In the ADVENT of an emergency, open nearest beer!

11/7 - My beer pal, Nate, couldn't make Game 2 of the MLS Playoffs with NSC hosting Orlando City tonight, so I bought his two seats and invited my friend, Tom, to go since he has never been to a pro soccer game or Geodis Park.   We parked for free at Fait La Force Brewing and had a couple pints before walking to the game.  I had their excellent marzen called Excessive Mischief and their light and delightfully hoppy pilsner called Wandering Ship.
It was another frustrating and disappointing 1-0 loss to these creeps from Mouse Town and suddenly NSC is now out of the playoffs and the season concludes on a real down note.  Boo! 

11/8 - Sunny and I took an impromptu road trip today down to Chattanooga and about to run some errands and enjoy the nice weather and our new car.  Our first stop was Calf Killer Brewing in Sparta where I had their delightful fruit-laden IPA called Grady Bailey.  We swung by my parents' graves as well, and I noticed a brand-new house at the old homestead (photo above).  Looks great.  Little bit of regret on my part, but it is what it is.  A couple other brewery stops were planned, but just didn't work out as darkness creeps in quite early now with the time change. 

11/11- We had our first fire in the Solo Stove this season tonight and I enjoyed a couple new brews along with it.  First up was the breezy new Bullseye IPA from Yazoo Brewing that I picked up at Three Forks Market in Watertown earlier today.  I followed that up with an early Christmas gift beer from my pal, Curtis, called Seasick Crocodile, a decent sour with cranberries, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg for balance from Prairie Artisan Ales (OK).
Another gift from Curtis came earlier in the day with some free extra firewood he had that was used in tonight's fire and a can of the name-appropriate and tasty Fireside Chat winter ale from 21st Amendment Brewing (San Francisco).  

11/13 - I took a solo overnight staycation in Nashville today to see the LP show at Marathon Music Works tonight.  She's one of my favorite singers out there today and I try not to miss any opportunity to see here live.  Ashlee couldn't make since it's a work night (not a problem for me currently).  Before the show I stopped by Smith and Lentz Brewing where I had their solid IPA called Lord Nectaron, and then another lighter, but still tasty, IPA called Like the Deserts Miss the Rain. 

I then walked up the street and had dinner at Vui's Vietnamese Kitchen and was planning on having a brew from The Picnic Tap which are both at Hunter's Station in East Nashville, but I am sad to report it has shut down at this location.   Bummer.  Well, since I was staying overnight at the hip and fancy Waymore's Guest House and Casual Club in East Nashville again after getting another good rate from the Hotels Tonight app, I instead walked back across the street and stopped in Main Street Liquors where I got a nice variety four-pack of craft beers to take back to the room.  My first one cracked open was this hilariously-named NEIPA from Fat Orange Cat Brewing (CT) called Stay at Home Dad with No Kids (hey, that's me!!).  Not my favorite NEIPA ever, but how could I not buy and consume this beer??
A quick Uber to and from the show worked out great.  The show was awesome.  How is LP not a bigger star??  She sounded great and had an excellent backing band as well. 

11/14 - I slept in this morning and then walked up the street for breakfast at Snooze at Hunter's Station.  It was excellent as always.  I hung out in the room until they kicked me out at noon and then checked out this new Predators mural downtown.  Man, I sure wish they were playing better in this 25th anniversary season.   

My next and final stop before heading home was west of Nashville in the small town of Joelton where I had gotten notice recently of this pretty little cascade on Marrowbone Creek between Marrowbone Lake and Louise Lake.  While both lakes look to be man-made back-ups of the rather large creek, this cataract looks to be mostly natural.  Well worth the short drive to this area of Middle Tennessee I have not visited before. 

11/17 - I went to opening day of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in IMAX at the Opry Mills Theaters this afternoon.  It's a prequel to the hit trilogy and the previews have looked pretty good and possibly a bit grittier than the originals (which was my only complaint with them).  It was good, but pretty much followed the same PG-13 path as the others, but the story and characters were pretty interesting overall. 

Beforehand, I attended another free Finally Friday show at 3rd and Lindsley.  As usual, I had not heard of any of the three performers, but liked what I heard on YouTube searches of them.  First was David Borne whose warm vocals were very good.  Next was Nora Jane Struthers, an uplifting and clever folk singer/songwriter.  Finally, it was Daniel Donato whose music I liked enough to already download a song of his.  He was very good with some amazing guitar work to go along with his Americana voice.  I had lunch here as well here and it was tasty as usual. 

11/18 - We headed south today to Destin for our usual Thanksgiving week on the beach.  We stopped at Oak Mountain Brewing in Pelham, Alabama, just south of Birmingham and picked up a couple four-packs for the week ahead.  I also drank down a pint of their solid Light Lager during our quick stop.   Sadly, our usual stop south of Birmingham, Interstellar Ginger Beer, closed early last year. 

Now, that's the prettiest can wrap I have seen in a while!  I toasted our arrival at the beach at the swanky Destiny by the Sea gated community with an excellent Pelham Pilsner from Oak Mountain BC.  This one's three brothers will go well during our beach time tomorrow.  

11/19 - Our first day on the beach was a good one with sunny skies and warm temps.  The water was even warm enough for little wading.  I enjoyed my other 4-pack from Oak Mountain Brewing, the Peachmaker wheat beer which wasn't overly sweet, but had a bit of a tart wild ale taste to it.  

11/20 - It was back to the beach today after I stopped by Beach Liquors and got a nice variety 8-pack to enjoy while we were down here.  They always have the best selection!  I started the windy day in the sand with a Dead Parrot, a decent light lager from Florida Avenue Brewing down south in Wesley Chapel.  Next up was the OK Impending Doom - Fuzzy Navel fruit DIPA from Heavy Seas Brewing (Baltimore).  I finished with a nice Tates Helles Lager from Oyster City Brewing east of here in Apalachicola, FL, who I hope to go visit sometime while I'm down here. 

White Russians in a can? Uh-oh!  Ashlee found these at Beach Liquors also and since they are my favorite cocktail, we had to give them a try.  They are delicious on ice.  Dude-approved, man!! 

I went solo tonight to see a Saving Private Ryan 25th Anniversary showing at the AMC Destin Commons Theaters.  Still one of my favorites of all time.  What an incredible cast! 

11/21 - It was a rainy day at the beach, so we all decided to load up and go see the new Paul Giamatti comedy, The Holdovers, over at the AMC Destin Commons Theaters this afternoon.  I bought all the tickets as early Christmas presents.  I also snuck in a beer to enjoy during the show.  It was the Hazy IPA from Lost Coast Brewing (CA).  The beer was good, and the movie was great! 

11/22 - My brother-in-law, Andy, and I went to see the new Ridley Scott epic film, Napolean, in IMAX this afternoon at the AMC Destin Commons Theaters.  The movie was good.  Not my favorite of Ridley's films, but solid.  Beforehand, we stopped by Beach Camp Brewpub just up the road and had a couple of afternoon brews.  I started with their very nice DIPA called Cato the Elder.  I finished with their Harborbock which was a bit too sweet for my taste but has a whopping 10.4 ABV! 

Earlier in the day at lunch at P.F. Chang's, I had their "house beer" which is called Ha Chi 5251, a nice, light and crisp pilsner made by New Belgium Brewing (CO). 

11/23 - We actually got in a little beach time today despite some mostly cloudy conditions.  I had a couple Thanksgiving brews on the beach starting with the nice light lager from Emerald Republic Brewing over in Pensacola called Luminescent Shores which was an appropriate name based on my artistic rendering above of our beach view today.  I finished with a tasty NEIPA called Hazy Cannon from Heavy Seas Brewing (Baltimore). 

I got a Thanksgiving treat this afternoon with a dollar bounty tournament win on Global Poker that's been a good while coming.   I got 13 knockouts vs. 105 other players for an ROI of 2800%. 

Friday, November 24 - The sun was back out today with a vengeance (a nice vengeance), and we enjoyed some great beach time along with some more nice beers from another variety six-pack from Beach Liquors.  First up was the decent Goatopia NEIPA from Goat Island Brewing (AL).  Next was the better DIPA called Heavy Hands from SpindleTap Brewing (Houston).  I finished with the fruity and bright TropiCannon IPA from Heavy Seas Brewing (Baltimore).  

11/25 - Today was the day!!  I finally hit 5,000 unique beers on UNTAPPD today!!! 
It's taken me about 11 years to do it.   
Leading up to it, on another perfect beach day here in Destin, I had (# 4,998) a great Mexican-style lager called Pelicano Raro from Odd Pelican Beer Company over in nearby Freeport, FL.  Next one up (# 4,999) was the dank, but light, NEIPA called Super Soft from Sloop Brewing (NY).  

Thar she blows!!!  # 5,000!  Seemed appropriate enough to have this very nice session IPA called BOTE Beer from right here at Destin Brewing (where I sadly did not get to stop by at this trip) as my noteworthy check-in.   She was quite enjoyable in the beautiful surf and great weather today. 
Time to head for 6K!! Cheers!! 
Number 5,001 came immediately after in the form of an excellent salt and lime lager called Yachtside from Perfect Plain Brewing over in nearby Pensacola. 

11/26 - We got back early from Destin, and I was able to jump in a $5 NLCP turbo bounty tournament on Global Poker vs. 31 other players in which I took down second (had this other guy beat and he sucked out on me) for just under 1000% ROI.  The first-place guy only finished with $10 more than me thanks to my six knockouts along the way as well. 

11/27 - I finished up this season's Beer Tree today with a few new coasters from my travels this year and several from my shipments from BeerBox over the summer months.  My beer pal, Curtis, put the lights on for me.  Thanks, C! 

11/29 - It was a big college basketball tonight on the boob tube for me.  I hit the couch for UT at UNC, and then Duke vs. Arkansas in the ACC - SEC Challenge on ESPN.  I split my loyalty with The Big Orange of the SEC in Game 1 (and anybody but Carolina), and my Dukies in the second game.  I enjoyed a brew during each game.  First up was the excellent DIPA called Switchfoot from Spindletap Brewing (Houston).  The Vols get dreadfully behind early and fought back to cut the lead to under 10 points, but it was too little, too late.  Then I had the solid Mexican lager called El Rey from Ghost Train Brewing (Birmingham) as my Duke Blue Devils fell to the same fate in the second half of their game.  Both teams did pretty well considering that they were both on the road in hostile, sold-out arenas.   I expect both to be in The Big Dance and to hopefully make some noise this season. 

11/30 - I bought a cheap walking pass for the Nashville Predators game tonight hosting the Minnesota Wild at Bridgestone Arena.  The Preds have been on a hot streak lately, so I wanted to see a little live action while Ashlee was gone on a work trip (and Sunny was asleep in her kennel).  I didn't get to the game until the 2nd period but hadn't missed much since they were already down 3-0!  Yikes!  The second period wasn't any better with the Preds slipping to a 5-0 deficit.  After finishing my Preds Beer, a new kolsch from Jackalope Brewing which at least was the only good thing in the arena tonight, I cut out before the 3rd period even started.  I had a brew at the ML Rose at Capitol View before heading back home and watched the game end in a 6-1 rout. Yuck.  I had a nice NEIPA called North Bay from Napa Smith Brewing (CA) to drown my sorrows. 

12/1 - I started my new Beer Christmas Advent Calendar from Costco today.  Looks like there are several repeats from last year, but at least they have been updated on UNTAPPD with the new yearly batch monikers.  I started with the  Lagerbier Hell (2022) from Schnitzlbaumer Brewing (Germany) which I enjoyed with my pal, Craig, who stopped by for a visit and we enjoyed our beers out on the patio next to the Solo Stove.  My pal, Curtis, arrived next and I enjoyed a couple more with him by the fire as well.  First up was the very good fruit IPA called Passion on Ponce from 3 Taverns Brewing (GA).  I concluded with an equally good Oktoberfest from Goat Island Brewing (AL).  

12/2 - Today's Advent Calendar beer was the solidly good Furst Carl Pils (2022) from Schlossbrauerei Ellingen (Germany) which I enjoyed while watching the USWNT take on China in a friendly match and then taking the 3-0 win. 

Afterwards, Sunny and I dropped by Cedar Glade Brews and Hop Springs Beer Park in Murfreesboro for a brew or two at each location.  At HSBP, I had their sickly-sweet Peanut Butter Udder.  Had to pour half of it out. Yuck.  This place continues to disappoint me.  Moving on to CGB, I had their solidly good Shorthunter IPA followed by their half-priced (thanks TN Ales Trail) Longhunter IPA which was very good. 

I ended the day with a very late showing of Godzilla Minus One in IMAX at The Streets of Indian Lake Regal Theaters in Hendersonville.  I had to go this late to assure Sunny was sleeping.  Despite stellar reviews, this Japanese-made film was pretty terrible in my opinion.  Maybe it's supposed to be kind of goofy as an homage to 70 years of Godzilla on the big screen, but the cheesy acting and lame storyline in this one had me cringing a lot.  Now, I've got to go see it again on Tuesday since I promised my friend, Toney, to see it with him.  Oof, big mistake! 

12/3 - My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the decent Turmweisse (2022) wheat beer Kuchlbauer Brewing (Germany) which I consumed while watching the Titans in a weird (only the Titans have this kind of bad luck) game vs. the Indy Colts which, of course, they lost in OT.  

12/4 -My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the nice Kurpfalzbrau Kellerbier (2023) from Welde Braumanufaktur Brewery (Germany) which I enjoyed while playing some online poker.   I "won" a satellite with 28 players, paying 7 spots and I was chip-leader when we got to seven and won a ticket worth 500% ROI.   The tournament had equity too - $62 paid in vs. $77 worth of entries in value.  I cashed in the target tournament coming in 10th place.  I also cashed in another $1 tournament with a lot of players in it, so it was a decent, albeit not great, night at the virtual tables. 

12/5 -My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the tasty Graminger Deife (2022) marzen from Graminger Brewing (Germany) which I slammed before having to endure another showing of the dreadful Godzilla Minus One again at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!) with my pal, Toney.  Totally my fault.   Well, the second showing wasn't that bad.  Still a lot overacting by the cast, but definitely not the worst movie I've ever seen. 

12/6 - One of my favorite films, The Abyss (Special Edition), is back in theaters for one night only, so I went to see it at the Regal Hollywood 24 (recliners!).  Beforehand, I stopped at the ML Rose location near the theaters on 8th Avenue and had a couple of brews and some damn good Nashville hot cheese curds.  First up was their new "house beer" - the nice and light M.L. Rose Owl Lager made for them by Hi-Wire Brewing (Asheville). I followed that with an excellent milk stout from Against the Grain Brewing (Louisville) called 35K.  
I was thrilled when I got to the theater and realized they were showing the film in their largest RPX Theater!   A perfect choice for my first viewing of this Special Edition on the big screen!  A nice size crowd too!  Thanks, Regal!

My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the decent Schwarze Tinte Collab Stout (2023) from Kalea GmbH Restaurant (Austria) and Hofenkopf Brau Brewery (Germany). 

12/7 - My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the delightful Zwonitzer Steinbier (2022)  while I played some more online poker.   The poker was not so delightful, although I did win another satellite entry into a bigger tournament, so that counts for something. 

12/8 - Die Hard is back in theaters for the holiday season because, hey, it's not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off the Nakatomi Towers!  I went to see it at the Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet (no recliners!) and had a private showing in the mid-afternoon!  Beforehand, I stopped by Cledis Burgers and Beer Garden for a Skippy Thai Yay burger (naturally with my movie choice of the day) and a couple of good brews including the very tasty farmhouse ale from Common Law Brewing over in Spring Hill called In Re Fodinae, and then the excellent George Porter from New Heights Brewing here in Nashville. 

My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the so-so Helle Aufregung (2023) helles lager from Landgang Brewery (Hamburg, Germany) which I drank in a toast to Bruce Willis and his sad battle with dementia.  Thanks for all the years of entertainment, sir.

12/9 - My Advent Calendar beer of the day went with me today to play a live poker tournament up in Red Boiling Springs at The Coleys House.  I haven't been here in a while, but I've ran pretty well when I have been here, cashing both times.  It was the decent Hallertauer Hopfen Cuvee (2023) pilsner from Scholossbrauerei Herrnigierdorf (Germany).  I also took a couple more with me including the excellent Christmas stout from BrewDog USA (OH) called It's a Beaut, and the solid Oachkatzlschwoaf (O-Katz) 2023 Octoberfest märzen from Urban Chestnut Brewing (St. Louis).  The tournament went great to start with as I tripled up with pocket aces over KK and another maniac at the table.  But I became card dead when it really mattered and wound up going out on the last two tables of four, close, but out of the money.  I did win a drawing for a free add-on with a value of $100, so my "winning streak" here is technically still on, I guess.  I was also lucky that we dodged some deadly tornados in the area tonight as did our house in Lebanon.  Those are the kind of wins that matter most.

12/10 - Ashlee made me us this fun beer chandelier to go along with my Christmas beer tree this year.  It's so cool, we might keep it up all year!   My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the so-so Teisnacher 1543 Festmarzen (2023) Ettl Brau (Germany).  I had it after getting home from an impromptu beer crawl with my pal, Curtis.  We headed to Mt. Juliet to do some beer shopping for our party next weekend and had a few libations along the way.  Our first stop was J.B.'s Pour House in Hermitage which I haven't been to in a while, but really enjoyed this visit.  First of all, they had a great new-to-me beer on tap, the tasty Mountain Squeeze Juicy IPA from Tivoli Brewing (CO).  Secondly, they had all the NFL games on which was fun to watch as I rooted on my fantasy football team to take down the regular-season best record.  And last (but definitely not least) was some outstanding food.  I had a Southwestern chicken wrap on warm naan bread that was incredibly good.   Next stop was Prost and Riot Beer Haus in Mt. Juliet where I had the solid Barbarian Haze 2022 NEIPA from 3 Floyds Brewing (IN).  We finished up at Barcadia in Lebanon where I had a super boozy barrel-aged stout from Tennessee Brew Works called Queen's Legacy, and a half-pint of the too sweet 4 Giants Tropical Treasure NEIPA from the usually spot-on Founders Brewing (MI).  

12/11 - My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the Tannen Hell (2023) lager from Hohenthanner Schlossbrauerei (Germany) which I enjoyed while I perused this year's Golden Globe nominations (Team: Oppenheimer all the way!) and watched the woeful Titans on MNF against the explosive Miami Dolphins come up with a miracle win! (take that, Vegas and your 14-point line!!)

12/12- My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the Alpen Stoff 2022 lager from Burgerbrau Bad Reichenhall (Germany) which I imbibed while basking in the glow of being the regular season champ of my fantasy football league (that's $50)!  And watched my Duke Blue Devils take on (and pull away from in the second half) Hofstra on ESPN2.  

12/13 - My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the tasty Bambule Pils (Export Version) 2023 from Uberquell Brewing (Germany) which I enjoyed before heading out for an evening of Christmas fun in Nashville with Ashlee including a virtual ride on the JW Starlight train. 

12/14 -   My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the decent Kauzle Helles Lager (2023) from Kauzen-Brau (Germany) which I toasted to my now 11-year anniversary on the UNTAPPD app.  Salute! 
I also two-way chopped a little 7-player tournament on PokerStars with the usual local group I play with sometimes.  I cleared 280% ROI.  

12/15 - My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the solid Hoamat Weissbier hefeweizen from M.C. Wieninger Brewery (Germany) which I enjoyed after meeting my best friend, Craig, in Clarksville for lunch at The Thirsty Goat along with our college friend, Doug. There I had the pretty good Vincent Van Goat, a blonde ale infused with their own Thirsty Goat coffee and made at Flytes Brewhouse in nearby Mt. Pleasant with my meal of some decent pizza.  I bought the drinks and lunch for everyone from my poker winnings from last night.  

12/16 - We threw a Christmas party tonight that included a boozy ride to see Christmas lights.  Throughout the late afternoon and evening I had a bevy (i.e. probably too many) of "Christmas beers" including:  
the excellent Old Jubilation Ale from Avery Brewing (CO)
the yummy Nutcracker Ale from Boulevard Brewing (Kansas City)
the super smooth Left Hand Candy Cane Nitro stout (CO)
the nicely spiced Christmas Ale (2023) from Anchor Brewing (CA)
My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the decent festbier called Tradition (2023) from Herrnbrau (Germany)

12/17 - My friend, Bill/Houston and I went to see the Texans at the Titans today at Nissan Stadium and while the outcome was not to our liking after blowing a 13-point lead, I did enjoy the throwback Oiler uniforms and field set-up, and the Titans tailgate beforehand with some good mixed drinks and tasty barbecue. 
After the game, we stopped by the Homegrown Taproom for a dinner and a little drowning of the sorrows.  With my excellent Jackson sandwich I had half pints of the tasty Dunkel Lager from von Trappe Brewing (VT), and the dank and delicious Deadhead IPA Series: Touch of Haze NEIPA from DESTIHL Brewing (IL). 
 My Advent Calendar beer of the day which I had when I got home was the just OK Hell 2023 Helles lager from Flotzinger Brau Rosenheim (Germany). 

12/18 - My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the solid Marie Hausbrandel (2023) Helles lager which I enjoyed while watching the Season Two finale of our current favorite show, "The Gilded Age." 

12/19 - My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the solid Erikonig Hell (2023) Helles lager which I snuck in with me to watch the delightful new film, Wonka, at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!) 

12/20 - My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the Wiener Lager from Privatbrauerei H. Egerer which was the first one in this year's group that wasn't a repeat from last year.   I enjoyed it while perusing my "Year in Beer" on the UNTAPPD app.  My check-ins were actually down by 62 from 2022 which was a bit surprising, but otherwise another banner year including the check-in of my 5000th recently. 
Beforehand, I got another second in a dollar progressive bounty turbo tournament on Global Poker vs. 87 other players with six knockouts giving me 1,400% ROI.  Had the win again, of course, if not for another suck out. 
Then I also won a dollar crazy pineapple turbo tournament on Global vs. 25 other players giving me an ROI of 1,000%.  

12/21 - My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the not very good Weizenbock Hell (2023) from Ladenburger Brewery (Germany) which I drank (half of) while watching the new Rebel Moon Part One movie on Netflix.  My understanding was that this was originally going to be a Star Wars film directed by Zack Snyder, but something happened, and I guess he just said, "fuck it, I'll create my own sci-fi universe around my story."   Good for you, Zack.  I thought it was pretty good although I can see where the Star Wars story was probably going because it does mirror such a film in places, but it was still unique enough with that gritty Snyder flare to it to stand on its own.  It already has a sequel due out early next year, and I will definitely be checking it out. 

12/22 - My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the Perfezauber (2023) pale ale from H. Egerer Brewing (Germany) which I snuck into an afternoon viewing of the new film, The Iron Claw, at the Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet.  I thought the beer was solid and the film was very well done and inspired by a heartbreaking true story. 

12/23 - My Advent Calendar beer of the day was the pretty good Husarentrunk (2023) fest bier from Rheder Brewing (Germany) which I sipped while watching Christmas movies with Ashlee on a rainy Saturday afternoon. 

 

12/24 - Happy Christmas Eve! My final Advent Calendar beer of the day was Der Schwarze Bock (2023) from Kraftbierwerkstatt (Germany).  Overall, the 24 beers were good, but I was a little disappointed that they were all repeats from last year except for one. I will need some changeups if I am do get it again next year. 

When we got to Chattanooga to exchange presents with Paige, Andy and Ella, I was shocked to get a huge box of craft beer from Andy.  There was a lot of great stuff in there as will be seen in the entries below...

First up, I had a sip of Andy's own Petite Sour Blueberry wild ale that was pretty good.  It's from Crooked Stave Brewing (Denver).  Next, I opened a Noel winter ale from Fat Bottom Brewing here in Nashville that I brought from our party the other night, but never got to.  It was awesome.  Probably my favorite of the holiday beers I've had this year.  Andy's first gift beer to me was the heavenly pastry stout called The PastryArchy Unicorn Farts After Dark from DuClaw Brewing (Baltimore). This was a four-pack, so I gave one back to Andy, and will take the others home to share as well. 

12/25 - Happy Christmas Day! I cracked open a tasty Shiner Holiday Cheer (2023) wheat beer from Spoetzl Brewery (TX) to celebrate the day as well as seeing some great waterfalls today with all the rain while going to get my sister.  The one above was on the Sequatchie County side of Signal Mountain.  My first-ever wet-weather falls pic on that side of the mountain. 

After the family was gone, I celebrated that fact with a nice Christmas Ale (2023) winter warmer from Breckenridge Brewing (CO). I also had a couple sips of one of my presents to Andy, the great CranOrange Batch 001 session mead from The Skeptic Meadery here in Wilson County.  

12/26 - It was a long drive today through crappy weather and crappier traffic to get to Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island in NE Florida for our end-of-year-trip.  My finally-got-here beer choice was another Andy present, a nice bottle of the English strong ale called Tynt Meadow from Mount Saint Bernard Abbey (England).  

12/27 - Wait a minute, this beach is full of trash!  Yeah, nature's trash.  Fernandina Beach is pretty amazing.  It's covered in seashells and while the Atlantic waters were a bit brown from resent storms, the waves today were very subdued.   But still a great beach to hang out on.   My Andy present today was a half-growler of the excellent NEIPA called Lightning Drops from Resident Culture Brewing (Charlotte). 
We had lunch within walking distance of our condo at the Salt Life Food Shack where the grub was good and my Orange Blossom Pilsner Squared (OBP2) from Orange Blossom Brewing (Orlando) was cold and crisp! 

We dropped by Mocama Beer Company in Fernandina Beach this afternoon and saw that they have some awesome brewery cats including this calico that reminds me of our Doris.  I had their enjoyable lager called Dune Garden while Sunny used their facilities (a fenced in picnic area out back). 

We also stopped by Hofbrau Amelia, a German beer garden in Fernandina Beach, where I had the not-so-great Gaffel Kolsch from Gaffel Becker Brewery (Germany).  It was way too sweet, or maybe I am just burned out on German beer after my Advent Calendar. 

 I went solo tonight to the nearby AMC Theaters in Yulee to catch a showing of Ferrari, the new film by one of my favorite directors, Michael Mann.  It's an intriguing story and a well-done film, but it didn't leave me in awe like some of Mann's previous films.   I am pretty pumped that Heat 2 will be his next project since I have listened to the audiobook (that he wrote) and liked it a lot. 
I tried to stop and have a beer at the nearby (and funny-named) Disco Witch Brewing, but it was closed for the holiday week looked like. 

12/28 - We strolled around adorable downtown Fernandina Beach this afternoon and stopped in at Amelia Island Brewing Company where I had a couple of their great beers.  The Dragonlords 6 Double IPA was excellent, and then their Sm'kn M'rtha Smoked Porter (photo above) was even better!  Two for two in breweries for this little beach town! 

Ashlee organized an awesome bonfire on the beach for us tonight and it was truly amazing.  Not only were there a million stars out.  I can't believe I captured Orion's Belt in the photo above, but later on we got a full moon and even a pretty good look at a SpaceX rocket launch from down the coast from the Kennedy Space Center!   My beer for the evening that I snuck on the beach in a bottle (shhh!) was another Andy gift, the very good Helles lager from Hoppebrau (Germany).  So, no, I am not burned out on German-style beer, that previous one just sucked. 

12/29 - It was a beautiful day today, but cold as a witch's tit, so we opted for some road-trippin' to the north with our first stop being the historic Horton House on Jekyll Island.  This amazing structure built of a mixture of seashells has been here since 1743.  The house's namesake, Major William Horton, also brewed beer and had the first recorded brewery in Georgia near the house.  Salute! 
With a stop at the surprisingly big Jekyll Island Market that had a jaw-dropping craft beer section and very good prices, so I picked up a couple single road-brews to salute Major Horton with.  First up was the tasty Southern Delight Praline Amber ale from Coastal Empire Brewing in nearby Savannah. 

The classically beautiful St. Simons Lighthouse. One of my favorites.   

Back at the condo, I got a nice win on Global Poker - played entirely on my phone - vs. 88 other players in a $1 turbo bounty tournament with nine knockouts and a 2500% ROI. 
I also won a $1 jackpot sit-n-go vs. two other players for a 1900% ROI.  I run pretty good in these jackpot SNGs almost always getting my money back at least.  The deal is if you pay in $10, you get $7 and 4 of these $1 jackpot SNG entries.  I toasted the small wins with my other purchase from the Jekyll Island Market, a nice DIPA called Side Bae: HBC 472 from Wild Leap Beer Company over in LaGrange, GA.  

12/30 - I was pretty bummed to see the entry gate locked to Amelia Island Lighthouse (circa 1839 making it the oldest existing lighthouse in Florida) today since Saturdays are supposed to be the only time the grounds are open to the public.  Guess not in the winter, however.  Boo!! Still a beauty from a distance though.  

We had lunch at First Love Brewing in downtown Fernandina Beach where I had couple of their impressive beers and some pretty good pizza.  I started with a sip of Ashlee's solid Belgian Tripel called Lily.  My first full pint was the excellent IPA called Laugh in the Sunshine (pretty appropriate name for this blue-sky day), and then I finished with their solid English mild ale they call Joy.  
I have been impressed with all three breweries here on Amelia Island.  Definitely worth a return trip in terms of good craft beer. 
We sat out on the beach a little afterwards and I cracked open a boozy, but enjoyable, bomber bottle of Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. Royale (2019) imperial stout from Hoppin' Frog Brewery (OH).  Yet another great Christmas gift from Andy.  

12/31 - New Year's Eve was our last full day on Amelia Island before heading home tomorrow, and the weather was great albeit a bit chilly still.  We started our lazy day with a late lunch/early dinner at The Boathouse Restaurant in downtown Fernandina Beach where I had a very good IPA from the local Mocama Beer Company called Cosmico.  

11:59 PM - I finished off the year (and the amazing box of beer I got from my brother-in-law, Andy for Christmas) out on chilly moonlit Fernandina Beach with a half-growler of the excellent PastryArchy Super Freak Coconut Caramel Chocolate brown ale from DuClaw Brewing (Baltimore). 

Here's to 2023, a pretty darn good year!