MARCH GLADness

3/5 - I attended a Preds game tonight with my honey and we got to see a thrilling back-and-forth street fight with the pesky Minnesota Wild that ended with a 5-4 victory in an overtime shoot-out.  During the game I had a tasty Southside Blonde from Perennial Artisan Ales (St. Louis).  I especially like the GOLD labeling.  GO PREDS!!

It was also Fat Tuesday tonight and I got a cool badge for it from UNTAPPD.  Of course, every Tuesday is FAT for me, but I am starting to do something about that...without sacrificing craft beer hopefully.  

 3/6 - I headed over to Opry Mills tonight to catch a showing of the Apollo 11 documentary in IMAX on its last night showing there.  It was pretty good, although the promised "never before seen footage" wasn't as stunning as I was hoping for, but still an interesting behind-the-scenes account of an event that happened when I was two years old.  Before the show, I stopped at Homegrown Taproom for a light dinner (awesome roast beef quesadillas) and a couple craft brews.  I even saw my beer pal, Nate, there. I started with very tasty German Chocolate Cupcake 10W-40 stout from Hi-Wire Brewing (Asheville, NC).   I finished with an even more decadent Liquid Truffle stout from Smith and Lentz Brewing here in Nashville.  It was great, but so rich and full, I couldn't even finish it!   Needed some ice cream to cut the sweetness! 

3/7 - I met my pal, Wayne, in Hendersonville, to catch opening night of the new Captain Marvel film in IMAX at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters there. Before the show, I stopped by Growler USA for a light dinner and a libation, of course.  I started with a pricey (I was warned at least) pint of the High West Barrel-Aged Victory at Sea imperial porter from Ballast Point Brewing (CA).  It was extremely good, but, man, that price hurt.  I balanced the overall cost and caloric-intake with a follow-up of two 5-ounce pours of the solid 400 red ale from BriarScratch Brewing in nearby Gallatin, TN; and the very good Knowledge double IPA from Rhinegeist Brewing (Cincinnati, OH).  

3/8 -  We met our friends, Chris and Tarryn, who moved to Indiana a few years ago, but were back in town for a visit at the fairly new, Catch 22 gastropub in Mt. Juliet for a late-night snack a few libations.   I started with the outstanding Enter Night Pilsner collaboration from Arrogant Consortia (CA), an off-shoot of my favorite brewer of them all, Stone Brewing.   I had a taste of Ashlee's pretty good Hollywood Vampire English mild ale from Smith and Lentz Brewing here in Chattanooga.  I finished with a heavy, but tasty, Coffee Copra Kai stout from Southern Grist Brewing which is also in Nashville.  

I unlocked a pretty cool badge on UNTAPPD tonight as well with my beer check-ins.  Here's to you, ladies! Salute!! 

Chris and Tarryn got me a great pair of craft beer socks that I have already worn proudly! 

3/10 - Since Ashlee and I are self-proclaimed "crazy cat people" we just couldn't miss a showing of the SOLD OUT Cat Video Fest 2019 at The Belcourt Theaters in Nashville.  It was hilarious and I enjoyed a nice Longfin Lager from Ballast Point Brewing (CA) during the show.    We met Chris and Tarryn again afterwards at The Ryman Auditorium to catch a show by Amos Lee that was really good.  I picked up a draft pint of the East Nashville Honey from East Nashville Brewing during the show.

3/15 - I took a rather forced day off today to help out my crazy sister down in Whitwell.  It was, at least, a beautiful day for a drive down Hwy. 111 through Cookeville, where I stopped for lunch at the always-good Father Tom's Pub.  I had a decent Blood and Honey pale wheat ale from Revolver Brewing (TX) with my tasty quesadillas.  In Sparta I took a brief detour east on Hwy. 70 to check out the roadside cataract known as Wildcat Falls.  I figured it would be flowing good with all the recent rains and it was flowing at good rate.  The wind blowing the water into mist even before it fell was a pretty cool effect as well.

On my way back I stopped again in Sparta at one of new favorite regional breweries, Happy Trails Brewing, and had their outstanding Pleasant Hill Porter (photo above) and also their tasty Montgomery Bell-gian pale ale with an orange slice.  Isn't their handmade bar the coolest?  

\

3/15 - Our friends, Wendy and Charly, invited us over to their house in Donelson tonight for supper and some libations.  They were gracious enough to allow me to watch my beloved Duke Blue Devils and the amazing Zion Williamson take the 2019 ACC Tournament crown with a win over Florida State while we ate, drank and talked.  It's been a real pleasure watching Zion this season.  He's the ultimate one-and-doner and Duke's been lucky to have him even one season.  He seems like a good kid and decent person (he came to Duke didn't he?) who will hopefully not let the growing fame go to his head.  Mark my words he will be in this line of basketball notoriety and world-wide name recoginition fame:  Bird, Magic, Jordan, Kobe, Lebron....ZION!

Wendy and Charly just recently visited the beer Mecca, Asheville, North Carolina, and brought back a slew of craft beer with them that they were even more gracious in sharing with us.  Our first share was a bottle of the really tasty Saxy Machismo Belgian quad from Haw River Farmhouse Ales (NC).  Next up was the solid Red Devil Belgian blonde ale  (packed with cherries and raspberries) from Pisgah Brewing (NC).  I also had a sip of the Gatlinburg Cider Blackberry that Ashlee and Wendy were sharing from Tennessee Homemade Wines that wasn't half bad.  

Wendy and Charly's giant (in size and sweetness) dog, Fergie, poses here with our next shared bottle, the awesome French Toast Stout from Wicked Weed Brewing (Asheville, NC).  Thanks to Charly for sharing this great picture as well.  We ended the evening splitting the tasty, coffee-heavy Valdez stout also from Pisgah Brewing.  Wendy and Charly have become great friends and we value their friendship greatly....and that's not just the generous shared beer talking!! 

3/17 - Happy St. Patty's Day!!  Let's get our green on!  I got a variety 4-pack from Lebanon Wine and Spirits to celebrate the day.  I started with a Trigo India pale lager from Founders Brewing (MI) that was darn good.

We also celebrated the day with a silly, but fun, birthday party for our new kittens, Doris and Byron, who are turning one this week.  Any excuse to drink I guess!  I toasted our sweeties with a can of the excellent Winter Porter from Yee Haw Brewing (Johnson City, TN).  Thanks to our friend, Wendy, for the great pic above.

My favorite  beer of the day was the Stone Moxee Gold IPA from my all-time favorite brewer, Stone Brewing, out of California.  It's a tribute beer to one of the farms that supplies their own hops to the brewery.  In this case, CLS Farms and their El Dorado hops in Moxee, Washington.  

I also closed the day out with a small online win on Global Poker after a fairly long dry-run.  I turned a $5 investment into just under $95 in profit by besting 72 other players in a 6-handed multi-table NLHE tournament.  With this win I added another $10 to my contribution to my friend, Craig, and his wife, Alison, who are going on a mission trip to Africa next month.  My total contribution was $208! 

3/19 - I saved my fourth variety beer to sneak in the theater while checking out the new sci-fi flick, Captive State, at the Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet today after work.  The movie was pretty "lo-fi" in terms of special f/x.  The story wasn't too bad, but I was expecting more overall I guess.  Even the scene from the cool movie poster above is never shown?  Weird.  The brew I had was a bit better than the movie:  the hoppy Brut Pale Ale from Blue Pants Brewing went down smooth.

3/20 - I was able to see one of my favorite films from last year on the big screen again tonight.  Ashlee and I went to see First Man at The Belcourt Theaters as part of their "Science on Screen" series.  After the amazing film, an actual astronaut, , gave a little insight to his time with a space shuttle mission several years ago.  It was a great evening that started with a tasty dinner at the new restaurant, Pastaria, over off West End.  This Italian joint had an small, but outstanding, beer menu which really surprised me.  I had the heavy, yet lovely, Sump Coffee Stout from Perennial Artisan Ales (St. Louis).  Sump Coffee, also out of St. Louis, has also opened a shop next door to the restaurant in this nice new ONE C1TY development.

300+ porters and stouts?  How am I not 500 pounds??

3/22 - We attended an awesome SOLD OUT Mumford and Sons show tonight at Bridgestone Arena.  Before the show we had a pricey, but outstanding, dinner at The Farm House restaurant near the arena and I had a Purple Haze fruit beer from Abita Brewing (LA) which I have had before, but never checked in on UNTAPPD.  

3/23 - We had some family business down in Chattanooga this weekend and I was able to check out the brand new Wanderlinger Brewing Company over near the Choo-Choo.  The beers I had  of theirs were pretty good.  I started with a solid Saison Flaneur (photo above) and finished with their decent Stumpthumper Pale Ale which they were on their last keg of.   Welcome to the craft beer fray, Wanderlinger! 

The one thing Wanderlinger doesn't have (yet?) is food, and I was starving, so I walked to their nearby craft beer neighbor (and Chattanooga original) Terminal Brew House where I had their solid Catherine's Horse stout with an amazing Philly cheesesteak sandwich.  While they aren't my favorite Chattanooga brewer now, they will always be special to me because they were the first (sorry Big River...you don't count)  and the cool building they are housed in remains one of my favorite beer locales of them all.

3/24 - I scored my first win tonight in a local online WSOP poker league that I am in that uses Pokerstars as its platform. I came from way behind to score the victory over 20 other players including the huge chip leader (and organizer of the league).  This puts me in second place in the league and in contention for one of the two top WSOP packages.  I also chopped a $20 last-longer pot vs. 10 of the players for an $80+ profit.    There are still 8 games left, so I am far from wrapping anything up, but I like where I am at least to this point.

3/25 - I had the day off as we remained in Chattanooga for another day, and Ashlee took a break from working to go with me to have lunch at the relatively new Naked River Brewing.  I have been here before, but just for beer, but their in-house BBQ smelled delicious.  Well, it tastes even better!  Yummo!!  With lunch I had their great Tropic Mann IPA and also a taste of Ashlee's very good Seize the Saison.  I also had a glass of their H20, but I gotta admit, it was a little watery....cue the rim-shot.. We will definitely be back for more food and more beer here!!  

While headed back home I stopped to see an old (new) friend again.  I wanted to see Fallingwater Falls for over 20 years and  now I have seen it in 3 times in the last year.  I was surprised it wasn't running a little harder with all the rain we've had recently, but it was still putting on quite a pretty show. 

Also on the way home, I spotted this cool old trestle bridge over the Sequatchie River just outside Dunlap . Seems in great shape for its age. Too bad someone doesn't fix it up as a pedestrian walkway and small park maybe.  

3/26 - Ashlee and I, and our friend, Nate, attended the Blackstone Brewing Beer Dinner at the Makeready Restaurant in the basement of the beautiful Noelle Hotel in Nashville tonight.  This was the same location of the previous beer dinner I attended with  just Nate back in January of this year that featured Smith and Lentz Brewing.  I gotta admit I think the beer and the food was even better this time!  Listed below are the six courses we had and while all the beer pairings were not new check-ins on UNTAPPD for me, they were all very good.

A couple new Blackstone beers I did have were the solid Chaser Kolsch with the first course.and the 2018 Black Belle with Cinnamon and the 2018 Black Belle Barrel Aged with Coconut.  Both of these very hard to find stouts were served with the last course and were unbelievably good. 

3/28 - It was the end of March Madness with the NCAA tournament going on and the "madness" of cleaning out and reorganizing our garage and pool shed.  I rewarded myself after today's cleaning and the fact the UT was in the Sweet 16 with  a can of the really tasty Radio Zombie Phone-in Russian imperial stout from  Brewdog Brewing (Scotland and Ohio) that my friend Nate gave me.  UT had a great comeback after being down double-digits to take it to overtime, but couldn't outlast Purdue in the end.  It was a great year and run for the Vols.

3/29 - It was Duke's turn in the Sweet 16 today and they squeaked by a very good Virginia Tech team with a little help from a last-minute shot by the Hokies that didn't go in.  I celebrated the game and the close shave with a can of the very good Origami Orangutan double IPA also from Brewdog and also from my pal, Nate. 

3/31 - More garage cleaning today and then Duke in the Elite 8 saw a lot of positive work done, but a tough close loss for my Blue Devils to Michigan State.  It's been a fun tournament and fun year watching Zion Williamson do his impression of Superman (stolen photo above) along with the other talented freshmen in this class.  I hate the one-and-done thing in college basketball, but these kids are so talented, that it's understandable for them to move on and make that dough.   I toasted the season with an excellent can of  Opaque Jake IPA from Brewdog, my last gift from good ol' Nate.

BEVruary 2019 - (Dedicated to Evelyn Carroll)

2/3 - Man, was that a boring Super Bowl.  Even the commercials were ho-hum.  Plus, I am not sure I could have cared less who won since the Rams didn't deserve to be there (Saints got robbed) and I will never pull for the Patriots.  But I did have a couple of good beers while I played online poker on the couch with it on.  I started with a solid pint can of Irish Stout from Hi-Wire Brewing (Asheville, NC) in collaboration with Zillicoah Brewing (Woodfin, NC, near Asheville).  I finished with another Asheville product, the tasty Midnight Summit milk stout from Highland Brewing.  

2/4 - Not my favorite style of beer by any means, but I have forged through a few of them including a decent Passion Fruit Kicker wheat beer from Green Flash Brewing (CA) tonight while I watched two of my favorite new shows on "regular TV" ---  "The Passage" on Fox and "I Am the Night" on TNT.

2/5 -  I attended the Preds game vs. the Phoenix Coyotes tonight thanks to some good seats in the shoot-twice area that I bought from my co-worker, Dale.  Ashlee was supposed to go with me, but had to be in Chattanooga for her mom, so I was on my own.  I parked at M.L. Rose - Capitol View again for free and had a couple libations there as well.   My pal, Wayne, met me for dinner there also.  The Preds brought the pain and posted a solid 5-2 win with goal # 4 being a two-pass beauty right in front of me as well as the empty-netter at the end.

At M.L. Rose - I had a couple new beers to check in on UNTAPPD including the beautiful can of I'm On A Boat golden ale from Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta.  The brewers even liked my check-in on Twitter with my quote that  "I'm On a Boat - metaphysically, this is true at all times..."  It was a solid beer also.  I followed that up with so-so Juicy Trip IPA from Garr's Beer Company over in Franklin, TN.  

At the game, I got another colorful craft beer can full of the the tart and refreshing Larry's Latest Flamingo Fruit Fight from Bell's Brewery (MI).     

2/8 - I had the day off and was in Chattanooga today and had a couple good beers with dinner tonight at Basecamp Bar and Restaurant.  I started with the Appalachian Alt from the newest local brewery here, Wanderlinger Brewing.  I have yet to go by and check this place out yet, but the beers I have had of theirs, including this one, have been solid.   I finished up with the super-hoppy and delicious Beyond the Galaxy IPA from Terrapin Beer Company (Athens, GA).

2/9 - At dinner tonight in Chattanooga at The Bitter Alibi I had a can of the dank and tasty Lucid double IPA from Bearded Iris Brewing in Nashville.  The food and beer list here are outstanding.  I will be back! 

2/10 - I drove back home tonight from Chattanooga with a heavy heart since I had to leave Ashlee with her mom, Evelyn, in ICU.  She had a serious bowel perforation and had to have emergency surgery.  Luckily, she was already in the hospital for a UTI when it happened which probably saved her life.  I decided to stop by Hix Farm Brewery in Cookeville and hoisted one to "Evie-baby."  The Hoppycock! IPA wasn't super hoppy, but I enjoyed it's clean, crisp flavor.  

2/11 - I headed over to Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet this evening to catch an early showing of Miss Bala which was OK, but fairly predictable and a little eye-rolling at times. Thanks for the Sinemia deep discount at least.   I did sneak a great beer in at least to watch it with.  The Nuttercup porter from Brew Link Brewing (IN) was really smooth and tasty.  

2/12 - They had an early screening of the new flick, Alita: Battle Angel, tonight at the Opry Mills IMAX, so I decided go check it out.  The visuals were pretty good, but the dialog and acting were so-so.  Before the show I stopped by the Bavarian Bierhaus for dinner and a brew.  I had a half-litre of the Pfungstadter Schwarzbier  (Germany) dark lager that was a little better than the movie.  

2/13 - It was Lebanon poker night for me again and I took a 3-beer variety pack with me that I picked up at Lebanon Wine and Spirits.   It was a frustrating 4th place finish, but at least the beer was good.  My first of the night was a tasty pint can of Hard Wired Nitro porter from Left Hand Brewing (CO).  Next up was the super-good Harpoon The Craic Irish Red IPA.  I loved the hops rush of this one.  Harpoon is one of my favorite "old school" micro-brewers from Boston.  The finale was a really good Mardi Gras Bock (2018) from Abita Brewing (LA).  

2/17 - I was in Chattanooga for the day meeting Ashlee who was staying down there with her mom in ICU.  Before the scheduled afternoon visitation, we stopped by Heaven and Ale Brewing for a couple of togs and a tasty cheese plate.  I had a 5 oz. pour of their solid Born Again pale ale and another 5-ouncer of their Hazy Lullaby, a light and flavorful New England style IPA.   They always have the coolest murals on their walls at Heaven and Ale and this new one was pretty cool.
At dinner a little later on at the Frothy Monkey in the old Choo Choo building I had a delightful Citrus Pepper saison from Garr's Beer Company out of Franklin, TN.  

2/18 - I had the day off and cruised into Nashville to catch another Oscar-contender film, If Beale Street Could Talk, at the Hollywood 27 Theaters over at 100 Oaks since it was one of the only places showing it now.   I got to say I was overall disappointed in the film and while I love Regina King, I just didn't see her performance as a front-runner for Best Supporting Actress.  Right now, I would give it to the almost-always-vanilla, Amy Adams, for her impressive portrayal of Lynne Cheney in Vice.  Who really got screwed was Nicole Kidman as she was snubbed for her excellent turn in Boy Erased in my humble opinion.   What didn't disappoint was the Barrel Aged Dubhe Imperial Black IPA from Uinta Brewing (UT) that I had at Craft Brewed before the show.  It was beautiful and tasty.  

Another cool new badge from UNTAPPD.  

2/19 - It was $5 Bargain Tuesday at our local Roxy Movie Theaters, so I went to check out the fact-based dramedy, The Upside, which I had heard good things about and which I did in turn, enjoy very much.  I was able to sneak in a craft beer for the show, of course, and tonight's contestant was the Pixan pepper-infused porter from Left Hand Brewing (CO).  It was smooth and rich with just the right amount of pepper kick. 

2/22 - Had another day off today and so I headed into Nashville to catch a showing of Fighting With My Family in the new recliner-theaters at the Hollywood 27 with my Sinemia account.  I thought it was pretty good even though I am not much of a wrestling fan.  Before the show I stopped by the new, tiny Mill Creek Brewing Taproom over on 12 South and had their Absolute Magnitude double IPA which was solid.  The rent must be pretty high here because this pint was PRICEY!  Doubt I will be back here.  I have not, as of yet, visited their actually brewery in nearby Nolensville, but it's definitely on my list.  

2/24 - I had to watch the Oscars alone this year with Ashlee still in Chattanooga with her mom still in the ICU.  It was an enjoyable show and I didn't have too many gripes about who won although I thought Richard E. Grant deserved the Best Supporting Actor nod.  I did have dinner in Chattanooga with Ashlee before I headed home and we ate at Edley's BBQ where I had their signature beer, the Edley's Granny White Ale, which is brewed for them by The Black Abbey Brewing Company up in Nashville.  It's a nice witbier that goes pretty well with the barbecue and all the fixings.  

The month ended on a very sad note as Ashlee lost her mom, Evelyn, who fought long and hard through a series of medical issues.  As a mother-in-law, I couldn't ask for much better.  She was always kind to me and showed me more than my share of love.  We will miss you, Evie-baby.  I raised a couple to Mrs. Carroll over the weekend of her service.  The first was a Michelob Amber Bock that my brother-in-law, Andy, shared.  I have had this decent mass-produced beer before, but never checked it in on UNTAPPD.  After her service at dinner at Edley's BBQ in Chattanooga I raised a pint of the English Brown Ale from Chattanooga''s own, OddStory Brewing, which was very good.  RIP, sweet lady.

 Evelyn never looked down on my craft beer obsession and even tried a few with me now and then if the flavor sounded good to her.  Here's a great picture Ashlee snapped of her at The Brewhaus just down the street from her home in North Chattanooga.  Salute, Evie-baby! 

A Busy JanBREWuary

1/11- Ashlee and I were at a Big Sam's Funky Nation show at the City Winery tonight and I was surprised to see the Milk Stout by Duck-Rabbit Brewery (NC) on the menu.  I was even more surprised to see I had not checked it in on UNTAPPD.  It was an early craft beer fave of mine, but evidently before I started using the app.  It was as delicious as ever.

Ashlee had a ton of travel this month for work (and pleasure with a girl's cruise out of Miami) which gave this beer-drinkin' mouse time to play a lot while the cat was away...here's the damage:

1/14 - I went to a late showing of The Mule at Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet tonight.  It was a decent movie, albeit a little predictable.  This was the first movie ticket that I bought with my new Sinemia account (so long MoviePass) saving me about $10.  Their app has a cool option of taking a picture with the movie you are watching as a frame so I snapped a reverse view (got figure out how to fix that) of the beer that I sneaked in:  a tasty Death Before Disco porter from Left Hand Brewing (CO).  This is the first of a variety six-pack I got from Lebanon Wine and Spirits to sneak in to movies over the next couple weeks.   

1/15 - I am not much into animated movies, but since it just recently won the Golden Globe for best animated film and I saw a great trailer for it after an IMAX film a while back, I decided to give Spider-man:  Into the Spider-verse a try at our local, all-recliners Roxy Theaters in Lebanon.  Thanks $5 Tuesdays!   I liked it and while I haven't seen all the other competition, I don't see how anything else could be as innovative and take the Oscar away from this one.   My second sneaked-in beer was a very good Bayou Milk Stout from T.W. Pitchers' Brewing (CA).   It said it was made with New Orleans coffee (hence the name), but I didn't really taste the chicory in it.

1/16 -  I was back at Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet again tonight to catch a showing of Vice. Thanks again for the savings, Sinemia.  The talented Christian Bale won the Golden Globe for his portrayal of VP, Dick Cheney, in this one, and he deserved it.  Amazing transformation.  I could see him take home the Oscar as well.  My conservative friend, Casey, went with me and I don't think he liked the film as much as I did.  LOL!   My third sneaked-in beer was really good also.  It was the Hop Bullet Double IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing (CA).

It qualifies for a badge even if you sneak them in I guess! 

1/17 -  I was back in my "old-new" seat tonight at Bridgestone Arena to see the Nashville Predators vs. the  Winnipeg Jets as they vied for 1st place in the NHL Western Central Conference.  That did not go well.  In maybe the worst outing I have ever seen them play in live, the boys got drubbed 5-1 and were never even in the game.  On the bright side, before the game, I went by M.L. Rose - Capitol View for a delicious meal, some good beer (and a free parking space) and then Ubered over to the game with my pal, Wayne.   While at ML Rose I had an excellent BS IPA from Half Batch Brewing just up the road in Hendersonville.  Next up was the boozy, and tasty, libation called The Baroness - Bourbon Barrel Stout (The Tempest Series) from Fat Bottom Brewing here in Nashville.  At the game that is not to be mentioned again, I had a pint can of Honey Brown Lager from Dundee Ale and Lagers (NY).  This one's been around a long time and I have seen it for sale in supermarkets, gas stations and such for years, so I was surprised Dundee is still considered a microbrewery by UNTAPPD.  It was as decent as remember it being years ago when I had for the first time. 

1/18 -  I took a half day off today and after dropping Ashlee off at the airport for yet another trip, I headed north to Hendersonville for a quick stop at Half Batch Brewing.  The place was quiet and I was the only one at the bar for a while  where I had their outstanding Only at Night imperial stout.  I followed that with a pint of their decent Queen Six red ale.  I was in H-ville to check out the new flick, Glass, in IMAX with my pal, Wayne at the Streets of Indian Lake Theaters.  Before the show we had dinner (and I had a few more beers, of course) at the always-great Growler USA.  I started with a tremendous Stone Tropic of Thunder Lager.  It had pepper, it had hops and it was a lager?  Stone Brewing, you continue to amaze me and remain my favorite craft brewery of them all, you magnificent California bastards!!   The Barrel-Aged Neapolitan Milk Stout from Saugatuck Brewing (MI) that I finished up with was excellent also.  The movie was good, maybe a bit underwhelming in my opinion, but an interesting trilogy closer nonetheless.

1/19 - I had a busy (and fun) Saturday planned today, but weather wrecked some of those plans.  Despite the driving rain, I had my first-ever visit to Asgard Brewing in Columbia, TN.  This let's me check off another regional brewery from the list.  There are very few around Nashville now that I have not visited.  Asgard is relatively small, but pretty cool.  It looks like they may be expanding to another building across the street (photo above).  I really thought Columbia was a nice town from what I could see through the raindrops.  I am not over this way a lot, but if I get another chance I sure will take it.  The number of guest-taps they had was surprising and a little overwhelming, I had a ordered a Chili Coffee Amber ale from Scratch Brewing (IL) before I realized it was not theirs.  I liked it and it was interesting combo of coffee up front with a pepper linger.  

I gathered myself and actually ordered one of Asgard's beers next: the fantastically smooth and creamy Draugr stout (on nitro).  I would have liked to have tried something else, but with the rain and a looming appointment for an oil change for our Subaru (the reason I was over this way), I had to run.  I love their logo and Viking theme here at Asgard.  Keep up the good work!  

Only 10 Russian Imperials?  I must be slippin'....

I finished the day with a viewing of Destroyer at the Belcourt Theaters in Nashville.  I was excited and interested to see the glamorous Nicole Kidman roughened up as a gritty LA cop.  I thought it might be an Oscar-worthy performance worth seeing before the nominations are announced next week.  It was a strong performance, but nothing to write home about.  (Editor's note:  The Oscar voters agreed with no nomination for Kidman for this portrayal.)

1/20 - After a frustrating day of  icy cold weather, bad NFL football playoffs watching TV where neither of my teams won, and unsuccessful online poker, I had to get out of the house and headed to Mt. Juliet for a late showing of the new Transformers yarn, Bumblebee.  I thought it was pretty well done and sure beat the previous sequels that have sucked out loud.  I was able to sneak in another beer from my variety pack and the Barrel-Aged 4Beans imperial porter from Sixpoint Brewing (NY), who are one of my favorite canned brewers, was a great BumbleBEER...yep, came up with that one on my on!  

1/21 - I had the day off, (thank you for your efforts, Dr. King), and the weather was cold and crappy, so I decided to sandwich a visit to the gastro--pub Catch 22, in Mt. Juliet with a couple more movies.  I started with a noon showing of the amazing documentary, Free Solo early at Opry Mills.  This was my last of three Sinemia pre-paid movies for this month.  No complaints so far with this service  The rope-free solo climb of Alex Honnold up the 3,000' of El Captain's sheer granite face in Yosemite National Park has never been done before and is easily one of the greatest achievements this decade, yet nobody really knows about it, although I was happy to see I wasn't the only one in the theater for this early showing of a documentary that's been out for a while.  (Editors note:  The film has brought in over $5 million dollars at the box office which is a very strong for a documentary and I was thrilled to see it earn an Oscar nomination also.) 

I dropped by the aforementioned Catch 22 Gastro-pub in Mt. Juliet for a late lunch (awesome jerk-rubbed shrimp street tacos) and a couple of brews.  I started with The Grievance milk stout from East Nashville Beer Works which was light and sweet.  I finished with a hoppy-as-hell (make that hoppy-as-heaven) DDH Mixed Greens XXXI (31) IPA from my favorite Nashville craft brewer, Southern Grist.  I thought it was appropriate that the lacing in the glass (photo above) created a snowy mountain peak to remind me of the documentary I just saw. This one's for you, Alex.  Cheers!!  

Next up, I met my friend from work, Casey, to catch a special Fathom Events showing of another documentary called They Shall Not Grow Old at the Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet.  I have been trying to see this film for a while now.  What is most unique about this film is that Peter Jackson (of  the Lord of the Rings film trilogy fame) was given the daunting task of taking 100 hours of 100-year-old film footage from WWI and make it "interesting."  Well, by God, he did it!  He and his team not only cleaned up the film and colorized it, but they also added sound and voices to match the footage.  Amazing!   Just as interesting was after the film when Jackson talked about the process and the brain-storming they had to do to come up with the amazing result.  

I had a few minutes to kill before meeting Casey for the movie, so I stopped by Beer World 

in Mt. Juliet and grabbed a 3-beer variety pack, one of which I sneaked into the movie. 

 It was the Bluprint IPA from Birds Fly South Ale Project (SC).  The can was beautiful 

on the outside and the beer was excellent on the inside!

1/22 - I had a date tonight while Ashlee was away.  Calm down, it wasn't that kind of date.  In fact, it's what Ashlee called a "Nate-Date."  My beer-loving pal, Nate, and I attended a 5-Course Beer Dinner hosted by the new restaurant in the basement of the fancy Noelle Hotel in downtown Nashville called Makeready Libations and Liberation featuring brews from East Nashville's own Smith and Lentz Brewing. 

The evening started with appetizers that included some tasty house-made pimento cheese, and a special cocktail made with gin and Smith and Lentz's Golden Ale.  Head chef Matt Clement and his talented team then rolled out five delicious courses along with accompanying Smith and Lentz brews that went as follows:

Course 1 - A tasty winter salad that included bourbon-marinated shallots paired with the Smith and Lentz German Pils (I have had this solid pilsner before)

Course 2 - An interesting and very flavorful combo of scallops and pistachios paired with S and L's Wow, Lou IPA (photo below, this was my favorite course).

Course 3 - A flavorful celery root pierogi paired with S and L's Vienna Lager (which I have had before) 

Course 4 - Roasted squab (with talon still attached!) paired with S and L's RhineOverture imperial oatmeal stout (this was my favorite beer of the evening)

Course 5 - Banana brulee' with mascarpone ice cream surprisingly paired with S and L's Hefeweizen (this was my favorite pairing of the evening)

What a fun and flavorful evening!  The place was packed thanks to a very reasonable price.  An announcement that they would be doing these beer dinners once a month with other local breweries makes me think this won't be the last one of these I attend!  

1/24 - I headed down to Murfressboro after work today to check out the new Hop Springs Beer Park, a large multi-use facility that is also a "super-brewery" featuring products from three locals: Steel Barrel Brewing, Mantra Ales and the Humulus Project. It's also tied to MTSU which recently began offering beer brewing as a major. Their taproom just recently opened, so I had to check it out since it's on  the east side aka "my side" of busy Murfreesboro.    Even though it was dark by the time I arrived, I could tell this place is going to be something special.  With plans for a large amphitheater for music, a disc golf course and beer product crop-growing such as hops, barley and wheat, this place should become a national craft beer destination in the years to come.  Since I had to drive afterwards, I limited my self to three 8-ounce pours: one from each of the three brewers.  I started with a tasty stout from Steel Barrel Brewing called Derrick.  Unfortunately, my next two weren't superb, but I have had good stuff from both of these brewers in the past.  The HopSteiner IPA from the Humulus Project tasted a little soapy to me.  The Edtima Honig Hafer brown ale was pretty lifeless in terms of any taste.  Despite these two so-so tries, I feel good about this place and its future and I am sure I will return in the future.  

There's probably not a more beautiful lady in Hollywood right now, IMO, but Margot Robbie can act too.  To see her all powdered up as the pox-scarred Queen Elizabeth I in the new film, Mary, Queen of Scots (which got an Oscar nomination for make-up, and a SAG nomination for her) was a bit unnerving.  I checked out this slow, but interesting, film on the other end of Murfreesboro at the AMC theaters after my visit to Hop Springs.    

1/25 - I headed downtown after work today and stopped by City Tap for a couple brews and dinner.   The Korean short rib tacos were excellent.  I started with a really nice Nate's Coffee Stout from Country Boy Brewing (KY) and then just about a perfect IPA called Hop'Easter from Starr Hill Brewing (VA).  It was a beautiful clear, but cold, night in Music City and Broadway was jumping as usual.

Next, I walked around the corner to the HQ  Beercade (love their wall of old computer disks in the photo above) for another pint and some free vintage arcade games.  I had another strong IPA called Luau Krunkles from Terrapin Brewing (GA), but I was disappointed that my favorite game, Galaga, was not there anymore.  This fact will seriously affect my attendance here in the future!  Get this fixed!

 Finally I slipped around another corner to catch a free show from Guthrie Brown at Acme Feed and Seed.   Haven't seen him live since way back in '14 as an opener with his band, The Family Tree.  He didn't play any of his original songs that I know and like, but his cover game was incredibly strong..  For example ,"Midnight Rider" by the ABB was definitely given its due justice.

Level 2?  This must be a new badge category because I haven't definitely darkened the door of more than 10 pubs!

1/26 - I headed to Cookeville today to get our Honda Accord serviced at the dealership there.  They are the best!   After the quick service, and since I was in the area, I went east another few miles to check out the amazing overlook at Bee Rock in Monterey.  It is almost unbelievable that a view like this is just a mile off the interstate and a half-mile walk from a parking lot.  Can't wait to come back here in the fall!

After my Bee Rock visit, I stopped back in Cookeville for a beer (of course) at Red Silo Brewing.  The place was jumping despite it being early with two different organized groups meeting there.  I had there decent Dad Bod IPA followed by a really good Strong Handyman imperial winter ale.  I walked some of those beers of next over at the fairly new Window Cliffs State Natural Area.  I haven't been here in about 25 years when my best friend, Craig, and I explored it when it was still private land.  I didn't have the footwear to endure the nine creek crossings you have to take to see the cliffs, but I will be back to do so when I get the chance. 

Before leaving Cookeville, I stopped by Jig Head Brewing, watched a little college basketball, and had a  really good spiced beer called Anne Bonny's Loot.  It still boggles my mind that such a small town as Cookeville could have three really strong breweries.  I didn't make it to Hix Farm Brewing today, but I will on my next visit.

Speaking of college basketball, it's a strange time for me as my favorite team growing up, the Tennessee Vols, and my favorite adopted team from the mid-80's on (out of frustration of being a UT fan and the program going nowhere at the time), the Duke Blue Devils, being ranked 1st and 2nd in the Top 25.  By the way, they both won today, handily, bringing their wins to 18 each.  It would be a dream come true to see them square off for the National Championship in March!

Before getting home from Cookeville, I stopped by the small town of Carthage to check out Ebel's Tavern.  I had heard this place had craft beer and good food for a while now and have been meaning to check it out when I got the chance.  Today, I got that chance!  With only 6 taps, I had actually had everything they offered, but gave some more love to Cookeville with a pint of the nice Jig Head Brewing porter called 48 Fathom.  Their food was good.  I had a tasty spicy Philly cheesesteak.  It's always nice to see small towns in the Bible Belt embracing craft beer.  

1/28 - Ashlee was FINALLY back today (only to be gone again tomorrow for work) and we met her old co-worker and friend, Michelle, and her fiancee', Adam, who were in Nashville for the weekend.  They chose the rooftop bar called The Lookout in the new Blake Shelton-owned honky tonk, Ole Red.  The food was decent and they even had a nice beer list.  I had a pretty good Obsidian dark saison from Fat Bottom Brewing here in Nashville.  I took this cool cloud reflection picture above from the rooftop overlook which shows what a beautiful day it was.  

I got off the online poker snide also tonight with a solid 2nd place finish in a $3 buy-in with unlimited rebuys and an add-on vs. 120 other players for a $120+ profit on Global Poker.  

1/29 - I slipped out of work early today to attend a taping of the  radio/pod-cast, Hangin' and Sangin' with Kelly McCartney at Analog inside the Hutton Hotel in downtown Nashville.  Today's podcast was featuring one of my favorite local artists, Will Hoge.    

Will performed four acoustic songs after his half-hour interview that were fantastic.  The venue located inside the swanky hotel was small but beautiful with great acoustics.

The bar was open at Analog so I was able to have a  good craft beer during the show as well.  I chose the Front Row golden ale from Starr Hill Brewing (VA) which I have checked in before on UNTAPPD at another music show here in Nashville last year.  I liked the badge I got for checking it in (photo above) and was surprised I have checked in beers at 40 different hotels.  

After the show I needed to kill some time and let rush hour peter out before heading home, so I walked a couple blocks over to the Midtown location of Broadway Brewhouse for a few beers and some dinner.  I have actually never been to this locale despite it being around forever.  They allow smoking inside (yuck) which just about made me leave, but the beer list is AMAZING, so I toughed it out.  I started with an excellent Hawkbill IPA from Burial Beer Company (Asheville, NC).  Next up was a delicious Chapel Hill Toffee Stout from Carolina Brewery (Pittsboro, NC)  that I  really enjoyed despite the name and me being a Duke fan.  My chicken tacos were pretty good for dinner, and afterward I finished the evening with an OK Brown Bear brown ale from Catawba Island Brewing (OH).  This was my first beer from this microbrewery and earned me another badge (shown above) checking in my 220th different brewer.   Sounds impressive, but since there are over 6,300 in just the U.S., I've got a ways to go!!

1/30 - After some internal debate, I decided to go check out the much-ballyhooed film, The Favourite, since it's gotten a ton of nominations for the upcoming Oscars.  Period pieces aren't my "favourite" kind of movie, but this one has a lot going for it including the fact that the beautiful and talented Rachel Weisz is in it, and I have always had a thing for her.  I saw it at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!) where I was able to sneak in a beer.  I had a pint can of  Retitiled Pils, a German-style pilsner from Against the Grain Brewing (KY) that wasn't too bad.  I can't say the same for the movie.  I honestly didn't like it much at all.  I thought it was a snooze and the performances were a little over the top and trying too hard.  Rachel was the best, of course.  To each his own, I guess.

The "ugly" truth in advertising...