I 2 PA

Yeah, I am in to fitness...fittin'dis whole six-pack in my belly!!

8/12 - We flew to Philly today and then drove west toward Hershey, PA.  Our first stop was the beautiful Longwood Gardens. There were no hops in the Wall of Green that I saw, but I did have a decent can of  an English mild ale here with my lunch called Brawler from Yards Brewing over in nearby Philly. 

We were staying in the town of Lebanon (sounds familiar), PA, just east of Hershey and as soon as we had checked in to our hotel I zipped over to Snitz Creek Brewing for a couple of cold ones.  Their flagship Opening Day IPA was very good.  I finished with their outstanding Lemon Meringue Pie Ale (spoiler alert: best of the trip).  I also got a can of their nice Blueberry Cream Ale to go to enjoy back in the room (and maybe share with Ashlee). 

Well, sadly, UNTAPPD didn't even give me a badge for my 3,500th unique beer checked in, so I rewarded myself with this nice hat celebrating that exact beer.   The Nimble Giant double IPA from Troeg's Independent Brewing in Hershey, PA, was awesome, and I was happy to find this new lid to honor it! I completed the visit with their very good Lucky Holler Hazy IPA and their flagship Perpetual IPA that was solid.  What a cool place!  And the food was very good as well!

8/13 - We were back at Troeg's Brewing again today waiting out some weather before heading over to the outdoor concert nearby. While there we had some more great food and I took down their really nice Field Study IPA, the light and tasty Sunshine Pils and a taste of Ashlee's Troegenator Doublebock that was excellent.  

The beer lines were crazy at the concert, but Ashlee braved them before Green Day came on to close out the night, and she brought me a great NEIPA  pint can called Cliffside Push by Ever Grain Brewing in nearby Camp Hill, PA.  Thanks, sweetie!  And thanks to Hershey Park for embracing local craft beer at their venue.  

8/14 - We drove back to back to Philly today and met some friends at the Old Town Beer Garden which had a great beer list, but was nothing much to look at, so instead I will honor each of the brews I had there with some fun pics before then.  First up at The Rocky Steps looking toward downtown Philly, I salute the interesting and tasty Cashmere Hibiscus Lime IPA from Winding Path Brewing in Dallastown, PA.  Hey, Adrian, dat's a good beer!!! 

My second beer at the Old City Beer Garden was a knockout (get it).  It was the light and refreshing Solar Power Belgian blonde from Big Oyster Brewing down in Delaware.  This cropped pic of the Rocky statue at the base of the famous steps is from a distance because there was a long-ass line to get to stand next to it for a picture.  

My 3rd and final beer at The Old Town Beer Garden salutes (and helped me digest) my Pat's vs. Geno's Philly Cheese Steaks challenge.  Both were great (as was the beer), but I give Pat's a slight edge.  The pint can beer was the NEIPA called Groovy Juice from Fat Head's Brewing (OH). 

Hey, when in Rome (or at the Philly airport).  They were OK, as was the bottle of Philadelphia Pale Ale I had with them from Yards Brewing here in town.  

8/16 - We saw Jackson Browne and James Taylor tonight at the Bridgestone Arena.  Both were great and it was nice to hear JB actually sing some of his hits like "Running on Empty" (unlike at The Ryman years ago...still pissed about that one).   I even found a craft beer at The Tennessee Craft Bar that I had not had.  It was a pint can of the very good Regular pale ale from WISEACRE Brewing in Memphis.  

8/18 - Due to pending bad weather and  a prior commitment by Ashlee, I wound up going  to the NSC game vs. Orlando City tonight by myself.  I waited out some of the rain at the new Up Down arcade bar in East Nashville that boasts 60 beers on tap.  Unfortunately, I struggled to fine a couple I hadn't had.  I started with the NEIPA from Pontoon Brewing called We Are Going to Need a Bigger Pontoon.  It was pretty good. 

I got to Nissan Stadium before half time with a small break in the rain after I finished a really tasty Sizzupr Nitro Shake porter from Boulder Beer Company (CO).   A half-time I got to see the NSC mascot, Tempo, posing with some fancy hardware from the CONCACAF Cups.  The rain continued in the second half, but I found a dry place to stand and watch as the game drew to a tough 1-1 draw.

8/19 - I slipped off to Franklin this afternoon for a much-needed oil change for the Subaru.  While over that way I stopped by and checked out the brand new Curio Brewing in the space that used to be occupied by Mantra Artisan Ales and Turtle Anarchy before that.  They had WIFI, so I able to do some work while enjoying their very good Woke AF coffee stout, their very interesting and tasty Quizzical pineapple habanero ale (photo above) and a half-pour of their decent NEIPA called Orange-U-Curious. Welcome to the area, folks.  Good job on the beers!  Keep up the good work! Afterwards I went to the AMC Thoroughbred Theaters nearby and saw the new flick, Free Guy in IMAX.  It was pretty funny and innovative and worth seeing on the big, big screen. 

8/20 - Just a shout out to the Three Forks Market in little ol' Watertown for rockin' a pretty good craft beer section for a small town.  I picked up a six-pack of the very good Hazy Wonder NEIPA from Lagunitas Brewing (CA) there today. I usually don't buy six-packs and Lagunitas isn't the smallest of craft breweries, but I want to support the little supermarket whenever I can.   

8/22 - With a forecast of some multiple upcoming pool days, I went and got a variety 8-pack at the Mt. Juliet Beer Company today.  They had posted on Facebook about a bunch of new Octoberfest beers they got in, but I wound up with mostly new-to-me  IPAs (shocker).  I started with a pint can of the very good double IPA called 88 Miles Per Hour from Edmund's Oast Brewing (SC).  Next up was the equally tasty Hazy Hero NEIPA from Revolution Brewing up in Chicago.  I love their can artwork on this one. I broke my two-beers-a-day rule and cracked open another pint can to finish of the afternoon.  It was the solid double IPA from Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta) called Dinosaur Connoisseur.  And then it rained...figures...good job on the forecasting...

8/23 - Whew!  What a long Monday!  I really needed some pool time after work today and some BEER!!  I had a couple more from my variety 8-pack from the Mt. Juliet Beer Company.  First up was a can of the very good IPA from Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta) called Death Raptor.  Next up was the nice session IPA from Harding House Brewing over in West Nashville called Tennessee Haze.  It's not a big, bold IPA but she's all homegrown!! 

8/24 - I took some early  pool time during work this afternoon  (and came back to 11 emails, aack!).  I continued working on my variety 8-pack from the Mt. Juliet Beer Company starting with a nice pint can of the really good Oat Cream IPA from Untitled Art Brewing (WI).  Man, these guys continue to have the coolest can wraps out there.  So pretty!  I finished with an NEIPA from Hutton and Smith Brewing down in Chattanooga called Magic Mama.  It was crisp and tasty.   Out of the pool and back to the grind...sort of....

8/25 - I finished off my variety 8-pack from Mt. Juliet Beer Company in the pool again with a pint can of the decent Grip and Rip  Juicy Pale Ale from East Nashville Beer Works that I thought could have used a few more hops in it.  Luckily, this month's Beer Drop order also arrived today.   It's a nice variety including a fruit-based IPA, a pilsner, a saison, a Belgian-style golden ale, and a pumpkin ale because 'tis almost the season! 

8/26 - I went to the opening night showing for the new film, Flag Day, at the AMC Thoroughbred Theaters in Cool Springs tonight since it's the only one in the Nashville area showing it right now.  I thought it was pretty good.  Sean Penn could get an Oscar nod for his direction which was spot on.  His daughter, Dylan, has definitely got some of her dad's acting chops.  The closing song "My Father's Daughter" by Olivia Vedder (Eddie's little girl) is awesome and should get an Oscar nomination and might even win.

Since I was on the south end of Nashville for the movie, I made a few stops beforehand and worked a little from a brewery again this afternoon.  My first stop was at the once-dead Mill Creek Brewing in Nolensville.  Glad to see them still alive!  I started with their double IPA called Happiness.  I agree with that name!  It was very good.  Next up was their Peachy Darlin (photo above) wheat beer that I thought was excellent. I had a great burger and fries from their kitchen as well.  Good visit!  I will be back here again hopefully soon to kill an afternoon working via their free internet.  My next stop was a return to the new Franklin nano-brewery, Curio Brewing.  They had their popular Kilt the Cat Scottish ale back on tap and that I thought was pretty good.  In my opinion, their kolsch called Light Bulb was a little better however.  My last stop to kill a little time before the movie was a new-to-me Irish pub with an impressive beer tap list that I thought I would check out.  It's called Quinn's Neighborhood Pub and it was busy and hot (just like an actual Irish pub!).  Evidently their A/C is out.  I found a place at the bar and ordered a Stone Hazy IPA.  California's Stone Brewing continues to be my favorite brewery of them all, but I can't say this was their best brew.  It was decent, but a little thin.  Still I was glad this place had it on tap.  I ordered an appetizer of fried cucumbers (not pickles).  They were decent...but, man, I miss Durty Nelly's in Chattanooga. 

8/27 - I had to summon some liquid courage this afternoon with a pool beer or two before heading to this craziness in East Nashville.  Drag queens at a gay bar...what we do for our wives!!  I broke into my August Beer Drop order with an excellent West Coast IPA called It's A Run-by Fruiting (big ups to Robin Williams, RIP, you comedy genius and the ultimate drag queen, Mrs. Doubtfire) from Call to Arms Brewing in Denver.  It was really smooth and refreshing.  Next up was the Cloud 9 Saison from Aspen Brewing that I thought was rather good also.  After the show, I was granted a good-husband stop at  Crazy Gnome Brewing in East Nashville where I had their solid Summer Sunset Amber Ale.  They've made some nice additions here since I was here last time on their opening day.  

8/29 -I had a few more pool beers today as summer is starting to wind down.  I had a few repeats and a couple new ones from this month's Beer Drop order including a ho-um German-style pilsner called Bohemian Girl from Tivoli Brewing (Denver).  Evidently this is a revival of an old famous brew from the past before Prohibition.  My best guess is from my tasting experiences, the beer in the past...wasn't that great.  I ended with a much-better Haunted Hayride Pumpkin Ale from Masthead Brewing (Cleveland, OH).  It was very good and has got me in the mood for fall! 

9/1 - Well, dang, I was sure that West Meade Falls over on the west side of Nashville would be flowing good after all the rain the last couple days from Hurricane Ida, but it was just a little more than a trickle, but was more than the last time I was here at least.  I guess I have to wait for flood conditions to see real flow here.  Well, what wasn't dry were the taps just down the road at Tailgate Brewing where I had a tasty bratwurst, onion and mustard pizza with my two NEIPAs.  The first was was their Triple Trees: Tre See Me Rollin' Triple Hazy IPA and it was great!  The next one was their regular Trees: Dab on 'Em and it was a little thin.  Probably shoulda had these in reverse order.  

I went back to Nashville tonight to see a band I like called The Cadillac Three at The Ryman on the cheap thanks to a fire sale on Stubhub.  Before the show I discovered the band had collaborated with Flytes Brewhouse up in Pleasant View, TN, for a very good honey-infused pale ale called Country Buzz, a take-off on the band's style of music known as Country Fuzz.  I may have to scoot on up to Flytes soon and see what else they got brewing there.  

I couldn't stay for the whole late-starting show, but I heard a few of my early faves by TC3 in their opening set.  The looked and sounded great.  Being together now for 10 years, the shows followed their start until now.  They had a fun opener too that I caught a couple songs from called Hey Steve.  Before the show, I parked at the M.L. Rose location at Capitol View for free and then Ubered to and from the show.  I stopped in before the show as well and had a decent session IPA from Braxton Brewing (FL) called Hop Fit. 

9/2 - Well, it was good to be back in Neyland Stadium tonight after a very long, self-imposed hiatus from UT football.   But, they have a new head coach now that I have some belief in, so when my friend, Toney, invited me to go for their season opener against Bowling Green (OH), I jumped at the chance.  Toney isn't a beer guy so I didn't have any chance for some craft beer while in Knoxville and you know they were just selling sheeple crap at the game itself.  The Vols pulled away at the end with a solid 38-6 win on a beautiful evening with no crowded seating in the half-full upper deck.

9/3 - I had the day off today, so when we got back from Knoxville early, I had a good pool afternoon.  I went and got a variety six-pack at Lebanon Wine and Spirits for the long weekend coming.  I started with the lovely Sultry Seagull which is local Jackalope Brewing's Lovebird fruit beer with even more fruit added like strawberries, raspberries and lemons.  I followed that with my one remaining Beer Drop brew, the Hellraiser Belgian strong golden ale from Bruz Beers (CO).  It was very good. 
Later in the evening we met some friends down in Murfreesboro at Mayday Brewery (my suggestion) for dinner and a beer.  I had their very nice She's Good in Bread Peanut Butter Blonde.

9/4 - We had a fun day in Nashville today playing tour guide for some out-of-town friends, and here were my treats for the day:
With lunch at the Homegrown Taproom in Donelson I had a solid Oktoberfest beer from Good People Brewing down in Birmingham.
I had a surprisingly lightly tart sour beer at the Corsair Distilling and Taproom called the Double Vanilla Pineapple Creamsicle Hill from Southern Grist Brewing here in Nashville.  That was probably my most favorite "sour" ever.
I had the light, but decent, Prince's Local Lager, at Prince's Hot Chicken Shack over on Nolensville Road.  Says it's a "house brew" but I am thinking maybe Yee Haw Brewing's local spot might be making it for them.
We didn't get any hot chicken at Prince's (hour-plus wait...no thanks), so we checked out Bolton's Spicy Chicken and Fish over in East Nashville where I had the "mild" chicken on a stick that left my eyes watering and my nose running!!  No beer here, but I coulda used one!!

9/5 -I "paid" Toney back for the UT ticket on Thursday with a seat tonight at the USA vs. Canada for World Cup Qualifying at Nissan Stadium.  The place was packed (maybe too much with this Covid Delta Variant creeping around) with over 43K folks in attendance.  It was a frustrating 1-1 tie and at least another point toward qualifying for Qatar next year, but we are going to need some wins to solidify a spot in the group.  It was great seeing my favorite USMNT player, Christian Pulisic, on the field in person, but a winning goal from him would have been even better!! 
Toney was gracious enough to allow us to eat dinner before the game at City Tap downtown where I could also have a couple brews.  I started with the excellent Flannel Friday amber ale from Harpoon Brewing (Boston).  I finished with light-calorie and pretty decent Oskar's Lager from Oskar Blues Brewing (CO and NC).

9/6 - Happy Octoberfest...I mean, Labor Day!  But you couldn't tell it from my choice of pool beers today.  They definitely leaned toward the fall weather coming soon.  I started with a bottle of the fantastic Pecan Ale from the good folks down at Abita Brewing (LA). I stayed in the south with my next bottle of the equally awesome Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale (2021) from Lexington Brewing.  I got in  a New York state of mind next with a couple of goodies from Southern Tier Brewing  including their very good Pumking (2021) and their monstrously good Warlock 2021 imperial stout.    Let's just say I was "buzzin' like a chainsaw" (miss ya, Brian, RIP) after those four in a row. 

I did pull myself together enough to go see the newest Marvel flick, Shang Chi, tonight at The Roxy Theaters (recliners!!) with Toney (again) and my old work bud, Casey, and his nephew, Colin.  We all enjoyed it, but were hoping for some better CGI dragons than we got, but still another solid double off the wall for Marvel Studios hit machine. 

"Better in the Summer" - a new song by The Dirty Guv's - "the beer goes down a little bit smoother..."

7/6 - It was back to work today, then back to the pool after work, and then back to the beer in the pool.  A big shout-out to my friend, Bethany, for bringing a sweet Brew Dog (Scotland and Ohio) 12-pack to our Christmas in July Party.  It was kind of a mistake since she doesn't like IPA's and this one has eight in in it (seven of which I haven't had before!).  But I figure she can have the other four fruity seltzers (yuck!).  This was the first of the new seven, the nice Hazy Jane NEIPA.  

7/7 - I ran to downtown Nashville today to drop off some posters to get framed and afterwards went just around the corner to Tennessee Brew Works for lunch. #BeerOnTheClock.  I had some great fish tacos and their new collaboration NEIPA called the Hazy Trails IPA.  They got together with 5 Wits Brewing out of Chattanooga to make this one, and it was very good. 

7/8 - I attended the NSC game tonight with my beer pal,  Nate.  It was against my former love, Atlanta United.  We did some tailgating before the game and I took a few more from the Brewdog (Scotland and OH) variety pack that Bethany brought me.  I started with their nice Light Speed session IPA.  I noticed all these were brewed in the newer Ohio location.    Next was the very good Juice Shake milkshake IPA.  The game turned out to be a frustrating 2-2 tie.  We had two goals called back for offsides and ATL UTD was playing a man down the last 10 minutes or so when one of their players was issued a red card.  We should have won easily, and didn't.  

My last tailgating beer was the excellent and iconic Brewdog Punk IPA which I am sure I have had before but never checked it in on UNTAPPD, and definitely never had it from the newer Ohio location.  I caught the blue skies and gold sun reflection off the new high-rise being built in downtown Nashville to make for a nice NSC color pattern shot above.

Before the game, I also took a nice dip in the pool (on company time - hey, I was all caught up) and enjoyed a can of the delicious Brewdog Clockwork tangerine session IPA.

7/9 - Lots of people trade baseball cards or Pokemon cards and the like, but my beer pal, Nate, and I trade craft beers.  Last night while tailgating before the soccer game, we did a little swapping and tonight I opened one of my acquirements, the Denogginizer. an excellent double IPA from Drake Brewing (CA) while playing poker in the pool.  Cheers and thanks, Nate!

Finally, some positive online poker news!  Tonight I won the nightly crazy pineapple bounty poker tournament with 11 bounties collected giving me $73 of profit above my $300 that I had to put back in over the last couple months of tough bad beats and coolers.  I forgot to note how many players were in this one but it was about the average of 40 to 50 players.  
The following night I got second in the exact same tourney, this pushed my current profit up over $100.

7/10 - I went to see the new/postponed-due-to-Covid Marvel flick, Black Widow at Opry Mills today.  I am having to forego IMAX this month since Regal changed the rules with their unlimited program and give no discounts now for the giant screens.  No IMAX discount means time to cancel!  The movie was really good.  I have a weird affinity for the bad guys in movies sometimes and Taskmaster was no exception.  SHE was very cool.  Hence the poster selection in the photo above.  
After the show I stopped by TennFold Brewing and had a couple new-to-me brews from them and some awesome cheese curds as a snack.  I started with their brand new and very good Lake Day Session IPA.  I finished with decent Italian-style pilsner called Paparoni.   

7/14 - We were in Chattanooga today working on the AirBnB house and also working remote at our jobs, so I was able to slip on down to Naked River Brewing for lunch and a couple of brews.  I started with their great new NEIPA called Sticky Parts (photo above).  My second beer was even better.  Their very rye beer called Great Outdoors was outstanding I thought.  #beerontheclock

Well, my first art commission wasn't very high brow, but I sure do love it.  My former supervisor at Aptive, Josh, is a great artist I learned recently, and so I had him create this original idea of mine into artwork for stickers that we can take on our G.A.M.E. trips each year.  I thought it turned out great!  #otterstyle 

7/15 - Now we are cookin' again!  I got another win in the night Crazy Pineapple Bounty Tournament tonight on Global Poker.  I had 6 bounties and outlasted 49 other players.  With the $130+ in profit, I was able to withdraw another $100 and get me back where I was before that terrible month of June, and keep over $200 in my online bankroll.  That's more like it!! 
I started playing poker in the pool after work and also enjoyed a can of Pulp Patriot Blueberry, a double milkshake IPA from Brew Dog Brewing (Scotland and OH).  It was quite tasty. 

7/16 - We headed to Nashville  tonight to catch Jimmy Buffet in a make-up show from last year at the always-nice Ascend Amphitheater.  They have a pretty good local craft beer stand, and I even found one I hadn't had before.  The Tennessee Sipper golden ale from East Nashville Beer Works.  I am glad it was delicious, because it was expensive!  But it probably was a double pour, so at $16 a pop, I guess it's your regular concert gouging.  
Before the show, we were able to get a little pool time in before the weather changed.  I floated and enjoyed another gift/trade from my beer pal, Nate.  It was a can of the very good Hopocalypse Hazy Double IPA (White Label) from Drake's Brewing (CA). 

7/17 - We headed over to the historic  Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway today with our friend, Bethany, who is more into racing than we are, but it was a pretty cool event called SRX (Superstar Racing Experience) pitting big name retired drivers against some well-known current drivers.  We had a good time at the sold-out event, and most startling was that I found craft beer there.  Racing-themed craft beer, of course.  Evidently, Nascar driver, Michael Waltrip has a craft brewery in his name, so I tried two of his 3 products available.  The Two-Time Blonde Ale was decent.  I really liked the Two-Time Checkered Past Coconut IPA.  Ashlee said their Mexican lager was good as well, but I didn't get a chance to try it.   Michael was also driving tonight, but his beer was better than his results! 
We were also able to take another dip in the pool today before heading out to Nashville, and I did another float with the last of my Brew Dog variety pack that the aforementioned Bethany brought me/us.  It was another classic that I am sure I've had, but never checked in on UNTAPPD: the awesome Double Punk imperial IPA.

7/19 - I am back to even on my 10% of poker wins donations with a $25 gift to the American Cancer Society today.  I give this in memory of my mom...miss you very much. 

7/20 - I won a couple tickets to see The Black Crowes at Ascend Amphitheater in downtown Nashville tonight.  This is a make-up show from last year's pandemic mess.  I couldn't find one damn person who could go with me, so I just went my damn self!   It was worth it. What a great show!  The Robinson brothers sound as good as ever and "Shake Your Money Maker" is such a classic debut album.  The weather was great as well.  Before the show I took advantage of the free parking at the M.L. Rose Capitol View and had dinner and a few new-to-me brews.  I started with the excellent NEIPA from Jackalope Brewing here in town called Foghorn.  I busted the keg on my next order and got a free couple of sips of the Open Table: Hibiscus Belgian blonde from Harding House Brewing also here in town.  Glad it wasn't a full pour because it was bit more tart than I was wanting or expecting.  I finished instead with the solid IPA from the Maine Beer Company called Lunch.  

7/21 - I played some poker from the pool today and had a couple of brews from a variety 4-pack from Lebanon Wine and Spirits that I picked up earlier.  No luck with poker, but the beers were good. I started with the excellent Tennessee IPA from The Black Abbey Brewing Company here in Nashville.  Love that can design!!  I followed that up with a pint can of Crooning Crane fruit beer from Jackalope Brewing also over in Nashville.  I have had several beers calling themselves "key lime pie" in a can, but these folks actually went out and did it!  Amazingly good taste! 

7/22 - I had planned another afternoon in the pool with poker and brews today, but I then proceeded to make a final table in an afternoon tournament on Global Poker (while on the clock) and finished it outside the pool.  I wound up getting 3rd vs. 105 other players.  This got my bankroll back where it started plus $50.  To celebrate afterwards, I cracked open a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Strawberry Ale from the folks up at Lexington Brewing and Distilling.  Not my favorite of theirs, but still an interesting combination.  This brew from my recent variety four-pack was also a toast to finally selling our two old mountain bikes today after months of annoying inquiries with no one actually forking out the dough for them.  Glad that's over! 

7/23 - I headed down to Chattanooga this afternoon, but also made a couple stops on the way including at The Burlap Room in Smithville where I had a full pint of Ye Olde Calfkiller Quazi from nearby Calfkiller Brewing in Sparta.  I've only had a taste of this yummy pale wheat beer before.  I moved on to the aforementioned Sparta and stopped at Happy Trails Brewing where I had their great NEIPA called Hazy Beautiful.  They have wifi there and I was actually able to do some work and enjoy a beer (photo above).  That's right!  My first time working at a craft brewery!!  I see this happening more and more if possible!  
When I got to Chattanooga I cracked open an excellent pint can of the double IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing (CA) called Big Little Thing.  This is one I picked up down the hill at Harry's Shell Station.  Best gas station beer selection ever!! 

7/24 - Man, our new deck paint has got me in a Key West state of mind!  Despite the rain, she's looking pretty good!  Just in time for our first AirBnb guests this weekend.  I toasted a long day of work with a very tasty Samuel Adams Wicked Hazy NEIPA.  It's good to see the Independent Brewery logo on this pint can from the Boston Beer Company which I am surprised they still are considered given how big they've gotten.  I got this one at Harry's Shell Station just down the hill.  Awesome craft beer selection for a gas station! 

7/25 - After another long day of work down at the AirBnb, I got home in time to rent a pretty good new sci-fi flick called Settlers.  The ending was a little convoluted, but worth the watch.   To toast another day of hard work, I had another craft beer pint can from Harry's Shell Station down at the bottom of the hill.  This was the light and tasty Dreamland American Lager from Rogue Ales (OR)

7/26 - I went and saw the new Snake Eyes movie at the Hollywood 27 Theaters in Nashville late this afternoon.  It was pretty good.  Could be the start of a decent franchise.  We shall see.  Before the show, I stopped by Craft Brewed and had a couple new-to-me brews while the rain poured down.  I started with the tasty double IPA called The Light from Living Waters Brewing here in Nashville.  I concluded with a very good pale wheat beer from OEC Brewing (CT) called Evermore. 

7/27 - This month's Beer Drop order arrived today and it looks like a good one! I got an interesting lemon basil west coast IPA, a New Zealand pilsner, a coconut and chocolate stout, a French double
Biere de Garde, and a hazy pale ale with Colorado honey.  Let's get these babies cold!! 

I also finished off my last of my variety 4-pack from Lebanon Wine and Spirits in the pool this afternoon while playing poker on Global.  It was the fresh and tasty Utility Vacation, a blueberry-infused fruit beer from The Black Abbey Brewing over in Nashville.  I also made the final table of one of those tournaments I started in the pool.  I wound up winning the whole thing for a profit of $425+! I outlasted 213 other players.  

7/28 - I unexpectedly knocked out four of my five new beers from my Beer Drop order tonight as we had some last-minute guests over for some pool time and some grilling out.  I started with a nice pale ale called Anaphylaxis from Mockery Brewing (Denver).  Next was my favorite of the night, a decadent milk stout called Samoa Delite from Four Fathers Brewing (IN).  Next up was an interesting Lemon Basil West Coast IPA from Spice Trade Brewing (CO).  I finished up with a decent farmhouse ale called Biere de Garde from Diebolt Brewing (Denver).  

7/29 - I went to see the new film, The Green Knight tonight on its opening night over at the Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet.  I really had high hopes for this one, and it really let me down.  I almost walked out on it, and I haven't thought about doing that in a movie in a long time.  Man, it was just so boring and so strange.  Some pretty cool visuals at times, but that's about it.  I have cancelled my Unlimited Movies deal from Regal after this month, so I guess I am glad I got this one in under it.   On a brighter note, I had some awesome grilled salmon street tacos and a couple of good craft beers before the show at Catch 22 in Mt. Juliet.  I was able to finish my "racing trifecta of craft beer" from earlier this month from Michael Waltrip Brewing (VA) called the Two-Time Vamanos Mexican Lager.  I thought it was really good.  I finished with an even better tropical IPA from MadTree Brewing (Cincinnati) called Midwest Luau. 

7/31 - I finished off the month and my Beer Drop order today in the pool with a very good New Zealand Pilsner from Lumpy Ridge Brewing (CO).  It's a Czech-style pilsner, but the hops are from Kiwi-land, hence the name.   I also had a pretty decent fruited sour called Super Squishy from Oliphant Brewing (WI).  They blended coconut in with the tart blackberries and raspberries and that really balanced the finish on it.  Thanks to my friend, Greg, for giving me one of his six-pack that he picked up recently on a cross-country trip with his family.

8/1 - Ashlee and I had a little Sunday Fun Day today and I got a pic of this great Mountain Dew mural over in East Nashville.  It's one of the only beverages I hold almost up there with good craft beer.  Hell, Sun Drop is even closer!  Where's that mural at?  

Another fun stop today was at the new Virgin Hotel over by Music Row.  They have an old camera collection in their lobby that kinda puts mine to shame.  

8/2 - I used my next to last Regal Unlimited tickets to see Stillwater tonight over at Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet.  It's a new film that's getting Matt Damon some Oscar buzz already.   I thought he was great, and the movie was solid with a good twist at the end.  I stopped by Providence Wine and Spirits before the show and picked up a variety 3-pack, one of which I snuck into the theater.  It was the very tasty Rocket 88 oatmeal stout from Ghost River Brewing over in Memphis. 

8/3 - Signature-hand alert!!  Even won a nice pot with them today when the aggressive fella to the right must have caught a ten or a jack on the river.  

I found another interesting charity to give my recent 10% of poker winnings to today.  It's boilingriver.org, a non-profit organization striving to preserve an amazing geothermal river in the Peruvian Amazon.  I gave $50 to them, a rounded up amount of my current winnings.  It would be so cool to visit here one day.  Thanks to the great Atlas Obscura Podcast for the idea.  Photo courtesy of the charity's  website.  

8/4 - It was an afternoon of pool (it was a little cool actually); soccer (NSC draws 0-0 with league-leading New England); chasing cats (Dudley's very good at hiding), online poker (nothing good to report other than knocking out some name-calling a-hole which was pretty satisfying); and beer ( a solid pint can of Pharmacy Pils from Bearded Iris Brewing here in Nashville, and a tasty pint can of Saison Des Reves from Perennial Artisan Ales [St. Louis] in collaboration with a Belgian brewery, Brasserie de la Sennes).  These both finished off my variety 3-pack from Providence Wine and Spirits. 

8/5 - I stopped by Homegrown Taproom tonight before Ashlee picked me so we go see the Sean McConnell album release show at the City Winery.   I met up with my beer pal, Nate, and we enjoyed a few good new-to-us craft beers.  I started with light and crisp lager called Taco Tuesday from Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta).  I went half-pints from there with a nice IPA from Terrapin Beer (GA) called Cryosphere; a good NEIPA from Tennessee Brew Works here in town called Tangerine Waltz; and finally a very good blonde ale from right up the road at New Heights Brewing called BrewShine.   

How is this not a national holiday??

The Music City Grand Prix was awesome....except for the beer.  Putrid sheeple choices for sale within the event with Elysium Space Dust (one of the WORST West Coast IPAs I have ever had) as the only "craft" beer available.  You let local food trucks in, so what not local beer?  
8/7 - I did enjoy a bomber bottle of Barrel-Aged Belgian Tripel from New Heights Brewing here in Nashville while floating in the pool before heading out into the heat of downtown for the second day of the racing weekend. 

8/9 - I grabbed a variety four-pack from Lebanon Wine and Spirits today to have for the pool this afternoon and beyond.  And in the pool this afternoon, I cracked open the excellent Mountain Lager from Blackberry Farms Brewing over in Maryville, TN.  I just love their logo (photo above).  I also had a nice pint can of the Nashville-based Bearded Iris Brewing double IPA known as Roadmap.  

8/10 - I finally got to see the new DC Comics James Gunn reboot flick, The Suicide Squad, in IMAX tonight at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters in Hendersonville.  My old work pal, Casey, and his nephew, Colin, went with me so no beer stops before or after.  I thought the movie was pretty good.  Kinda trippy and very violent.

8/11 - I had a fun evening playing poker in the pool after work today.  No big success  at poker,but my     quad sevens did show on a Global streamer's feed (see below).  I did get to add a couple more craft beer can labels to my impromptu collection on our pool-side hammock frame that I started this summer.  I had two pint cans from Bearded Irish Brewing here in Nashville that finished off my variety four-pack from Lebanon Wine and Spirits.  Both were very good.  I had their double IPA called Fiasco and their imperial stout called Deep Cover.

Look who's got quads!  Not this streamer on Global Poker, but it is cool he went to UTC.