When it comes to craft beer, it's YESvember!!

Just cuz it's Alexandra Daddario...
(Mt. Rushmore # 2) 

Coming soon from Evill Nash Brewing in Clarksville!!! 

10/27 - The recent gold-medal-winning U.S. Women's National Soccer Team was at Geodis Park vs. Iceland in an international friendly match tonight and so was I!  I bought an extra ticket for my pal, Toney, for his recent birthday.  Our friend, Kate and another friend of hers from out of town attended as well.   Beforehand, Toney and I parked for free at Fait la Force Brewing where I had their very nice pilsner called Solar Wave.  

It was a beautiful day and night for a late afternoon kick-off and after a slow first half down 1-0, the USWNT came out firing, literally, in a dominating second half and a 3-1 win!! I was a little disappointed in the crowd size, but it did allow us to stretch out some in our nice second level seats with a great view.

10/28 - I went to a crashing bore of a transfer fair for work today up in Madison, but at least was close enough to slip over to Yazoo Brewing and work remote from there for the rest of the afternoon.  I had a couple of excellent brews.  First up was their dynamite Pilot Series: Pumpkin, King of Beers.  I closed out with the boozy and rye-heavy Pallet Cat.  In between I had some excellent fish and chips from The Grill Shack there on site.  

10/29 - I stayed at a neat little AirBnb outside Chattanooga with work tonight.  It was a barn-o-minium on a working farm on Flat Top Mountain in Soddy Daisy.  That's my rental car for the week parked in the garage - a nice Toyota Camry.  I grabbed a couple of gas station beers to enjoy out on the deck under about a billion stars.  Unfortunately, the views were better than the beers.  First up was a ho-hum pint can of the D13 Dank Double Hazy IPA from Sweetwater Brewing (Atlanta) that just wasn't hoppy enough for my taste.  I finished with pint can of another overly sweet DIPA from Highland Brewing (Asheville) called Lounge Juice Juicy.  At least they were cheap,  

I also won a small buy-in NLCP tournament on Global Poker tonight playing on my phone while hanging out in the AirBnb.  I bested 14 other players for an ROI of just over 600 %!

11/1 - It was another REMOTE DAY for me today, and the start of another last-minute dog-sitting gig over the weekend over near Watertown.  I stopped at the 3 Forks Market in Watertown on the way and got lunch, and I always peruse their little craft beer area and support them when they have something I haven't had.   Unfortunately, today was not a day they had something unique to me, so I reached way, way back in the time machine and got a sixer of Rolling Rock Extra Pale lagers from Latrobe Brewing (a macro in St. Louis).  This was one of my first "breakaway" beers in college where I was starting to break away from Bud and Miller and look for better beer which eventually led to craft beer.  This is still not a bad mass-produced beer IMO.  Now if I can only find some Southpaw!!  

I got a nice NLCP bounty tournament win tonight vs. 43 other players on Global Poker.  I got 8 knockouts for a total ROI of just over 1,360%!!  I really needed it since I had been taking it on the chin lately and my online bankroll was down to almost zero.  

11/2 - I admit I was a bit reluctant to sit with pit bulls for the first time.  These guys looked and sounded very formidable before they got to know me, but now they are about the biggest sweethearts I've sat with so far.  They are so loving, so quiet in the house, and very obedient.  Sampson here is a big ol' boy who was rescued from an abusive situation, and I am so glad it didn't change his big ol' heart.  He is such a love-bug! 

Stella also came from an abusive situation and has even lost an eye due to God knows what kind of meanness, but you could never tell it from her happy, playful disposition now.  I mean, seriously, what the fuck is wrong with people?? I might go to Hell for some of the things I've done and said/written (the preceding eff word, for example), but if I wind up down there with sonofabitches who abuse animals, I am gonna be pissed!! 

11/3 - A toast to my momma on her birthday, RIP beautiful, sweet lady.   
I miss you every day. 
Despite not feeling 100%, I walked up to brunch at CU today (grilled cod, delish!) and then on to Cedar City Brewing to try a couple of their new ones.  First up, and again, toasted to my dearly missed mother, was the Skeptic Monk, a honey-infused Belgian tripel in collaboration with The Skeptic Meadery over in Mt. Juliet.  It was sweet and a bit boozy, but overall enjoyable. 
I finished with may be one of the best beers I've had a CCBC in their short existence.  Their Wee Heavy NITRO Scottish ale was smooth, buttery and fantastic!  
A perfect beer for # 5,500 checked in on UNTAPPD!! 

On the walk to and from, it was nice to hear a submission of mine for "Call the Floor" on The Ante Up Podcast (Chp. 2, Ep. 42) be chosen and read.  I was even complimented on what a good topic it was by the host and his guest.  Pretty cool. 

11/4 - I dropped by East Nashville Beer Works - Wilson County with my beer pal, Nate this afternoon after work.  My Mug Club membership kicked in nicely tonight with not only with $2 off a pint of their excellent Coastless IPA, but also two free half-pint tasters of new beers, Sultana Ave. - a smooth and light-bodied DIPA that I got to add to UNTAPPD - and a solid Woodshed IPA.   And finally, this great T-shirt shown above.

11/5 - On this dreaded election day where Rump has already won our stupid state of Tennessee (I'm so proud), I at least got some good news with a nice NLCP bounty tournament win on Global Poker tonight vs. 35 other players with nine knockouts for an ROI of almost 1,400%!! 
Just a short while later, I got another win on a small NLHE bounty tournament vs. just six other people with an ROI of over 400%!

11/6 - I had a college admissions conference at UTK today which I had to get a very early start on to make it to the Eastern Time opening.  I stopped for a brew at Xul Beer Company here in Knoxville before heading back. I had their excellent NEIPA called Peas and Carrots (photo above).  I also had a great burger and fries (on CU) at the Abridged Burger Food Truck on site.  My giant Ford Expedition rental was a comfy ride up and back also.  
When I got home, I got another small-entry NLCP tournament win on Global Poker vs. 12 other players (including heads up with one of the biggest jackasses on the site) for an ROI of just over 700%! And this after a $50 cash-out last night...unheard of!! 
Good karma from my $10 cash donation to New Leash on Life this past weekend maybe! 

11/7 - Look who's published again!!  My first now-monthly contribution to The Ante Up Online Magazine came out today and I think it looks and reads pretty good.  Thanks to AUM producer, Joe Scales, for liking my idea about modern songs and poker as a monthly short column.  

11/8 - We flew down to Miami today to hop on another SOLD OUT music cruise tomorrow.  We stayed near the airport at a Hilton Garden Inn that actually had a pretty good restaurant in its lobby and a decent craft beer list also.  I had a bottle of the decent La Original Amber Lager from Cerveceria La Tropical here in Miami with my tasty dinner tonight.  
I rented an excellent movie for the flight called Kill the Messenger from back 2014 starring Jeremy Renner.  I rented another strange one from Australia called The Rover from 2014 also.  Despite having two great actors in it, Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson, I can't say it was all that memorably good.  

11/11 - While the cruise ship had no new-to-me craft beer on it - not a surprise - we did stop in Nassau, Bahamas, today and Ashlee and I took a good long walk from the port out of the tourist area to have some craft beer at Rip Ty'd Craft Brewery.  This female-owned and brewed locale is very nice, and I had a great flight that included:
the decent Island Hopper English-style IPA
the OK One in a Melon sour watermelon German pilsner 
their tasty Pumpkin EPA
and my favorite of the rack - the light-bodied Loose Goat porter
and finally, their solid red ale called Dowdeswell 

I finished with a full pint of their unique and refreshing Mango Gussie Mae tart pilsner.  I bought a hat with some recent poker winnings as well.  

On the walk back I stopped in the touristy port area and had an OK Take No Quarter IPA from Pirate Republic Brewing.  The beer and the place weren't as soapy and cheesy as I thought it would be at least.  

11/15 - I had another repeat dog-sitting overnight gig out on the lake tonight and even thought I wasn't feeling 100%, it was hard not to enjoy the fall beauty here and the sweet doggies, Maggie and Molly.   

11/19 - My pal, Toney, and I went to see Gladiator II in a free advanced screening at the Opry Mills Theaters tonight.  The place was packed since it was a free showing, but we got pretty good seats, nonetheless.  I thought the film was   

11/20 - I got to stay a couple nights at the historically famous Peabody Hotel in Memphis for the first time this week for a work conference.  Thanks, CU!!  My work colleague, Brandon, and I shared a room which was fine with me.  The rooms were small (old hotel) and not as cool as The Read House in Chattanooga (IMO), but the bed was comfy and the ducks were marching, so it was still a cool hang. 

Brandon and I scored laughably low $5 tickets from StubHub(and that included fees!!) to tonight's NBA game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Philadelphia 76'ers.   The Grindhouse Grizzlies won more comfortably than the final 117-111 score indicated.  It was nice to see a couple former Dukies getting on the scoring sheets with Luke Kinard dropping in a dozen for Memphis, and rookie sensation, Jared McCain, putting up 20 for the Sixers. 
After the game, we wound up at The Flying Saucer (man, I miss the Nashville location) where I had a nice line-up of craft beers.  First up was a free half-pint keg-buster, the excellent Caramel Pumking from Southern Tier Brewing (NY).  I followed that with a full pint of the outstanding winter DIPA called Dr. Dank Jack Frost from Wicked Weed Brewing (Asheville, NC).  The Nuance is Dead (Volume 11) NEIPA from Meddlesome Brewing here in Memphis was solid.  I closed out the evening on a high (and tasty) note with the Fluffernutter white stout from Abita Brewing (LA).   

11/21 - Our last night in Memphis was pretty quiet for me.  I strolled down to the Beale Street location for Ghost River Brewing and had some decent wings for dinner and a pint of their Aquamane New Zealand style IPA that was decent.  I was gonna have another, but the bartender noticing my still barking cough (just can't shake this shit!) suggested a hot toddy which I enjoyed and which did help...some.  

11/23 - CU's women's soccer team made it into the NAIA National Championship tournament and hosted Indiana Wesleyan today at home, so I went to watch some of it.  I had to leave as the game was still at a 0-0 tie late in the second half.  Unfortunately, IWU eked one in late in the game to get the 1-0 win over CU. 

The losing and disappointment continued for me at a live poker tourney up in Red Boiling Springs.  I got some good cards early on when it didn't really matter, and then was card dead the last two hours I was there for the most part.  Oh well, it gave me enough of a live poker fix to skip going up to Kentucky tomorrow for a tournament with a lot lousier structure.  Even the craft beer I brough was disappointing.  The 6-1-Lime light lager from Mill Creek Brewing over in Nolensville just wasn't very tasty to me.  I probably shouldn't have chose a summer beer on a cold night like tonight.  I got a six-pack of them at Publix, so I might give one another try on a warmer day and see if it can be redeemed.    

11/25 - After a college fair in Maryville today, I stopped for lunch and a craft beer or two at The Casual Pint Northshore in nearby Knoxville.  With my tasty Thai chicken flatbread, I had the decent golden stout called White Chocolate Buddha from nearby Hexagon Brewing and then finished with HBC's better altbier called Alter Ego.  

After work, I met my craft beer pal, Nate, at ENBW - Wilson County for Mug Club Discount Night and dinner.  I had a half pint of their 10% ABV barley wine called Kate that was pretty smooth.  I then had a full pint of their new too-resiny Brut Willis (Return to Nakatomi Plaza) IPA.  I finished with a half pint of their nice Eagle Beach pilsner.  I also enjoyed an excellent house salad with grilled chicken for dinner.  Glad to see their full food menu is now available. 

11/26 - Remote Day!! I found myself over at Opry Mills Mall today at lunchtime and decided to stop in the Bavarian Bierhaus for a brew and some currywurst.  Man, what a rip-off!!  $13 for a half liter of the just OK Fiensburger Brauerei (Germany) Dunkel (photo above) and then $18 for a small plate of cut up sausage and fries with curry powder on them?  Guess I'm done coming here.  Ridiculous! 

11/27 - Extra day off!  Thanks CU!!  I celebrated my extra holiday with pay with a visit to the M.L. Rose in Mt. Juliet to take advantage of their BOGO deal going all day with craft beer.  First up I had the solid pale ale from Burial Brewing (Asheville, NC) called Prophetmaker.  I finished with the very nice Pedro Fresco Mexican Lager from Half Batch Brewing up in Hendersonville.  Salute!! 

11/28 - I flew down to Destin early this morning to join Ashlee and the family for Thanksgiving on the beach again this year.  I bought (almost as cheap as renting) the latest Kevin Smith film, The 4:30 Movie, to watch on the plane.  It was OK, but I regret buying it because I don't see me watching it ever again.  Totally forgettable. 

After some quality beach time and stuffing myself with Cracker Barrel Thanksgiving grub, I won a small NLCP tournament on Global Poker completely on my phone vs. 15 other players for an ROI of just under 700%!  I will take it, cuz it's been a while.  

11/29 - The temps were too cool for beach time today (and Sunny isn't allowed anyway), so we just walked around the swanky Destiny by the Sea gated community and then over to the nice city dog park.  Afterwards, we stopped by Beach Liquors for a variety six-pack.  It seems their singles selection has lessened somewhat, but still had a good assortment and variety.  My first two out of the pack were the excellent K9 Furmissle IPA (in honor of the aforementioned Sunny) from St. Michael's Brewing just down the road in Navarre Beach; and then the light and sweet Vienna lager from Idyll Hounds Brewing also nearby in Santa Rosa Beach called Burly Lady.   

11/30 - The weather improved slightly in Destin today, but still a bit chilly for the beach.  I settled in and watched UT come back from an early deficit against Vandy to get a win a secure a berth in the college football national championship tournament.  I enjoyed a couple more brews from the variety six-pack including the solid Bear Creek Brown ale from 3rd Planet Brewing in nearby Niceville, FL.   I finished with the Citra Spin NEIPA (photo above) out in the sunshine.  It's from Perfect Plain Brewing over in Pensacola and it was very nice as was the afternoon sun rays. 
I also got my seafood fix with some take-out from Kenny D's which is just around the corner.  I had their excellent shrimp creole and some grilled mahi bites (that went nicely in the creole also).  
I got an even bigger NLHE bounty tournament win on Global Poker this evening (played all on my phone) vs. 106 other players with six knockouts for a total ROI of just at 2,500%!!