of Avena Baja Stout from Baja Brewing in Mexico.  Thanks to Ashlee for packing this one for me and bringing it safely home! 

I found a cause to donate my recent 10% of poker winnings to today also.  You gotta love NPR!  I rounded up a bit and gave them $50 in support. 

9/17 - We had a nice pool day today with a couple friends.  I cracked into my Beer Box brews starting with the tasty Huma Lupa Licious IPA from Short's Brewing (MI).  Next up was the bombastically great Molotov Cocktail triple (12% ABV) IPA from Evil Twin Brewing (Brooklyn, NY).  I slowed to a stop with the very nice (and hilariously named) M.C. Hammerschlagen (Oktoberfest) from Eagle Park Brewing (Milwaukee).  

9/18 - Another very nice pool day for mid-September.  I had another trio from my recent Beer Box shipment.  I started with the tart but palatable Sippin' Lemonade Berliner Weisse sour from Odell Brewing (CO).  Next up was a decent Upland Wheat Ale from Upland Brewing (IN).  I saved the best for last with a tasty pint can of Oktoberfest marzen from On Tour Brewing (Chicago).  I believe this is also a first-time-for-me-brewery too.  

I had a good night of online poker as well today with my first back-to-back final tables in one of the series events on Global.  It's their Micro Thunder Series, so the buy-ins are small, and so the prize pools are as rather small as well.  I got 4th in the first one vs. 714 other players for just under $180 in profit. Not bad for $3 investment! 

I also finished 9th in a $5 tournament with 715 other players in it. This payout was just under $50 in profit, but it also got me an entry into a final-table-players-only tournament next week. 

9/19 - The online winning continued tonight with a $3 micro-tournament win.  This time vs. 67 others for a profit of $53.  

9/21 - It was quite a day for a Wednesday today.  First up the new highly anticipated "Andor" Star Wars series on Disney+ premiered today.  Cassian Andor is one my favorite "new" Star Wars characters.   It started off a little slow, but by Episode 3 it was awesome!  

It was also most likely my last day to work in the pool as the fall temps start creeping in.

Finally, there was a friendly NSC Leagues Cup game vs. Mexico City to be watched tonight.  The first-ever foreign team to play at our new Geodis Park.  We won in a thrilling overtime of penalty kicks! 

I finished off my recent Beer Box delivery to celebrate these three events first with a can of the Dortmunder Gold lager from Great Lakes Brewing which I thought I had not had before, but instead, thanks to UNTAPPD, I realized I had it almost 7 years to the day ago up in Cleveland during one of our more memorable G.A.M.E. trips.   It was still great and worth the wait!  I finished with a pint can of the excellent Stone///Fear.Movie.Lions Double IPA (2022) from Stone Brewing out in Cali.   Still one of my favorite breweries despite being recent sell-outs to Big Beer.  

9/22 - Merry EARLY Christmas to me!!  I headed to Murfreesboro today for a little "work on the road" and almost didn't go to the Costco there but decided to stop in and grab a couple essentials.  What was most essential, however, turned out to be this awesome German beer Christmas advent calendar that I picked up for myself!  It's got 24 unique beers in it and most look to be from smaller German microbreweries instead of the big boys.  More on these later as I crack into them.  I also won't have to wait until December 1 since we are gone for Christmas on a cruise, so I can start popping these open on Thanksgiving!  Give thanks!! 

I stopped by Deep South Growlers to actually get some work done and sip on a few libations as well.  I started with the terrific imperial Nitro Electron Brown ale from Old Nation Brewing (MI).  Next up was the decent marzen called Oachkatzlschwoaf ("squirrel's tail) from Urban Chestnut Brewing (St. Louis).  I finished with the super-interesting and not to sweet, Strawberry Biscuit Ale, from Southern Grist Brewing here in Nashville with a blessing from the Hardee's fast-food chain as well who are known for their great biscuits.  
I dropped by Cedar Glade Brews to finish the afternoon off and had their light and refreshing Sweet Relief Lager before heading north toward home. 

9/24 - Oh, happy day!!  Cedar City Brewing had their "soft opening" today - but you couldn't tell it was soft by all the people in there!  They have five beers on tap currently so I "ran the table" today and had them all.  I started with their excellent CDR CTY West Coast IPA; then their (best of the day) CDR CTY American Brown Ale;  their light and tasty CDR CTY Kolsch; the decent CDR CTY New Zealand Wheat; and their solid Pale Ale (note this one does not have the "CDR CTY" in front of its name because someone else added it to UNTAPPD and did it wrong unlike the first four that I entered correctly).  Oh, and the Vols beat the hated Gators too!   Happy day indeed!! 

9/25 - It was Dollar Pours Day at The Cedar Tap for Mug Club Members, so I moseyed on up to see what they had on tap.  Usually there's only two or three I haven't had, but today's tap list was impressive with many I had not had before. So....six new-to-me beers later I was snockered and my friend, Curtis, drove me home (I think...oh boy).  Anyway, I did manage to get them all checked-in on UNTAPPD.  Here they are:
the nice and light Melory Blonde Ale from Marrowbone Brewing over in Ashland City
the terrific and spice-laden Pumpkin Spice Latte Nitro from Left Hand Brewing (CO)
the solid Oktoberfest marzen from Tennessee Brew Works here in Nashville 
the also solid Crosstoberfest festbier from Crosstown Brewing over in Memphis
the very good Back Seat IPA from Half Batch Brewing up in Hendersonville 
and the Lucky Chompers Helles lager also from Crosstown Brewing (I guess this one was good.  I don't really remember it...hiccup!)  

9/26 - I've just gotten into the awesome music of the Grammy-award-winning rock band, The War on Drugs, and missed them here in Nashville at The Ryman and at Bonnaroo earlier this year, so when a chance to see them at Avondale Brewing in Birmingham for a reasonable price (and at a brewery!) came about, I jumped at the chance.  I had bought tickets for me and Ashlee, but she wound up not being able to go because of work, so I made it a bachelor trip instead.  I also opted for the A-List Upgrade at Avondale Brewing as well for the show.  More on that below. 

My first stop today headed south was in Huntsville, AL, at Yellowhammer Brewing for a couple of libations and to catch up on work (yep, no day off here!).  I started with their Groovy Don's Groovy IPA which was very good.  I finished with their solid schwarzbier called Midnight Special.  Time to move on down the Lost Highway and continue south! 

My Hertz neighborhood rental car (paid for with poker profits!) was a nice Ford Fusion.  I had excellent weather coming and going. 

My next stop was a pretty Mardis Mill Falls which I had all to myself.  Despite the dry weather lately, she was running pretty well although the swimming hole looked a little shallow.  

I arrived in Birmingham at my very nice AirBnb apartment in the Avondale neighborhood within walking distance of the venue (paid for with poker profits!).  

With some time to kill before the show I walked to nearby Back Forty Brewing and enjoyed their Viking's Bridge Wee Heavy Scotch ale out on their nice deck soaking up the late afternoon sun. 

With darkness falling I took a quick Uber back over to Avondale Brewing where my A-List Upgrade got me into their taproom before and during the show where they had free pizza as well.  I started with their Brunch Punch Shandy which was light and very nice.  

The War on Drugs were incredible live. Even though I only have a couple of their songs downloaded, I enjoyed the entire two-hour show.   There was a big crowd despite it being a Monday night.  The venue is great with good sight lines and great audio.  During the show I had another Avondale Brewing libation:  the decent Sour Pash fruit sour.  I was a tad disappointed at the limited beer menu they had available during the show, but you take what you can get, I guess. 

9/27 -  I hung out in my Avondale apartment working and sipping coffee until check-out time at 10 AM and then started back north.   Thanks, B-ham.  I will be back! 

My first stop headed back north was in Jasper, AL, for some gas station sushl...wait, what????
Yep, Bayou Fresh Seafood is a sushi restaurant connected to a gas station and it gets rave reviews including a write-up in Souther Living Magazine.  I just had to give it a try! 

Crawdad roll up front and blue fin tuna in the back.  Both were superb! 

My next stop was the pretty and surprisingly long Clarkson Covered Bridge.  What a beauty!  

I stopped for libations and to catch up on work at Main Channel Brewing in Lake Guntersville.  This little place is in view of the water and their beer was solid.  I started with their flagship IPA that was hoppy and fresh.  I went a little rogue with my second choice:  their Black Curant wheat beer was interesting, but a tad tart and I guess not what I was expecting.  I will have to swing back by some time and try more of their libations. 

I almost thought of skipping my next stop as the day was getting late, and I am so glad I didn't.  The amazing High Falls Park on Sand Mountain was so worth the time.  I MUST come back when the water levels are higher, but even today the place is just mind-boggling.  There's even a natural arch to the right of the falls in the picture above.  Evidently, it's been a county park for about 20 years after the private owner passed away and left it to the folks here.  I guess that's why I never heard of it until recently despite growing up about an hour from here. 

The ride home was smooth and easy.  Another great little road trip! 

9/28 - Seems like the perfect day to go check out Lebanon's SECOND craft brewery which opened this week, Tenn Lakes Brewing.  I walked up and tried both of their only two beers on tap currently.  Their Irish Red ale was nice albeit a bit earthy.  

I also had their solid No Sun, I'm Pale Ale to finish off my visit.  I did like that they have Prince Street Pizza from Gallatin on their menu.  It rocks.  They also have taps for some other local breweries including Briarscratch from Gallatin and Half Batch from Hendersonville.  I wish them luck.  This great little corner location in The Mill hasn't had a lot of luck over the years seeing several places come and go from a great English pub, The Lady Godiva (RIP), to some lame restaurants including The Bull and Whistle where this infamous exchange happened: 
ME:  Hey, this just says Sweetwater on the menu.  Is that the 420?
Dimwit waitress:  Oh, no, it's only four dollars!! 
Oy vey... 

9/30 - I headed back to the new and improved Poker Barn tonight and got my first tournament cash in the new digs.  I eked out a sixth-place finish to barely get me in the money, but turning my $160 investment into $240, but after tipping the dealers $40, it was really only a small win, but not bad vs. 28 other tough players.   Through the early part of the night, I enjoyed three bottles of craft beer from a variety 4-pack that I picked up at Lebanon Wine and Spirits the other day.  First up was the crisp and tasty Retro Rye IPA from Harpoon Brewing (Boston).  Next up was the best of the night, the Banana Bread Beer from Eagle Brewery (England).  I finished with the unique and enjoyable Bubblegum Juicy IPA from Abita Brewing (LA).