FRANK+ASHE+CHAR = G.A.M.E. Weekend

It is G.A.M.E. Weekend again and while our Titans are about the most woeful offensive team I have seen in many years, we still manage to have a great time around the game itself.  We chose the Carolina Panthers game this season and headed to Charlotte, North Carolina via a couple other overnight stops in Frankfort, Kentucky, and Asheville, North Carolina also. 

10/30 - Ashlee and I picked up our pal, Jeremy, at the airport who was flying in from Salt Lake City, Utah, for the GAME Weekend.   We stopped at Homegrown Taproom for dinner and I had an excellent Vadose Zone stout from Hutton and Smith Brewing down in Chattanooga.  Later in evening back at home, I sipped on a pretty good Simpler Times Lager from Minhas Brewing (WI).  This was the first of a four-beer variety pack I got from Trader Joe's grocery store over in Green Hills last weekend.

10/31 -Four of our group of six going to see the Titans game, headed out early today due north to Kentucky to take in some of the famous Bourbon Trail.  Since my pal, Jeremy, came the farthest for this weekend, and loves bourbon, it only seemed right to include this area in the trip if possible.  Joining us were my good friends, Danny, from Brentwood, and Chris from Chattanooga.  

Our first stop was Willett Distillery for a light lunch and cocktails since they weren't having any tastings or tours that fit our schedule.  Even though this wasn't one our drinks in the video below, the bartender was cooking up some spooky concoctions for Halloween, and ours were excellent, especially the hot High Tea with bourbon.  

Our next stop was Woodford Reserve Distillery where we did get to a do nice tasting of their wares.  This place is really nice and their bourbon is fairly legendary.  The Double Oaked was my fave.

My favorite stop of the day was next at Castle and Key Distillery.  It's a fairly new distiller using a unique historic building and grounds.  Since their bourbon is still in the aging process, the could only offer gin and vodka after their brief tour, but it was good stuff mixed in a couple of very tasty cocktails. 

After checking in to our hotel in Frankfort, we traveled a short distance to  Buffalo Trace Distillery for their Ghost Tour.  I have done this one before, but it was pretty cool to do it again on Halloween.  

I even got a new brewery visit in while here in the land of bourbon, Sig Luscher Brewing was right around the corner from our hotel.  It was a cold walk as the temps dipped below freezing tonight, but the beer was just as cold inside and pretty darn good.  I started with a pint of their 1866 Lager (photo above) that was tasty.  Next was their Oktoberfest Lager which was equally solid.  This is a heritage brewery honoring the colorful character and brewer, Sigmund Luscher, who came from Switzerland in 1866 to Frankfort.

11/1 - We headed southeast toward Asheville, North Carolina, this morning where we were going to try out our first yurt glamping experience.  On the way, we took a nice detour to Cumberland Gap National Park.  The winding road up to the Pinnacle Overlook was worth it with this amazing view of three states( KY to the right, TN straight ahead and VA to the left).  We timed it good with weather too as the rain (or snow  up here at 2,220+ feet)  from the last couple days had moved on giving us miles and miles of visibility. 

We dipped back into Tennessee briefly and stopped for a lunch at the Frosty Mug in Harrogate. Despite the name, this little retro drive-in doesn't serve beer without the word root in front of it, but their food is fantastic.  Best Philly cheese-steak I have had in a good while! 

The yurts at Mountain Springs Cabins just outside Asheville, NC, were much cooler than I even expected.  Our group of six now, since my pals, Wayne and Charly, met us here coming in from Nashville, had plenty of room with both of these units and two private baths in the bathhouse next door.  There is a beautiful stream in the tree line behind them as well, and we were fortunate that the autumn color had arrived a little late this year here in the mountains.  We headed into Asheville for dinner at the Westville Pub/777 Brewery where I had the very nice All Sevens Porter with my tasty meal.

The inside of the yurts were cozy and spacious with plenty of beds to go around!

After dinner we stopped the awesome beer store in Asheville called Appalachian Vintner and picked up a good amount of craft beer to take back and enjoy at the campground deep into the night around a nice fire that was definitely needed as the temps dropped to around freezing again tonight.  I bought a six-pack of the Topwater blonde ale from Fonta Flora Brewery over in nearby Morganton, NC.  It was much hoppier than I was expecting, so I was much happier than I was expecting!  Danny gave me one of his six pack of Cocoa Bolo Coconut Brown ales from Burial Brewing in Asheville.  It was outstanding as well.  I also got a variety 4-pack that I will be taking care of over the next few weeks...stay tuned!!  

11/2 - We awoke to a very frosty morning and an interesting track on the back of Wayne's pickup truck.  Young bear perhaps snooping for food?  We think so although we couldn't find any other tracks.  There was also a garbage can knocked over nearby.  The guys said they also heard coyotes last night but not me (zzzzzz).  

It seemed appropriate that we chose to have breakfast at the local Asheville favorite, The Hungry Bear Cafe.  The food was awesome, and we felt very safe knowing there was a bear on guard duty outside.
We continued east after breakfast a couple hours to downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, and checked in to our Hilton hotel in walking distance of the Panthers home stadium.   To our surprise we learned it was also the Titans team hotel although, sadly, we didn't have any close encounters of the two-tone blue kind.

We headed out on foot in search of beer and found The Carolina Taphouse near our hotel.  Their beer selection was less than impressive so we had one and moved on.  I had their decent Papa Lou's pale ale made for them by Lonerider Brewing over in Raleigh.   We decided to Uber to a nearby local craft brewery called Birdsong Brewing.  Now THIS is what we were looking for!!  Great beer and a cool as hell place.  Their bird logo (photo above) is pretty cool too.  I started with their awesome Rich Girl Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Porter 2019.   I had a sip of Wayne's Windy Hills Hard Cider that they also make here.  It wasn't bad.  Charly gave me a sip of his Wake Up Coffee Vanilla Porter that was really good also. I was a little let down by my next selection, their Mexicali Stout.  I was expecting more of a jalapeno kick that was advertised.

We walked over to a where a local moonshine distiller was supposed to be only to find it was permanently closed (thanks a lot, Groupon).  Some friends that Ashlee and I made on a cruise a while back, John and Jessica Shurley, live here in Charlotte and met us at Birdsong Brewing.  When the moonshine place was a bust, the Shurleys came to the rescue with a suggestion to visit the awesome Old Mecklenberg Brauhaus and Biergarten and even gave a couple of us a ride in their convertible while the rest of us jumped in an Uber.  We didn't have a ton of time here which is too bad since it's such a cool place.  But I did have their top-notch Fat Boy Baltic Porter.

Gotta give a shout out to my old pal, Wayne, for downing a large pint of hefeweizen while at Old Mecklenberg Brewing.  Wayne's pretty anti-beer, but is always a good sport about visiting breweries with me.  Maybe he's starting to come around although he did complain it was too hoppy for him.  But, Wayne, it's a heff.  The hops you are tasting are in your head, not in your beer!!  

We had to get back across town to catch the new flick Terminator Dark Fate at the fancy Studio Movie Grill Epicenter back near our hotel.  It's a nice place where you can order tasty food to your seat as well as beer.  I had the Copper altbier from Old Mecklenberg.  The movie was OK, but kind of a repeat of the original and sequel.  What happened to creativity in Hollywood?
After the movie we stopped by World of Beer nearby and I ended the fun day with a Hot Pistol 2019 stout from NoDa Brewing here in Charlotte.  

11/3 - (Happy Birthday, Momma.  I miss you every day.)  Chris and I were the only ones willing to forgo the free hotel breakfast and check out Mert's nearby for a soul-food brunch.  I had their famous and awesome soul rolls (eggs rolls filled with collared greens, black-eyed peas, grilled chicken and season rice) as well as a side of perfectly-fried catfish.  For the record, it was reported that the hotel breakfast sucked.  Too bad, because Mert's only does brunch on the weekends.  

It was game-day so we walked toward the stadium and stopped by the Graham Street Pub and hung out on their rooftop for a bit enjoying the nice sunny skies and a few libations.  I had a couple really tasty drafts of Pumpkin Latte Blonde by Sycamore Brewing here in Charlotte.  

The weather was great, the Bank of America Stadium was nice, our seats were good...but our team stunk it up with a 30-20 loss that wasn't as close as the final score indicated.  It was a pleasure seeing Christian McCaffrey run all over us and I agree with the crowd chants of "MVP."  I had a tasty Captain James Jack Pilsner from Old Mecklenberg Brewing in a plastic bottle.  I was surprised they let me keep the bottle.  These babies could go flyin' in the wrong a-hole hands...i.e. Philly fans maybe?  

Good friends, good times and a back-assward team.  Whatcha gonna do?
We headed back over to World of Beer to drown our sorrows after the game and I had a tasty tropical IPA called Cruisin' Down the Street in My 6.4% from Amor Artis Brewing (SC).  

We had our final dinner of the trip together at Brazz Brazilian Steak House where my bottomless-pit friend, Charly, meant to make them hurt.  We all did a lot of damage, but Charly was the clear winner.  This wasn't the best Brazilian steak house around, but it is a good addition to our yearly trips.

11/4 - We had a  long drive home westward today.  Charly jumped on an early flight back to Nashville for work obligations.  Wayne headed out next with a stop in Johnson City to see relatives on his agenda.  The final four checked out a little later and we had a good breakfast at Holler and Dash, a regional breakfast chain with over the top biscuits. We dropped Jeremy off next at the airport for his flight back home to Salt Lake City later today.  Danny, Chris and I had an easy ride back with no issues.  We even got a stop in at Bee Rock Overlook in Monterey, TN, for another good view of the fall colors..

Our Hertz rental car, a nice Chevy Equinox, was a good pack-horse for us.  We logged in over 1,000 miles in it for this trip.  Can't wait for next year!!  Minnesota and Green Bay are our two front-runners!

see craft beer consumed...here

Idiots.  White Claws are Black Death

I had a few days of bachelorhood to end September and start October as Ashlee and her sister were down at Disney enjoying themselves.  Might as well enjoy myself here as well!  Cheers! 

9/28 - After dropping Ashlee at the airport, I headed to Hendersonville to catch a showing of Angel Has Fallen at Streets of Indian Lake Theaters (recliners!).  It was actually a pretty good flick and Nick Nolte was excellent (as usual) in his supporting role.

I stopped at Half Batch Brewing beforehand in Hendersonville and  had a few pints.  The place was quiet when I came in which I was surprised at since it was a Saturday, but it picked up nicely by the time I left.  I started with their very good Sangre Foot cream ale.  Next up was the hazy and delicious Shindig Session IPA (photo above).  It's an awesome collaboration with their neighboring brewery, BriarScratch Brewing, over in Gallatin.  I finished with a smaller 10 oz. pour of their solid Wayo Red ale.  

9/29 - I stayed at home all day today since I had a lot of football to watch (soccer and American) and some important online poker to play.  Now that is my kind of Sunday!  I started the day on a down note as my adopted Premier League soccer team, Newcastle United, really took it on the chin with a 5-0 drubbing by Leicester City.  They were already underdogs and then got a red card early on and had to play a man down the whole game on the road.  Sheez!  At least my beer during the game was tasty.  I had an outstanding bottle of Pecan Harvest Ale from Abita Brewing (LA) that I got in a four-beer variety pack at Lebanon n Wine and Spirits yesterday.  Seems appropriate to have a brown ale while watching Newcastle, but man does their team stink.  I wish they would trade my favorite player, Miguel Almiron, so I could follow a better team.  

Next up were my Tennessee Titans who got up off a two-game losing street to whip the Falcons down in Atlanta.  I saluted the Jekyll and Hyde team with a solid can of Inner Sanctum IPA from Mayday Brewing down in Murfreesboro.  This was # 2 from my variety pack.  Let's see some consistency this season, boys!

It was back to soccer next as I switched pulling against Atlanta when my favorite MLS team, Atlanta United, took the field up in Montreal against the Impact.  ATLUTD has already secured a playoff spot, but a win in this next to last game of the regular season could have sewn up a 2nd seed slot.  It ended in a 1-1 tie which did move them into second place, but the last game of the regular season next week against New England would now mean something to hold on to that second position.  I enjoyed an interesting and tasty bottle of Honeysuckle Saison from Abita Brewing (LA) during the match.

I ended the day and moved deep into the night playing in the most expensive tournament I have ever played on Global Poker.  My original plan for today had been to travel up to the other side of Louisville and play in a $200 WSOP Circuit tournament, but when I found this tournament  for the same cost on Global with a decent structure, and the fact that I could save 6 hours of driving and a possible hotel stay, it seemed like a no-brainer.  And it paid off!!  I wouldn't normally post a pic of a 15th place cash in a tournament, but when the cash is $400+ of profit, it's worth a shout out!  

New blog addition - I send 10% of my significant poker wins to charity, so the Stephen Stiller Tunnel to Towers Foundation  got $40 today! Thanks to my poker friend, Zack, for the information on this fine charitable organization set up after 9/11 in memory of NYFD firefighter, Stephen Stiller.

A few more details on the tournament were that there were 244 other players which gave it a mouth-watering $1K overlay.  The blinds did get unreasonable pretty fast late in the game and it turned into a shove-fest (typical of online tourneys), but I will definitely have to try this one again when possible.  I toasted my success with my last beer of the variety pack, a dandy little can of marzen from Braxton Brewing (KY) called Oktober Fuel.

9/30 - I had a relaxing double-feature day off from work starting with Downton Abbey (finally!) at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters (recliners!) up in Hendersonville.  It's one of my favorite TV shows of the last decade, and this follow-up movie was absolutely perfect.  I bought my ticket in advance and had a great seat in the middle of a center row.  The funny thing was when I got there, my seat was the only empty one in the row that was filled with older ladies.   What a hoot!  I can definitely see some potential for a follow-up sequel.  I hope it happens. I had lunch beforehand at the always awesome Blossom Thai Restaurant and Cellar Door Cavern.  My curry fried-rice was spot-on and my session IPA from Wicked Weed Brewing over in Asheville, NC, called Appalachia was very good.  

Next up was the small, independent film, The Peanut Butter Falcon, which started off great and I loved that it was set in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina.  The story fell apart a little at the end I thought, but still an enjoyable escape from the record-breaking heat outside this afternoon.  

10/1 - I was excited to find out that one of my favorite action/sci-fi movies of all time, The Matrix, was being re-released in 4DX at the Regal Theaters at Opry Mills,  The shake, rattle and roll of the 4DX experience combined with the ground-breaking F/X made this a really fun time. The 20-year-old movie still holds up really well. Beforehand, I stopped by Catch 22 Gastropub in Mt. Juliet for dinner and a couple of libations.  I had a terrific Cuban sandwich, and started with a very good Espresso Marshmallow Stout from Untitled Art Brewing (WI), moved on to a terrific New England IPA called Turbid 7 from Green Bench Brewing (FL), and finished with a decent half-pint of Wedge Cut, a wheat beer from Cigar City Brewing (FL).  

10/2 - I went to see the Roger Waters US+Them concert film back at Opry Mills Theaters tonight.  This two-night only event had a good crowd in attendance which was nice to see.   It was an excellent film that gave me a nice re-visit of the former Pink Floyd front-man's US+Them Tour that I attended back in 2017 here in Nashville ...only with much closer views and behind the scenes access!  Before the show, I stopped by the Homegrown Taproom for a libation or two and some bacon-popcorn for dinner (so healthy).  'Tis the season, so despite the hot temps outside, I started with the tasty Oktoberfest marzen from Mill Creek Brewing over in Nolensville.  Next up was the Oktober Surprise marzen from Calfkiller Brewing over in Sparta.  These boys always do things a little different, and a little better in my opinion.  This was one of the best Oktoberfest-style beers I have ever had.  

My friend, Nate, stopped by and joined me at the bar as I was getting ready to leave, so I had an unplanned 3rd beer, an 8 oz. pour of the Karate Chimp (2019) sour beer from Prairie Artisan Ales (OK).  It was more tart than sour which is the way I like them, if I am going to like them at all.  I was surprised that I earned this badge after checking 45 sour beers because they just aren't my thing usually.

10/3 - With Ashlee still out of town until late tonight, I attended the Nashville Film Festival Opening Night at Hollywood 27 Theaters on my own.  I saw the world premiere of the documentary film,  Born into the Gig.  It was a fascinating look at 5 struggling musicians whose parents just happen to be very famous musicians.  There was a Q and A after the film with the director, two producers and two of the stars:  Kori Withers, the daughter of soul crooner, Bill Withers; and Chris Stills, the son of 60's rock icon, Stephen Stills. 

Music memory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3A4QJfn4pw

 Afterwards, since I had some time to kill before picking up Ashlee at the airport, I  headed over to Von Elrod's Beer Hall and Kitchen  to watch some of the Preds season opener vs. the Minnesota Wild which our boys won handily 5-2. I had some tasty fried cheese curds and a couple of great beers from their impressive number of taps.  I started with the smooth and 10+% ABV Golden Draak Classic from the Van Steenberge Brewery  (Belgium) strong ale (photo above) and followed that up with a refreshingly light, but large, mug of Von Elrod's Neighborhood Pilsner made for them by Jackalope Brewing here in Nashville.  The brunch menu here looks amazing.  Gotta definitely put that on the to-do list! 

There was also Thursday Night Football going on, so I headed to East Nashville next to catch the end of the Rams/Seahawks game at Noble's Kitchen and Beer Hall.  I was delighted to find out this is the home of the Tennesseahawks fan club and they were hootin' and hollerin' up on the second floor as the Seahawks dodged defeat thanks to a shanked gimme field goal by LA.  I sent the above pic to my longtime pal, Craig, since we were the original Tennesseahawks fans back in the late 80's and even had sweatshirts made that said so as we traveled to Seattle to catch a game with their then-huge rival, Denver Broncos, in the now-gone Kingdome (RIP).  I had a can of pretty good Silkscreen IPA from Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta) while there.  

Noble's was supposed to be open til midnight, but they were saying "last call" right after the football game ended, so I still had another hour to kill before picking Ashlee up from here red-eye flight from Orlando, so I headed deeper into East Nashville and stopped in Vinyl Tap for one final libation tonight.  I wasn't overly impressed with the beer list or the atmosphere here the first time I visited back in 2017 when they were kinda new, but tonight was enjoyable, with a solid tap list and cool tunes playing on the turntable.  I will definitely keep this place in my "rotation" of places to drink good craft beer in Nashville now.  I had a delicious pint of the dark and malty Ugly Pug schwarzbier (photo above) from Rahr and Sons Brewing (Fort Worth, TX).  I really love RSB and can't wait to visit them over New Year's hopefully.

10/5 - Ashlee and I took a quick little overnight trip to Monteagle Mountain to catch an evening concert by Blue October at The Caverns.  Since the show would let out late, I decided to rent us a cabin nearby which promised a 50' waterfall on site.  Well, with all the dry weather we've had, Miller's Falls was more like a 50' cliff, but I could definitely see the potential and will have to come back during wetter times.

The concert was great, the cabin was fine, but my favorite activity of the stay on Monteagle Mountain was visiting my old wood-carving friend, Jess Betchart.  We passed by his place and on a whim I called him up and although now 83-years-young and the shop closed most of the time, he lit up when he heard my name and invited us over.  I was impressed and a little moved that he still had the article I did about him in the Tennessee Magazine way back in 1991 up on his wall.  
After our visit we had a wonderful pizza dinner at the quirky and cool Mountain Goat Market where I also had two new-to-me beers.  I had a bottle of the pretty good Samuel Adams Octoberfest (2019) by the Boston Beer Company, and a can of the refreshing Mural Agua Fresca fruit beer from New Belgium Brewing (CO).  Nice to see craft beer available in this area.

10/6 - My good and long-time friend, Chris, met Ashlee and I today at the newest craft brewery in Chattanooga called Five Wits Brewing.  I have actually had a couple of their wares last month at the Moon River Festival here in town and knew they were opening soon.  The facility is super-nice and part of a unique eating-and-drinking concept called Market South, kind of a high-end food court. I started with their sensational Higher Brown English ale.  Next up was the solid Sunblaze IPA.  Ashlee and I ate some Asian fare afterwards in Market South and I had the very good Five Wits saison called Alpine Highway.

10/7 - I know hands-free driving in Tennessee is the law now, but how am I supposed to pass up on a shot like this!  Wow!

I finally got to see the highly-anticipated film, Joker,  in IMAX at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters in Hendersonville tonight with my pal, Wayne.  The movie was disturbing and amazing all at the same time.  Phoenix kills it as my favorite villain of them all.  No super-powers, just effing crazy!  Direction was spot on, the cinematography was exquisite, and the score was hauntingly beautiful.  No way this one doesn't garner several Oscar nominations and some wins as well.  
Some sad news to report is that the great beer bar, Growler USA, there in the same complex as the theaters seems to have closed (indefinitely?).  It's been shuttered for a while now with a make-shift sign saying they will be back, but who knows.  I did have time to swing by Blossom and Cellar Door Cavern a few miles away for one quick libation before the show.  I had the excellent El Dorado High double IPA from MadTree Brewing up in Cincinnati.  

I scored a first-place win tonight in the second game of a WSOP on-line-tournament series I am involved with locally via Pokerstars.  Points-wise, this win shot me way into first place since my fill-in player last week got me a very respectable 2nd place.  I also chopped a $20 last-longer pot with another player for $37 in profit.  Best 10 scores of the 12 count and a $2,500 WSOP package is on the line, so let's hope I can keep up the early momentum over the next few months!   

10/11 - I had a nice Friday day-off today and headed to Franklin to get our Subaru's oil changed.  Since I was in the neighborhood, I dropped by the KroBar set up in the middle of the Kroger in Brentwood (photo above) that I had been hearing about.  Looks great, but unfortunately, it did not open at noon as I was hoping, so I had to settle for a nice variety six-pack to take home (photo below).  I did crack one open to sip on the drive back (shhhh! don't tell).  I had the Mango IPA from (new to me) Unveiled Brewing (CA) and it was very good.

A good craft beer selection, a nice carrier carton, and an excellent price ($10 for six) made the Brentwood Kroger shopping experience a nice one! 

1 headed up to the Blossom and Cellar Door Cavern in Hendersonville this evening and had a great dinner (drunken chicken fried rice!) and a couple brews before going to see the new Will Smith vs. Will Smith flick, Gemini Man, in IMAX.  The movie was OK, but I was expecting more.  The beers I had with dinner were the solid Scorned Hooker red IPA from Calfkiller Brewing over in Sparta, TN which I swear I have had before, but evidently never checked in to UNTAPPD.  I finished with a rather disappointing Downpatrick Irish Red ale from Half Batch Brewing here in Hendersonville.  Maybe it was combining it with the spicy Thai food, but I just wasn't a fan of it.  

Gemini Man was the first movie I got to use my new Regal Unlimited Plan on.  After Movie Pass tanked and Sinemia was a rip-off, I hesitated getting on this train, but at $20 a month, I should easily break even or better month in and month out.  I already saved $13 on this first ticket. 

10/12- We had a Saturday-Funday with Ashlee's cousin and her college-age daughter today in Nashville.  We had lunch at the Frothy Monkey in West Nashville and I had a pretty good Paradise Now (Raspberry Berliner Weisse) sour beer from TrimTab Brewing (AL) with my sandwich.  As we traveled to our next destination, I broke out another can from my Kroger variety pack.  It was another product from Unveiled Brewing (CA) called the Strawberry Bock and it was really tasty.  I like their cool can art too.

Our next stop was per my request at Mill Creek Brewing in Nolensville.  I have had several of their products in the past, but never had a chance to visit the brewery itself.  It's a great set-up and they were full-swing into Oktoberfest.  I had their excellent Shirt Tucker pale ale (photo above) and probably would have had another, but we got harassed by this drunk English asshole and his friends and just had to move on.
(Editor's note:  Almost exactly a month later, Mill Creek Brewing shockingly announced they were officially closed for business and filing for bankruptcy protection.  RIP, beer-brothers.)

We closed out the day with some weenie roasting and s'mores out in the back yard for our first fire of the fall.  I cracked open another Kroger variety pack brew.  The Mango Cart fruit beer from Golden Road Brewing (CA)  might have been a little too summer for this setting, but it sure did go down good and smooth.

10/13 - We had a great late brunch today at the new Party Fowl in Donelson and I had a terrific Punkin Ale (barely in the photo above) from Dogfish Head Brewing (DE).  I enjoyed watching the Seahawks come back and win in Cleveland on the giant screen also.  I finished with the so-so Pie Town Session Porter from Tennessee Brew Works here in Nashville.  It was OK, but needed a bit more smoke IMO for that classic porter taste.
A few scant hours later, we ate good again at our local Cherokee Steak House which is BYOB and my pal, Charly, was kind enough to bring and share a large bomber bottle of Big Bad Baptista imperial stout from Epic Brewing (UT) that was outstanding, especially with my big sirloin steak!!  

10/14 - I got off the snide on Global Poker tonight with a solid 2nd place finish in a fixed-limit tournament that only had 25 participants, but I was able to generate $64 in profit which I needed to replenish the ol' bankroll.

I headed over to the Hollywood 27 Theaters (recliners!) in Nashville tonight to catch a showing of Alien 40th Anniversary.  This is one of my favorite sci-fi/horror films.  Man, it really holds up despite its age and is 3 times better than some of the "cutting-edge" drivel coming out now.  Yeah, I'm looking at you, Gemini Man..  

Before the show I stopped by The Black Abbey Brewing around the corner from the theaters and had a couple of excellent pours.  I enjoyed the sunset and mild temps outside while downing their Spiny Norman Dunkelweizen.  I also ordered some tasty house-made pimento cheese for dinner and had their Belgian tripel called Hidden Cornerstone with it. 

10/18 - I cracked open # 4 in my Kroger variety 6-pack tonight after some Friday-afternoon yard work.  It was another product from Unveiled Brewing (CA), their tasty Double IPA.  There was more cool can art too, and this one is my favorite since it reminds me of my favorite book, "Watership Down."  Cheers, Hazel-rah!

10/19 - Here's a screen grab of the only goal by ATL UTD in the opening playoffs round win over New England.  The cool thing with this grab is that I watched it live while we were driving to Chattanooga.  I know streaming TV on your phone isn't a new thing, but it is to this old fart.  Very cool. And go Five Stripes!!

After a lot of work at Ashlee's mom's house in Chattanooga cleaning out junk,  I rewarded myself with a quick stop at Heaven and Ale Brewing which is just down the street.  I started with their New England IPA called Hazeus.  It was definitely hazy and definitely delicious.  I finished with a surprisingly enjoyable saison called Mountainside Vine.  I wasn't sure about this one since wine/grape-influenced beer hasn't always been my favorite in the past.  But this concoction made with Ontario grapes from nearby Wheeler's Orchard Ontario over in Dunlap was quite "deee-vine."  

10/20 - It was another weekend day of work in Chattanooga that I didn't want to be doing, but whatcha gonna do?  I figured I deserved another reward so I stopped by Hutton and Smith Brewing while going for lunch, and tried their 2019 World Beer Cup Gold Medal Winner, the Bivouac black IPA.  It was outstanding and I can see why it won the hardware.  So smooth, roasty and easy to quaff.  I  finished with their seasonal Roctoberfest marzen that was also really outstanding.  These guys are small in size, but they are one of the big-daddies here in Chatt-vegas when it comes to craft beer.

10/22 - I went to see the new comedy/horror flick Zombieland: Double Tap tonight at the Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet.  It was a silly and fun romp. Thanks Regal Unlimited! I snuck in my first "pocket-beer" of the year into the movie also.  It was # 5 in my Kroger variety six-pack: a can of the  light and refreshing Passion Fruit Kolsch from New Belgium Brewing (CO).

10/23 - I went to see Western Stars - a new Bruce Springsteen concert film at Opry Mills Theaters tonight before picking up Ashlee from a late work flight at the airport.  Thanks Regal Unlimited!  The film was fantastic.  The Boss is not going to tour with his new album, "Western Stars" so he decided to film an intimate set in a 100+-year-old barn featuring every song on the album, plus an amazing cover of "Rhinestone Cowboy" by the late Glen Campbell.  The new songs are outstanding and I swear the 70-year-old's voice is better than ever.  I immediately bought the movie soundtrack off I-tunes and it will be in a constant rotation from now on.  In between songs on the film, they filmed some beautiful Arizona landscapes and Bruce talked about the upcoming song, it's inspiration and meaning to him. Such a great story-teller through song.  He's an American icon and always will be.  Thanks, Bruuuuuce!

After the movie, I stopped by the Homegrown Taproom to kill a little time before picking up Ashlee.  I had the excellent Lundi IPA from Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta) and the decent  Hookiebobb IPA from Crazy Mountain Brewing (CO).  Cheers to UNTAPPD and their ninth birthday!  That's got to be a pretty long life for an app I wound think and its still going strong!

10/24 - I had a fun night sitting on my ass tonight (after some yard work, of course) watching ATL UTD in their second-round win of the MLS Playoffs over Philly, some of the Preds impressive beat-down of Minnesota, 4-0 and grabbing a 4th-place finish in my weekly online poker WSOP-qualifier.  I toasted all this success with my final beer from the Kroger variety six-pack, a solid and tasty Fathom IPA from Ballast Point Brewing (CA).

10/25 - I took the afternoon off from work today and headed up to Hendersonville to the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters to catch a matinee showing of the new historic film, The Current War, with two of my favorite actors, Benedict Cumberbatch, as Thomas Edison, and Michael Shannon as George Westinghouse, battling to bring electric current to the United States.  It was a pretty good flick albeit a little slow at times, but still a fascinating look at the world I work in every day.    Thanks again, Regal Unlimited! 

After the movie, I stopped by the Cellar Door Craft Cavern Bar at the Blossom Restaurant there in Hendersonville and had a couple new-to-me brews.  I started with a very good Scottish ale from 3 Floyds Brewing (IN) called Robert the Bruce.   Next up was a surprisingly good rice-based lager called Koji Gold (photo above: look at the lacing!) from Proper Sake Company in Nashville.  I will have to check this place out since they are brewing good beer as well as saki down in East Nasty!  

10/28 - Hey, sometimes you see zebras when you are out working in Wilson County...Tennessee!!  

Well, I do get emotional about craft breweries...