Over the holidays, the New York Times published a feature on the future of DC Films, which includes plans to release four theatrical films based on DC Comics characters every year starting in 2022. While those ambitious plans also promise two additional films will be released exclusively on HBO Max, the report did not bode well for fans hoping to see more of Zack Snyder‘s vision for the DC Extended Universe.
WarnerMedia has invested heavily in bringing Snyder’s director’s cut of Justice League (a.k.a. The Snyder Cut) to HBO Max as a four part miniseries, leading fans to believe that Snyder could return to the DC Films fold and continue telling the epic story he started going all the way back to Man of Steel. The NYT report, however, contained the following passage that’s attributed to Warner Bros. executives:
At least for now, Mr. Snyder is not part of the new DC Films blueprint, with studio executives describing his HBO Max project as a storytelling cul-de-sac — a street that leads nowhere.
Those are ominous words for Snyder fans, who were hoping Justice League would open the door for more stories set in the “SnyderVerse.” (#RestoreTheSnyderVerse began trending not long after the NYT report.) But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, according to Kevin Smith. On the recent episode of his Fatman Beyond podcast, he claims the ending Justice League does set up future stories for Snyder’s version of the DCEU. Via Heroic Hollywood:
“I happen to know that the ending that he’s got for the Snyder Cut is very not a cul-de-sac… it takes it to a weird neighborhood, but it’s not a cul-de-sac. You can keep f***ing going with the story based on what I’ve heard from a friend.”
Whether those stories see the light of day as live-action films, animated features, or comic books will hinge on the success of the Snyder Cut when it finally arrives on HBO Max later this year.
Most of the targets in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm — the QAnon conspiracy theorists, the alt-right March for Our Rights rally attendees, Rudy Giuliani — deserved to get duped, but not Jeanise Jones. The kind-hearted babysitter looked after Borat’s teenage daughter Tutar, played by legit Oscar contender Maria Bakalova, while her dad (Sacha Baron Cohen) worked at a barbershop to make enough money to pay for her breast enhancement surgery in order to give her away to the president’s attorney. We’ve all been there. Anyway, Jones, an all-around decent person who teaches Tutar that women can drive cars and that she should use her brain because “your daddy is a liar,” felt “betrayed” by Borat and Tutar not being real, but she and Bakalova have since reunited.
“Jeanise is a true angel. I will probably always think of her as my godmother, a real hero, and life coach. She just wanted to help this girl become a strong woman. We had a real human connection from the very first day we met,” the actress told the Los Angeles Times. “I called her on Thanksgiving: It was my first American Thanksgiving and was also my best. I was so happy to talk to her that I started to cry. When we were shooting, it was very hard for me, because I wanted to tell her not to worry about me. She is a really good example of how important it is to be a good person and care about others.”
A GoFundMe in Jones’ name has raised over $180,000 since Borat Subsequent Moviefilm was released, including a $100,000 donation from Baron Cohen himself. Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani started oozing and got COVID.
I employ a babysitter in US&A, but since I did not have a baby for her to sit on, instead she take care of my daughter pic.twitter.com/LMmP9jazuc
2020 is over. And while you’ve surely got a few half-full bourbon bottles on your shelf, it’s time to look forward to the new expressions coming down the pike in 2021. Generally speaking, you can expect brands to start dropping their new bottles now — with big releases landing in the spring, summer, and fall.
While most of the big-name bottles tend to arrive in mid-to-late fall, during awards season and in anticipation of the holiday drinking and gift-giving, there are some great bourbons getting released between now and October. We’re talking literally hundreds of drops, from the biggest names to the smallest craft distillers.
To mark the start of the year, we’re highlighting the scheduled bourbon releases that have us the most excited for 2021. While we’re sure to be a little light on the indie drops, we’re fully committed to covering small brands making big noise in the new year. Let’s dive in!
This expression is part of a new three-bottle roll out from Barton 1792 (Sazerac Company). Each of the bottles has its own special finishing cask: Port, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay.
Why we’re excited:
Among these three releases, the Port Cask Finished expression has piqued our interest the most going into 2020 for two reasons. One, Port cask finished bourbons are generally very delicious. Two, we already tried this one and it’s a solid first entry for the new line (our full review of the line will be featured on @UproxxLife’s Expression Session this year).
Yellowstone 2021 Limited Edition
Yellowstone
ABV: 50.5% MSRP: $150 Estimated Release: August
The Whiskey:
Limestone Branch Distillery (Luxco) drops this much-beloved bottle of bourbon every summer in very small quantities. The juice tends to include special barrels with unique finishing casks in very small batches to highlight the prowess of Limestone Branch out in Lebanon, Kentucky.
Why we’re excited:
Last year’s release was aged for seven years and then finished in Armagnac barrels (cognac’s French cousin). Whatever this year’s release holds, it’ll be an expertly crafted and unique bottle of bourbon worth giving a shot (if you can find it).
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A Batch, B Batch, and C Batch
Heaven Hill
ABV: Varies MSRP: $60/each Estimated Release: Winter, summer, and fall 2021
The Whiskey:
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (Heaven Hill) is a damn fine bottle of bourbon that you can still get at a fairly affordable price (though it’s starting to reach above it’s MSRP in some places). Still, this is a multi-award winning bourbon that’s often called out as a very underrated bottle of booze to have on hand.
Why we’re excited:
The beauty of these three releases is that you can test and compare the difference between each batch and find one that suits your palate. That being said, these batches will not vary wildly, but you should be able to find the nuance of the barrels in each.
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep
Wild Turkey
ABV: Varies MSRP: $175 Estimated Release: June
The Whiskey:
The Master’s Keep line from Wild Turkey (Campari) is always a home run in a bottle. Last year’s Bottled-in-Bond was a masterpiece in a bottle and really highlighted the beauty of Eddie Russell’s dep understanding of bourbon.
Why we’re excited:
These are often seen as showpiece bottles. But the juice inside tends to be almost too drinkable, making these hard to keep on the shelf. Still, since it’s Wild Turkey, you should be able to find these for little to no mark up when they drop.
Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond
Heaven Hill
ABV: 50% MSRP: $140 Estimated Release: March and October
The Whiskey:
Ah, Old Fitzgerald (Heaven Hill)… Their yearly Bottled-in-Bond releases have become some of the most sought-after drops throughout the year. One, the bottles themselves are awesome and serve as a decanter long after the juice is gone. Two, the whiskey tends to be some of the best from Heaven Hill’s wide array of spirits.
Why we’re excited:
Unfortunately, you’re not going to find this bottle easily or anywhere near its MSRP. Expect to pay at least double if you do happen upon a bottle. You can decide for yourself if it’s worth it (it is, at least once in a lifetime).
Colonel E.H. Taylor Limited Release
Buffalo Trace
ABV: Varies MSRP: $70 Estimated Release: June
The Whiskey:
The yearly E.H. Taylor release from Buffalo Trace (Sazerac) is always a defining bottle for the bespoke line. Last year’s drop was their 18-year Marriage which was, well, a marriage of high-rye bourbons with a wheated bourbon (BT makes both Weller and Pappy on-site). That bottle now retails at $3,000.
Bottom Line:
This is going to be another of those bottles that’ll be really hard to find given the very limited amount that actually goes out. Still, if you can find one, it’ll be worth getting at least a taste of some seriously well-crafted whiskey (just maybe at a little closer to MSRP than $3,000).
Four Roses 2021 Limited Edition Small Batch
Four Roses
ABV: Varies MSRP: $150 Estimated Release: September
The Whiskey:
Four Roses (Kirin Brewery) drops a Limited Edition Small Batch every year that really does hit a high watermark for the brand and bourbon in general. The whiskey is a one-off marriage of their best barrels from the ten mash bills (recipes) Four Roses uses to make all their expressions. It’s the finite and complete view of what they do at Four Roses in a single bottle.
Why we’re excited:
Generally, you’ll need to get these bottles through a ticketing system at the distillery. The beauty of that system is that you can snag these at MSRP. If you’re not in Kentucky (or nearby), expect to pay as much as two to three times more for the bottle.
Larceny Barrel Proof Batch A, B, and C
Heaven Hill
ABV: Varies MSRP: $50/each Estimated Release: Winter, summer, and fall 2021
The Whiskey:
Larceny Barrel Proof (Heaven Hill) ended 2020 strong by getting the top honor of “Whisky of the Year” over at Whisky Advocate. That’s a hell of an honor for the wheated bourbon. A big part of that lauding is due to the craft behind the bottle. Another big part is the growing adoration for wheated (instead of high-rye) bourbons.
Why we’re excited:
Whether you’re riding the bandwagon of wheated bourbons or have been on that wagon for decades, this is a solid bottle of booze. It’s also still accessible. You can grab last year’s bottle for around $70, not thousands of dollars. That will change as Heaven Hill continues to rack up awards and love from whiskey drinkers around the world.
Buffalo Trace Antique Collection
Buffalo Trace
ABV: Varies MSRP: $69-$99/each Estimated Release: September
The Whiskey:
BTAC (Sazerac) is one of the biggest drops in the bourbon year — second only to the Pappy drop in November. This year will see the new Eagle Rare 17, George T. Stagg, Sazerac 18, Thomas H. Handy, and William Larue Weller bottles. If last year’s drops are any indication, they’ll be a highwater mark for both bourbon and rye whiskey and very much sought after.
Why we’re excited:
This is another tough one as these bottles are extremely limited and, therefore, very expensive on the secondary market. That being said, it’s always fun to see how these bottles grow and develop year by year and 2021 should be another stellar outing.
Barrell Bourbon New Year 2022
Barrell Bourbon
ABV: Varies MSRP: $90 Estimated Release: November
The Whiskey:
Barrell Bourbon is one of the most interesting blenders working in Kentucky today. Their end-of-the-year drop is always a bit of a celebration of American bourbon as a whole. Last year’s drop — New Year 2021 — had a blend of five, nine, ten, and eleven-year-old bourbons from (takes a deep breath) Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, New York, Texas, Wyoming, and Colorado.
Bottom Line:
At the very least, this will be an interesting bottle of bourbon that won’t be like anything else you try all year. That’s a good (and necessary) thing in our estimation. We’re looking forward to seeing what Barrell does next.
Over the years, multiple groups have felt that they haven’t been properly represented in the annual lists of Grammy Award nominations. On the 2021 list, for example, some thought the rap categories should have featured more women. There’s an apparent disparity in the Best Children’s Album as well, and some of the nominees are so bothered by it that they don’t want to be nominated at all.
A group of artists whose works are up for contention this year — Alastair Moock and Anand Nayak of Alastair Moock And Friends; Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing of The Okee Dokee Brothers; and Dean Jones, John Hughes, and Chris Cullo of Dog On Fleas — penned an open letter to the Recording Academy in December. In it, they requested that their “names be removed from final round ballots.”
Some of those nominees spoke about the situation on NPR this morning, with Mailander saying, “We thought that it was the strongest thing we could do, to stand with people of color whose albums are too often left out of the Grammy nominations. This is not just white guys with guitars playing for kids. We want to welcome all different types of music to this community.”
In the letter, the artists describe what they see as a trend of non-white artists being excluded from the Best Children’s Album nominations. The message notes:
“After a week of soul searching, discussions with our black, brown, and white peers, and consultations with our families, we, the undersigned nominees in this category have come to the conclusion that it’s in the best interest of our genre for us to decline our nominations. We respectfully ask that our names be removed from final round ballots.
We are deeply grateful to the Recording Academy and its voting members for the honor we’ve received, but we can’t in good conscience benefit from a process that has — both this year and historically — so overlooked women, performers of color, and most especially black performers.”
Read the full letter below.
“To the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences,
After a week of soul searching, discussions with our black, brown, and white peers, and consultations with our families, we, the undersigned nominees in this category have come to the conclusion that it’s in the best interest of our genre for us to decline our nominations. We respectfully ask that our names be removed from final round ballots.
We are deeply grateful to the Recording Academy and its voting members for the honor we’ve received, but we can’t in good conscience benefit from a process that has — both this year and historically — so overlooked women, performers of color, and most especially black performers.
Unfortunately, this year’s slate of all white nominees, only one of whom is female, is not an aberration for children’s music. In the past 10 years, only about 6% of nominated acts have been black led or co-led, another 8% or so have been non-black POC-led, and around 30% have been female-led. These numbers would be disappointing in any category, but — in a genre whose performers are uniquely tasked with modeling fairness, kindness, and inclusion; in a country where more than half of all children are non-white; and after a year of national reckoning around race and gender — the numbers are unacceptable.
We take full responsibility for putting ourselves in the position we’re in. We chose to submit and distribute our albums to voters, even as we were aware of this category’s past history of exclusion. We thought that this year — after recent national events, all the hard work of the Family Music Forward racial justice collective to bring attention to issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in our genre, and changes within the Academy itself designed to reduce bias — we might see a different outcome. We didn’t, and the results are frankly an embarrassment for the field of children’s music.
We know that there are proposed changes already being discussed for this category — due, at least in part, to the vocal efforts of Family Music Forward in bringing attention to this year’s results. If there’s a role for us to play in helping to create positive change in this category going forward, we’d like to be a part of that work. But we also recognize that changes going forward can’t alter the outcome of this or past years’ nominations.
We know that declining our nominations runs the risk of centering ourselves even further in this conversation. We’re prepared for that criticism if it means helping to bring attention to the problem. And, in order to make sure this story is told in a well-rounded way and not purely through a white lens, we commit to including black and brown leadership from our genre in any future press interviews that may arise from our nominations, or our declining of them.
We’re hopeful that our statement today can be a small part of helping to heal some of the pain and anger amongst our peers, and that it will help bring us closer as a community. We don’t pretend to have the answers, but we want to be part of the solution. We feel sure that, if we work together in the coming months and years, we can arrive at a better place for children’s music — one that better serves all performers and families.
Sincerely,
Alastair Moock & Anand Nayak (Alastair Moock and Friends)
Joe Mailander & Justin Lansing (The Okee Dokee Brothers)
Dean Jones, John Hughes, Chris Cullo (Dog on Fleas).”
Yesterday, the Okee Dokee Brothers, Dog on Fleas and I wrote the attached to the Recording Academy respectfully declining our nominations + asking for our names to be removed from the final ballot. We haven’t heard back – regardless, we ask voters to please not vote for us. pic.twitter.com/jFc0c2sWEg
Nicki Minaj is being sued for over $200 million over her song “Rich Sex” according to TMZ. Queens rapper Brinx Billions claims to have been the sole writer of the song, which appeared on Nicki’s 2018 album Queen. Brinx says he played Nicki his version of the song in 2016, that the more famous rapper expressed interest in the “extremely marketable” song, then put it on the album. However, Billions — real name Jawara Headley — is listed as a writer on the song according to ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers).
Billions says that he first met Minaj in 2007 via MySpace and is demanding $200 million from Nicki and her labels, Cash Money, Young Money, and Universal Music Group. It’s possible that he feels he’s owed a higher percentage of the royalties he’s already received — or, as with so many other Cash Money collaborators, royalties that he was never paid. Unfortunately for Nicki, the label’s head Birdman has a longstanding reputation of withholding royalties from even his own artists, including Drake and Lil Wayne. In 2016, David Banner was awarded $160,000 in unpaid royalties after winning a judgment against Young Money, a subsidiary of Cash Money, while in 2019, Cash Money was forced to settle a lawsuit with Toronto star Drake’s old managers over missing money.
Ultimately, it doesn’t seem likely Brinx will get as much as he’s looking for — the song peaked at No. 56 on the Hot 100 and has probably not generated enough streaming revenue to warrant such an exorbitant price, but the rapper may just be looking for his own settlement for whatever royalties he feels he hasn’t received. Meanwhile, Nicki appears to be preparing to release new music soon after taking a few years “off” to support her new son.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an intricately planned affair with several years of films plotted out at any given moment. That fine tuning obviously got thrown off track in 2020, since Black Widow meant to officially launch the MCU’s Phase Four (post-Infinity Saga) era, and instead, that honor’s going to the first Disney+ series, WandaVision. How everything will all shake out and affect the overall timeline of movies still remains to be seen, but for now, this new TV spot — and it’s really, really nice to see Marvel TV spots again, isn’t it? — officially signals the “new era,” by literally titling itself as “Signal.”
The new era is Phase Four, and prepare for things to get funky and weird and outside the normal confines of superhero-framed reality. This is alright, yes? Series director Matt Shakman told SFX Magazine that launching the phase is “an honour” and “terrifying” and “surreal, like everything else.” Yep, the world’s incredibly surreal (and terrifying) now.
Of course, we will eventually see Black Widow (and The Eternals and Shang-Chi and so on), but for now, the Disney+ series is keeping the MCU train going. As we’ve already seen, this limited series will give viewers 1950s-set sitcom vibes that feel like an homage to The Dick Van Dyke Show, but within the larger story, the superhero lovers are attempting to conjure up a picture-perfect home life. From the looks of footage and trailers so far, it sure looks like reality will start to collapse, and we’ve seen hints about not only Vision’s anatomy but also the couple’s baby twins, which may or may not exist and may lead to realizations that aren’t as pretty as the sitcom setup would have people believe. From the show’s synopsis:
The series is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision — two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives — begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.
First, a little clarity on this dark brew: A stout — which is often pitch-black in color — is brewed with roasted barley, hops, yeast, and water. They’re typically high in ABVs, usually in the 7-8% range (hence all the “warming” references). They’re also diverse. Within the overarching style, there are various types of stouts — Irish dry, milk stout, oatmeal stout, oyster stout, chocolate stout, imperial stout, and the newly minted, highly beloved barrel-aged stout (usually bourbon barrel-aged).
Today, we’re ranking the thirty best stout beers to drink this winter. It should be noted that this list is made up of beers we actually tried. So don’t come at us with angry emojis because your favorite oatmeal cookie stout from a beloved local brewery in Scottsdale wasn’t included. It’s a pandemic and we can’t be everywhere. Also, we tried not to include too many limited-edition beers — because why would you want to read about a beer you’re never going to get a chance to try? Other than that, taste and taste alone was the key factor here.
When it comes to milk stouts, there’s a reason Duck Rabbit is one of the most popular. This traditional milk stout was brewed with lactose (also known as milk sugar). This gives the beer a sweet, creamy flavor (and mouthfeel) that melds perfectly with the roasted malts.
Tasting Notes:
After the first sip, you’ll notice a large amount of rich, roasted malt flavor that delves into sugary, creamy sweetness from the lactose. It’s a great mix of bitter and sweet flavors without overloading the alcohol content.
Bottom Line:
Duck Rabbit Milk Stout is the brewery’s number one seller and for good reason. For fans of stouts, it’s a great break from high ABV barrel-aged beers without giving up any roasted, malty flavor.
One of Deschutes Brewery’s most popular beers, Obsidian Stout is made with 2 Row, Roasted Barley, Chocolate Malt, Carapils, Munich, Crystal malts as well as Delta and Northern Brewer hops.
Tasting Notes:
The result is a rich, robust, somehow easy to drink stout with hints of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, and just a hint of caramel sweetness.
Bottom Line:
In a world of overly heavy stouts, this is a nice respite that still has enough oomph to warm you up until spring.
This beloved beer is touted as a “West Coast-style” stout, whatever that means. One of Sierra Nevada’s oldest beers, this multiple award-winner is made in the traditional dry stout style. It’s filled with roasted malts, giving it hints of bitter chocolate.
Tasting Notes:
This dark, rich, subtly bitter stout is full of roasted malt, sweet chocolate, bold coffee flavors with a nice, dry finish.
Bottom Line:
This beer isn’t bourbon barreled and doesn’t contain any random chili peppers or similar flourishes. It’s simple, rich, and perfect for winter drinking.
For some reason, the oatmeal stout style lost favor sometime around World War I until it was brought back by Samuel Smith in 1980. Since then, this style has gained in popularity, with the original still considered the best.
Tasting Notes:
This velvety, rich stout is filled with flavors of semi-sweet chocolate, roasted coffee, and subtle dried fruits.
Bottom Line:
If you’re going to try an oatmeal stout, make sure you’ve sipped a Samuel Smith’s oatmeal stout first. It’s always best to compare against the GOAT, right?
While Guinness is undeniably Ireland’s stout, Left Hand touts its Milk Stout as “America’s Stout.” Whether that’s true or not, this beer is a winner. It’s brewed with lactose as well as 2-Row, Crystal, Chocolate, and Munich malts, rolled oats, flaked barley, and roasted barley to give it a well-rounded flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
This nitro brewed stout is filled with flavors of slow-roasted coffee beans, sweet chocolate, vanilla, caramelized sugar that’s all amped up by the addition of nitro bubbles.
Bottom Line:
You can grab a bottle of the regular Left Hand Milk Stout, but why would you when you can have the Nitro version instead?
This award-winning stout is the epitome of chocolate in a pint glass. Made with rolled oats, roasted barley, chocolate, and a whole slew of malts and hops, this beer is a complex chocolate bomb.
Tasting Notes:
This dark, creamy brew is filled with sweet oatmeal flavor that moves into a bitter dark chocolate, subtle hops, and finally rich, creamy milk chocolate.
Bottom Line:
This is like the grown-up version of chocolate milk. It’s so sweet and velvety that you just might want to throw on some cartoons, kick your feet up, and pretend you’re living some kind of modern-day Big scenario.
This unique stout gets its base from pale malt as well as caramel malt from Chile. They add English roasted barley and dark chocolate malt to make very dessert-like chocolate and pastry-filled stout.
Tasting Notes:
This beer is chocolate through and through. But unlike many stouts on the market, it gets a nice kick of bitterness from the addition of Centennial and Cascade hops before fermentation and getting dry-hopped with Centennial and Chinook hops afterward.
It’s creamy, chocolatey, and has a nice backbone of pine and citrus.
Bottom Line:
This is the stout for hop fans. If you’re tired of overly roasted, chocolate-centric beers with no bite, this is the stout for you.
When many people think of stouts, their mind tends to immediately take them to the Emerald Isle and a pint of Guinness Draught. This dry, Irish stout is the original nitro beer. It’s velvety, subtly bitter, and surprisingly low in alcohol.
Tasting Notes:
At first glance, it looks dark and appears to be heavy. But it’s surprisingly smooth and light with hints of roasted barley, bitter coffee, and sweet, milk chocolate.
Bottom Line:
One of the most popular pub beers of all-time, it’s hard to beat a hand-poured Guinness. But if you’re stuck at a home, cracking open a nitro-infused can will do in a pinch.
This stout begins with roasted barley, midnight wheat, caraaroma, chocolate, oats, and 2-row malts (among other ingredients) and transforms them all into something truly spectacular after aging for three months in former whiskey barrels.
Tasting Notes:
The result of aging in whiskey barrels is a well-balanced, rich, velvety smooth stout with notes of creamy vanilla, caramel, roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, and a nice hit of whiskey.
Bottom Line:
In a world of 12% ABV barrel-aged beers, Avery Night Warden is a nice change of pace. While it’s not a session beer, it’s a great option for those looking for only a subtle buzz.
Let’s be honest, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is less a beer and more a dessert. This Russian imperial stout is filled with roasted malts and a rich, decadent chocolate flavor.
Tasting Notes:
This beer is chocolate to the max. You’d think they added alcohol to melted chocolate. It’s mouth-coating, rich, velvety, and filled with hints of roasted coffee beans and sweet fudge.
Bottom Line:
Since you’re likely buying a six-pack, enjoy the first one in a glass and then pour the second one over some ice cream (or make an ice cream float). Now that’s a boozy treat.
One of the first Russian imperial stouts to be brewed in the US, Bell’s Expedition Stout is bold, complex, and filled with roasted malts. It’s an iconic brew for a reason and one you’ll want to drink all winter long.
Tasting Notes:
This beer is filled with hints of dark, roasted coffee, rich chocolate, dried fruits, and sweet brown sugar. It also has a big malt body that stands up to all of the various potent flavors.
Bottom Line:
While this beer is 10.5% alcohol, you wouldn’t even know it. It’s rich, creamy, and sexy-smooth.
In recent years, Night Shift has been crafting high-quality, delicious brews. One of its best is its Night Fever Stout. This chocolate stout is cranked up with the addition of house-roasted coffee beans. The result is a decadent, subtly bittersweet, smooth stout.
Tasting Notes:
This beer has everything stout fans enjoy. It’s bursting with rich roasted malts, sweet caramelized sugar, dried fruits, and creamy chocolate flavors.
Bottom Line:
If you can get your hands on a few cans of this well-made brew, pour yourself a pint or two and share the rest — this is a fun one to discuss.
If you’ve ever been to Mexico, you might have been lucky enough to try Mexican hot chocolate. This spicy, warming drink gets its kick from the addition of chili powder. The folks at Stone decided to replicate that flavor in beer form and they succeeded with Xocoveza — loaded with coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chocolate.
Tasting Notes:
This surprisingly smooth, light stout is filled with hints of sweet chocolate, bitter coffee, and a nice, spicy peppery backbone that will keep you warm all winter long.
Bottom Line:
This mocha stout is perfect for fans of subtly spicy, chocolatey beverages. If you’re on the fence, give it a try. You won’t regret it.
Brewed originally to celebrate the South Carolina-based brewery’s first year, this imperial stout aged in cocoa nibs, cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, and habanero peppers is now released every year.
Tasting Notes:
This is a truly complex beer. This imperial stout starts with the rich, roasted malt flavors stout fans expect. But it quickly evolves into something special with hints of sweet vanilla, cinnamon, fudgy chocolate, and, finally, a kick of spicy pepper.
Bottom Line:
This year, instead of taking a Lactaid to enjoy a tall glass of milk with your birthday cake, pair it with a pint of Westbrook Mexican Cake instead.
Long Trail took its regular, highly rated Unearthed American Stout and matured it in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for six months. The result is a turbo-charged imperial stout that took on some of the greatest qualities of the charred cask.
Tasting Notes:
This limited-edition beer isn’t easy to come by, but if you find some bottles, you’ll be treated to sweet caramel, dark, bitter chocolate, creamy vanilla, and just the right amount of warming bourbon whiskey.
Bottom Line:
If you can find some bottles of this rare beer, save them for yourself. Don’t even tell your significant other or roommates that you got some.
No stout list is complete without North Coast Old Rasputin. Named for the infamous mystic Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, this beer is made in the 18th-century style of Russian imperial stouts. It’s become one of the most popular stouts in America and for good reason.
Tasting Notes:
Like the man himself, this beer is brash and bold. Unlike Rasputin, it’s also filled with bitter, intense coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt flavors. The sip ends with a nice warming finish that’s very unlike the end of the famous “holy man” himself.
Bottom Line:
North Coast Old Rasputin should be required winter drinking.
This bold, rich, flavorful imperial stout was brewed with a generous amount of coffee. While it seems like a gimmick, it isn’t. The addition of vanilla and almond flavor makes it taste like you’re dipping a crispy biscotti into a cup of coffee. Except that the coffee is a high ABV beer.
Tasting Notes:
Sometimes when a beer’s name gets specific with what it’s supposed to be, it doesn’t hit the target. This one does. What starts as a classic, coffee, and chocolate-filled imperial stout evolves into a symphony of almond cookies and sweet vanilla.
Bottom Line:
Instead of having an after-dinner cup of coffee that’s just going to keep you up all night, opt for a pint of Imperial Biscotti Break. This is the kind of post-dinner dessert drink we can get used to this time of year.
Sure, you can’t go wrong with a pint of Oskar Blues Ten Fidy. This 10.5% ABV stout is perfect for winter weather. But if you want to kick it up a notch, you should buy a can or two of the barrel-aged version.
Tasting Notes:
Aged for four seasons in former bourbon barrels, this imperial stout has hints of brown sugar, sweet caramel, toasted vanilla, bitter coffee beans, and deeply warming bourbon flavors.
Bottom Line:
If you’re still not sure whether or not you want to put down that bottle of bourbon this winter. Why not work your way into stouts slowly by drinking this barrel-aged stout?
Great Divide is well-known for its Yeti Imperial Stout. It’s malty, rich, and chocolatey on its own. This brew amps up the original by aging it for a minimum of 12 months in whiskey barrels to create its Barrel-Aged Yeti.
The result is mellow, complex, and well suited for cold weather.
Tasting Notes:
First, you’ll be treated to dark, roasted, rich flavors of malts before heading into sweet vanilla, charred oak, and eventually the whiskey itself with all of its warming qualities.
Bottom Line:
If you’ve tried all of the other well-known barrel-aged stouts, it’s time to grab a bottle or two of Barrel Aged Yeti. You’ll be happy you did.
There’s a reason this is one of the most popular beers ever made by Bell’s. It begins as a blend of its Expedition Stout and Double Cream Stout. Then, it’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels for months.
Tasting Note:
The result is a highly nuanced, complex brew with notes of rich dark chocolate, bitter coffee beans, dried cherries, caramelized sugar, and a nice hint of bourbon at the back end.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of stouts and whiskey, enjoying a pint or two of this special beer is the way to go. The chocolate and whiskey notes are sure to keep you coming back for more.
While you can’t go wrong with anything from Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Prairie Artisan Ales, if you’re looking for high quality, potent, flavorful stout, look no further than its iconic BOMB! This imperial stout was aged on espresso beans, vanilla beans, chocolate, and gets a spicy kick from ancho chile peppers.
Tasting Notes:
This high ABV imperial stout is filled with rich chocolate, caramel, and subtly bitter coffee bean flavors. It’s all tied together with warming ancho chile pepper heat.
Bottom Line:
If you live somewhere in the northern hemisphere where it gets really cold (like really cold), grab a bottle of BOMB! and prepare to be warmed from the inside out.
This imperial stout has a name that lives up to its bold flavor. It’s pitch black in appearance and brewed with roasted malts, hazelnuts, and bitter chocolate. The result is a well-balanced sweet, roasty stout, perfect for winter drinking.
Tasting Notes:
What begins as an extremely dark, almost fudge-like beer evolves into a cavalcade of roasted coffee, creamy chocolate, nutty sweetness, and caramelized sugar flavors.
Bottom Line:
Whether you’re religious or not, you can appreciate this beer. It’s dark, rich, sweet, and well suited for drinking while you welcome a new year.
This imperial stout is brewed with both chocolate and roasted malts to give it a slightly bitter, robust, chocolate-filled backbone. The addition of locally-roasted coffee brings it to a new level of flavor magic.
Tasting Notes:
The coffee flavor is prevalent right away and that’s not such a bad thing. This is followed by dark chocolate, sweet caramel, and rich vanilla notes.
Bottom Line:
For stout fans who enjoy warming, high ABV stouts without the addition of barrel-aging and the flavors associated with that, this is the beer for you.
You’ve seen the words “bourbon barrel” mentioned a ridiculous number of times on this page. But Deschutes decided to try something different with its 2019 release. It was aged in ex-Port wine barrels.
Tasting Notes:
The result is a unique imperial stout with hints of raw sugar, licorice candy, dark chocolate, sweet, dried fruits, and rich, roasted malts.
Bottom Line:
This is a different kind of barrel-aged beer and it should be treated as such. Savor this because it might never happen again.
Lagunitas collaborated with Kentucky’s Willet Distillery to make this one-of-a-kind coffee stout. They took their imperial stout in ex-bourbon barrels from the famed distillery and let them sit for months to broaden the flavors.
Tasting Notes:
If we know one thing about stouts it’s that coffee, chocolate, and bourbon work well together. This limited-edition brew has everything we love. It’s filled with notes of chocolate, bitter espresso beans, subtle smoke, and just the right amount of warming bourbon.
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect beer for fans of coffee, chocolate, and whiskey. These are all things we enjoy, so this is the beer for us.
While there are many variations (and new offerings each year) of Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout, it’s hard to top the original. Regardless of which year your bottle was made, it will consist of an imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels. This is the OG bourbon barrel-aged stout was first brewed back in 1992 to celebrate the 1000th batch of beer produced at Goose Island.
Tasting Notes:
This super dark pitch-black imperial stout is so full of flavors you might want to take your time and enjoy each one individually. First, there are flavors of chocolate, sweet vanilla, and brown sugar. This is followed by rich whiskey and just a hint of charred barrel flavor.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason beer fans eagerly await the release of this beer (and all the various iterations). It’s a true masterpiece. Buy one bottle for now and one to cellar for later enjoyment.
You may have tried Fremont’s beer called The First Nail. That one is an oatmeal stout made with smoked barley, brewer’s licorice, and pale malt, that’s then aged on cinnamon bark. They turn it up to eleven by aging it in ex-bourbon barrels for 15 months to create The Rusty Nail
Tasting Notes:
Right away, the bourbon flavors are very prevalent. This quickly moves into flavors of subtly bitter dark chocolate before moving on to spicy cinnamon, subtle licorice, and rich caramel.
Bottom Line:
If you can, grab a bottle of The First Nail and The Rusty Nail, you should drink them side by side, reveling in the similarities and differences.
Firestone Walker’s Parabola is an eagerly awaited release from the California-based brewery. Each vintage is aged for 12 months in former bourbon barrels. This imperial stout is one of the brewery’s most popular bottles and one you should seek out this winter.
Tasting Notes:
This isn’t your average imperial stout. Bourbon cask aging results in a well-balanced stout with hints of bitter, dark chocolate, roasted espresso beans, rich tobacco, sweet vanilla, and warming whiskey.
Bottom Line:
Buy a few bottles. Drink one now and save the others for a special occasion.
Founder KBS was heavily hyped before it was made more readily available. But the ease at which it can now be purchased hasn’t changed the quality of this imperial stout, brewed with coffee and chocolate and aged in bourbon barrels for 12 months.
Tasting Notes:
Right away, you can taste the roasted coffee flavor. This is highlighted by the addition of caramel, sweet vanilla, creamy chocolate, and a nice warming kick of bourbon.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to barrel-aged beers, it’s still really hard to beat the quality of KBS. It’s the kind of beer you should always have on hand for winter drinking emergencies.
This imperial stout was brewed with cacao nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, and ancho chili peppers. The result is a truly unique, much sought-after stout you’ll savor from start to finish.
Tasting Notes:
This highly complex, nuanced stout is filled with roasted malt flavor that moves along to sweet milk chocolate, spicy peppers, and sweet cinnamon.
Bottom Line:
While this beer seems overly complicated on the surface, the experience of drinking it is both direct and satisfying. All the various flavors work together in perfect harmony to create a unique, flavorful beer.
After providing the Washington Post with a bombshell recording of Donald Trump attempting to pressure him into changing election results, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger sat down for an interview with Good Morning America on Monday where he explained how the potentially illegal call happened and why the president has no idea what’s he talking about.
While fielding questions from George Stephanopoulos, Raffensperger revealed that he had been trying to avoid a phone conversation with Trump. “I never believed it was appropriate to speak to the president,” Raffensperger said referencing Trump’s lawsuit against the state of Georgia. However, after facing pressure from White House staff, Raffensperger agreed to a call where he did his best to let Trump know that his election claims had no basis reality. Via NBC News:
“We took the call, and we had a conversation. He did most of the talking, we did most of the listening,” Raffensperger said. “But I did want to make my points that the data that he has is just plain wrong.”
“For the last two months, we’ve been fighting the rumor whack-a-mole,” Raffensperger added. “And it was pretty obvious very early on that we debunked every one of those theories that have been out there, but that President Trump continues to believe them.”
Despite being on the receiving end of Trump’s conspiracy theory and his illegal request to “find the votes,” Raffensperger told GMA that he felt no pressure to give into the president’s demand. “Everything we’ve done for the last 12 months follows the constitution of the state of Georgia, follows the United States Constitution, follows state law.” As for whether Trump will face charges for attempting to alter the results of a federal election, Raffensperger said that the Fulton County district attorney “wants to look at” the case. “Maybe that’s the appropriate venue for it to go,” he added.
And according to CNN’s Jim Acosta, Trump and his team tried calling Raffensperger at least 18 times before he took the call, which reminded some of a classic, cringe-y scene from Swingers.
This reminds me of the cringey scene in Swingers where Mikey keeps calling and leaving a message on the answering machine of the girl he met at the bar https://t.co/PtdJebNZj5
SCOOP: I have uncovered the 18 voicemails Donald Trump left for the Secretary of State of Georgia. Full video threaded below. pic.twitter.com/Ec02QvPEVx
When it was announced on New Year’s Eve that MF DOOM had passed away on Halloween last year, the outpourings of respect and condolences from hip-hop were both immediate and prolific. Adult Swim Senior Vice President Jason DeMarco shared a stream of stories and about his experiences with the rap iconoclast (including explaining the aborted The Missing Notebook project) and fellow underground rap icon Yasiin Bey posted a cover of DOOM’s Madvillain cut “All Caps.” Today, the tributes continued as another unconventional MC, Open Mike Eagle, shared his thoughts about the last masked rapper in a freestyle detailing his emotional response at the news of his hero’s death.
Mike and DOOM had previously connected on a pair of tracks: “Phantoms,” from the Czarface album, Czarface Meets Metal Face, and “Police Myself,” from Mike’s Comedy Central show The New Negroes. However, as he notes in his freestyle, the two men never met in real life, only corresponding through a go-between. As he reels off his own experiences, Mike reminisces about having a photo of MF DOOM rapping on some art in his living room. As he mentions this, he picks up the photo and looks at it, only to belatedly realize that the photo is of one of the imposter DOOMs that the original Daniel Dumile dispatched to live performances a few years ago so he wouldn’t have to show up himself.
Mike, unfazed, acknowledges the posthumous troll, “Supervillain. This n**** got me again. Rest in peace.”
The much-maligned Justice League is being re-released as Zack Snyder’s Justice League, now with 100 percent more Jared Leto. The Oscar winner will appear in the HBO Max movie as a “road-weary Joker,” according to director Zack Snyder, who is “forever in debt to [Leto’s] kindness” to agreeing to the cameo. You do not want to be Jared Leto’s debt — the offer you can’t refuse will somehow involve a “damaged” tattoo.
Speaking of Suicide Squad: following the success of the Snyder Cut campaign, there is now a #ReleaseTheAyerCut movement for Warner Bros. to put out the “real” version of the 2016 villainous team-up film, which has a prominent supporter in — you guessed it — Jared Leto. “I would love for him to be able to work on that and make the film of his dreams. It’s always hard when you make these movies because it’s such a pressure cooker. There are so many decisions that have to be made in a short amount of time,” he told Variety (via CinemaBlend). Leto continued:
“You never start with something that’s perfect. It’s a race to try to make it as good as you can in a short amount of time. So I get it, having another swing at things? I’m sure we all can use that.”
Here is Jared Leto, deep in thought about the Ayer Cut:
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