Thursday, August 1, 2024

Swimming, Crawling and Other Basic Summering


A disturbing image from America's Prohibition Era.  Don't look at it too long or it will break your heart. 


6/21
 - It was another Remote Day at work for me today which worked out well as I planned to drive half-way to Indy for the weekend.  I got a pool dip in before leaving and enjoyed a can of the nice Queen pilsner from Middle Brow Beer Co. (Chicago).   I decided to stay tonight in Louisville and on the way, I stopped at new-to-me Flywheel Brewing in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where, of course, I started with their lovely Kentucky common called Irregardless (photo above).  I finished with their also very good Rauchbier called Smoke on the Lager.  Along with my beers I had some of the best (and largest) street carne asada tacos I've ever had from the food truck on site called Del Valle Kitchen.  


I stayed at a cheap 
AirBnb in Louisville that turned out to be a lovely older home in the hip and happening Highlands neighborhood.  Free street parking was an added plus.   

 
My biggest reason for choosing the particular Airbnb that I did was its close proximity to two new-to-me craft breweries.   As I walked to the first one, Gravely Brewing, I was gifted with a beautiful sunset in this shot above that I call the "siLOUette."  Gravely Brewing was very cool with an old-school stereo/music theme and (spoiler alert) the best beer of the trip.  First up was their outstanding flagship IPA called Power Chord.  I finished with their solid blonde ale called Cardinale in honor of UL here in town.  


I walked a short distance on to Mile Wide Brewing - great name and logo - and had a couple before they closed up for the night.  First up was their tasty NEIPA called Force Ghost.  I finished with their sweet and interesting milkshake IPA called LifesaverThe walk home was pleasant and safe.  My room was quiet and clean.  Patrick, the cat, was friendly. What else can you want? 
 


6/22 - Big thanks to my pal, Chris, for suggesting to check out some of the Olympic swimming trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy today.  They've put an Olympic-sized pool (three actually) in a football stadium!  This I had to see in person! 


Our first look inside Lucas Oil Stadium was jaw-dropping.  Yep, that's pretty epic and amazing! The morning session consisted of several heats to qualify for some finals tomorrow as Team USA gets completed and ready to go to Paris next month to compete.  Our reasonably-priced nosebleed seats provided a great view of the races.
Afterwards, we ambled over to Tax Man Brewing for some brews and a lunch.  I had their decent farmhouse ale called La Maison and their nice and light Expat: Key Lime lager.  


After lunch we checked out the free Aqua Zone in the nearby convention center that had a ton of cool USA Swimming information and activities.  We saw pretty former swimming medalist, Elizabeth Beisel, signing autographs.  She turned out to have a very busy day by playing the national anthem via violin before tonight's events, and then awarding medals to competition winners afterwards.  

Before heading back into Lucas Oil Stadium for tonight's races and ceremonies, we dropped by the new-to-me Yard House for a few more brews and an early dinner.  I love their lettuce wraps here!  Beer-wise, I started with the excellent DIPA called Good Monster from Collective Arts Brewing (Canada).  Next up was the solid NEIPA called Wicked Pawesome from Metazoa Brewing here in Indy.  I finished with the tasty and funny-sounding-to-me Baptist Wit from Van Steenberge Brewery (Belgium).  


The evening session was a real spectacle with swimmer intros, music, lightshows, etc. There were several finals and a couple more heats for tomorrow evening's conclusion.  Swimming icon, Michael Phelps, was on-hand and gave a short interview before continuing his broadcasting duties.  It was a historic night for US Swimming with an attendance of over 22,000 spectators, the largest ever in the U.S. 


The highlight of the night was seeing emerging legend, Katie Ledecky, absolutely kicking ass again.  This time it was the 800 Freestyle that she won going away.  To see her swim live was such a thrill. 
Afterwards, we headed back to the Yard House for more beers (and, yes, more lettuce wraps!).  Brew-wise I started with the very good Campside Pale Ale from Upland Brewing over in Bloomington, IN.  I finished with the impressive Yard House Golden Pilsner which is brewed for them by New Belgium Brewing (CO).  


6/23 - Chris and I slept in this morning in our shared room at the nice downtown Marriott Hotel which is in walking distance to the stadium (we might be here again in December for our G.A.M.E. trip) and then had a leisurely and tasty (pesto egg white omelet!) breakfast at the nearby Lincoln Square Pancake House.   We then headed our respected ways - me south, him north.  See ya again soon, friend! 
My first stop south of Indy was Anderson Falls, yep, flat ol' Indiana has a few small waterfalls here and there.  This one is pretty. albeit the flow was down not surprisingly due to the summer weather.  Might be worth another stop-by in December when the flow should be much greater.  


I reserved a small car at our local 
Enterprise Car Rentals (RIP Hertz local) and all they had available day of was this Toyota Tundra pick-up.  It was comfortable to drive and not bad on gas, so that was fine, but I found it hard to park and with no iPhone display, I was also not sorry to see it get returned. 
The truck did have Bluetooth and I listened to a good true-story audio book on the way and back called "The Wager - A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder"


I moved on south and stopped at Our Lady of Perpetual Hops Brewing in New Albany, IN, just across the river from Louisville.  While I love the name and the logo, the beer did not impress me unfortunately.  First up was a rather weird-tasting NEIPA called One Shining Moment.  Their Feelin' That Way IPA was rather dull as well.  Disappointing. 
The disappointment continued with a stop at the Caesar's Southern Indiana where I bought in to a daily $100 poker tournament at 3 PM and was gone by 3:45.  Lousy cards, second-best hands, folding a winner to an over-bet, and missed draws were all I saw.  Oh well, moving on and further south.  
 


I did a little waterfall scouting around Fort Knox, KY, next with a stop at Saunders Springs Cascade (photo above) and the 
Tioga Falls trailhead.  I didn't have time to do the 1.8-mile trek to Tioga but noted it for a later time including a return to Saunders Springs with less people around.  The little park was packed today.  I also noted their close proximity to each other and the aforementioned Flywheel Brewing.  


My last unscheduled stop was in Bowling Green, KY where I spied these pretty shoals on the Barren River downtown along their River Walk.  It was near the new location for White Squirrel Brewing which closed a while back in a different location but has come back from the dead in the place that was once Gasper Brewing which also bit the dust recently.  Welcome back, WSBC!  They were just about to close for the day, but I was able to grab a pint of their solid West Coast IPA before heading home.  

Another nice little trip and experience in the books!! 
For the record:
15 new-to-me craft beers 
5 new-to-me breweries 
2 new-to-me waterfalls 


6/24 - I toasted The Big Orange's National Championship win in college baseball tonight with a beer called (ironically) The Imperial Texan (sorry, Aggies, who the Vols beat. The tasty red DIPA was from my latest Beer Box shipment and is made by Martin House Brewing in Fort Worth. 
 


6/26 - We lost our sweet boy, Byron the Beloved, today.  So damn young.  So damn unfair.  I cracked a pint can open and toasted my buddy with a Quad Belgin quadruple from Une Annee Brewery (IL).  It was as sweet and warm as a snuggle from Byron. 
We are gonna miss you, beautiful boy.  RIP. 
 


To get some much-needed distraction from such a sad day, I went to a late showing of the new era-piece film, The Bikeriders, tonight at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!).  In fact, I was the only one in the theater, so it was basically a private screening.   My expectations may have been a little too high since it was directed by Jeff Nichols whose previous films I have really liked and starring Tom Hardy who I feel is one of the great actors out there today, but overall, I was a little disappointed.  It's a fine, well-made film, I just found it to be a little dull at times and the characters weren't that memorable.  Perhaps a second viewing somewhere down the line will be necessary to give it another look. 


6/28 - We drove to Asheville, NC, after work today for a nice weekend with some friends in the mountains and one of my favorite craft beer towns anywhere.  The breweries were closed by the time we got there, so I had to settle for a couple brews at The Rankin Vault cocktail bar.  They did have a decent line-up of craft beer which I think is a requirement by law in this town.  I started with a nice Hibiscus Lavender hard ginger beer from Ginger's Revenge Brewing here in Asheville.  I finished with an OK Jalapeno Pale Ale from Birdsong Brewing over in Charlotte that could've use a bit more pepper power.    


6/29 - I got up before dawn and was on the trailhead at 7 AM (EST) with my long-time (35 years plus) waterfall-chasing friend, Craig, for 
Tom's Creek Falls near Marion, NC.  It was an easy half-mile hike in, and she's a beauty of a three-tier drop with good flow for this time of year.  How Craig and I missed this one during our earlier times in this area is beyond me?  But I sure am proud to check it off the list now!! 


Afterwards, I got to see Craig's new house in person that's nearing completion in nearby Rutherfordton, NC.  He's retired now and has moved back to an area I know he loves, and I couldn't be happier for him...plus, now I have a free place to stay in the land of waterfalls and craft breweries!!!   


When I got back to town, four of my five companions including Ashlee were kind enough to indulge me in a selfishly arranged Asheville "six-pack" brewery crawl.  Our first stop was in walking distance of our hotel (and open the earliest), the downtown tap room for Highland Brewing where I had their outstanding OG Dub IPA.  Housed in a beautiful old art-deco style building along with a hip food court, this was a great place to start the day. 


Next stop via Uber was 7 Clans Brewing - a fairly new establishment and run by Native American women.  Their location was quiet when we got there, but started picking up when we were leaving which is great because their beer is top-notch, and I wish them the best.  I had the very tasty Bended Tree Chestnut Brown Ale.


The next unplanned stop was Hillman Beer Company which was added because it was close by to 7 Clans and walkable.  The beer was again very good, and we had lunch here too and my Cuban sandwich and fries were excellent! I had their impressive Irish Stout (photo above) and their light and dreamy golden ale called Bailey's Summer Crush.  
 


Proximity to Hillman Beer Company (across the road) made French Broad Brewing our third (unplanned) stop.   Their black IPA called Midnight Paddle was solid.  


It was Uber time again as we headed across town to the fairly new New Belgium Brewing (East Coast Operations) This was more of a request for my beer buddy, Curtis, who grew up in Colorado and with NBBC.  I have to admit I was impressed with the facility and my Biere De Queer 2023 fruit (no pun intended) beer was the most interesting of the day.   


The sixth and last visit and the one I wanted to go to the most was Green Man Brewing, one of my favorite Asheville breweries, and I haven't been here since they built the big new addition which is very nice.  I had their smooth albeit a bit less smokey than I like for a Rauchbier called Gather 'Round.   


The next Uber was to catch the Michael Franti and Spearhead show with awesome opener, Niko Moon, at the soon-to-close-due-to-the-man Salvage Station.  That's too bad because it's a great outdoor venue with lots of craft beer available.  As Mike showed his kindred spirit with me and waterfalls on stage, I toasted a great day and show with first a pint can of the excellent Perni-Haze NEIPA from Wicked Weed Brewing here in Asheville, and then a solid IPA called Welcome to Pyramid Country from DSSOLVR Brewing also here in Asheville.  


6/30 - I closed out our too-brief visit to Asheville this morning at 7 AM again on the trailhead of pretty Melrose Falls over near Tryon, NC.  My traveling-nut pal, Michelle, made up for missing yesterday's beer crawl by joining me as well.  This half-mile hike was a lot more technical than yesterday, but the payoff was worth it.  

Good little trip:
11 new-to-me craft beers
4 new-to-me craft breweries
2 new-to-me waterfalls!! 


7/2 - My pal, Toney, and I went to see the new prequel 
A Quiet Place: Day One, at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!) tonight during $6 Bargain Tuesdays, and I thought it was a pretty good monster flick.  Not as good as the original, but decent.
.


7/3 - I h
ad another Remote Day at work today with a lot of work to do around the house to get the place in shape for the holiday weekend.  I did have a nice summer ale with guava called Patio Cat (I got me one of them named Letty) from Upland Brewing (IN) while chilling in the pool today after some mowing.


7/4 - Since we were staying home for the holiday long weekend, I was able to do some dog-watching/walking again with my old pals from Rover, Dolly and Gus, plus 5 cats for the weekend.  It was good to see them again and the $500+ was pretty good too!  It also keep my beer consumption down since I had to drive three times a day to take care of them, but it was worth it.  


In the pool today I did have a few Independance Day beers including a great Midwest IPA from Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland); a very nice pale ale from Northwoods Brewing (NH) called Landlocks and Brookies with some beautiful can art (photo above); a light and refreshing Shandy from Old Nation Brewing (MI); and even a decent Peach Hard Tea malt beverage from Jack Daniels.    


7/5 - My Friday-off-from-work pool beers today were the excellent German pilsner called They're the Scientists (photo above) from Smith and Lentz Brewing here in Nashville, and a solid NEIPA called Reign of Hera from WarPigs USA Brewing (IN).  


7/6 - My Saturday pool beers today started with a nice session IPA from Edmund's Oast Brewing (Charleston) called Kveik Crusher - thanks to my pal, Nate, for this one.  Next up was the interesting Triple IPA from Hoof Hearted Brewing (OH) called Tailpipin' Dual Exhaust (Sauvignon Blanc/Citra and Nelson Sauvin) I closed out with the awesome-tasting and awesome-named Evel Knievel Imperial IPA (West Coast-Style) from DESTIHL Brewing (IL).  


7/7 - It was fun to hear today a Hand-of-the-Week that I submitted on this week's Ante Up Poker Podcast.    Beer-wise, I closed out the long holiday weekend with a decent Wild Sour Series: Dragon Fruit Mango from DESTIHL Brewing (IL), and then an excellent NEIPA from Burlington (VT) Beer Company called Little Wizard. 


7/9
My pal, Toney, and I went to see 
the new Kevin Costner western saga, Horizon (Part I) at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!).  thank goodness with a runtime of 3 hours!!) tonight on $6 Bargain Tuesday.  The reviews have not been good for it, and I thought it was freaking fantastic!  Great characters, stunning cinematography, realistic action.  I can't wait for Part II!!


Earlier today, I got a nice win in a $1 turbo bounty tourney on Global Poker vs.102 players including heads up with a well-known and tough player on this site.  I had nine knockouts for a total ROI of over 2,500%.   


7/10 - It was another Remote Day for me, and the weather was fantastic.  So, I headed downtown
 to have a late lunch at Cabin Attic Burgers at Bearded Iris Brewing and had their Burger Week entry, the Surf Shack, which was very good.  Beer-wise, I had BI's golden ale called Nice Job (And it was. Very tasty.  Nice job, BIBC.), and then their excellent honey-infused NEIPA called Queen Bee.   I turned it into a short Germantown crawl by walking over to nearby Monday Night Brewing next, where I had their nice German pilsner called Tettbanger Pils and then finished with their smooth and tasty Vienna lager called Attention to Detail

My second (yes, second) Burger Week burger of the day was obtained on the drive back from downtown as I happened by Caliber Coffee Co. in Donelson where Camburgers was set up out in the parking lot serving up their O.G. Burger for $7 It was fantastic!  As was the iced coffee I got at Caliber.  This was my first visit to both places.  


7/11 - I got another dog-sitting gig over the long weekend starting today at a nice little lake house nearby allowing me to fish a little for free which I haven't done in a quite a while.  
It also gave me a chance to have a couple lake beers this afternoon from a pint-can six pack I picked up at The Mt. Juliet Beer Company.  First up was the excellent IPA from Fonta Flora Brewing (NC) called Chip Rack (good poker theme name there).  I finished with a so-so NEIPA called M-43 (2023) from Old Nation Brewing (MI). 


7/12 - Today's two lake beers were the decent Grapefruit Hop Pusher from Printshop Beer Co. up in Knoxville, and the quite nice True Evel golden ale from DESTIHL Brewing (IL).  Each were enjoyed from a nice, air-conditioned view of the lake cuz, baby, it's hot outside! 


7/13 - Today's lake beers were two excellent IPAs from Flora Fauna Brewing (NC) - who are quickly becoming a Top Ten Brewery on my list.  First was the Hop Beard followed by their DIPA called Meanwhile, in AppalachiaCheck out the sweet, old bar at this lake house.  I was welcome to imbibe, but, hey, I brought my own!  

I finally caught my first fish off the dock this morning - a nice young healthy-looking bass about the size of my hand.  I followed up catching a little bluegill this afternoon.


Snake:  It's What's for Breakfast.  This is lake life...and death. 


I also had a 
great day of online poker at the lake house too with three separate small tournament wins!  First up was a NLHE turbo bounty tournament win vs. 19 other players with nine knockouts for a total ROI of 900+%!  Next was the largest field and largest payout on a NLCP progressive bounty tournament win vs. 32 other players.  I had seven knockouts for a total ROI of 1,300+%!!  I closed out the night with another small buy-in NLCP tournament win vs. 21 other players for an ROI of 800+%.   


7/14 - Despite finally seeing my signature hand again on Global Poker today, there was not much else to report after my big winning day yesterday.  Such is poker.  
I did get back to the pool today after my dog-sitting weekend and enjoyed a couple pint cans from a new variety six-pack I picked up earlier at the Mt. Juliet Beer Company.  First up was a light and tasty Italina pilsner called Riding for the Feeling from Resident Culture Brewing (Charlotte) .  I finished with the perfect-for-summer Pap Pap's Salted Lager from Fonta Flora Brewing (NC).

7/15 - I got a small NLCP tournament win tonight on Global Poker vs. 18 other players for an ROI of just over 800%.  

7/16 - I won the very same tournament as last night against the very same number of people tonight with the same ROI.  

I was happy to give some of my recent meager poker earnings to a collection being taken up for my immediate supervisor at Cumberland who's battling cancer and may need help with travel expenses.  I also bought my weird neighbor some gas as thanks for mowing some of our yard this summer.  


7/17 - I had another Remote Day at work today.  I headed downtown early to prep to see 
Asia tonight at The Ryman - the first of four $25 flat shows coming up this summer for me.   Their first album has always been one of my favorites from start to finish and while only one original member, Geoff Downes, is in the group now, it's still worth a look and a listen at that low price.  The show was great from start to finish and with a fairly small crowd, I was able to move down to within a few feet of the stage.   The openers: Focus, Martin Turner of Wishbone Ash, and Curved Air were pretty good as well.   

Beforehand, I did a little craft beer crawling at Barrique Brewing, Jack Brown's and the Broadway Brewhouse.   At JB's I had a can of the excellent Sunkissed Dreams Nitro golden ale and a can of the solid cold IPA called Wishing Star from Highland Brewing over in Asheville.  At Barrique I had their excellent pilsner called Hunspach and their tasty Mexican lager called Chela.  I concluded at the BB with a surprisingly good fruit beer from Dogfish Head Brewing (DE) called Mandarin and Mango Crush along with some tasty chicken tenders for dinner. 


This month's Beer Box arrived today, and it looks like a nice selection of all new-to-me beer including three IPAs, a lager, a wheat beer, a fruit beer, a maibock and an amber ale.  I also got some swag and beer nuts as usual. 


7/18
Speaking of old British musicians, I went to a free book-signing and in-store talk with veteran English rocker, Robyn Hitchcock, by also veteran artist, Sean Nelson, at Parnassus Books tonight with my friend, Tom.  It was a fun and interesting time, and they even played a couple songs at the end of the program.  Afterwards, we had a drink at the very cool Greenhouse Bar just across the street.


7/19 thru 7/21 - I got another small Rover gig this weekend:  single cat-sitting just down the street!   
I hung out with "Foxie" as much as I could, but she's pretty independent anyway. 
Before heading back to hang out with Foxie the rest of the night, I stopped and had some awesome dry-rub wings at Cedar City Brewing along with a couple pints of their excellent CDR CTY Belgian Wheat ale. 


7/20 - I had some good success in online poker as I house/cat-sat with Roxie tonight.  I got a 3rd place finish vs. 126 other players in a small buy-in hyper-turbo super-deep bounty NLHE tournament (but second-place money thanks to a big mystery bounty collected)My ROI was a staggering 1,900+%! The tournament was also streamed on Twitch and the host mentioned my username a few times since I made the final three.  
Earlier, I had three enjoyable pool beers including a great IPA called Whitemiata from The Veil Brewing (VA); another refreshing IPA from Sun King Brewing (Indy) called GFJ/Grapefruit Jungle; and finally, a decent session IPA from Whiner Beer Co. (Chicago) called Band Beer


7/21 - I had a busy day of pet-wrangling with a finish up of the pet/house sitting with Foxie, and then a last-minute drop-in for Ares, a big sweet young labrador.  But I did have time to get a pool-float in and enjoyed a refreshing Cold Ass Beer red ale from Against the Grain Brewing (Louisville).  

7/22 - After a rather rough evening on the virtual felt, I finally eked out a small buy-in win on Global Poker to close out the day.  I bested 25 other players in a turbo bounty NLHE tournament with 4 knockouts and an ROI of 600+%.  


7/23 - I did a meet-n-greet and booked another long-weekend dog/house sitting gig through Rover today over in Mt. Juliet.  Since I was in the area, I stopped by the M.L. Rose in Mt. Juliet and had a tasty crunchwrap-style burger for dinner along with a couple of good craft beers.  First up was the excellent Grapefruit Holy Roller IPA from Urban South Brewing (New Orleans) and the solid Street Sweeper IPA from Half Batch Brewing up in Hendersonville which I thought I had already checked in on UNTAPPD, but the trusty app said otherwise. 
 


7/25
 - I went to opening night of the new Marvel flick, Deadpool and Wolverine, with my pal, Curtis, at the IMAX Theaters at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters in Hendersonville tonightThe movie was fantastic from start to finish.  I can't wait to see it again on Tuesday! 


I also started another long-weekend house/pet-sitting gig in Mt. Juliet today.  This is Tito, a one-year-old pug and his two cat housemates are Captain and Rosie. 


7/26 -
I had (half of) a Remote Day today and while continuing to house/pet-sit in Mt. Juliet, I ran over to Donelson to try a toasted sub at the new Cheba Hut restaurant, a pot-centered eatery for those with the munchies...like me, minus the weed! I got their large Thai Stick, and it was fantastic and big enough for two tasty meals. 


Hey, when you're jonesing to see a waterfall and you are stuck in the city, you take whatever you can get!  Even if it's just a pretty gate release at Stones River Dam at Percy Priest Lake here in Nashville.  Which I saw coming back from Donelson today.  I've been wanting to make a funny post about this urban "waterfall" in my waterfall group on Facebook and finally got it captured and posted.  It's already got 25 likes and laughs.  


7/27 -
The house/pet-sitting continued today and my beer pal, Nate, and I dropped by Nissan Stadium for a Titans open practice.  There was a good crowd despite the heat and the dismal forecast of the team this season.  But I think they might surprise some people in the NFL if they can stay healthy.   It was free admission and free parking which made it well worth the effort too. 


After the practice, Nate and I cruised up to the Rock n Dough Pizza and Brewery in North Nashville where he shared some BOGO tokens with me.  I had a great "jalapepperoni" pesto pizza along with a couple of their beers:  the excellent Rye Me a River IPA and the light and refreshing Amerifest fest bier.  We watched the USMNT kick the crap out of the Kiwis at the Paris Olympics 4-1.  I shall be checking in more "Olympic beers" the next few weeks as well.  


I had an East Nashville Brewing Tropical Daydream (2nd Vacay) NEIPA at Bridgestone Arena tonight while enjoying the silky-smooth voice of the timeless Darius Rucker with his original band, Hootie and the Blowfish.   Collective Soul opened for them and while showing some age, they still brought the energy and the rock-n-roll.   

I also had some online poker success today while pet-sitting today.  I won a small turbo bounty NLHE tournament on Global Poker against 11 other players with six knockouts for a total ROI of over 500%.  I also scored in a large NLHE freeroll tournament vs. 613 players placing in the top 45 for a future tournament ticket worth 1,100% ROI.  


7/28
 - 
My house-pet/sitting gig was completed today.  Hopefully, I can sit for Tito and the kitties again since it was an easy, fun time.  I watched the USWNT take on Germany in the Olympics and get a solid win and played some online poker to pass the time. 
Why wouldn't I sit for these guys again?  Look at that punim! Got a nice $50 tip as well. 


7/29 - I got a pretty sizable win tonight on Global Poker in The Diesel nightly NLCP bounty tournament vs. 35 players with eight knockouts for an ROI of almost 1,500%!  It was a big enough win for me to cash out $175.00 in profit and still leave a decent bankroll for future play.   With some of my winnings I bought myself a new Cumberland U raincoat/jacket to use this fall and winter.  


7/30
 - I went to see Deadpool and Wolverine again 
tonight at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!) with my pal, Toney.  So funny, so well-made.  I seriously think this movie should be up for Best Picture at The Oscars next year.  Not a winner but nominated. 


7/31 - Remote Workday!
 - 
I bought a cheap ticket to the Leagues Cup game tonight with NSC hosting Mazatlán F.C. at Geodis Park.  This was the team's first game under new coach, BJ Callaghanand boy, do they need the help after dropping the last 6 games in a row. Yuck!  The game was no better with a dismal 3-0 loss.  I wound up sitting with my pal, Nate, in his season-tickets seats and couldn't even resell the one I bought.  This club needs a lot of help and are almost unwatchable currently.  

Beforehand, Nate and I checked out the new Broadcast Brewing Company near the stadium and walked from there to the game, taking advantage of their free parking.  I had two of their three offered brews:  their decent red ale called Signal, and then their solid golden ale called FM.  It's a tiny place, but it has some potential.  Let's see how they do.  For dinner, we stopped at New Heights Brewing, and I got some great Nashville (mildly) hot chicken tenders from the Nashville Chicken and Waffles food truck on site.  I also had an overly sweet cream ale of theirs called The Roadie Soadie in celebration of the aforementioned NSC team.  

Before beforehand, I stopped by TennFold Brewing and finished up the workday and had a couple of their new beers including the excellent Apollo IPA and the light and refreshing Buchanan House Logger (lager).  I also had a delicious "snack" from the nearby Steam Boys Chinese fast-food joint there in Donelson.

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