Work Is the Curse of the Drinking Class

WWND.  What would Norm do?  

8/1 - Nothing like starting a new month off with a good online poker score!  I took down first place tonight in a Global Poker $10 deep stack tourney vs. 177 other players for a nifty $370 profit!  I like the structure of this tourney and have played it a few times with no real success, so it was nice to get that monkey off my back in a big way.  

8/2 - The winning streak continued tonight with a nice little second place finish in a crazy little $3 turbo tournament  with 74 other people in it for a $50+ profit.  

8/3 - Ashlee and I headed to Bryson City, North Carolina, today to hang out in the mountains for a long weekend.  It was a 4-hour drive so I imbibed a bit as she drove.  I had a pint of Napoleon Complex pale ale from Wicked Weed Brewing (Asheville, NC) which I got at a gas station and it was really good.  I have had this one before earlier this year at a Preds playoff game in Bridgestone Arena, and I just love the can artwork.   It's so pretty, in fact, the check-out girl didn't even realize it was a beer!  

A real surprise to us was the fact that our route to Bryson City included the very famous "Tale of the Dragon" on TN Highway 129 that has 318 curves in just 11 miles.  Our new Subaru Outback ate it up!!

At Deal's Gap on the TN/NC border and the official end of the Tail of the Dragon is this cool metal dragon sculpture.

Another great surprise find along the way is the amazingly beautiful and historic Tapoco Lodge and Tavern where we stopped for a brew with an incredible view of the Cheoah River rushing by.  I had a delicious draft pint of Sweet Josie brown ale from Lonerider Brewing over in Raleigh, NC.  We are already making plans to come back here and stay for birthday in April 2019.

Inside the awesome Tapoco Lodge, Robbinsville, NC.

We got to Bryson City in time to check into our sweet rental house on the edge of town and within walking distance to Mountain Layers Brewery to watch the sunset from their rooftop patio.  Cheers!  What a great day!  While there I had their solid Silly Puppy Pale Ale (photo above), a taste of Ashlee's Whaddayear Wit that was pretty good and a What Three Words IPA that was decent.  I finished the night off enjoying the rental house and watching some "Live PD" with our friends who joined us for the weekend.  I cracked open a couple canned beers that I had brought to consume when we tubed in nearby Deep Creek tomorrow, but since a lot of rain lately made the creek at flood stage, tubing was out, but drinking beer is always in!  I had a can of the excellent Fugli (2018) IPA from Oskar Blues (NC) Brewery and a Slap Fight IPA from Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta that was also very tasty.

8/4 - Even though we couldn't tube Deep Creek, we had a great Saturday in the Bryson City area and the beauty was everywhere if you just looked for it.

All the rain the week before also meant the waterfalls in the area were booming!  This is Juney Whank Falls which flows into Deep Creek just inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and just a couple miles from our rental house.

Back at the rental house after our early hike and town exploration with a view of the mountains and the cool train caboose which was part of our rental house, I cracked open a couple more of the 4-pack variety can beers I brought from Lebanon Wine and Spirits.  I had the very tasty Spotlight white IPA from Braxton Brewing (KY) and an underwhelming UFO Pineapple hefeweizen from Harpoon Brewery (Boston).

This afternoon we drove about 20 miles to the town of Sylva, NC, and saw the filming location of the train vs. bus scene from the classic 1993 film, The Fugitive.  I tweeted the pic to a couple of the top editors with Collider.com that I listen to on a movie podcast who were talking about the film recently and this excellent non-CGI scene.  They both responded fairly quickly and positively which was pretty cool.  When we got back to Bryson City, I stopped in Nantahala Brewing Company and got a bomber bottle of their amazingly good Spearfinger Chocolate Stout that I consumed back at the rental house sitting around an outdoor fireplace listening to the tree-frogs chorus.  Another great day in the mountains! 

8/5 - It was time to head back home after a trip that was way too short.  We did have a full day and good weather to get back, so we tackled The Tail of the Dragon again and stopped again at the Tapoco Lodge and Tavern for a brew, this time with all of our friends joining us.  I had a light, but refreshing, Wayah Lager from Currahee Brewing over in Franklin, NC, at their stunning outdoor bar.  Can't wait to come back here in April 2019!  We stopped for lunch in Lenior City, TN, at a place call Aubrey's that had great food and some local beer on tap, so I had an  Yee-Haw Eighty Scottish ale from Yee-Haw Brewing up in Johnson City, TN.    I had this one before in a bottle way back in 2016 hanging out at our then-new pool.

8/6 - It was a 3-score night for me in online poker tonight with two final table finishes in small tournaments for a combined cash of over $100, plus earning a ticket to a future $50 tournament on Global Poker.  I got fifth in a $3 tourney with 109 other players in it.  I got second in another $3 turbo tourney with 101 other people in it.  The $5 turbo satellite tourney had 74 other players in it with the top 13 getting tickets to any future $50 tournament on the site.
8/7 - Another final table tonight in a $3 tourney with a 5th place finish for a $30+ profit.  

8/8 - I went and saw a screening of The Big Lebowski 20th Anniversary at the Thoroughbred Dine-In Theaters in Cool Springs tonight with my friends Brenda, Danny and Kyle.  What a classic...but, that's just like my opinion, man.  Beforehand, I just had enough time to stop by  Mantra Artisan Ales in Franklin and have their IPA from the Mantra Humulus Project: Rethink, which was as hazy and as tasty as they come.

8/9 - Finally!  A REAL  craft beer bar in Wilson County once again!! (RIP, Wow Wingery and Lady Godiva Pub).  I checked out Catch 22 last night in Mt. Juliet and was really impressed with the number of beers on tap, the food (their street tacos app was excellent) and the overall atmosphere of the place.  I hope it does well.  I will give it my patronage as often as I can.   I started with a draft pint of  The Hemperor HPA IPA from New Belgium Brewing (CO) that was good and hoppy.  I finished with a decent Stammtisch German pilsner from Urban Chestnut Brewing (St. Louis).   Afterwards I saw the ho-hum new film Meg at the Providence Theaters also in Mt. Juliet.  I really enjoyed the audio book of this albeit far-fetched giant  prehistoric shark story, but the special F/X on this one were pretty lackluster.  If you're gonna have an outlandish story, at least get your CGI right.  

8/10 - I took the afternoon off from work today and headed down to Murfreesboro to use my dying MoviePass account and check out the acclaimed film, Eighth Grade, at the AMC 16 Theaters there.  I honestly thought it was a little slow and so-so despite all the critics loving it.  Beforehand, I had lunch and a couple brews at the newly-opened Boombozz Craft Pizza and Taphouse also in Murfreesboro.  I had the pretty decent Boombrew Barrel-Aged American Blonde Ale from Goodwood Brewing (Louisville) to start things off (far right in photo above). I followed that up with the OK Peche Et Creme blonde ale from Mantra Artisan Ales over in Franklin (left in photo above).  I finished off with a small pour of the decent Brewer's Day Off gose which was more tart than sour and was a good chaser after my spicy and delicious chicken fajita pizza.

8/11 - Another solid score on Global Poker with a 3rd place finish in a rebuy tourney with 77 other folks where I turned $22 (one rebuy, no add-on) into over $175 in profit.  Not bad while hanging around (and even in) the pool to complete this one on my phone! 

8/12 - It was a beautiful night for an outdoor show at the Ascend Amphitheater and the trio of Lucinda Williams, Steve Earl and Dwight Yoakam (the "LSD" Tour) did just that. The sunset exploded over Music City as Earle and his Dukes blasted out the outlaw country that was not always accepted here, and still isn't as popular as the puke-inducing bro-country scene.  I found two unique canned beers for the show and despite the steep price, they were both pretty good.  I started with a pint can of Front Row golden ale from Starr Hill Brewery (VA) followed by another pint can of the dark-as-midnight Black Lager from Urban Chestnut Brewing (St. Louis).  

8/14 - I got dragged shopping tonight with my wife, Ashlee, and her mom, Evelyn, but they made me an offer that I couldn't refuse.  We had dinner beforehand at one of my favorite places, Homegrown Taproom, where I had the amazingly good philly mac-n-cheese.  The dead soldier you see there was my first of four 8 oz. pours (Two-fer Tuesday!) that I had with dinner.  First down the gullet was the excellent Entropic Theory IPA from MadTree Brewing (Cincinnati).  My freebie to follow was the decent Southeast IPA from TailGate Brewing here in Nashville.  I was surprised at the tartness of the next one I ordered, the Raspberry Truffle W-n-B imperial oatmeal stout from Terrapin Brewing (GA).  It was decent, but I need a little more sweetness in my "dessert beers."  My last freebie was a good Amber lager from Abita Brewing (LA).  

8/15 -  I went and saw the  slow, but interesting Spike Lee film, BlacKKKlansman, tonight over at the Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet.  Beforehand, I had just enough time to down a delicious banana-heavy Uprisin' Hefeweizen from Hi-Wire Brewing (Asheville) at the new Catch 22 Gastropub in MJ.

8/16 - I took my usual two-week day off today so I could go watch the Titans  scheduled practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  I started with a good breakfast at Waffle House, then actually meet a customer for work on my way to St. Thomas Sports Park for the late morning training camp.    The rain held off for the most part while I was there and I got to see a lot including this sweet catch shown below from #22, Derrick Henry, who is such a big dude with such good hands.

Afterwards, I stopped by Craft Brewed and had a couple libations before catching a matinee of the silly animated film Teen Titans Go! To the Movies at Hollywood 27 while my MoviePass card still works.

The excellent and super-hoppy Stone 22nd Anniversary Anti-Matter Double IPA (from my still-favorite California craft brewer of them all) went down smooth and easy.

A little thin, but still flavorful, the No Chill milk stout from Prairie Artisan Ales (Tulsa, OK).

8/18 - I knocked a couple more regional waterfalls off the Must-See List today by going north into Macon County and the city of Lafayette, TN.  

Pretty Union Camp Falls gets its name from back in the Civil War when Union Troops camped in the area.

The Winding Stairs Park and Cascade are right in the city limits of Lafayette and this picture does no justice to how beautiful and unique this place is.  Definitely worth another visit for more in-depth exploration.

We met up with, Scott, an old work colleague and friend of Ashlee's who was in Nashville for work tonight and had dinner at the always-great Tansuo restaurant for some high-end Chinese food.   They also have a good beer list and I started with a draft of Hitachino Nest White Ale from the Kiuchi Brewery (Japan).  I have had this light and tasty beer before, but never checked it in on UNTAPPD.  I finished with the so-so Lucky Budda lager from Lucky Drink Brewery (Australia) that came in this great bottle (photo above).  

To finish the night off next door at The Mockingbird, I had a pint of Lilio'i Kepolo witbier from Avery Brewing (CO).  Once again I liked the container more than the beer which had a few too many sour notes for me.

8/21 - I got to the final table and a decent 8th place finish in the huge nightly $7K Guaranteed rebuy on Global Poker tonight.  I bought in for $5, added on for $5 and cleared $148 in profit.  There were 543 other players along with rebuys.

8/22 - I finally got to see the new film, Alpha, tonight thanks to MoviePass at the Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet.  Fairly predictable, but a pretty good movie overall.  I wanted to stop by Catch 22 beforehand for a beer, but I ran out of time.

8/23 - I went up to Hendersonville tonight to catch the film, Mile 22, with MoviePass at the theaters at the Streets of Indian Lake (recliners!).  Despite the terrible reviews, I wanted to see it for myself because it was made by one of my favorite directors, Peter Berg.  Don't always trust reviews!  I thought it was a solid film that was very unpredictable and interestingly different from most action genre drivel you see these days.  Beforehand, I stopped by Growler USA for a couple of brews and there was a rep there from Appalachian Mountain Brewery over in Boone, NC, whose products are now available in Tennessee.  I got some sweet swag (photo above) and had two solid beers of theirs:  the citrusy Long Leaf IPA and the fragrant Spoaty Oaty pale ale.  

8/25 - Our friend, Rex, flew into town  from Atlanta today for a weekend visit and since Ashlee has some other obligations most of the weekend, I became the primary tour guide.  I did my best, and luckily Rex likes craft beer because you know any tour that I organize is going to involve some (OK, a lot!).  Our first stop was New Heights Brewing where I had their Coconut Navel Gazer imperial stout which was good albeit a bit lacking in the overall coconut flavor that I was looking for.  Since it was super-crowed at New Heights, we moved on to Smith and Lentz Brewing which was a little less crowded and we were able to get seats at the bar.  I had their excellent Thunder Gun IPA. 

We stayed in East Nashville for an early dinner just up the street at Nobles Kitchen and Beer Hall where I had pretty good Guaybere pale ale from Cigar City Brewing (Tampa), and an East Bank Citra IPA (my favorite of the day) from East Nashville Brewing.  Our waitress at Nobles wore a shirt that pretty much described our day in Nashville (photo above). 

After dinner, we ubered down to the Cumberland River to board the Pontoon Saloon for a 7 PM cruise.  We had to dodge a lot of car and foot traffic  to get to the boat as Taylor Swift was playing at the Titans stadium next door (that's where Ashlee was with our niece, Ella).  It's BYOB on the Pontoon Saloon, so I stopped by Lebanon Wine and Spirits earlier in the day and got us a variety 6-pack with three new-to-me brews.  First up was the solid Oktoberfest marzen from Cigar City Brewing (Tampa).  Next up was the excellent Stone Idolatrous IPA from my still-favorite-of-them-all craft brewery, Stone Brewing (CA).  We finished the fun cruise with beautiful weather with a tasty Icelandic Wee Heavy Scotch ale from Einstok Brewery (Iceland).  

After the cruise, we met our friend, Brenda, at Opry Mills Mall for a late-night showing of the classic film, 2001: a space odyssey on its 50th anniversary re-release for the first time ever in IMAX.  It was very cool seeing this ground-breaking film on the giant screen, but admittedly it's a little slow at times, and their might have been a little snoozing among us with full bellies and a lot of beer throughout the day.

8/26 - We took it a little slower today, and after sleeping in we headed to Homegrown Taproom for a late lunch where I had a couple new-to-me half-pints including the pretty good IPA from Starr Hill Brewing (VA) called The Hook.  I finished with a tasty Zirkusfest marzen from Hi-Wire Brewing (Asheville, NC).  After lunch we headed over to the unique Berry Hill neighborhood of Nashville to the House of Blues Recording Studios looking for a Dolly Parton mural  We didn/t have any luck finding Dolly, but we did stumble upon this beautiful likeness (and makeshift shrine) of the recently-departed musical legend,Aretha Franklin  which was a nice surprise.  An even bigger surprise (at least for me) was when one of my favorite musical artists of all time, Steve Earle, came ambling out the front door of one of the little studios and we got to meet him.!!  I even shook his hand, but in my dumbfoundedness, I forgot to get a picture with him.  Dohh!   The rain set in afterward washing out any more mural hunting, so I got Rex back to the airport for his short flight home.  Come back anytime, Rex, but be prepared for more beer and more fun!  

Quotes from famous literary figures..is this beer blog gettin' fancy, or what?  

Are you OK? Yes. Then have a beer! Are you OK? No. Then have a beer!

Hey, it's a legit question!  

7/6 - I was in downtown Nashville to meet Ashlee and some friends tonight and stopped by City Tap for a couple of brews.  I started with an excellent smoked rauchbier called  the Blackstrap Ale (Flynn on Fire Smoked Beer Initiative) from Switchback Brewing (VT).  Next up was the deceiving looking but great tasting Coffee and Cream ale from New Heights Brewing here in Nashville that looks like a pale ale, but tastes like a coffee stout (photo above).  I finished strong with a solid Good N' You IPA from Springdale Beer (MA). 

Ashlee coerced me (and bought me a ticket) later that night for an Off the Wagon tractor tour of downtown Nashville with our out-of-town friends which I have to admit turned out to be a lot of fun.  Best thing was it was BYOB, so I stopped by Frugal MacDoogal earlier in the day and got a pint can of the tasty Remix IPA from Green Flash Brewing (CA).  It was pretty cool to be able to sip good beer in the traffic on Broadway being tugged around by a John Deere.  

7/7- We threw a pool party today and the theme was Mermaid/Merman and the  mermen contingent was small, but strong, with my friends Charlie on the left and Nate on the right.  (It's about time my beer buddy, Nate, got a picture in this blog!).  I got a variety six-pack for the day from Lebanon Wine and Spirits that included the tasty Hitchhiker IPA from Good People Brewing (AL), the equally good Hop-On IPA from Abita Brewing (LA), the decent Linkin' Up IPA from Boulevard Brewing (KC) and the excellent Double Trouble imperial IPA from Founders Brewing (MI). 

Speaking of Nate, he, of course, came through with some tasty libations as well.  He gave me a can of the surprisingly good There Gose Rita sour beer from New Heights Brewing in Nashville that had a great lime kick to it.  He also gave me a couple swigs of the very dry but flavorful Bilberry Mead from Grimfrost Meadery in Sweden.  He also gave me a good sampling of the outstanding and  very limited Tennessee Whiskey Barrel Aged Navel Gazer imperial stout from New Heights Brewing.  Nate's a great guy...have I mentioned that before?  

My fifth beer from the variety back was a repeat on UNTAPPD but still delicious, the Oatmeal Porter from Highland Brewing (Asheville).  Last, but  certainly not least was the interesting and unforgettable Original C Cave Creek Chili Beer - Cerveza Con Chili from Tecate Brewing in Mexico.  

No, seriously, there was a CHILI IN THE BEER!  

 I enjoyed this great World Cup badge from UNTAPPD that I earned today even though none of my teams (Germany, Mexico, Iceland and Belgium) made it to the final.  It has been an exciting tournament despite the USA not being in it.

7/8 - We had a Sunday Funday back in Nashville today with our friends from out of town.  One of our first stops was The Filling Station on 12th Avenue South where I had a pint of the solid Channel Orange IPA from Gravely Brewing (Louisville).  Next up was a stop at the ultra-cool Marathon Village (photo above) where we stopped in to the Corsair Brewing Beer Lab and I had a half pint of the Smoked Pecan Altbier that wasn't too bad.  

We headed to west Nashville to the neighborhood known at The Nations where this cool 150' mural on the side of an old abandoned concrete silo depicts local legend and resident, 91-year-old Lee (LD) Estes.  Nearby I noticed that my favorite Nashville brewery, Southern Grist, has opened their new location here.  I have got to get back by here and check that out ASAP! 

We ended the day with dinner at the Frothy Monkey in The Nations.  Dinner was great and their beer list, as always, was interesting.  I had the beautifully colored beer with bright can art it came in, the Basil and Cranberry Gose from Collective Arts Brewing (Ontario, Canada) hat was more tart than sour and wasn't too bad.

7/12 - Back in the First Place Saddle again!  I got first place again in the same small 4-handed online poker tourney that I won the other night.  This time it was against 58 other folks for a nice $90 profit.

7/15 - I made a kind of last minute trip to Chattanooga today to help out my friend, Tim, and his trivia team fill out a five-person roster for the Chattanooga Trivia League Summer Finals.  We did OK, but not high enough to score the win.  I helped as much as I could with movies and sports which they were weak on.  Before the trivia which was at The Honest Pint, I stopped around the corner at Hutton and Smith Brewing for a couple of warm-up libations.  I have forgotten what a great little brewery this is!  I started with their solid Bowline Brown ale.  I finished with their fantastic Pro-Am Ginger Saison which was so good I got a crowler of it for Ashlee who loves saisons and ginger.

I made a long round-trip back home and stopped for dinner and a couple more beers at the always-good Monkey Town Brewing in Dayton.  I started with their tasty Watch, This 360 Dunkel Be Insane and ended with their cirtrusy New England style IPA, the H'oat'el M'oat'el Hopiday Inn.  I cruised on back home with beautiful weather and good tunes on the stereo thru Crossville and on  I-40 I caught the fog rising off the Caney Fork River after sunset.  Sunday, Funday!!  

7/18 - Winner! Winner!  Thanks to our local independent radio station, Lightning 100, for hooking me up with a couple tickets to see the British singer/songwriter known as Passenger, tonight at The New Era Ballroom at Woolworth's on Fifth which I have also wanted to check out.  Unfortunately, Ashlee was out of town, so I took this one solo.

Passenger creator and singer-songwriter, Michael  Rosenberg, put on a great show with his hauntingly beautiful voice and deeply personal and moving songs.  This new music venue, the New Era Ballroom, is great as well with good acoustics and sight lines throughout.  Before the show I stopped at HQ Beercade for a couple pre-show brews (and some free Galaga play. of course) including the tasty and fittingly-named Go Play IPA from Avery Brewing (CO), followed by a solid  Foggy Geezer IPA from War Pigs Brewing (Denmark).  During the show I had a Portly Stout from Turtle Anarchy Brewing here in Nashville which I noticed I last checked in on UNTAPPD almost 5 years ago.  Happy Anniversary!  

Since I was walking by the new restaurant/bar, The George Jones,  on my back to the car after the show, I decided to stop in.  This is where we had dinner the other night with some friends, but missed going up and checking out their roof-top dining and bar.  It was worth the stop with an incredible view of Nissan Stadium and the General Jackson making a turn on the Cumberland River at sunset.

I parked across the river from downtown for free and not only did that save me money and give me some exercise, but it allowed me some great twilight views of Music City on the way back after the show.  This town sure knows how to pretty itself up sometimes.

7/21 - It's not every day you see a disco ball hanging in a cave!  Ashlee and I saw Scott Miller and his band at the new, swanky venue for PBS's Bluegrass Underground, The Caverns, in Pelham, TN today.  On the way down, we stopped at the Murfreesboro location of Jack Brown's Beer and Burger Joint for a delicious lunch and I had a short draft (dieting...ho hum) of the Stone///Fear.Movie.Lions Double IPA (CA) that was very good.
722 - We saw the moving and well-done documentary early today on Fred Rogers of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" called Won't You Be My Neighbor? up in Hendersonville.  After the show, we had salad lunches (dieting, ho-hum) at Growler USA where I also had a pint of Grand Design Belgian Tripel from Black Abbey Brewing in Nashville.  It was decent.

7/24 - I drove back up to Hendersonville this evening to catch a showing of "Denzzzzelll" in Equalizer 2 at The Streets of Indian Lake Theaters (recliners!) .  Before the show, I stopped by Growler USA again for dinner and a couple beers.  I started with the Juicy Bunny Version 2.0 New England style IPA from Straight to Ale Brewing (AL).  It had an interesting and pleasing creamy texture that I wasn't expecting in an IPA.    I finished with a terrifically good Brown Sugar Brown Cow ale from D9 Brewing (NC).  The movie was surprisingly good for a sequel.  Denzel delivers again.

7/25 - I had a enjoyable mid-week day off today that started with an early matinee of Skyscraper at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!) here in Lebanon.  It was a little far-fetched as expected, but overall a pretty enjoyable flick and better than some of the reviews I've heard about it.

I headed to East Nashville next for a late lunch at the Riverside Grill Shack.  Their namesake burger and fries combo was good albeit a bit pricey considering their modest digs.  Note the "luxurious dining area" in the background of the picture above.  I began a mini East Nashville beer crawl after that to take care of the rest of the afternoon.  My first stop was Southern Grist Brewing that is just around the corner from the burger joint.  I am so glad to see that this original east-side taproom is still open since they have a larger, newer taproom (and all of their brewing facilities) now out on the west side of town.  I had their hazy and delicious Turn Radius double New England-style IPA.

My next stop was to check out the pretty cool Cornelia Fort Airport section of Shelby Bottoms Park.  They have turned this small now-defunct airport into a walking/biking park including the old runway. I thought the the cloud that looked like a boot was kinda cool too.  My next beer stop  was a new-to-me visit to the Village Pub and Beer Garden, a super-friendly place, but their draft beer list was a little limited to call themselves a "beer garden"  in my opinion. My only new-to-me choice on their list was the Disco Lemonade shandy/radler from Smith and Lentz Brewing also here in East Nasty.   It wasn't bad and made sense on a hot summer day.  I moved on to the great facility that is the East Nashville Beer Works next, and had a half pint of their Coconut Creme Pie cream ale.  Glad I only had a half pint.  I was not impressed with the ho-hum flavor and was expecting a lot more.  I closed the afternoon out on a higher note at Homegrown Taproom with a tropical Mai Tainda IPA also from Smith and Lentz that was very tasty.  I chose Homegrown last because it's near the airport where I picked up Ashlee from a business trip and we headed immediately downtown for an O/A/R show at The Ryman.  Not a bad hump-day Wednesday at all! 

7/28 - Ashlee and I and a couple of our friends, Wayne and Danny, checked out Titans practice today and afterwards headed over to the nearby Old School Farm to Table Restaurant for brunch.  With my delicious omelet of the day made mostly of products from the adjoining farm, I also had a Travelin' Light kolsch (well actually I had two since they made a mistake at the bar and poured two instead of the one I ordered and I got the second one free...score!) from Left Hand Brewing (CO).  They were ice cold and refreshing.

Sometimes the right answer is easy...

Brewdogs and Five Stripes

Some choices in life are easy....

6/27 - I took a kind of last minute day off from work today to take a day trip to Atlanta to catch a TV show taping of "Brew Dogs" at Scofflaw Brewing with my friend, Nate.  My friend, Rex, who lives in Atlanta also met us there to check it out.

After three successful seasons on the now-defunct Esquire Network, the BrewDog folks have created their own network to continue their popular series into its fourth season.  They were in Nashville for season three, but Nate and I missed that one, so when they announced Atlanta was on the slate next, we decided to make the mini-pilgrimage.

We arrived with plenty of time  to spare, so we might as well drink!  I started with their Drop Kick IPA which was excellent.  Next up I had a pint of their Interrogation Stout which was pretty good.  I ended my bought-beer night at the brewery with a nice half-pint of Haole Hoppy Pilsner which UNTAPPD actually lists as an IPA.

The stars of the show, Martin Dickie (left) and James Watt, and the founders of the ultra-successful Brew Dog Brewing in Scotland, took to the stage with a beautiful sunset backdrop after some icky afternoon storms.  They handed out the beer they created here in Atlanta in cooperation with Scofflaw Brewing.  Like an illegal rolling casino, they brewed the beer in the back of truck going down I-285 (also technically illegal,evidently) and then destroyed the evidence by taking the truck immediately to the demo yard and having us consume all the beer they produced in about an hour tonight.  It was a rather tasty bourbon-infused peaches IPA that was much lighter than I expected.  We all got a couple free samples to try and voted as a group that we would "Drink It!!"  Nate and I took turns driving the long trek home and he took the first shift, so I could sip on a can of Scofflaw's Double Basement imperial IPA that was a tasty way to cap off a long, but very fun day.

6/29 - I had the day off today and met my long-time best friend, Craig, at Homegrown Taproom this afternoon for lunch and the start of a Nashville beer crawl before attending the Predators Future Stars Game tonight at the Bridgestone Arena.  I started with a tasty pint of Hurricane Saison from NOLA Brewing (LA) and even got a free glass with the purchase.  Like I need another beer glass, but, hey, thanks Homegrown and NOLA Brewing!  I finished with a decent Hop Bursted IPA from Blue Pants Brewery (AL) that I thought could have been bursting with a few more hops.  The most interesting beer I had was just a sip of Craig's half-pint of Plum Sour ale from New Heights Brewing here in Nashville.  The color (photo above) was really stunning and it was actually more tart than sour, so not too bad on my palette.  

We Ubered downtown next with our first stop being Alley Taps in famous Printer's Alley.  I haven't been here before and wanted to check it out.  The place was a little dead when we got there, but packed by the time we left.  They have a decent line-up of craft beers on tap albeit a little pricey.  The 2-for-1 special going on helped out.  My friend, Nate, joined us here also and was going to the game with us tonight using Ashlee's ticket who decided to skip in lieu of hanging out at home. I ordered a Mixed Media ale from Dogfish Head Brewery (DE) first and was not impressed with how close it tasted to a wine spritzer.  Craig and I traded beers since he got a SMASH - Mosaic IPA from Good People Brewing (AL) that was over-hoppy to him and perfect for me!  We both chose the tasty Hollow Pointe Dunkel as our BOGO pints from Hollow Pointe Brewing here in Nashville.  We walked to our next destination which was the rooftop bar of City Tap.  It had some great views (photo above) but the hot temps kept us inside to drink.  Their beer menu was a little limited upstairs, so I chose a Sculpin IPA which I know I have had before, but never checked into UNTAPPD for some reason.

We moved on to Bridgestone for the game next which was fast-paced and enjoyable.  Craig and I held off from any more beer  during the game since we had to both drive to my house afterwards.

With general admission seating and not a huge crowd in attendance, we were able to get choice seats for the inter-squad game where the Gold Team outlasted the Blue Team 5-2.  Keep an eye out for center Zach Magwood, the 20-year-old who had a hat trick for the Gold Team.

After the game and back at the house we cracked open a couple of Bourbon Barrel Stouts (awesome custom label in photo above) from Craig's hometown brewery, Perrylodgic, in Paris, TN.  It was boozy and excellent and made a great night-cap.  Thanks for the tasty brew, Craig!  

6/30 - We continued our weekend of sports with another trip (for me) back to The ATL for an Atlanta United MLS game vs. the Orlando City FC.  We were also going to do an Atlanta beer crawl before and after the game as well which started at STATS Brewpub where I had the (what else?) Atlanta Brewnited Pale Ale which is made here and was pretty good.  My friend, Rex, joined us for our second round where I had an OK Shooter McGavin Wit also made here.   This lively sports bar and brew pub was just a short walk from our very nice Hotel Indigo and the new Mercedes-Benz Dome where the ATL UTD play.

Our next stop was just a couple doors down at Der Biergarten which sits atop a Waffle House (can you say Nirvana!).   We would be visiting downstairs after the game. 
 

I had a nice "small" glass of Warsteiner Premium Dunkel (Munich, Germany) which was ice cold and very smooth.

It was on to the game next.  Wow, what a scene!  Awesome new domed stadium, 70K-plus fans streaming in, pep squads going loud and raucous, hot but beautiful weather, and a hot first-place team.  What else can you ask for??

Man, what a night!  My first ATL UTD game in person with two good friends.  Great seats and a RESOUNDING 4-0 win with my favorite player, Miguel Almiron, scoring two of them right in front of us.  And they also had a great beer right near our seats with a Wicked Weed Brewing (Asheville, NC) stand.  I had their smooth and new-to-me Lunatic Blonde ale and another of their always-great Pernicious IPAs during the match.

 (Editor's Note:  I am proud to say we saw the eventual 2018 MLS Cup Champs tonight as The Five Stripes took it all on December 8, 2018!) 

We got a bite at the aforementioned Waffle House after the game and then strolled back to the hotel  to turn in after a long day.  A lot of people give Atlanta shit, but in reality it's a real "peach" of a city in my opinion.  I can't wait to come back for another ATL adventure!!  

So proud to be a part of this historic night!!  

7/1 - We had a lazy morning watching some World Cup from our beds in the hotel, but before heading back from Atlanta.  We got one more chance for some good beer before leaving with a noon brunch on the rooftop at 9 Mile Station.  Rex met us again and we were all impressed with the amazing view, the delicious food and top-notch beer list.

There were so many unique beers on the 9 Mile Station beer menu, that I opted for a flight that formed quite the pretty pattern.  I drank the lightest two first starting with the second from the bottom brew, The Keeper's Veil Honey Saison from Burial Beer Company in Asheville, NC, that was terrific.   Next was the light and super-citrusy Tiki Time IPA from Creature Comforts Brewing here in Atlanta.  My first dark beer was the excellent jet-black bottom brew, the Ulfberht Baltic Porter also from Burial Brewing.  I thought it tasted more like a lager which is what the 9 Mile Station menu called it, but UNTAPPD does not.  I finished with a delectable nitro Pog Mo Thoin dry Irish stout from Hourglass Brewing  (FL).   I also had a taste of Rex's interesting Bug Zapper sour ale from Avery Brewing (CO) which I thought was pretty good because it was actually more minty to my palette than sour.  Again, the 9 Mile Station folks know their beer because they did not list it as a "sour" on their  menu which would drive some people (like me) away from it without trying it.
After lunch we also stopped downstairs at a great beer tap (try 150 of them!) store where I got something to take home and share with the wife.  More on that later in this post.

Thank you Atlanta for some great times, some great beer and a desire to return as soon as possible!  

7/2 - I went and saw the Sicario, Day of the Soldaro, tonight at the Roxy Theaters here in town.  It was pretty decent for a sequel.   Hey, Upgrade marketing team, now THIS is how you do a good movie poster!

Since the 4th of July fell in the middle of the week this year, we had a pretty quiet day at home...but that doesn't mean I didn't crack a couple new-to-me beers!  

First up was a crowler of  the excellent Allagash Tripel from Allagash Brewing (ME) that I shared with my wife, Ashlee.   I got this on my recent trip to Atlanta at The Tap on Ponce which has about 150 taps for beer on the go.  Next up was a bomber bottle of Moo-tella 2017 stout from Terrapin Brewing (GA).  This was a  2017 Reserve made with Olive and Sinclair chocolate from here in Nashville.  Thanks to Ashlee for this great Christmas present that we finally found occasion to consume it and it was the worth the wait...delicious!  I also had a couple sips of Ashlee's Framboise Rose Gose from Anderson Valley Brewing (CA).  It was a little tart, but not overly sour as I was fearing.  

After a fairly long drought, I got another online poker win tonight on a small $5 tournament with 54 other players in it for a tidy $90+ profit.