Summertime Doesn't Really Mean a "Slimmer Time" - Cheers to New Beers!!

A

6/2 - I finally got back to Finally Friday at 3rd and Lindsley today and with my now-retired. man-of-leisure, best friend, Craig.  We had a tasty lunch along with the free music.  I didn't know any of the performers before today, but I did like what I heard on YouTube searches of them.  First up was Tania Elizabeth who's the fiddle player for The Avett Brothers.  Next was Johnson Jay.  Closing out was the Americana group, Yonder Grove.  

Afterwards, I stopped by the Homegrown Taproom and caught up on work and had a couple half-pint brews including a nice Scotch ale from Mill Creek Brewing out in Nolensville called The Luckey One, and a lovely pilsner from Southern Grist Brewing here in Nashville called Franco Crisp. 

6/3 - It was a Saturday pool day (in between mowing) and I raided the fridge for a few good craft beers including a tasty Counter Culture Coffee Baltic Porter from Ponysaurus Brewing (NC), a nice fruit beer called the Kickaround POG Tart from Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland) and a super-smooth (and dangerous 8% ABV) Kentucky Blueberry Barrel Wheat from Lexington Brewing.

6/4 - Nothing says summer like flip flops and cold beer! We had another good pool day today as the rain stayed away and some friends of ours joined us for an afternoon of fun and libations.  My list started with this excellent Gulf Coast IPA from Ghost Train Brewing (Birmingham).  Next up was the interesting albeit a bit flat Snorkel farmhouse ale from Jester King Brewing (Austin).  The Hop Tarts Strawberry Milkshake IPA from DuClaw Brewing (Baltimore) was a big improvement.  Next up was the very nice Lato Est Birra Italian pilsner from East Nashville Beer Works.  I concluded the day with a very nice kellerbier called Della from Living Waters Brewing in collaboration with Barrique Brewing in Nashville also. 

I got a win tonight in a $1 No Limit Crazy Pineapple turbo tournament on Global Poker vs. 25 others for 1000 % ROI.  

6/5 - I got a rare outright win tonight in my little PokerStars group (we usually chop if I make it to the money and don't get bad beat or coolered when the blinds go astronomical).  It was just vs. 5 others, but these boys are stingy in their play, so I consider it a nice victory.  My ROI was a little over 200%.  

6/6 - I went to see the new animated film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, at the Roxy Theaters (recliners!) tonight here in town with my pals, Curtis and Toney.  The flick was very good and the animation was simply amazing. 
Beforehand, Curtis and I had a couple of pre-movie brews at Cedar City Brewing where I enjoyed their Hazy IPA and their Kolsch, plus their awesome dry-rub wings for dinner! 

6/7 - Another dollar NLCP turbo tournament win on Global Tonight vs. 17 others for 800% ROI. And then 2nd place (had first locked up and got card dead at the wrong time) in a small $3 buy-in tourney vs. 82 others for a 1300% ROI.

6/8 - I took a road trip up to Clarksville today for a very special reason:  to pick up our case of personalized pool beer from Evill Nash Brewing!!! What a great idea!!  Too bad it wasn't a brewery closer to home, but I do like what the small operation at Evill Nash is doing, so it was worth the drive.  I shall release them to the world (and me) at our July 4th weekend pool party.   While I was there, I also partook of their spicy brown ale called Cin Fuego that was very good.  Thanks again, ENBC!! 

While in the C-ville I did a little more brewery crawling and working on the road including stops at Kings Bluff Brewing where I had their very nice Oats...I Did It Again NEIPA, and a stop at a new-to-me brewery there called The Fallen Brewery.  This is another one tied heavily to the large military presence here in Clarksville via nearby Fort Campbell.  Cool little place, but I wasn't overly impressed with my choice (photo above) called the Always Faithful, Always Forward NEIPA.  

6/8 - I went to opening night of the new sci-fi flick, Transformers - Rise of the Beasts, with my pals, Toney and Curtis, at the Roxy Theaters (recliners!) here in town tonight.  The film wasn't very good IMO which is too bad since this was supposed to be sort of a fresh reboot of this lagging franchise.  The post-credit scene tie-in with "GI Joe" was kind of interesting, but I really don't trust where it's going. 

6/9 - We are spending the next two nights in three classic Shasta campers set up in nearby Bloomington Springs, TN, with two other couple-friends.  Ours is the "Mellow Yellow" and it's a beauty!  Cheers to a fun weekend.  I started the libations with the Transcontinental Crisp, a very nice pilsner from Southern Grist Brewing here in Nashville (photo above).  Next, was a can of the decent Birthday Saison Ale from Yazoo Brewing up in Madison that I bought in a six-pack at the Three Forks Market in Watertown earlier today.  
We headed into Cookeville for dinner at Father Tom's Pub and I had a solid DIPA from Hutton and Smith Brewing down in Chattanooga called 16 Years of College Down the Drain with my fantastic wild salmon meal.  I closed out the night back at the campers with a session IPA from 2nd Shift Brewing (St. Louis) called Little Big Hop. 

tra

6/10 - We went exploring today out from the campers and I took our group of six to two of my favorite places in the Sparta area:  Lost Creek Falls and Calfkiller Brewing.  At Calfkiller I had their light and refreshing Strawberry Harvest Trail Ale.  Back at the campers tonight, I had a very nice NEIPA from Southern Grist Brewing here in Nashville called Practical Substitutes.  I closed out the great day with a great WayBird Hazy IPA from Half Acre Beer Company (Chicago). 

6/11 - I won a $1 Turbo Bounty Tournament today on Global Poker vs. 65 others with 6 knockouts and an ROI of a little over 1,800%.
Beforehand, we did a little pool floating before the storms chased us in and I had a nice sweet brown ale from Southern Grist Brewing here in Nashville called Chop it Up.  I followed that up with a uber-pint bottle of the pretty good Hopfenweisse (Tap 05) wheat beer from Schneider Weisse G. Schneider and Sohn Brewery in Germany in collaboration with Brooklyn (NY) Brewing.  

6/12 - I drove down to have a belated birthday lunch with my nutty sister, Melinda, today and we actually had a pretty good meal and time at the new Sequatchie Valley Brewing in Dunlap.  I had their very nice golden ale called Left Arm Tan, with my meal.  Even Melinda liked it. On the way out of The Valley I passed by what used to be Ruby's, a little hole in the wall beer joint on the outskirts of Whitwell where we played the card game, setback, for money (just $5) in blind-draw partner tournaments every week.  It was definitely an influence for my love of tournament poker now. along with growing up playing rummy with my neighbor, Mrs. Raulston, playing Spades at TN Tech almost every day, and, of course, The Moneymaker Effect.  I can still here Ruby yelling "Come get ya number!!" before each tournament.  Too bad, too sad, it's all gone now. 

6/13 - We drove down to Manchester this evening to meet Paige, Andy and Ella to pick up the pop-up camper for Bonnaroo that is coming at the end of the week along with picking up Ella to go with us to the festival.  We all had dinner out on the patio (since Sunny was with us) of Common John Brewing where I had their excellent DIPA called Universal Sound with my tasty pizza.  I bought everyone's meal and drinks as a thanks for them meeting us here, and for Andy letting us borrow his 4x4 truck as well.  

6/15 - I went to opening night of the new DC superhero movie, The Flash, with my pal, Curtis tonight.  The film was pretty good!  Can't wait to see it again next week with my pal, Toney, as well.  Beforehand, I did have a float in the pool and enjoyed a pint can of an excellent IPA from Soul and Spirits Brewing out in Memphis called Hoochie Coochie.  I was very excited to see that the Mt. Juliet Beer Company was carrying their products now since I think they are the best of the Memphis microbreweries.  

6/16 - It was Back to Bonnaroo Day 1 (for us) today.  We skipped the actual Day 1 yesterday since there wasn't anything on the line-up that interested us.  Putting up the camper was a hot, sometimes frustrating, experience, as usual, so I enjoyed a couple of brewskies afterwards to reward my efforts (and sweat).  First up was the excellent Mexican-style lager called No Mames from Tripping Animals Brewing (new to me) out of Florida.  I finished with a farmhouse ale called Queen's Order (photo above) from Jester King Brewing (Austin) that I thought was a little tart, but Ashlee enjoyed it more, so I let her finish it. 

Once we were in Centeroo at the festival, I learned that the Who's Broos Pub (formerly "The Broo'ers Tent) had moved locations to the far end of the festival grounds.  Still worth the walk though since it looks like they have enlarged it and added more breweries.  They had an excellent selection of local and regional new-to-me brews to choose from.  I started with the solid Codename: Carolina Fog IPA from Catawba Brewing (NC). Cheers to being back Bonnaroo!! 

It gets crazy late at night at Bonnaroo, but not that crazy...

6/17 - I had another couple camp beers today before heading into Bonnaroo  Day 2 (for us).  First up was the light and refreshing Nebo Pilsner from Fonta Flora Brewing (NC), and the excellent Dark No Mames (photo above) Mexican-style lager from Tripping Animals Brewing (FL). 

Back at the Who's Broos Pub and repping Nashville SC (who got a big win at home tonight against St. Louis!), I had the nice IPA from local Common John Brewing here in Manchester called Slow Down, Easy (Chapter IX).  I followed that with solid Chattahooligan Kolsch from Chattanooga Brewing.

After my third visit to the Who's Broos Pub where I got the great Trailbound pale ale from Highland Brewing (Asheville), I slipped over to the Who Stage and caught a few rocking songs by the Salt Lake City quartet, The Moss, who were definitely giving off a vibe of The Doors to me on stage.  

6/18 - Bonnaroo Day 3 (for us) and the last day of the festival.  I enjoyed a pint can of the excellent Vienna-style lager called Character Reference from Cerebral Brewing (Denver and new to me) after packing up the camper to head out late tonight.  

My last visit to the Who's Broos Pub had me selecting the solid Mexican-style lager called Lawdy, Lawdy! from local Common John Brewing.  It was another great Bonnaroo with an improved craft beer tent...what else could you want...well, maybe Tyler Childers on the main stage instead of some of the trash that was there...just sayin' 

6/20 - I went to see The Flash movie again tonight with my pal, Toney.  I have found it surprising that what I think is a pretty good flick is now considered DC's biggest bomb.   Really?  Cuz Black Adam sucked out loud and Batman v. Superman was a festering turd.  This one was at least funny and interesting.  To each his own I guess...

My June Beer Box arrived while I was at Bonnaroo, so my buddy, Curtis, picked it up for me so it didn't get porch pirated.  I picked it up today and it looks like another dandy haul with three IPAs, a sour, a light ale, a couple wheat beers and a lager; and only one I think I've had before. 

 
6/21 - I attended another SOLD OUT Comedy Showcase at Cedar City Brewing Company with my friends, Kate and Curtis, tonight.  It was another great line-up of funny folks just a few minutes from our house.  Can't beat that!  Beforehand, we hung out at CCBC and I took advantage of their Wings Wednesday Deal and tried both of their new Special Tappings from the MTSU Fermentation Science Student Projects.  I would have given the Experimental IPA an A+ for hoppiness and balance.  The Blueberry Lavender fruit beer would get a B+ from me since it was light and easy-drinking, but I didn't catch much blueberry in the taste. 

6/23 - Our friends, Kate and Curtis, invited us to some night racing at the Nashville Superspeedway here in Wilson County today.  Not really our thing, but we do like to support events here in our home county and away from the roar that is Nashville. We headed down after work and tailgated a bit before the 7 PM green flag.   I took a few brews from my recent Beer Box order.  First up was the excellent Rectifier IPA from Eagle Park Brewing (Milwaukee and new to me).  Next was the sorta bland Hop Reach IPA from Allagash Brewing (ME).  I finished on an up note with the tasty and whopping 9% ABV Vibacious Double IPA from Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland).  

At the race it was mass-produced swill as far as the eye could see, but I was able to choke down a couple to add a few new check-ins on UNTAPPD.  My Busch Light was basically water.  I was proud to see NASCAR still serving Bud Light despite all the recent asshole boycotting by moronic bigots in this sometimes-stupid country.  Cheers, and fuck all the haters!!! 

6/24 - I finally got another big score today on Global Poker as I took down an $11 Super Deep Stack Tournament vs. 197 others for just under $400 in profit!!  That's a 3,600% ROI for those of you keeping score!! 
I started the tournament a little late and, on my phone, out by the pool this afternoon.  Beforehand, I had a couple of brews with my pool floating from my recent Beer Box order including the nice and light (only 80 calories in a pint can) Beerathon table beer from Off Color Brewing (Chicago and new to me).  Next up was a so-so Amber Lager from Four Sixes Grit and Glory Brewing representing Texas, but brewed in San Jose, CA... weird.  

6/25 - The pool float libation of the day (between stormy weather) was the pretty good Drinking Buddy golden ale from Jackalope Brewing here in Nashville in collaboration with Hattie B's famous Nashville hot chicken.  

6/27 - I went solo tonight to see the Uncle Lucious show at The Basement East.  Granted, I've only got one song by them on my music downloads, but it's a dandy and I hear good reviews about their live shows, and this is sort of a comeback tour for them after a 5-year hiatus.  I got another good deal to stay overnight again at Waymore's Guest House and Casual Club like Craig and I did for the John Mellencamp show, but this time the venue is just around the corner from the hotel!   

I checked in as early as a I could to enjoy my swanky room and catch up on some work before heading out to do a little craft beer sipping and grab some dinner before the show.  My first stop just a couple blocks away was Smith and Lentz Brewing where they had a bevy of new IPAs on tap.  I started with the excellent and citrusy C-o-o-lR-i-d-e-r NEIPA. I finished with their dank, hoppy and delicious Grindset IPA.

I love the East Nash!  I had easy walks next to The Picnic Tap at Hunter's Station where I grabbed a light and refreshing lager called Lawnchair Hotrod from Rhinegeist Brewing (Cincinnati) that went perfect with my excellent beef rice bowl dinner from Vui's Kitchen which is also in Hunter's Station.  Just before the show, I stopped in at Crazy Gnome Brewing (another short walk) and tried their light and tasty stout called Tell Your Dog I Said Hi and finished with their crisp and smooth pale ale called It's Not a Phaze. 
The show was great with a good-sized crowd for a weeknight which the bands seemed very grateful for.  The opening band, Hollier, was very good as well.  They were giving me a real Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band vibe, and then sure-enough did a great cover from them.   I was right at the stage for both sets and enjoyed both with Uncle Lucious not disappointing on my first time seeing them play live.  Lead singer, Kevin Galloway, has such a soulful voice reminiscent of Bob Seger and sounds just as good live and the rest of the band are tight and talented. 
Ten minutes after the show ended, I was back in my hotel room...very nice!! 

6/28 - I slept in and worked in and enjoyed my room at Waymore's Guest House and Casual Club as long as I could today.  I ambled up to breakfast at the Snooze eatery where I had another awesome three-egg omelet and a sweet potato pancake.  I was too stuffed from breakfast to stick around for lunch, so I cruised home just after noon and even got an afternoon pool float in where I enjoyed a pint can of the 2nd Shift Brewing (St. Louis) Monte Carlo Milk Stout.
A very nice little stay-cation! 

6/29 -We went to opening night of the new film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and it was pretty good.  I watched the stormy weather move in and out of the area beforehand and toasted it with a pint can of the solid NEIPA called Hey, Nelson, from Collective Arts Brewing (Ontario, Canada).  

6/30 - I headed out to The Poker Barn to see how my luck was running live.  I took with me a trio of craft beer pint cans for the night.  First up was the very good triple NEIPA called Gold! from Omnipolo Brewing (Stockholm, Sweden - note to self: gotta try and visit these guys on our trip to Sweden coming up in September). Next up was the long-named A Minute to Stare Deeply into your Azure Eyes excellent pilsner ironically from No Name or ____ Brewing (CT).  
Then the lights went out (literally) as a very strong storm moved through the area and we found ourselves without power for the rest of the night.  We decided to play out the rest of the tournament by flashlight (or phone-light to be more exact - photo above) which was a Poker Barn first, and the addition of water bottles on top of the phones was pure genius by somebody in the crowd.  I finished off my beer trifecta in the dark nursing a decent stack of chips and sipping on the nice IPA called Beer Hates Astronauts from Half Acres Beer Company (Chicago). 

Once a birddog, always a birddog,  I guess...after getting my AQ in against 1010 with no help from the board, I headed out about midnight out of the money, but did stumble upon the source of our problems at The Poker Barn just a mile or so up Central Pike.  

7/2 - We had our one and only pool party of the summer today to kick of the 4th of July Weekend and I was finally able to have our personalized pool beer unveiling (and consuming!).  I even got to add to UNTAPPD:  Presenting the Berry Belgian Witbier - Rob and Ashlee Pool Edition!! It's a great little summer beer.  Light and refreshing.  It seemed to be quite the hit among our attendees including my beer pal, Nate, who, of course, came loaded to bear himself with some great new-to-me beers to share.  First up was the Skippy, a very nice Australian Sparkling Ale from Barrique Brewing here in Nashville.  Next up from Nate was the tasty Midday Riposa pilsner from Fait la Force Brewing here in Nashville also.   Nate # 3 was the solid Line Array IPA also from Barrique.  And Nate # 4 was equally good Ocean Spectre IPA from Fait la Force.  Then, our friend, Bethany, got into the act by bringing a six-pack of Sierra Nevada's (CA) Juicy Little Thing NEIPA which I thought I had drank before, but not according to UNTAPPD.  (Such generosity! No wonder I got sloshed!!) 

I, of course, had my own stash of new-to-me beers to drink as well including one of a six-pack of the delightful UFO Strawberry Lemonade Shandy from Harpoon Brewing (Boston) that I got mostly for Ashlee.  Next was an awesome DIPA with an even more awesome name, Cats Are Forever (photo below), from Finback Brewing (Queens, NY - new-to-me-brewery).  I closed out the day with a nice pint can of a pale ale called New Blaze from Half Batch Brewing just up the road in Hendersonville.  I even had another pint can IPA that I failed to check in and can remember the name of (so sad, did I mention was schnockered?)...it had something to do with surfing...oh, well...hiccup!! 

Cats are forever!! They really are!!

7/3 - Ashlee and I went to see the Matchbox 20 concert at the Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville tonight.  They were as great as when we first saw them 25 (gulp) years ago!!  Beforehand we checked out the new restaurant/bar, The Black Tap that has opened downtown.  I was excited to see their beer menu since the one I went to in Vegas a while back had an impressive list.  Unfortunately, that was not the case here.  While I applaud them having mostly local craft beers, there was really nothing very unique on tap there.  I settled for sort of a repeat with a glass of the decent Bengali 2022 IPA from Sixpoint Brewing (Brooklyn, NY).  The food was great, however, so I won't say I won't be back.  

Now this is more like it!  After the show, back in our swanky/pricey room at The Bobby Hotel,  I enjoyed some of our little "staycation" with raid of the room fridge and a $9 can of the very good blonde ale called Fancy Ass Bread from New Heights Brewing here in Nashville and made exclusively for the hotel.  

7/4 - The 4th of July fell on a Tuesday this year which sort of put a damper on the overall festivities (although I do appreciate my Aptive boss, Chris, giving us Monday. 7/3, off - off the record - very cool).  We dodged some rain and got a little pool floating where I had the so-so "historical beer" called Trinken Verboten, a collab from 2nd Shift Brewing (St. Louis) and Cigar City Brewing (Tampa).  My next one was much better and the can wrap kinda looks like a firework (photo above).  The Pause for Effect DIPA is from Modern Times Beer Company (San Diego).  

7/6 - In-the-pool weather is finally upon us after a somewhat cool June.  The water felt great today and floating wasn't needed.  Full submersion was!  When I did come up from the depths I enjoyed the summer-made kolsch from Briarscratch Brewing up the road in Gallatin (and Sumner County) called Sumner Summer Ale.   I had a couple swigs of my beer pal, Curtis', pool beer called Dragons from Urban Artifact Brewing (Cincinnati).  It was a decent fruit beer. 

7/7 - We did more pool swimming today and I enjoyed a few from my most recent stop at the Mt. Juliet Beer Company - what a great selection!!  I started with a tasty fruit beer called Electric Sunshine from Avery Brewing (CO).  Next up was a killer DIPA called At First Sight from Drekker Brewing Company (Fargo, ND - a new-to-me brewery).  I finished with an interesting black-tea infused IPA called Teacursion from Bottle Logic Brewing (CA - another new-to-me brewery I think).  

Curtis and I headed to The Cedar Tap as dark approached to have a few more libations.  I haven't darkened the door of this place in a while actually, so it was nice to be back.  I stuck with 10 oz. pours since I had already been imbibing a good amount.  I started with the overly sweet NEIPA from Living Waters Brewing here in Nashville called Millaa.  It's a rare miss for one of my favorite Nashville breweries.  I moved on to the smooth and creamy Nitro Peanut Butter stout from TailGate Brewing here in Nashville.  Next was a solid Maibock from Barrique Brewing also here in Nashville.  Drink local!!  I ended with a very interesting (and free thanks to my Mug Club punch card - photo above) fruited sour called Heatwave from Prairie Artisan Ales (OK).  The addition of habanero pepper to a sour beer is pleasing to my palate as the lingering slight burn finish is what you are left with instead of...well...sour...yecch!   I decided to walk home since it had cooled off a good amount, and it was a nice buzzed stroll since I also haven't done that from here in a while either.  

7/8 - Tickets secured for our G.A.M.E. Trip in early November to Pittsburgh to see the Titans play the Steelers on Thursday Night Football!!  We are a group of at least 6 this year for what should be a fun trip with lots of craft beer in the mix as well.  
I toasted the upcoming trip with a pool swim pint can of the tasty NEIPA called Hazy Rays from Lawson's Finest Liquids (VT). 

I had a 2nd place finish, a 10th place finish (in the biggest tournament of the day - that one hurt not to go deeper) and then this win in a $5 NLCP Bounty Turbo tournament on Global Poker today.  I didn't keep the details as to how many were in the tournament, but I did get 8 knockouts and cleared about $70 in profit.  I cleared around $100 in profit for the day which I needed to restore the bankroll after a week or so of taking it on the chin again and again. 

I also got a 3-way chop over on PokerStars with our little local group for about $38 in profit.  

 Look what I picked up with some recent poker winnings!  I've been waiting for a restock in CCBC hats and figure this one will work out well on football Saturdays here in Big Orange Country!! 

7/9 - We had a Sunday "rainy" Funday today out in Nashville with Sunny tagging along.   We enjoyed the cooled off weather under the big, covered patio at Fait La Force Brewing where I had their excellent Blurred Edges pilsner and Ashlee had the SUNNY Skidoo Belgian Wit, of course!! 

7/10 - I made the Final Table tonight of a $22 6-handed Super Deep Bounty Tournament on Global Poker and wound-up finishing second when my opponent who I had trapped nicely sucked out on me.  It was still $360 in profit with 8 knockouts vs. 161 other players!   I played outside on the patio and the photo above is a reverse panoramic shot of my set-up with Sunny at my feet. 

7/11 - I am watching Sunny alone for the first time over a few days while Ashlee attends a work conference this week.  She's less of a handful now than when she was a puppy with a good sleep schedule and fairly well-behaved (most of the time).  I rewarded her good behavior so far with me with a visit to the new and improved Lebanon Dog Park today while I was out getting lunch at the always-awesome Jersey Mike's Subs.    I toasted her good behavior and last night's poker success this afternoon with a pint can of Fuzzy Logic, a peach NIPA from Bottle Logic Brewing (CA) 

The online poker winning continued tonight albeit on a much smaller scale:  I took down a $1 NLCP Tournament with just 13 other players, but 600% ROI is still something to smile about.  

7/13 -I went to opening night of the new Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 (movie posters pics saved) with my pal, Toney, at the Roxy Theaters (recliners!) here in town.  The movie was very good and I am already ready for Part 2!! 

7/14 - It's been over a month since I was last able to attend another Finally Friday at 3rd and Lindsley.  I had a tasty lunch along with the free music today.  I didn't know any of the performers before today, but I did like what I heard on YouTube searches of them and even bought a couple tunes beforehand.  First up was Daniel Allen, the lead singer for the Americana band, The Vegabonds.  I was really expecting the whole band based on the advertisement, but Allen has a clear, beautiful voice and is a solid solo performer as well.   Next up was cowboy crooner, Dallas Burrows, who had just come off a tour opening for Charley Crockett who we discovered at Bonnaroo this year.  He and his fiddle player were excellent.  Closing out was my favorite performer of the day, Gabe Lee.  This Asian-American singer/songwriter grew up here and his soulful voice reflects it nicely.  He too had a nice accompaniment of a pretty (and talented) fiddle player.   

Afterwards, I headed over to check out the brand-new Marble Fox Brewing that has taken up business in the old, original Jackalope Brewing location on 8th Avenue downtown.  The have really dropped some coin in here because the place looks great inside and out.  The beer was solid as well.  I had a pint of their flagship brown ale called Quick Brown Fox that was excellent.  I finished with a half-pint pour of NEIPA called Smiles Lines.  I will definitely be back here as soon as I can! 

I finished work early so I could volunteer at this year's Music City Brewers Festival at its new location at Geodis Park.  I got paired with the Nashville "OG" Yazoo Brewing and worked with a nice National Guard guy named, Will, who is with Operation Stand Down, a veteran services organization to which some of the proceeds from tonight were going to.   We served up two choices from Yazoo, the low-calorie blonde ale called Locale which I have had before and really like, and the brand-new collaboration with Calfkiller Brewing amber lager called Lost Years which I had not had but enjoyed several gulps of tonight as I poured!  
I got a free Yazoo T-shirt for my efforts, a tasty box dinner from Jason's Deli, and my own tasting cup and a chance to walk around and doing some other sampling as well.  I tried the new Black Cherry IPA from Dark Shadow Brewing here in Nashville which I wasn't a big fan of.  Next was a very good NEIPA from Cherry Street Brewing down in Chattanooga called Digital Recess Hazy IPA.  I also enjoyed the Leisure Time Lager from Hi-Wire Brewing over in Asheville who will soon be opening a tap room here in downtown Nashville that I will have to check out. 

This month's Beer Box came today too, and it looks like another great selection of craft brews including a sour, some IPAs, a hefeweizen, a red ale and a Belgian blonde.   I only saw one in the selection of 8 that I have had before. 

7/15 - We headed out on this rainy Saturday morning/early afternoon to take part in Burger Week here in Nashville and chose Cledis Burgers and Beer Garden as our spot along with some friends of ours.  With my awesome $7 burger deal I also enjoyed a pint of the light and easy-drinking blonde ale called Vacation Dad from Perennial Artisan Ales (St. Louis) and then the even lighter and tasty Barrique (Brewing) Blue light lager from the folks here in Nashville. 
The sun popped out for the rest of the afternoon, so we were able to get some pool time in to close out the day.  My libations there were the decent fruit beer called Dirty Heads Vacation from Four Sons Brewing (CA).  The excellent New England style Hazy Hearted IPA from Bell's Brewery (MI).  I finished with a nice Belgian blonde called Island Rascal from Avery Brewing (CO).

7/16 - Today is the very last Dollar Pours Day at The Cedar Tap which is closing after this weekend.   It's a sad day, but not overly surprising. Since the start the place has been poorly managed and kind of out of touch with how to stay in business here in Lebanon, IMO.  They say there are coming back as a rebrand and that the Mug Club members won't be forgotten, but we shall see.   I started with the one of the few remaining beers on tap there that I had not already had, the fairly decent fruited sour called Bonita from Living Waters Brewing here in Nashville.  Everything else was a repeat, but I did grab two new-to-me bottles from Barrique Brewing here in Nashville that I will enjoy at a later date. 
Beforehand, it was a pretty good pool day so I enjoyed a batch of brews starting with a fresh crowler of the IPA called Ale Yeah, Brother! from TennFold Brewing here in Nashville that my beer pal, Nate, brought over.   Next up was a greatly disappointing UFO (Brewing) Florida Citrus wheat beer from the folks in Boston.  Yechh!!  The much better (and funnier named) Billy Ray Citrus fruited IPA from Eagle Park Brewing (Milwaukee) was next.  Then it was the decent Blinding Light Show (US Version) IPA from WarPigs USA Brewing.  I concluded on a very high note with the excellent Vanilla Bitch Slap red ale from Pig Minds Brewing (IL).  

Of course, I had to steal a Cedar Tap mug on my way out and then filled it with SunDrop when I got home to recover from my long day of drinking.  Cheers!! 

7/19 - I did a short brewery crawl before another comedy show at Cedar City Brewing tonight.  At Tenn Lakes Brewing I had their rather nice Klassy Kolsch.  Hopefully, they've gotten their water issue fixed since there was no weird aftertaste with this one.  I headed on over to CCBC next where I had the decent CDR CTY Coffee Porter with my order of tremendous dry-rubbed wings.  During the show I enjoyed their light and refreshing CDR CTY Strawberry Blonde ale. 

7/20 - I went to opening night of the new Christopher Nolan film, Oppenheimer, in IMAX at Opry Mills Theaters.  It was SOLD OUT which is not surprising since this theater is only one of 30 in the world showing the film in full frame 15 Perf 70mm.   The 3-hour ride was great as the film was enthralling from start to finish. I am happy to go see it again next week with my pal, Toney, who couldn't make it tonight.  
Beforehand, I had dinner at the Bavarian Bierhaus a few doors down from the theaters.  My usual, the tasty currywurst, was great and I had two nice half-liters of German beer.  First up was the light and smooth Ayiner Bairisch Bavarian Pils, followed by the hoppier than I was expecting Flensburger Pilsener.

7/21 - The Women's World Cup started tonight for the USWNT vs. Vietnam, so I toasted the ladies with a refugee bottle from the now-closed Cedar Tap: a funky, but tasty, wild Belgian pale ale called Alternate Ending from Barrique Brewing here in Nashville.  The gals drummed out a 3-0 win, but it wasn't very dominating as expected, so we shall see if they can scoop a third trophy in a row (which has never been done BTW). 

I had some good success today on Global Poker with not one, but two, outright tournament wins.  Granted, they were small, but still count, and help feed the bankroll for the bigger tournament series that is going currently which I can't seem to make much traction in...well, until today when I finished in the Top 25 in a big one with a large field.  But back to the wins:  first up was a dollar turbo progressive bounty tournament where I had nine knockouts (photo above) vs. 62 other players with an ROI of 2000%.  The second one was a much smaller $1 turbo NLCP tournament vs. 14 others with a 650% ROI.

7/23 - My pal, Nate, invited me to the 2023 Leagues Cup Game tonight at Geodis Park where our NSC boys took on the Colorado Rapids in the starting round of this mid-season tournament.  Beforehand, as usual, we had a couple brews (in exchange for free parking) at Fait La Force Brewing where I enjoyed their excellent Dunkel called Night Migration.  The game was a rather dominating 2-1 win for the Boys in Gold with my favorite new player, Jacob Shaffleburg, (photo above) nailing the winning goal along with a great assist on the first goal.  At the stadium I also found the new-to-me and decent blonde ale called Hold My Beer from Rock N' Dough Pizza and Beer with locations now here in Nashville, but got its start out in Jackson, TN. 

7/24 - I attended the SOLD-OUT Greta Van Fleet show tonight at the Bridgestone Arena.  This young Nashville-based band reminds me of Led Zepplin - who I never got to see live - so I wanted to see if they are worth all the buzz around them currently.   The show was very good although I thought the sound engineering could have been better.  The openers, Silversun Pickups, sound was even worse although I am convinced their drummer is one of the hardest working people in rock-n-roll.  

I had another overnight "stay-cation" at Waymore's Guest House and Casual Club in East Nashville (thanks poker winnings) also tonight.  So, I finished up work there this afternoon, and at Smith and Lentz Brewing a few doors down where I had their excellent Display Case pale ale; their equally tasty Super Simcoe IPA and finally, their nice Helles lager called Mariachi Static.  Before the show, I walked up to The Picnic Tap at Hunter's Station for a brew and some awesome Vui's Vietnamese for dinner.  My beer selection was the slightly disappointing Two Foot Cream Ale from Half Batch Brewing up in Hendersonville. 
 And hey, guess who's got a great craft beer singles section?!  I saw Main Street Liquors pop up on my UNTAPPD locator and their draft selection looked good, so I stopped in since it's close to the hotel.  No tasting bar, but a great selection of craft beer bottles and cans.  I got a variety four-pack and enjoyed a Sherman Bock from 903 Brewers (TX) back at my hotel room before getting an Uber to the show.  After the show, back at the hotel I had the ultra-sour and yucky Katy farmhouse ale (aka Brett beer) from 2nd Shift Brewing (St. Louis).  Bad choice on that one, but MSL is just another reason to stay here again whenever I can!! 

7/25 - I worked and hung out in my nice room until the noon checkout along with a stroll up to breakfast at Snooze Eatery.   I found a new seasonal favorite on their expansive menu - the habanero fried rice with pork belly!  Oh yeah! 

I had a leisurely drive back home with a few beer-related stops of interest...first was the original location of The Brewery at Mill Creek - not over in Nolensville where the present-day microbrewery is, but on Elm Hill Pike near the airport.  Who knew?!  Next was a drive-by to see the progress on the new East of Nashville Brew Works building going in on Callis Road and Hwy. 109 near home.  They've gotten block delivered, so they are moving on nicely!  Lastly, I stopped at the new 109 Liquor Store which had a pretty impressive craft beer aisle, albeit no singles, but I got a six-pack of new-to-me brews that I think Ashlee will like as well for pool floating.  More on them later.  

Then it was back to the Opry Mills IMAX Theater tonight to see Oppenheimer again with my pal, Toney, who couldn't go on opening night.    The film was just as great the second time around.   Beforehand, we had delicious grain bowls with salmon at TennFold Brewing.  I had their English mild ale that I thought was pretty good.  It's called Infinite Chill Vibes.  

7/26 - I signed up for (and deposited $25) for some different online poker today at America's Card Room since Global seems to be having a lot of trouble on my laptop loading tournaments for some reason.  I've played a couple sit-n-go's so far with no luck.
Over on Global Poker (on my phone) I did manage to win a small $1 NLCP Turbo tournament vs. 22 other people giving me 900% ROI.  
(Editor's note:  Global seems to have fixed itself a few days later.  Thank goodness, because I do not like this ACR website much at all.)

7/28 - We headed to North Carolina today for our annual weekend in the mountains with two other couples.  I found a cool house with a waterfall view in Rosman just west of Brevard.  On our way in we stopped at this swanky new Ingles Supermarket in Brevard that had a great craft beer selection including singles from regional breweries for a nice variety six-pack which I, of course, snatched right up! 

"The Waterfall House" as it is called sits on the dead-end of a road in a gated community giving it a ton of privacy.  Despite it being almost dark when we arrived, I was able to snap a pretty good picture of the small cascading falls in front of the home while enjoying a can of the excellent Middle Fork IPA from new-to-me local brewery, Mills River Brewing, from the Ingles variety six-pack.  Next up was the solid Hop Rain Drop IPA from Appalachian Mountain Brewing over in Boone, NC. 

My last beer of the night was from the local and new-to-me Brevard Brewing Company.  Their session IPA was great and had this awesome ode to The Land of Waterfalls here (photo above). 

7/29 - Since I was in the aforementioned Land of the Waterfalls, I was going to see some damn waterfalls!!  I got up solo before dawn and headed to the Dupont State Forest east of Brevard to check out a few cataracts.  First up was Hooker Falls named after a miller who set up a grist mill here on the Little River back in the 1800's.  I got a feeling it was Mr. Hooker who set these steppingstones as is making for a great foreground to the short but mighty falls that were still somewhat shrouded in the morning Carolina fog.  Despite there already being several cars in the parking lot, I had this one all to myself while I was there.  

I doubled back upstream on the Little River and climbed a very steep grade to get to this great overlook of the amazing Triple Falls. There's yet another big waterfall on the Little River above this one, but I was running out of time and had to get back.  Next time!! 

After getting back to the cabin and having breakfast, we all set out for some sightseeing in the area with the Sassafras Mountain Lookout Tower on the border of North and South Carolina as our first stop.  The 360-degree view atop this highest point in South Carolina (3,560') includes some views of north Georgia mountain peaks as well.  It was hazier today that I was expecting with some rainfall in the area last night.  Still, quite the site to behold. 

After some lunch and shopping/browsing in downtown Brevard, we headed back to The Waterfall House to play in our own private creek and waterfall.  I started the afternoon with a can of the very good Low and Hazy IPA from Appalachian Mountain Brewing over in Boone, NC.  The water was cold enough to keep your beer cool, so my next one, the Mullinax Stout, an Irish dry from nearby Mills River Brewing sat pretty in the falls in the photo above.   During an unexpected power outage and a rousing murder mystery game once the lights came back on, I finished off the Ingles variety six pack by consuming the slightly tart but enjoyable Honeydew Honeysuckle wheat beer also from AMB.

7/30 - We headed home from North Carolina today but didn't leave the state without a stop at the new-to-us Sierra Nevade Brewery (East Coast Operations) at Mills River over by the Asheville Airport.  Wow!  What a beauty of a place right on the French Broad River!  They really dropped some coin on this baby!  It is super-nice, big and beautiful.  We relaxed out in the awesome Back Porch/Beer Garden area and enjoyed a few tasty drafts.  First up for me was the excellent Cryo Fresh Torpedo IPA.  Next was the decent Ruthless Rye IPA although I was expecting more rye taste.  I finished off Ashlee's choice since she was driving.  It was the lovely Gaia Saison.  We will definitely be back by here next time we are in the area! 

7/31 - I closed out the month and the day in the pool today with a tasty can of the Citrus Squall golden ale from Dogfish Head Brewing (DE).  This is one of a six-pack that I picked up at the new109 Liquor Store last week.  It will be a great pool beer that I think Ashlee will enjoy as well.