The leaves are falling and the beer is calling...

10/10 - It was opening night for the Nashville Predators 2017-2018 season and they were going to raise our Western Conference Champs banner from last year's Stanley Cup run, so I didn't want to miss it. With the banner up the puck went down for a crazy 6-5 win that started with us losing a 3-0 lead, and then having a comeback from a 5-3 deficit by the end of regulation.  Wow!   I had a beer beforehand at Czann's Brewing for exchange for some free parking with my pal, Wayne.  I had their newly-brewed and tasty Pumpkin Ale.

10/11 - I finally got to go see Blade Runner 2049 in IMAX with my pal, Wayne, tonight.  It was excellent.  Beforehand, I stopped at the Homegrown Taproom for a trio of half-pints that included a very good Smells Like a Safety Meeting IPA from Dark Horse Brewing (MI),  the Red Trail Ale IPA from Nashville's own Blackstone Brewing that I thought was way too devoid of hops, and the spice-laden Pumking (2017) ale from Southern Tier Brewing (NY).  

10/16 - My pal, Wayne, invited me to go with him to see our beloved Tennessee Titans take on our division rival, the Indianapolis Colts, on Monday Night Football tonight.  Combine that with a day off from work to seek out some good beer in Nashville beforehand, makes for a pretty excellent time overall!  

Titans win!  Titans win!  A nice second-half comeback led to a final score of 36-22 for the good guys and giving us a piece of first place in the AFC South...for now.  And we broke an 11-game losing streak to these pukes also!  I even found a new craft beer at Nissan Stadium as Yee-Haw Brewing out of Johnson City, TN, has made a large presence there.  I had their very good Yee-Haw IPA to start the game.  

Earlier that day, after sitting around for hours waiting on bad news, of course, at the Honda dealership in Franklin (hang in there, Jose...that's our 14-year-old CRV), I needed a beer, stat!  I headed straight to Craft Brewed on Franklin Pike for a couple of pints...and my little car got me there just fine, thank you!  I started out with a Schnickelfritz hefeweizen from Urban Chestnut Brewing in St. Louis.  I have to say it was one of the best heffs I have ever had because they are just not my favorite style of beer.   Next up was a hoppy and delicious pint of Wavvy (Batch 2) IPA from Stillwater Artisanal  Brewing in Baltimore.

I Ubered downtown to the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium next.  I haven't been to this seasoned beer bar in a while and I have surely missed it.  I started with a solid Keith's Korner IPA from Perennial Artisan Ales  also out of St. Louis.  This beer name seemed appropriate since I had one of my favorite players, Keith Bulluck. on my mind as a former "Mr. Monday Night Football" in the hey-days of the Titans of the past.  I followed that up with an always-delicious Stone Enjoy by 10.31.17 IPA which had an interesting combo of fall spices and hops.  This California craft-beer giant remains my favorite brewery of them all.

Hey, you gonna throw all that good beer away?  The Flying Saucer is such a cool place (those are pennies behind the taps) and they are real professionals when it comes to making great craft beer available here in Nashville. 

I met Wayne for dinner before the game at the HQ Beercade across the river from the stadium.  After a few rousing games of Galaga, I had their Glazed and Confused bacon burger where the buns consist of glazed donuts.  Jim Gaffigan would be so proud!  With dinner I had a great beer called The Grizz double IPA from Tallgrass Brewing (KS). 

10/18 -  I had a training class for work down in Murfreesboro today, so I drove my own car so I could hang out afterwards in town and catch a showing of American Made with Tom Cruise.  It was a great flick.

Mayday Brewery is a fun place to hang.

Afterwards, I went by The Green Dragon Pub with a beer and some dinner in mind.  The place was so crowded, however, that I couldn't even find a place to sit.  I hate that I didn't get to stay, but I am very happy to see the little place so popular on a Wednesday night!

Since Mayday Brewery is nearby, I ambled over that way for at least a beer.  It too was very busy, but I did manage to get a pint of their yummy Jubilee IPA before heading home.  I was sad to hear earlier in the day that the prolific lead singer for the amazing Canadian rock band, The Tragically Hip, Gord Downie, had passed away after battling cancer, so I lifted this one for him.

RIP, Gord.  

10/20 -  It was Poker Night in Mt. Juliet tonight for me, and I grabbed three new-to-me beers from Lebanon Wine and Spirits' always-excellent craft beer cooler.  First up was the tasty and smooth #Basic Pumpkin Ale from Tailgate Brewing here in Nashville.  Next up was the super-hoppy (which makes me super happy!) Juice Box IPA from 450 North Brewing (IN).  I finished the night with a not-so-great Apex IPA from Bear Republic Brewing (CA).

Finally, a decent finish at The Poker Barn with a 2nd place showing.  It was quite the feat considering I came to the final table as the short stack with well under 10 big blinds...and a little luck with a 9 on the river for a straight to stay alive. 

10/22 - We were over in the 12 South area of Nashville and I got a chance to pop in to The Filling Station and have a pint while Ashlee and a couple other female friends did some shopping around the corner.  Evidently, the shopping wasn't that great because before I could finish my tasty Hitchin' Post Pale Ale from BriarScratch Brewing in nearby Gallatin, TN, they were all back to have a beer as well.  So I got a taste of Ashlee's Garr's Tripel as well from Garr's Beer Company in nearby Franklin, TN.  

Later on we met up with an old, old friend from college, James (Doug) Garza for dinner at Saint Alejo, a great upscale Mexican restaurant in The Gulch.  They had a decent  craft beer list, but I figured a cerveza was called for in this occasion and had the good Victoria Vienna-style lager from Modelo.  Good to see you again, Garza!  Thanks for the pic, Ashlee.

I usually don't like to repeat beer check-ins in this blog, but this view is worth it.  I had another Rompo red ale from Nashville's own Jackalope Brewing  (first one was back in January 2016 at the City Winery here in Nashville) way up on top of the new Westin Hotel in the L27  Rooftop Bar and it was tasty and the scenery was amazing on a beautiful night in Music City.

10/23 - We had dinner at The Pharmacy in East Nashville tonight and I had a terrific Trellis Buster double IPA from Crooked Stave Brewing (CO) with my burger and tots. I also had a sip of Ashlee's Bard of Laketown Saison from The Black Abbey Brewing here in Nashville.

Pilgrimage Pours, Bermuda Shorts and Virginia Creepers

9/23 - 9/24 -  We attended our second ever Pilgrimage Festival this weekend over in Franklin and I was pleasantly surprised at the craft beer choices available...almost as abundant as the great performers they had throughout.

Listening to The Texas Gentleman and  drinking a Michigan craft beer.  Bell's Brewery was a big sponsor of the festival and dominated most of the craft beer choices there.  I didn't mind.  Those Yankees make some great beer!  First off for me was the tasty and hoppy Oatsmobile Ale.  Next was their decent Amber Ale.  I strayed from the Bell's Reservation next with a solid Oktoberfest Gemutlichkeit (2017) from Wiseacre Brewing out in Memphis.

New beer, new band...the tart Oarsman Ale from Bell's Brewing (MI) and Walk the Moon from Cincinnati.

9/24 - Sounding like a young Robert Cray, Devon Gilfillian, had a great set to start Day 2 off with at the new Shady Grove Stage.  While I didn't have any beer at the festival today, I did start the day off with a Hop Lift IPA from Third Street Brewing  (MN) that I got at our local Aldi's grocery store and brought with me.  It was really, really good, but, hey, what do you expect from Aldi?  

9/29 thru 10/8 - We took a cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda, and then to close out the week when we got back, we spent a few extra days in Northern Virginia checking out some wineries and, of course, some breweries.   

I even had a beer I could check in on the flight up to BWI as I saw that Southwest was carrying the Oktoberfest ale from Leinenkugel Brewing (WI).  It wasn't great, but it beats the hell out of their usual choices of domestic, mass-produced swill, and it was free since I had some Southwest drink coupons.  Cheers!

When we got to Baltimore, we went and got a late dinner and a couple beers at the local DuClaw Brewing over at the Arundel Mills Mall .  The beer was decent.  I had the Hop Hammer IPA that was nice and hoppy, and a bit disappointing DLF Coconut Caramel Chocolate Ale.  Their food was outstanding however.

One of of faults I have against cruising is that the beers available on-board are usually pretty unexciting.   The Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas was no exception, but it was actually better than some I have been on and did at least have some choices other than Bud or Bud Light.   Since we did get the unlimited drink package,  because it was such a good deal, I got what I could to check in to my UNTAPPD app.  I had a Paulaner Hefe-Weizen Natural Wheat out of Germany that was decent, plus an Amstel Light lager and a Newcastle Brown Ale (because I never checked them in before).  Other decent stuff I had on the boat that was already checked in were some Sierra Nevada Pale Ales, Guinness Stouts and Red Stripe Lagers.

I loved Bermuda, but was surprised to find they don't have a national beer like many other island nations.  Not that I am big fan of weak lager beers like Red Stripe (Jamaica), Kalik (Bahamas), Belikin (Belize) or Balashi (Aruba), I still always look for what a new-to-me country has to offer.  Thanks to Ashlee, I did find a small craft brewery inside an English pub near our dock called The Frog and the Onion where I had a decent Trunk Island Pale Ale from Dockyard Brewing.  I also had a sip of Ashlee's nice Black Anchor Porter.   

VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS...OF BEER! 

10/5:  Our very first stop after getting back to port and driving to Northern Virginia was Vanish Farms Brewing in picturesque Leesburg, VA, where I had their amazing 6-pack flight.  From left to right was the superb Farmhouse Table Ale; the excellent and tangy Mango Smoothie IPA; the solid Session IPA; the good Fresh Hop Pale Ale; their top-notch flagship IPA, Ghost Fleet; and the amazing Imperial Ghost Fleet IV double IPA.  Very impressive from start to finish.

Little did I know I was on the LoCo Virginia Ale Trail which means this area is chock full of great little breweries...I may need to come back soon!

Before dinner tonight in the movie-set cute town of Purcellville, Virginia, we stopped in Jack's Run Brewing for a four-bang flight that was from right to left:  the goodbye-to-summer Berry White Raspberry Wit, the smooth Happy Ending Cream Ale, the robust yet light Mornin' Joe oatmeal stout and the outstanding Afterburner Mango-Habernero IPA.  I also had a sip of Ashlee's solid Haunted Harvest pumpkin ale.

10/6: You are looking at the only survivor of a mission I tried to carry out to sneak three good beers onto the cruise ship.  Since you are allowed a bottle of wine each to carry on and since Ashlee and our friend, Bethany, were getting the unlimited drink package and didn't need to bring wine, they agreed to bring bomber bottles of beer on for me and hope they would pass for wine bottles.  It didn't work...for the most part...they let this one in because it said wine on the label...lol...whatcha gonna do?  I decided to save this one and not drink it on the boat since I too bought the unlimited drink package and instead toted it all the way Fairfield, Virginia, in a Styrofoam cooler to drink in front of a tee-pee (long story).  I give you the Vivid Sauvage Belgian Style IPA Aged in Red Wine Barrels from Green Flash Brewing (CA).  After all that trouble, it wasn't all that great, but I drank it  anyway for the story.

10/7:  Is there anything better than good beer with a view?  If you don't think so, this place is heaven.  Dirt Farm Brewing up on Blue Ridge Mountain in  Bluemont, VA, is easily one of my Top Ten favorite breweries now not only for their great product, but their outstanding locale.  This pic is of the terrific Boots Off IPA.  I also had their decent Milk Stout and a taste of Ashlee's solid Peter Peter Pumpkin ale.  I also finished the shandy my friend, John, ordered mostly because he doesn't like beer.  It was their Straw golden ale and their own grape soda.  Not to shabby for a shandy. 

Later on at dinner back in Leesburg, I had a Punkin Ale (2017) from Dogfish Head Brewing (DE) with my dinner at Lightfoot Restaurant.

I would love to have a cold one with Jack Nicholson! 

Autumnal Brews News

Saturday, 8/26 - We were invited to a pay-per-view fight party tonight of the much-ballyhooed boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Connor McGregor .  Even though I was the designated driver, I brought a  variety four-pack of beer from Lebanon Wine and Spirits since it was a long night with a lot of under-card fights before the main event.    I started with an excellent can of Spruce Tip IPA from Goodwood Brewing in Louisville, KY.  Next up was a decent tallboy pint can of Dino Breath IPA from Tailgate Beer here in Nashville.  I ended the night with a pretty good American Kolsch from Boulevard Brewing (Kansas City) as Mayweather wore down McGregor in a 10th-round TKO. I held on to my fourth new brew and  will enjoy it by the pool later this week probably.  (Editor's update note:  The fourth one was the Berliner Blood Orange sour by Yazoo Brewing here in Nashville that I just couldn't get into.  Sours are still not my favorite by a long way.)

Ashlee and I were two of the few at the party who thought Mayweather would avoid the upset.  Ashlee even guessed the round and almost the exact time by less than a minute.  Who knew she was such a boxing savant! 

Sunday, 8/27 - My friend Wayne invited me to the third preseason game for the Titans today and it was a pretty bad outing for boys in baby blue.  Good thing it's the preseason, but they got some work to do to get ready for the regular season.  We left around the third quarter since it was hot and the product on the field was not.  We headed over to East Nashville for some good food (and a beer for me) at the new Noble's Kitchen and Beer Hall.  Afterwards, I stopped in Mt. Juliet and  caught the really good flick, Wind River, from one of my new favorite directors/writers, Taylor Sheridan.

I had a decent Berry Blonde 2017 ale from Mayday Brewing over in Murfreesboro with my tasty catfish sliders lunch.

9/2 - 9/5 We took a long weekend trip up to Boston and I found some great beer within that four-day span:

Bean Town or BEER Town...let's find out!

9/2-  I had a very good Working Class Hero saison from Cambridge Brewing with my lunch at Il Pesce at Eatly.  It went very well with my tasty swordfish dish.

Along the Freedom Trail we stopped in the country's oldest tavern, The Bell in Hand, where I had a solid Wolf Pup Session IPA from Golden Road Brewing (CA).

Over in Cambridge after checking out the Harvard University campus, I had a good Keeper IPA from Castle Island Brewing (MA) on the guest tap of John Harvard's Brewery and Ale House.  I also had a sip of Ashlee's surprisingly good Blueberry Shandy from Ipswich Ale Brewery (MA) also on the guest taps.  My UNTAPPD app did not speak highly of the house beers here, so I passed on them, but it is a nice "Haaahhvaad bahhh" nonetheless.

Harvard campus entrance

9/3 -  We took a great food tour through the beautiful North End of Boston today and our last stop included a local beer tasting as well as a regional cider.  We had a few swigs of the tasty Pukwudgie Pale Ale from Down the Road Beer Company in nearby Everett, MA, and an impressively dry and crisp cider called The Dirty Mayor from Citizen Cider in Burlington, VT.

Cool artwork on these Down the Road Beer Company cans

After the tour, we doubled back to our first stop on the food tour at the Boston Public Market and wandered down Hopster's Alley for a look at their great craft beer selection as well as an opportunity for a tasting of four of Boston's own Hopster Brewery's wares:  I had the 292 brown ale that was great, the hop-heavy Comet Moteuka IPA (my fave of the bunch); the Comet Citra IPA that was way more citrus than hops; and finally the Newtonian IPA which was also highly citrus but had a good hop finish.

We finished quite the beer-heavy day with an excellent dinner and beer flights at The Ginger Man. I have wanted to stop by the NYC location of this regional chain of beer bars and never got the chance, so this was an exciting find for me.  I had an outstanding flight of four 5 oz. new-to-me beers (left to right in the photo below) that included the super-smooth Wee Heavy Scotch ale (cask-conditioned) from Fyne Ales (Scotland), the hop-bombed Sip of Sunshine double IPA from Lawson's Finest Liquids (VT), the accurately-named a tiny beautiful something pale ale from the Maine Beer Company, and the decent Fat Boy double IPA from Big Elm Brewing in nearby Sheffield, MA.

I also had a taste of each of Ashlee's  good and Belgian-heavy four selections which included:  the Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout from Uinta Brewing (Salt Lake City), the Hazard Belgian pale ale from Bent Water Brewing (MA), the Brother David's Double Abbey-style Ale from Anderson Valley Brewing (CA), and the Matisse saison from Night Shift Brewing (MA).

My favorite Boston subway stop.  I got me an Ale-wife...as long as it's a good brown ale!

9/4 - We met a co-worker of Ashlee's and her boyfriend today for lunch back in the North End at the Florentine Cafe and I had a decent Hobo Life session IPA from Lord Hobo Brewing (MA) and an OK Leisure Time lager from Jack's Abby (MA).

A DUCK's-eye view from the Charles River in Boston

Before our city tour on the famous DUCK amphibious vehicles, we had a drink at a nice outdoor bar by the New England Aquarium called The Reef.  I had a pretty good Sweet Spot golden ale  and an OK UFO White Ale from Boston's own Harpoon Brewery (their IPA was one of my first loves in the heavy hops category many, many moons ago).

After the tour out on the patio at a restaurant near the aquarium called Tia's,  I grabbed a tasty can of Entitled IPA from Entitled Brewing (MA) that had a ton of hops in it.

On our way to see the Boston Red Sox take on the Toronto Blue Jays at beautiful and historic Fenway Park tonight, we stopped next door at the very cool Cheeky Monkey Brewing for a tasty snack and a couple beers.  I had their West Coast IPA which was terrific.  I was pretty much beered-out believe it or not after that and did not have a cold one inside Fenway Park...and I kind of regret that.  Thanks, Boston, for a great time and some great beer along the way!  

9/9, 9/10, 9/17 - I was in Chattanooga the last couple weekends for family stuff.  I had a flavorful Rope Gun Rye from the nearby Hutton and Smith Brewing at Crust Pizza in Red Bank.  The next day I had a Battle Ground saison from Mantra Artisan Ales (Franklin, TN) that was pretty good.  The next weekend I stopped at Heaven and Ale and had a couple 10 oz. beauties including the excellent Hammer 58 IPA (photo above) from Terrapin Brewing (Athens, GA) and an interesting Belgian-style IPA called the Cerebral Predator from Calf Killer Brewing over in Sparta, TN.

9/20 - It was Poker Night in Lebanon again tonight and I was making plans to stop by Lebanon Wine and Spirits to get my usual variety four-pack when I got a text from my friend, Quintin, that he was bringing a "good amount" of beer for us to consume during the game.  Quintin has great taste, so I know he would bring some good stuff and I was right!  He brought some bomber bottles that I partially partook of including a smooth Noggin Knocker milk stout from Burnt Hickory Brewing (Kennesaw, GA), a tasty Black Belle Barrel Aged Imperial Stout from Blackstone Brewing in Nashville and finally a strong but excellent Superbad imperial stout from Gigantic Brewing (Portland, OR) that I had to drink with no chips in front of me when I ran my flush draw into pocket aces with no help on the turn or river...who knew he had them...you only get AA less than half a percent of the time...

Wandering the Path of Beer Totality - Solar Eclipse 2017

8/1 - It was Poker Night in Lebanon again tonight and I had a very special beer given to me by one of my poker pals, Quintin.  It was a pint bottle of Pliny the Elder  double IPA from Russian River Brewing in California. This beer is considered by many as the "best beer in the world."

Now don't get me wrong, it was very, very good and had great hoppiness, but I am not ready to say it was the best I have ever had.   But I greatly appreciate Q getting a hard-to-acquire bottle for me.  

I had  two other new-to-me beers from Lebanon Wine and Spirits tonight also.  They were the not-hoppy-enough Lupu-Luau IPA from Dogfish Head Brewing (DE), and the decent Shiner Strawberry Blonde ale from Spoetzl Brewery (TX).   It would have been three new beers, but I didn't last that long in the tournament.  Blah.  So I had the Urban Farmer saison from Good People Brewing (AL) the next day at the pool.

8/4 - 8/6 -  We took a great long weekend trip up to one of our favorite regional areas:  Brevard, North Carolina, to cool off in the mountains with some friends.

OK, that's clever, but don't be dissing the name IPA, people!

We rented a great house near town and I cracked open a tasty Pernicious IPA from Wicked Weed Brewing in nearby Asheville as soon as we got there and enjoyed it out on the roomy deck.  We went to dinner the first night there at the Magpie Meat and Three in Brevard that has great food and an impressive craft beer list.  I started wtih the DIPA from Mikkeller in Denmark.  Next up was the dark and sweet Coffee Pecan Porter from Ecusta Brewing here in Brevard.   I also had a taste of Wayne's Peach cider from Bold Rock Cidery  (VA) which wasn't bad.

Back at the house I closed the evening out with an impressive Hopness Monster IPA (great can logo below) and a really good King Winterbolt Winter Ale.  Both were from Catawba Brewing  in nearby Morganton, NC.

After a great day of mountain water fun at Sliding Rock Falls and underneath Looking Glass Falls, I spent the evening back at the house doing some tasty grilling and consuming a few more great craft beers including a terrific King of the Mountain double IPA from Boojum Brewing over in Waynesville, NC.  Then a solid Wolf Among Weeds with Whole Cone Citra from Golden Road Brewing (CA) and finally a tasty Trickster IPA from Green Man Brewing over in Asheville.

On our way home Sunday after checking out even more waterfalls (including Sunburst Creek below), Ashlee and I stopped in beautiful Waynesville, NC, and had a great lunch at the Boojum Brewing Taproom downtown.  With my meal I had their strong Triclops Tripel and their excellent Hop Fiend IPA.  

Our friend, Charly, who was with us in North Carolina for the weekend gave me a couple Canoe Paddler kolsch beers from Leinenkugal Brewing (WI) to take home which I enjoyed at the pool the following week.

8/10 - We attended the first of four consecutive weeks of Live on the Green concert series in downtown Nashville tonight.  The headliners were two of our favorites:  Michael Franti and Spearhead, and St. Paul and the Broken Bones.  We opted for the backstage VIP tickets which gave us great stage-viewing access and unlimited free food and adult beverages including some decent craft beer.

I started backstage at Live on the Green with a pint can of the solid W.A.C. pale ale from Fat Bottom Brewing here in Nashville.  I followed that up with Fat Bottom's Ida Golden Ale which was decent.

8/13 - I went on another Nashville brewery crawl today with my friends Craig and Barry before the Roger Waters' Us + Them show at the Bridgestone Arena

Our first stop was at one of my local favorites, Southern Grist Brewing, where I had very hoppy Loud Whispers pale ale and then their very good Underbite cream ale.

Next stop was also in East Nashville at Smith and Lentz Brewing where I started with the German Cologne kolsch which had a great apple finish.  I moved on to splitting a hoppy flight of samplers with Barry who shares my love of the wicked weed.  We had the Honkypox Dry Hopped Session Ale which turned out to be one of my favorites of the crawl, then the California Orange IPA which was way too smooth for its 7.5 ABV.  Then we had the OK El Curato IPA and finished with the Sock Tan Pale Ale that was decent.  I do like that Smith and Lentz are foraying into the IPA zone but I sure think they need to hop up the hops if they are going to stay there.  They do German-style beers the best.  Maybe they should stick to them? 

We continued the crawl at Bearded Iris Brewing where I had the Chief of Chiefs IPA that was solid.  Then it was on to Little Harpeth Brewing where I had the Mosaic IPK kolsch that I really liked.  We did a quick stop at The Picnic Tap in the Farmer's Market where I had the good Kolsch by Turtle Anarchy Brewing also here in Nashville.  Dinner was next at Tennessee Brew Works where I had their City Winery Collab 2017 Belgian strong dark ale with my gator tail (interesting combo!).  Before the show we stopped in the HQ Beercade for some classic video games...and beer, of course and I had a Vivid Sauvage Belgian tripel from Green Flash Brewing (CA).

The show was great (ableit I was a little drunk during it thanks to the long brewery crawl we did), but I still managed to hear the music, see the great visuals and have a Zombie Monkie porter from Tallgrass Brewing (KS). 

8/16 - I took a day of from work today to check out the Titans preseason practice with the Carolina Panthers out at Baptist Sports Park.  It was a lot of fun despite the humid temps.  Afterwards I  saw the stark, historic film, Detroit, over at the Green Hills theaters (with new recliners seats!).  No beer, but a fun day.

Marcus is back!!!

Cam Newton looking more like a DE than a QB.  He's a monster, ya'll!

8/19 - We had tickets to see Dan Layus open for Will Hoge tonight at a sold-out show at 3rd and Lindsley and I had a terrific Session Player IPA from Blackstone Brewing here in Nashville with my dinner.

8/20 - Since I am not a big bourbon drinker, I volunteered to be the designated driver today to take Ashlee, and our friends, Jeremy (who is a big bourbon fan) and Amy up to check out some of the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky.  We had a fine day with stops at the beautiful Maker's Mark Distillery campus, the relatively new Limestone Branch Distillery and the historic Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown where I did manage to find a Cougar Bait Blonde ale from Country Boy Brewing over in Lexington.

With lunch at Maker's Mark Distillery's new cafe, Starr Hill Provisions, I had my first-ever Ale81 which evidently was once made by distillers  here in Kentucky who got shut down by Prohibition, switched to soft drinks and never came back due to the success of this drink.  It's tropical ginger taste is unique and tasty, but I am not sure about the name...who you tryin' to trick?

8/21 - The  2017 Solar Eclipse finally happened today and we were in "The Path of Totality" with almost two minutes of darkness in the middle of the day.  It was an amazing event to witness.  We threw a pool party to celebrate and I got myself a unique-to-me four-pack of craft beer for the occasion at Lebanon Wine and Spirits.

I started the day with a Stone Mocha IPA which was very interesting.  This California brewery continues to be my favorite of all time.  Next up was a tasty Pumking pumpkin beer (fall is coming!) from Southern Tier Brewing (TX).  I donned my eclipse glasses as the event started and gazed in wonder from our pool with a can of Screaming Cock Pale Ale from Blackberry Farm Brewing  (Walland, TN). Photo above by my good friend, Wayne Hutton.  Last up was another Stone Brewing creation, the Enjoy By 09.04.17 Unfiltered IPA which was dynamite.  

How could I enjoy an eclipse without a bottle of Sol cerveza lager?  This was actually a leftover birthday present from Robtoberfest from my friends, Patrick and Michelle, but it definitely seemed fitting.

Cheers to the weird and wonderful world we live in!!