With the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets punching their tickets to the NBA Playoffs in Tuesday night’s play-in games, 14 of the 16 playoff seeds are locked in.
The final two will be decided on Friday, when the winners of the 9/10 games on Wednesday meet the Cavaliers and Clippers respectively for the 8-seeds in each conference. While those final spots are still up for grabs, the NBA wanted to give teams and fans time to prepare for their upcoming series, releasing the complete schedule (with some TBDs still out there) for the guaranteed games (1-4) in the first round.
EAST
1. Miami Heat vs. 8. East 8th Seed
Game 1: Sunday (4/17) 1:00 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 2: Tuesday (4/19) TBD (TBD)
Game 3: Friday (4/22) TBD (ESPN)
Game 4: Sunday (4/24) 7:00 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5: Tuesday (4/26) TBD (TBD)
Game 6: Thursday (4/28) TBD (TBD)
Game 7: Saturday (4/30) TBD (TBD)
2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Brooklyn Nets
Game 1: Sunday (4/17) 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 2: Wednesday (4/20) 7:00 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Saturday (4/23) TBD (ESPN)
Game 4: Monday (4/25) TBD (TBD)
Game 5: Wednesday (4/27) TBD (TBD)
Game 6: Friday (4/29) TBD (TBD)
Game 7: Sunday (5/1) TBD (TBD)
3. Milwaukee Bucks vs. 6. Chicago Bulls
Game 1: Sunday (4/17) 6:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 2: Wednesday (4/20) 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Friday (4/22) 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 4: Sunday (4/24) 1:00 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 5: Wednesday (4/27) TBD (TBD)
Game 6: Friday (4/29) TBD (TBD)
Game 7: Sunday (5/1) TBD (TBD)
4. Philadelphia 76ers vs. 5. Toronto Raptors
Game 1: Saturday (4/16) 6:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 2: Monday (4/18) 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Thursday (4/20) 8:00 p.m. ET (NBATV)
Game 4: Saturday (4/23) 2:00 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5: Monday (4/25) TBD (TBD)
Game 6: Thursday (4/28) TBD (TBD)
Game 7: Saturday (4/30) TBD (TBD
WEST
1. Phoenix Suns vs. 8. West 8th Seed
Game 1: Sunday (4/17) 9:00 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 2: Tuesday (4/19) 10:00 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Friday (4/22) TBD (ESPN)
Game 4: Sunday (4/24) 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5: Tuesday (4/26) TBD (TBD)
Game 6: Thursday (4/28) TBD (TBD)
Game 7: Saturday (4/30) TBD (TBD)
2. Memphis Grizzlies vs. 7. Minnesota Timberwolves
Game 1: Saturday (4/16) 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 2: Tuesday (4/19) TBD (TBD)
Game 3: Thursday (4/21) 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 4: Saturday (4/23) TBD (ESPN)
Game 5: Tuesday (4/26) TBD (TBD)
Game 6: Friday (4/29) TBD (TBD)
Game 7: Sunday (5/1) TBD (TBD)
3. Golden State Warriors vs. 6. Denver Nuggets
Game 1: Saturday (4/16) 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 2: Monday (4/18) 10:00 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Thursday (4/21) 10:00 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 4: Sunday (4/24) 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 5: Wednesday (4/27) TBD (TBD)
Game 6: Friday (4/29) TBD (TBD)
Game 7: Sunday (5/1) TBD (TBD)
4. Dallas Mavericks vs. 5. Utah Jazz
Game 1: Saturday (4/16) 1:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 2: Monday (4/18) 8:30 p.m. ET (NBATV)
Game 3: Thursday (4/21) 9:00 p.m. ET (NBATV)
Game 4: Saturday (4/23) 4:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5: Monday (4/25) TBD (TBD)
Game 6: Thursday (4/28) TBD (TBD)
Game 7: Saturday (4/30) TBD (TBD)
The game, fittingly, ended with Beverley hustling an offensive rebound on a missed free throw with the Wolves up five, and he ran to the corner and launched the ball in the air, starting a massive celebration in Minnesota. Beverley jumped on the scorers table and fired his jersey into the crowd, going absolutely wild as the Wolves reached the playoffs for the first time since 2018. As TNT cut back to the Atlanta studios, the Inside the NBA crew couldn’t keep their composure when discussing the celebration in Minnesota, as Shaq, Chuck, Kenny, and even Ernie couldn’t help but poke some fun at how hard Minnesota was celebrating their play-in win.
“We need ‘One Shining Moment'”
Inside the NBA crew reacts to the Timberwolves’ celebration after clinching the 7th seed. pic.twitter.com/kMkhQBhKkN
They would then put “We Are The Champions” over the video of the celebration, per Shaq’s request, sending them into hysterics again, and later gave them their own “One Shining Moment.”
The Timberwolves absolutely should enjoy the win and no one in the Target Center wants to hear about them celebrating too hard — and they shouldn’t. However, it was the exact type of moment that is perfect for the Inside crew to have some fun with. The best part is that, usually, it’s Shaq and Chuck leading the way, but this time Kenny was the one who was laughing the most and Ernie even got some jokes in about it all being a bit much.
The Wolves will have to bring themselves back down to earth in the next few days and get ready for what should be a highly entertaining series against the Grizzlies, starting on Saturday.
The Minnesota Timberwolves finished the 2020-21 campaign with a 23-49 record and, even with optimism of improvement in 2021-22, the Wolves were not widely projected as a playoff team. On Tuesday, the Wolves cemented their place in the Western Conference Playoffs, outlasting the L.A. Clippers by a 109-104 margin in the Play-In Tournament to earn the No. 7 seed and set up a best-of-seven clash with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Wolves threw the first punch in the form of a 7-2 run. Anthony Edwards made his first three shots to give his team the lead and signal what was to come in a productive first half.
Almost immediately, the Clippers seized control, scoring 10 consecutive points. The Wolves didn’t scratch for almost four minutes, and L.A. led for the lion’s share of the first half.
The Clippers led by as many as nine points in the opening quarter, taking advantage of a cold start from Karl-Anthony Towns and virtually everyone by Edwards on the Minnesota side. Even with a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Jaden McDaniels, the Wolves trailed by six points after 12 minutes.
Minnesota shot 36 percent with eight turnovers in the opening period. Fortunately, the Wolves also caused six turnovers in what was a chaotic quarter, and that chaos continued, particularly when it came to whistles. There were 29 (!) fouls called in the first half of the game, creating a stop-and-start atmosphere, but there was also strong three-point shooting early in the game. The two teams combined to shoot 13-of-21 from three-point range in the first 17 minutes, even with Towns missing his first seven shots and picking up four fouls for Minnesota.
Fortunately for the Wolves, Edwards continued to churn, scoring 15 points in his first 13 minutes of action.
Still, the Clippers led by a 44-36 margin and L.A. led for quite some time. However, the Wolves closed strong behind D’Angelo Russell. Russell scored nine straight points as part of a 17-4 run that turned a deficit into a lead for Minnesota.
Within that run, the Clippers didn’t make a field goal for more than seven full minutes, though L.A. did bury a three-pointer in the final seconds of the second quarter to bring the visitors back within two points. Aside from the back-and-forth nature of the proceedings, foul trouble was a major story, with Towns (four), Edwards (three), Patrick Beverley (three) and Reggie Jackson (three) all facing issues into the break.
Much as it was at times in the first half, the start of the second half was ugly and grueling. Neither team was able to establish a rhythm offensively and, fittingly, the game was knotted at 63-63 midway through the third quarter. Towns finally established some sort of positive baseline but, as quickly as that occurred, the All-Star center picked up his fifth foul and had to sit with 3:47 remaining in the third.
With Towns on the bench, Paul George found his stride. L.A.’s leading scorer exploded for 12 points in three minutes, including a trio of three-pointers, and George was a significant part of the Clippers taking a seven-point lead at 80-73.
George scored 17 points in the third quarter alone, fueling much of the success for the Clippers, but L.A. led by only five points with 12 minutes remaining. The margin was eight in the waning seconds of the period, but Minnesota’s Malik Beasley connected on a buzzer-beating three-pointer that felt significant for the Wolves.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Clippers stagnated a bit on offense, but Terance Mann made sure that hiccup did not come at a cost. Mann blocked two shots in a hurry, including a spectacular rejection, and finished a dunk to help the Clippers build a 10-point advantage.
Minnesota would not fade, though, as the Wolves scored the next seven points, even with Towns fouling out with more than seven minutes remaining. Overall, the Wolves put together a 16-2 run, erasing what seemed to be a comfortable Clippers lead and giving Minnesota a 99-95 lead with four minutes to go.
The Clippers scored only two points for more than five minutes and, when L.A. finally broke that drought with a three-pointer by Batum, Edwards answered with a triple of his own to neutralize its effect. From there, Russell continued his highly productive night with an enormous jumper, giving the Wolves a six-point edge with 1:56 to go.
Following empty trips on both sides, the Clippers badly needed a bucket to stay in touch, and George obliged with a three-pointer. Russell missed on the other end, prying the door open for L.A., but Jackson was unable to finish a driving attempt at the rim. Edwards drew a foul on the other end, extending the lead to 106-101 with 38.5 seconds on the clock. The Clippers then came up empty after a timeout, further cementing control for Minnesota.
L.A. did make a dent when George made a deep triple with 12.5 seconds remaining, but the Wolves were always in a favorable position, ultimately escaping with a five-point win. On a night in which Towns was a complete non-factor, Russell and Edwards combined for 59 points, carrying Minnesota’s offense to overall effectiveness. Beverley was an A-plus irritant while also pulling down 11 rebounds, and Beasley delivered 12 points and a trio of three-pointers off the bench.
Though it is clear that they will need considerably more from Towns moving forward, the Wolves now have three days to prepare for Game 1 against the Grizzlies on Saturday. On the other side, the Clippers must regroup in a hurry and return home to L.A. to face either the New Orleans Pelicans or the San Antonio Spurs for a chance to earn a playoff berth on Friday.
In a less auto-curated moment (the ‘90s) where new wasn’t the main prerequisite for what movies got put in front of people’s faces there lived a show that trafficked in modified smut and over-the-top hijinks. USA’s Up All Nightwas, upon reflection, a nearly pointless exercise on paper, tacking on a few segments with a host onto a collection of often schlocky movies. In truth, it was probably only nominally more expensive than leaving the test pattern to run deep into the evening hours on Fridays and Saturday nights for USA, then a nascent basic cable channel, but the finished product was entertaining as hell and mildly wildly educational, lasting nine years in some form or another.
How the thing rose to a place of prominence in the hearts of insomniacs is no mystery. Up All Night was often the embodiment of the bargain bin at the video store, usually filled with laughably bad acting, writing, and effects, all presented with ample snark (and cheesy comedy bits) by hosts Rhonda Shear and the just-passed Gilbert Gottfried; cheap thrills made poorly in such a way that you couldn’t look away. Because what else were you going to do?
With few options on few channels, you forced yourself to watch and find the charm within the margins, expanding a palette in ways that maybe don’t jive with the classic definition of a film connoisseur’s formative journey. But why not? Can’t you learn as much from bad movies as good ones? If a movie makes you feel something – even if it’s not the intended emotion – isn’t that the point? A point, at least.
Gottfried’s professional legacy is going to be dotted with appraisals of him as a comic’s comic, someone who dedicated his later years to interviews with comedians on his podcast with Frank Santopadre and his earlier career to getting a lot of mileage out of his signature voice and manner, beginning with a brief stint on SNL right after the original cast had fled. ‘80s and ‘90s kids will remember him from Problem Child, Aladdin, and one million guest spots on literally every sitcom from the era (a Wings arc! Living Single! Herman’s Head!)
Maybe you know him from seeing your parents watching him troll people on Hollywood Squares, hearing him kill on Howard Stern, or from his telling of The Aristocrats joke. Regardless, Gottfried’s talent (and voice) cut through a crowd, allowing him to make an impact. He will be missed for all of the above and so much more (184 acting and voice acting credits not counting memorable late-night guest spots), but to me, this weird show deserves specific attention.
I would like to repeat some of the titles of films that ran on the show, mixed in with airings of more mainstream fare like Blues Brothers, Sixteen Candles, and The Evil Dead.
A Polish Vampire in Burbank Roller Blade Warriors The Malibu Bikini Shop Getting Lucky Vegas In Space
The writeup on TVDB (which cataloged a bunch of these episode titles) for Getting Lucky mentions a leprechaun in a beer bottle who doles out wishes. Now, I have zero recollection of that film or if I’ve ever seen that episode (sort of the point of these empty calorie things), but while your definition of art and my own may vary, can’t we agree that, from that synopsis alone, watching that movie sounds like it might be one hell of a weird experience? Particularly because it was made at a time before B-movies got more in on the joke, went meta, and lost some of their spirit.
Don’t get me wrong, an appreciation for the art and craft of movie-making is a wonderful thing to possess, but getting joy out of goofy horror comedies or incredibad acting in horrifically edited softcore films has a value that shouldn’t be ignored. It’s the root of things like Mystery Science Theater and Up All Night, a little club where we can waste time and have a few laughs at things that aren’t taking themselves too seriously. What a wonderful thing to be remembered for being a part of.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt didn’t do too many big projects for a bit there, but now he’s back and busier than ever. He had a plum role in The Trial of the Chicago 7, earned cheers for playing Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick in Super Pumped, and is even voicing Jiminy Cricket in Robert Zemeckis’ Tom Hanks-starring Pinocchio. Now this: As per Variety, he’s reuniting with a director who gave him one of his best roles.
That person is Rian Johnson, whose breakthrough, 2005’s high school neo-noir Brick, starred the former child star as a kind of teenage Philip Marlowe. Now he’s joining the cast of Poker Face, Johnson’s new Peacock series that stars Natasha Lyonne as a detective solving a new murder each episode. (For those who’ve wanted the always delightful Russian Doll co-creator/star in a modern day Columbo reboot, sounds like this may wind up being the closest thing.)
When Gordon-Levitt appeared in Brick, he was coming off the child abuse drama Mysterious Skin, which helped him transition from 3rd Rock from the Sun into more adult roles. Ever since he’s done small roles in Johnson’s movies since — a quickie cameo in The Brothers Bloom, an uncredited voice in Knives Out — and though details on Gordon-Levitt’s role are currently under wraps, it seems like this time it’ll be a full-blown reunion for two people who over the last decade-and-a-half have accomplished so much.
Lute’s big league start happened back in 2017 with his debut album’s release on Dreamville. West 1996 Pt. 2, which is the sequel to his 2012 mixtape, arrived two years after Lute joined the J. Cole-led squad. Names like EarthGang, Cam O’bi, Elevator Jay, and more appeared on the project which served as a great start to his Dreamville. Lute’s next album would take a while to arrive but it finally dropped towards the end of 2021 with Gold Mouf. Like his debut, Gold Mouf was another strong release from Lute, and six months after its release, he continues to promote the project with a brand new video.
He teams up with BJ The Chicago Kid in a new visual for “Changes.” The song is one of many great tracks from Gold Louf, and in the video, Lute and BJ take a moment to address those who’ve let money negatively affect them. They deliver their thoughts from an underground tunnel and on a nearby street while making sure their message is delivered with precision.
The new video arrives after Lute made a couple of contributions to Dreamville’s D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape where he appears on “Starting 5” and “Like Wine.” As for BJ The Chicago Kid, the video arrives after he dropped two EPs in 2021. The first with 4 Am and the second was Three.
You can watch the video for “Changes” above.
Gold Mouf is out now via Dreamville and Interscope. You can stream it here.
The Minnesota Timberwolves hosted their first postseason game (not yet the playoffs, however) since 2018 on Tuesday night as the Clippers came to town for the play-in tournament to see who would get the 7-seed in the Western Conference and a first round series against the Memphis Grizzlies.
It was a game that featured a sloppy start, with the Wolves offense stuck in the mud against a physical L.A. defense and the Clippers marching to the free throw line and putting Minnesota in deep foul trouble on the other end. However, things turned around in the second quarter after one of the most bizarre stoppages of play I can recall in a playoff game, as a woman ran onto the court and apparently glued her hand to the floor in an act of protest of…something that the TNT broadcast didn’t know.
A fan was escorted off after attempting to glue themselves to the floor during the Clippers-Timberwolves Play-in Game pic.twitter.com/RreK0kjPSG
Glue Lady proved to be some good luck for the Timberwolves, who rallied from seven down at the time to take the lead going into halftime, as the bizarre situation seemed to possibly calm down a Wolves team that was overly amped up coming out of the gates.
That was because they were waiting on what would happen in the Cavs-Nets play-in game on Tuesday night, as they wanted to put a Nets-Celtics game (or Nets-Heat) in the lone network TV spot on ABC on Sunday afternoon. So, when the final buzzer sounded after Kyrie Irving led the Nets to a 115-108 win over Cleveland, the league quickly put out the Sunday TV schedule now that Nets-Celtics was locked in as the 2-7 series in the East.
Schedule update for Game 1s of the First Round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel
The first game on Sunday will be Miami hosting the winner of Friday’s play-in game in Cleveland, as the Cavs await the winner of Hornets-Hawks, at 1 p.m. ET on TNT. Nets-Celtics takes the 3:30 p.m. ET slot on ABC, followed by Bulls-Bucks at 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT and the Suns at 9:00 p.m. ET, also on TNT.
The rest of the playoff schedule figures to be released once the play-in tournament concludes and all 16 teams are known, but for now we at least know when teams will play their first round openers this coming weekend on ESPN, TNT, and ABC.
After 82 games of regular season action, the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers finished with 44 wins. Appropriately, the two teams matched up in the opening game of the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday evening, with a spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs and a date with the Boston Celtics in the first round on the line. The Nets entered as significant betting favorites, led by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and Brooklyn led wire-to-wire to win by a final margin of 115-108.
The Nets started the game in explosive fashion, even with Durant and Irving taking only a small handful of shots in the opening minutes. Led by Bruce Brown’s early energy on both ends, Brooklyn build a lead, and Durant extended it to 17-9 with a breathtaking sequence including a block against Lauri Markkanen and a pass to Drummond for an easy bucket.
Cleveland did counter with talented lead guard Darius Garland, who scored seven points in his first eight minutes. Garland’s creativity is always impressive, and it was on full display.
The Nets kept their strong start going on offense, however, as Brooklyn went on a 21-6 run to open the lead to 40-20 at the end of the first quarter. Durant and Irving combined to score 15 straight points for the Nets, and when Goran Dragic, Patty Mills, and Nic Claxton got into the action with jump shots late in the first quarter, it was a full-fledged barrage.
Brooklyn shot 71 percent from the floor and 4-for-6 from three-point range in the opening period, reminding observers of why the Nets are terrifying in a playoff scenario when firing on all cylinders. The Nets scored 40 points on only 23 possessions, and the 20-point edge was the largest deficit for the Cavaliers after the opening period all season.
After the quarter break, Cleveland found its footing, using a 9-2 run to slash the deficit. Brooklyn scored only two points in the first five and a half minutes, and the Cavaliers avoided what could’ve been a disaster if the onslaught carried over from the opening period.
Cleveland’s offense wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire, but Brooklyn’s offensive struggles continued. The Nets committed seven turnovers, including three instances in which players inexplicably stepped out of bounds, and Brooklyn tallied only eight points in the first ten minutes of the second period.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, the margin was still double-digits when Brooklyn’s drought came to an end, and Irving continued to cook. In fact, Irving scored seven points in the final 46 seconds, punctuating a 20-point half in which he made all nine shots that he attempted.
Early in the third, the Nets continued to build their advantage, using a 10-4 run to push the advantage back to 20 points, Irving made his tenth consecutive shot, with no signs of slowing down.
The Cavaliers did not roll over, putting together a 14-4 response to keep things manageable with a 12-point deficit. Cleveland’s offense came alive a bit, especially when compared to early shooting woes, and the Cavaliers strung a few stops together in the process.
After a mini-flurry on both sides, the Nets took a 12-point lead to the fourth quarter, with Irving still operating without a single missed shot. He did finally come up empty on an attempt but, in making his first 12 shots, Irving set a new career-best for most consecutive makes to begin a game.
Though there was plenty of attention on Irving, the more consequential activity came on the team side, and the Cavaliers began to heat up to begin the fourth quarter. Garland scored nine points in less than four minutes for Cleveland, bringing the visitors within an 88-82 margin with plenty of time to make a charge.
With fewer than five minutes to go, the Cavaliers were within six at 99-93, but the Nets had Kevin Durant. Durant buried back-to-back jumpers, with the second coming over the outstretched hand of Evan Mobley to give Brooklyn a double-digit cushion again.
That was, effectively, the dagger sequence of the evening. Cleveland did climb within six points on two different occasions in the final 90 seconds, but the final result was never in doubt after the Nets generated easy buckets on each ensuing possession.
Brooklyn did cool off after the first quarter, though the Nets still finished with 54 percent shooting and 33 assists. Irving was masterful with 34 points (on 12-for-15 shooting) and 12 assists, with Durant adding 25 points, 11 assists, and three blocked shots. The Nets did need all of that production from their stars, and the duo of Brown (18 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) and Drummond (16 points, eight rebounds) was helpful to the cause.
The Nets will begin a best-of-seven series with a road game against Boston on Sunday, with the Cavaliers now forced into a single-elimination scenario on Friday evening. Cleveland will face the loser of Wednesday’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets, and the Cavaliers will host that matchup.
If you’re a veteran fan of craft beer (and IPAs specifically), you might have a tough time explaining exactly why you’ve been vibing more with craft lagers, pilsners, and hazy IPAs as of late. Craft beer pros call it “hop fatigue” and it’s responsible for that cosmic force that draws longtime IPA aficionados towards beers with a much lighter hop flavor.
Simply put, “hop fatigue” is exactly what it sounds like. It’s your palate looking for a respite from the overly bitter, floral, piney flavor of hops. It prompts you to grab for more malt-forward lagers, crispy pilsners, and hazy, juicy, tropical fruit-centric New England-style IPAs. Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, there are myriad beers and beer styles well-suited for anyone suffering from this hoppy ailment and looking for a change of pace.
Today, we turn out attention to the juicy, cloudy, fruity New England-style IPA specifically. If you’re suffering from hop fatigue but you’re not ready to give up on hops completely, this style of beer is a perfect choice. Some are so juicy they’re on par with drinking a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice or mango juice and others have a nice mix of fruit, malt, even oats, and slightly bitter hops. Also, while there’s no wrong time to enjoy this complex, flavorful beer, this spring with its mix of cloudy, rainy days and warm, sunny days just might be the best. Keep scrolling to see eight of our favorite hazy brews for the hop fatigued.
This 8% Double IPA is brewed with Golden Promise malt, Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops. It gets its added creamy, sweet flavor from the addition of Maine wheat. Made in the New England-style, it’s juicy, hazy, and doesn’t carry the hop bitterness of many other double IPAs.
Tasting Notes:
This beer has the aromas you’d hope from a New England-style IPA. The nose is all tropical fruit and tart, fresh citrus. It definitely draws you in. The palate continues this trend with notes of ripe pineapple, mango, tangerine, lemon curd, tart grapefruit, and juicy peach. While it’s obvious the hops are there, there isn’t much bitterness at all.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason Bissell Brothers Swish is one of the highest-rated New England-stye IPAs. It’s juicy, sweet, creamy, and should appeal to drinkers not looking for hop bittering.
With a name like ‘Juice Bomb’, you certainly know what you’re getting with this beer. This 6.5% year-round New England-style IPA is well-known for its mix of low bitterness and juicy, hazy, tropical fruit and citrus flavor. It’s Sloop’s flagship beer for a reason and definitely deserves a spot in your cooler.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are aromas of ripe peach, mango, tangerine, and grapefruit as well as some pine needles and caramel malts to tie everything together. Sipping it reveals more grapefruit, ripe pineapple, mango, guava, passionfruit, and slightly herbal hops and sweet oats. Little to no bitterness at the finish.
Bottom Line:
Its name might be Juice Bomb, but while it has an abundance of juicy, hazy flavor this beer is also well-rounded with a nice malt backbone and sweet oat notes.
Similar to Sloop Juice Bomb, you have a pretty good idea about what’s inside this can before you pour it into your glass. This 8.5% double IPA is brewed with El Dorado, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops to give it a ton of ripe citrus flavor with very little bitterness.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of fruit esters, ripe peach, caramelized pineapple, and tangerines greet your nose. On the palate, you’ll find more peach and pineapple along with juicy orange, tangerine, slightly herbal pine, and biscuity malts. The finish is all juicy, slightly tart citrus with little bitterness.
Bottom Line:
This beer is called Juicy Lucy, but maybe it should have been called Citrus Explosion because that’s a better name for this juicy, slightly tart at times, citrus-fueled IPA.
Brewery Ommegang, situated near the town of Cooperstown in Central New York State is well-known for its traditional take on Belgian-style ales. But the brewery makes more than that. Its Neon Rainbows is a juicy, hazy, memorable New England-style IPA that’s brewed with Simcoe, Mosaic, Centennial, Citra, and Topaz hops before being dry-hopped with even more Mosaic, Citra, Simcoe, and Topaz hops.
Tasting Notes:
Dank pine, tart citrus, ripe tropical fruit, wet grass. The nose is everything you could want in a hazy IPA. One drink and you’re immersed in a world of ripe tangerine, juicy orange, grapefruit, guava, mango, honeydew melon, and sweet, caramel malts. While you can taste that there are hops throughout, they don’t add any bitterness to the juicy, fruity flavor.
Bottom Line:
This year-round New England-style IPA is all tropical juice flavor without any lingering hop bitterness. It’s a great entry into the hazy IPA style.
One of the most well-known New England-style IPAs ever made, Tree House Julius is the Massachusetts brewery’s flagship beer. It’s known for its cloudy, hazy, juicy, creamy flavor highlighted by over-the-top tropical fruit flavors and herbal, earthy hops. It’s a true bucket-list IPA every beer fan should try.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, this beer is all citrus. There are fragrant aromas of grapefruit, ripe orange, tangerine, lemon zest, light, dank resin, mango, and guava. The flavor from the nose was carried into the palate with hints of juicy peach, ripe mango, passion fruit, tangerine, grapefruit, and orange. The finish is dry with little to no bitterness.
Bottom Line:
If you only drink one of these anti-bitter beers, make it Tree House Julius. There’s a reason this is one of the most sought-after IPAs. It’s a citrus bomb that needs to be tasted to be believed.
This complex hazy IPA is brewed with Pilsner malt and rolled oats. It’s dry-hopped with Sabro, Mosaic, and Citra hopped. The result is a complex, well-balanced New England-style IPA known for its bold, juicy tropical fruit flavors and tart, citrus notes.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a nice mix of pineapple, coconut, tangerine, dank resin, and sweet oats on this beer’s nose. Drinking it reveals flavors like honeydew melon, pineapple, grapefruit, coconut cream, tangerine, orange, lime zest, and slight pine resin without any of the expected bitterness. It’s creamy, sweet, and delicious.
Bottom Line:
This is a great example of a very hoppy beer that manages to pull out the fruity, citrus flavor and even some dankness without any of the hop bitterness we’re hoping to avoid.
With a name like King Sue, you have to assume this will be hazy IPA royalty. And it is. This 7.8% double IPA gets all of its hop aroma and flavor from the liberal use of Citra hops. The result is a citrus-forward IPA that has more hop bitterness than the rest of the beers on this list, but it’s tempered by the juicy fruit flavor.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find notes of dank pine, ripe grapefruit, tangerine, caramelize pineapple, mango, and sweet caramel malts. Compared to the other hazy IPAs on this list, there is a decent amount of hop bitterness up front. The reason this beer won’t trigger any hop fatigue is the fact that, after the initial slight bitterness, there are notes of mango, pineapple, melon, tart grapefruit, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. It’s also mellowed by sweet oat and malt flavors.
Bottom Line:
Toppling Goliath King Sue is a great beer for fans of overly hoppy, bitter IPAs to slowly work their way down to less bitter, juicy IPAs.
This complex, hazy IPA begins with a base of German pilsner malt, German malted wheat, and American wheat flakes, as well as Mosaic, Citra, and Simcoe hops. This results in a multi-faceted beer with bright floral hops, juicy tropical fruit flavors, and sweet wheat and oat notes.
Tasting Notes:
The is a great mix of caramel malts, honey-coated oatmeal, dank pine, ripe peach, tangerine, and mango. The palate continues this trend with hints of slightly bitter pine needles mellow by notes of apricot, tangerine, peach, pineapple, and a slightly herbal, floral flavor. All with a creamy, pleasing, pillowy mouthfeel.
Bottom Line:
Threes Logical Conclusion is another beer that still has some residual hop bitterness that’s paired with enough citrus, tropical fruit, malt, and oat flavors to make it one of many flavors and not overwhelming.
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