Over the past decade or so, a new Phoenix album has been hard to come by. The French group dropped Bankrupt! in 2013, which was followed a few years later by their latest release, 2017’s Ti Amo. The latter album’s fifth anniversary is actually coming up in a few days, on June 9.
It appears the gears are finally turning on something new, though, as today, the band shared “Alpha Zulu,” their first new song in two years, since 2020’s “Identical” (which itself was also at the time the band’s first new song in two years). The track has electronic influences and a pleasant groove that carries it along. A press release notes the song title and lyric come from “a phrase Phoenix front man Thomas Mars heard a pilot repeating over the radio during a turbulent flight in a storm. The urgency of the phrase stayed with him, and the band’s new song was born.”
It also says the band is “currently in the studio finishing up” their next album, which will be their first since 2017’s Ti Amo, and that “more information on this will be released soon.”
Fans will certainly welcome that news, as Phoenix is currently in the midst of their longest gap between albums, as they usually take four years or fewer to release a new project.
Tomi “Tammy” Lahren has said a lot of nonsense over the years, like when she compared flight attendants to Nazis for enforcing mask mandates or the time she called cancel culture the “most deadly and un-American threat” to the United States. (Guns are fine, though.) But if you were to do a Tomi Lahren Nonsense Power Rankings, her comments on Colin Kaepernick would have to rank near the top.
In 2016, Lahren criticized the then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback in videos for The Blaze (which she would later sue) and The Daily Show for kneeling during the National Anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality. The far-right commenter would also later piss off the Beyhive by attacking “police-hating” Beyoncé for presenting an award to “America-hating” Kaepernick (never piss off the Beyhive), and post the Tom Brady of bad takes, tweeting, “Here’s a wild guess, if Tom Brady suddenly started sucking at football and was benched for a better starting QB, chances are he wouldn’t cry racism, wouldn’t kneel for the flag and anthem and pass it off as a social justice moment.”
But it’s her 2016 comments that got her a game card.
“I’m flattered,” Lahren tweeted, along with a photo of a Trivillennial (“The Trivia Game for Millennials”) card that reads, “In 2016, a video of conservative political commentator Tomi Lahren criticizing this person went viral.” The options: Kaepernick (who recently worked out for the Raiders), Donald Trump, Barack Obama, or LeBron James. As someone in her replies pointed out, “Well we know it wasn’t the white guy on the card.”
I wouldn’t be “flattered” if my “racist” rant made its way to a trivia game, but that’s just me.
Technically, Jada Pinkett Smith broke her silence on the Oscars slap heard ’round the world when, two days later, she cryptically posted to Instagram, “This is a season for healing and I’m here for it.” However, despite not leaning into the Oscars moment to promote the new season of Red Table Talk, Smith briefly dipped into the touchy subject during the latest episode of her talk show series.
While the episode was predominantly focused on raising awareness of alopecia (Smith suffers from the autoimmune disorder, which reportedly prompted Will to smack Chris Rock after he joked about her being bald), Jada made her lengthiest remarks about The Slap yet by revealing her hopes that her husband and Rock work things out. Via Variety:
“Now about Oscar night, my deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile,” Pinkett Smith added. “The state of the world today, we need them both. And we all actually need one another more than ever. Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that’s keep figuring out this thing called life together. Thank you for listening.”
As for the chances of Will and Rock reconciling, that’s probably a ways off. Not long after The Slap, Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage, and Rock later joined him for a surprise comedy show where they both joked about their similar experiences. After Chappelle joked that at least Rock got hit by someone famous, Rock went for a brutal burn on Smith. “I got smacked by the softest n—- that ever rapped.”
We’re thinking this situation probably some needs more time to cool off. Maybe check back after the summer.
Springbank is one of the most sought-after whiskeys in the world. Part of that is that Springbank is one of only three active distilleries in the tiny Campbeltown region of Scotland (a long protrusion off the Scottish mainland in the southwest of the country).
Another reason is that Springbank tends to be… well, really f*cking good, with a peated quality that’s very dialed back; neither a peat-free Highlander nor an Islay peat-bomb of the kind most Scotch drinkers would recognize. Naturally, there’s also the whisky hype machine that tends to puff up anything rare. But trust me when I say that this rare whisky lives up to the hype.
I was lucky enough to visit Campbeltown and Springbank earlier this year and taste through their line. I also saw the very long lines of whisky enthusiasts lining up outside the old brick walls of the distillery for hours, just for a chance to buy a bottle (they do a lot of special one-off releases). So full disclosure, these bottles are neither cheap nor easily findable. That said, I’d argue they’re worth the hunt — or at the very least, they’re worth a pour at your favorite whisky bar.
Below, I’ll be spelling out my tasting notes for each of the core line bottles. I’ll also be ranking each one on how excited they make me and how much I think you should actually track them down. That’s not to say that you should skip some of these, it’s more to say, spend your hard-earned dollars wisely on your Springbank journey. Let’s jump in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
This is as local as whisky gets. The locally grown Belgravia barley is malted in-house with a little bit of local peat from the Kintyre Peninsula. The whisky is then distilled two and a half times before barreling in used bourbon barrels. Those barrels then rest in the old, moldy warehouses for 10 years before this expression is built and bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Old oatmeal cookies with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon lead to a mix of a malting room floor with sweet barley warming up on your senses next to a hint of sultanas and dried cherry. The palate feels like a vanilla angel food cake drizzled with floral honey and served with a dusting of hot cinnamon and allspice as malty birch water rounds things out. The finish touches on sweet malts and heavily salted caramel.
Bottom Line:
I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but Springbank tends to be better cut down a little with local spring water. This is very good but a little warm on the mid-palate. It really benefits from the on-the-rocks pour or as a layer in a cocktail.
This is classic Springbank aged for 12 years in old bourbon barrels and then bottled as-is with no proofing, filtering, or coloring.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with old Band-Aids dipped into absinthe and then dipped in bourbon with plenty of vanilla, toffee, and oak present. The palate is very creamy with a lemon meringue pie vibe next to cream soda and a rush of Red Hot spice attached to the malts. The toffee sweetens the mid-palate as the lemon pie takes on a gingery spice before the Band-Aid malts return on the finish with a gentle whisper of fireplace smoke that’s just sputtered out on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This really benefits from a single rock in the whisky glass. The subtly of a few of the expressions below this is kind of blown out by the ABVs, which is me really nit-picking to find a way to rank these.
This is made with Springbank’s mildly peated malts and then aged for 15 years in ex-sherry barrels. The whisky is then blended and proofed down with local spring water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
This is a funky and savory nose with hints of teriyaki beef jerky next to powdery stock cubes with a hint of smoked brisket fat next to hydrogen peroxide before turning sweet with stewed prunes with a hint of cinnamon and honey. The palate is like a marriage between a nutty and spicy Christmas cake and a low-and-slow brisket with tons of sea salt and fat and a whisper of smoke. The finish arrives with a walnut dark chocolate crumble with minor notes of old leather and fireplace ashes next to a thin line of rocky beach after the rain.
Bottom Line:
This is where the funky-yet-sweet edge of Springbank kicks in. It’s weird but kind of wonderful in how easy-drinking this whisky is. We’re also out of the “on the rocks” portion with this one as well.
This is the gateway to Springbank. The single malt is aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks with a 60/40 split respectively in the final blend.
Tasting Notes:
This is smooth as can be with a nose full of bourbon vanilla, dark plums, soft toffee, and a hint of wet forest floor countering a spicy and honeyed maltiness with a hint of sagebrush. The taste feels like an orchard in the summer full of fruit — tart, ripe, sweet, overripe — next to big notes of ground black pepper, apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, freshly ground nutmeg, and plenty of cloves. The finish is subtle and sweet with a good dose of salted caramel next to a whiff of dried peat with a hint of wet straw.
Bottom Line:
This is both great and findable, hence it ranks a little higher. This also makes for a great everyday sipper, or table whisky if you will. It’s both easy going and easy drinking.
Springbank 18 is a 50/50 single malt blend of bourbon and sherry casks. The 18-year-old barrels are masterfully blended, proofed, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
The nose feels like it’s viscous with hints of thick golden syrup next to a slight earthiness, floral honey, meaty dates, and ginger cake with a caramel icing. The palate meanders through salted black licorice and walnut shells as smoked maple syrup leads to a mid-palate full of ripe and sweet red berries with a hint of the bramble underneath. The finish becomes creamy like a malted chocolate milkshake with pencil shavings and wet BBQ charcoal on the back end.
Bottom Line:
This is funky perfection. It’s familiar yet new. It’s deep yet understandable. It’s really just that good, but also not quite the mountaintop of the brand.
This is a very rare whisky aged in 60% sherry casks and 40% bourbon casks for 25 long years. After that juice is touched with a little local water, it’s filled into only 1,300 bottles.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a soft marriage between fresh raspberries and subtle rose petals with old cellar beams, cobwebs, and a dirt floor rounding things out, with a whisper of seaside air lurking in between. The palate veers from that nose pretty drastically with hints of rum-soaked overripe bananas next to wet brown sugar, rock candy, and a hint of large salt flakes. The end builds on that saltiness with a rush of malted barley and sweetgrass after the rain.
Bottom Line:
This is just great. It’s kind of a shame it’s so rare but that’s part of the allure.
This 21-year-old release is made with 35% sherry cask, 35% port cask, and 30% bourbon cask.
Tasting Notes:
Driftwood and orange cake dominated the nose with a hint of salted caramel covered in creamy dark chocolate with a hint of espresso oil. The palate has a rich creaminess with a mocha latte vibe next to wood varnish, rum-soaked apples stewed in cinnamon and clove (with a hint of anise), and a strong smoked maple bacon fat. The finish is all about that creamy dark chocolate with a hint more of that sweet and smoky bacon fat lingering the longest.
Bottom Line:
This is what Springbank is all about — funky, fun, fascinating. It makes sense, feels familiar, yet takes you on a new journey with every sip. That’s perfection in whisky!
The 2021-22 season followed a pretty familiar pattern for the Utah Jazz, as the team won a ton of games during the regular season and then saw their postseason come to an abrupt end. The team went 49-33 and earned the 5-seed in the West, but fell to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the first round of the postseason.
It led to questions about what the future holds for a number of folks in Utah, including head coach Quin Snyder, who has two years remaining on his contract with the second year being a coach’s option. According to a new piece by Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN, it’s possible that Snyder opts to leave the team altogether, as he’s been in talks “with ownership and management” about what his “unclear” future might hold.
The Jazz have offered to extend Snyder’s current contract, which has two years left, including his option for the 2023-24 season, sources said. The organization would also welcome Snyder simply returning on his current contract for next season, sources said.
…
There’s no timetable on reaching a decision, and talks are expected to continue, sources said.
Conversations have largely been centered on philosophical issues and how the sides can work together moving forward with a franchise trying to make the next step in Western Conference contention, sources said.
The report indicates that the discussions between the two sides have been in “good faith.” Previously this offseason, Snyder was mentioned as a potential candidate to replace Frank Vogel as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, but that job went to Darvin Ham.
Despite the ceiling the team has struggled to break through under him in the playoffs — the Jazz have never made it past the conference semifinals under his watch — Snyder has won a whole lot of games during his first stint as a head coach in the NBA. He has accrued a 372-264 record in the regular season, and is second only to the legendary Jerry Sloan in wins and winning percentage in franchise history.
Ava Max dropped a bomb on NBC’s The Today Show when she announced her forthcoming, highly anticipated sophomore album Diamonds & Dancefloors is set to release on October 14. The multi-Platinum pop star coupled the news with an interview and live performance of her new song “Maybe You’re The Problem,” the lead single for Diamonds & Dancefloors. The record also has a video out that was directed by Joseph Kahn. “Maybe You’re The Problem” marks Ava Max’s first release since 2021’s “Everytime I Cry.”
The 28-year-old is riding a wave of momentum after her debut album Heaven & Hell was certified RIAA Platinum, starring the 4-times Platinum smash hit “Sweet But Psycho,” 2-times Platinum “Kings & Queens,” and the also-Platinum “My Head & Heart.” Max has also seen much success with her recent Tiesto collaboration “The Motto,” which entered the top 5 of Billboard‘s “Dance/Electronic Songs” chart.
Ava Max had a strong 2021 overall, being named to the Forbes “30 Under 30″ list. With Diamonds & Dancefloors, she has the opportunity to take things even further.
Check out Max’s performance of “Maybe You’re The Problem” on The Today Show above.
Diamonds & Dancefloors is out 10/14 via Atlantic. Pre-save it here.
Ava Max is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
As a cultural icon, Mary J. Blige has accomplished so much in music (hello, Time100 Most Influential People of 2022 list) and on TV (don’t forget about “Monet” on Power). Now, the Queen of Hip Hop Soul has spearheaded her own inaugural festival set to take place only in Atlanta; an idea she brought to Pepsi right after she performed at the Super Bowl this year.
“It’s the Strength Of A Woman Festival,” Mary told Uproxx in an interview. “We’re bringing all women together in Atlanta, where all the fans reside, and just sharing information and uplifting and empowering women.”
And, the experience was nothing short of spectacular. A loving sense of connectedness and warmth was present as many exciting events took place over that Mother’s Day weekend. It was a celebration that involved enriching attendees with meaningful panels during the day and, at night, live performances from the newer generation of artists like Baby Tate and City Girls and legacy acts such as 90s R&B group Xscape — and of course, Ms. Blige herself.
Everything was so well thought out, it was surprising to learn that the idea wasn’t something Mary and her team were planning for a while. According to the PepsiCo president of Multicultural Business and Equity Development and creator of Pepsi Stronger Together, Derek Lewis, they only had 10 weeks to make it happen with the goal for women “…to feel really inspired to go do greater work in whatever field they’re in personally and professionally.”
“The entertainment part obviously is tremendous, but for me — I really give a lot of credit to Mary and her team about their vision for this event — I would classify this as entertainment with a purpose,” Lewis proclaimed during our chat. “We are going to have massive engagement, entertainment, and excitement from an experience standpoint with the music, but it goes beyond that.”
“It was something that just came to us,” Blige explained. “Like, why don’t we do this? Because when we go to the Essence Festival, people are like, ‘I’m going to see Mary.’ So we’re like, ‘Hmm, well, let me just get my own festival and have everyone come to that festival every year.’”
For this to be the event’s first run, it was one of the smoothest conference-style festivals I have ever attended, while still having room to improve and expand each year. Especially with the Black-owned food trucks (shoutout to Fowl Play for holding it down with the lemon pepper wet hot wings) and empowering panels. I also loved the fact that I was able to enjoy Mother’s Day with my mom, who practically raised me on Blige’s music, while still being able to turn up to City Girls. Balance.
Mary has always been a great example of what the strength of a woman is all about. She has shown us what it means to overcome adversity while coming out on top and what it looks like embrace every enriching you want to do.
“Do not be held in a box,” she offered as advice when I asked how a person can achieve this. “Do what it is you want to do. Don’t let people tell you who you are. Know who you are and don’t be afraid of that. It takes confidence to get to the point where you’re not listening to every little word, and social media doesn’t help. Forget social media for a second. Be honest with yourself.”
Guidance like this is why being there for Mary was a no-brainer for “I Am” artist and festival performer Baby Tate.
“I think the entirety of my career has been based around the strength of women and making sure to remind women of their strength, and empower them through my music,” Tate told me after her performance. “It feels amazing to be on this lineup with so many women that I look up to, and that I am inspired by, and that empowers me when I listen to their music. It’s just great to be here.”
I also spoke for a bit with singer-songwriter Sevyn Streeter about how Mary can connect with every single emotion through her music and she named “As I Am” as the one song that uplifts her.
“I don’t care if you are a woman and you want to cry about something, or you want to go celebrate with your girls, or you want to remind yourself who you are, you want to look in the mirror and say, ‘Hello, gorgeous,’” she told me. “I think that’s just the power and the beauty of Mary J. Blige.”
Strength Of A Woman Festival is expected to return to Atlanta every spring, and it’s exciting to think of where they might go from here.
Baby Tate is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Uproxx was hosted for this event by Pepsi. However, Pepsi did not review or approve this story. You can learn more about the Uproxx Press Trip policy here.
The nominations for the 2022 BET Awards have been announced and Doja Cat is the top nominee. She’s nominated for six awards, including two awards — video of the year and best collaboration — for “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA, as well as best female R&B/pop artist, best female hip-hop artist, BET Her for “Woman,” and album of the year for Planet Her.
Meanwhile, Ari Lennox and Drake are tied for second place with four nominations apiece, while third place is an absolute logjam with Baby Keem, Chloe, Future, H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Baby, Mary J. Blige, Silk Sonic, and Tems all nominated for three awards each. Lennox is head-to-head with Doja in all of her nominations, including best female R&B/pop artist, BET Her, and video of the year, for which she’s nominated twice (for her own “Pressure” and her appearance on Summer Walker’s “Unloyal“).
In the never-ending lexicon of upcoming Star Warsshows and movies, one character has been overlooked for too long: Darth Vader. Sure, it makes zero sense for him to be in most of the shows (just imagine Baby Yoda meeting a young Darth Vader….) and he had his big moment in the original films. But that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t get to have his own show, yes? The good news is that Hayden Christensen is on board!
While speaking to ET Canada, Christensen mentioned that he would be interested in a show centered around Vader right after he put on the suit. “Yeah, I mean, you know, absolutely,” the actor said. “I think this is a character that sort of resonates in our culture and in a very kind of profound way. And there’s certainly more there to explore. There are so many other stories that have been told in these other mediums.”
While Anakin/Vader makes appearances throughout the universe, and in the animated series The Clone Wars, he deserves his own live-action story. Christensen is set to appear in the upcoming series Ahoskaalongside Rosario Dawson, though the timeline of the show implies that Christensen will appear in flashbacks or some other form.
Even though there are currently no plans to bring such a show to life, the possibility is always there. Perhaps Natalie Portman would return for a brief flashback? Christensen himself was shocked to be asked to return to the universe at first, probably because he stole a bunch of hair extensions from the prequel sets. But eventually did make it back to the galaxy far far away.
Earlier this year, the actor admitted that it was a pleasant surprise to return to the iconic character. “You know, for the longest time, no, I didn’t think I’d be stepping back into this role again. But certainly, in the back of my head for a little bit, I was maybe hopeful that one day such an opportunity might present itself.” The opportunity is here! Now!
The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi are now streaming on Disney+.
There are a lot of hazy IPAs on the market. And that number is increasing rapidly, thanks to so many craft beer lovers (and brewers) falling in love with the style over the past half-decade. While the classic IPA taste is highlighted by over-the-top (sometimes aggressive) bitter hops, hazy IPAs — also called hazies or New England IPAs — are known for their juicy tropical fruit flavor notes, with little to no bitterness. And while we’ll still throw down a West Coast IPA any day, the New England-style IPA just might be the best IPA for warm weather drinking.
Since warm weather is officially here, we figured the time was right to find the best hazy IPAs that are available almost anywhere and blindly taste and rank them. These juicy, fruity, refreshing options can be found at almost any bodega, supermarket, and beer store from coast to coast. Keep scrolling to see which beers we picked and how they stacked up.
Two Roads Two Juicy IPA
Lagunitas Hazy Wonder
Rogue Batsquatch
Elysian Contact Haze
Brooklyn Pulp Art
Firestone Walker Mind Haze
Dogfish Head Hazy-O!
Samuel Adams Wicked Hazy
New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze
Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing
Part 1: The Tasting
Taste 1
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, I found hints of ripe grapefruit, caramelized pineapple, and tangerine. That’s about it on the nose though. The body is creamy and cloudy with more citrus as well as pineapple and other tropical fruits.
It’s juicy and memorable, but a little too creamy and sweet for my liking.
Taste 2
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Earthy grass, slightly herbal, as well as tropical fruit, caramel malt, and citrus aromas can be found on the nose. On the palate, I found flavors like passionfruit, mango, grapefruit, and lemon zest as well as slightly caramel malts and a slightly tart finish with a more-bitter-than-I’d -personally-prefer dank finish.
Taste 3
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is caramel malts, slight herbal notes, and citrus, and not much else. While the nose is reminiscent of a hazy IPA, the palate really isn’t. While it has the cloudiness of a New England-style IPA, it’s heavy sweet malts, citrus, and resinous pine.
It’s more bitter than I’d prefer and is missing the tropical fruit flavors I enjoy.
Taste 4
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose has a nice mix of caramel malt sweetness, lightly floral hops, and a ton of tropical fruit flavors like papaya, mango, pineapple, passionfruit, and citrus zest. The palate continues this trend with more bright, sweet tropical fruit flavors, ripe grapefruit, and a nice finish of floral, herbal, slightly bitter hops.
From my notes: “All in all, an almost perfect hazy IPA.”
Taste 5
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Hazy IPA fans who only enjoy tropical fruit flavors will be pretty happy with this beer’s nose. It features aromas of pineapple, tangerine, passionfruit, mango, and even melon. Caramel malts are firmly in the background. Sipping it reveals notes of candied orange peels, ripe mango, pineapple, apricot, wet grass, and a slightly spicy, floral hop bitterness at the very end.
Taste 6
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
This beer’s nose is dominated by tropical fruits like mango, pineapple, and passion fruit as well as lemon zest, and just a hint of caramel malts. The mouthfeel is creamy and juicy with a ton of tropical fruit flavors like pineapple, tangerines, lemon curd, mango, and papaya. There’s also a nice malt backbone and an herbal, slightly bitter finish that’s necessary to temper the sweetness.
Taste 7
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of freshly squeezed orange juice, pineapple, grapefruit, caramel malts, and floral hops are present on the nose. On the palate, I found hints of sweet malts, tangerine juice, lime zest, pineapple, grapefruit, and piney, dank, slightly bitter hops at the very end.
It’s a nice mix of sweetness, tart flavor, and bitterness.
Taste 8
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is orange rings, pineapple, and really nothing else. It tastes manufactured and synthetic. The flavor is a little better but still tastes mass-produced. There are hints of tangerine, more pineapple, some grapefruit, and maybe some mango. The finish isn’t very bitter, but overall, it’s a bit bland.
Taste 9
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Wet grass, ripe melons, grapefruit, and some pineapple are found on the nose. The palate follows suit with a more grassy, earthy flavor paired with some tangerine, pineapple, and a lot of resinous, dank, hop presence. More than I’d expect in a hazy IPA.
Taste 10
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
While this beer begins with aromas of ripe pineapple, berries, peaches, and orange zest, there’s also an herbal, floral hops presence on the nose. The palate is filled with caramel malts, mango, guava, tangerines, grapefruit, wet grass, and a nice earthy, herbal, slightly bitter, dank finish that helps to temper the tropical fruit flavors well.
Brooklyn is a big name in the craft beer marketplace so it was only a matter of time before it launched a hazy IPA. Pulp Art is its hazy, cloudy, juicy, tropical fruit-flavor foray into the world of New England-style IPAs.
Bottom Line:
Brooklyn Pulp Art is a different kind of hazy IPA. It’s not the juice bomb you’re used to. If anything, it’s a good bridge between the West Coast and New England-style for drinkers who aren’t ready for an overly fruity beer.
This dry-hopped hazy IPA is juicy, cloudy, and loaded with tropical fruit flavors. But it gets its sweet, unique flavor profile from the addition of four different oats. This includes malted oats, roll oats, naked oats, and even oat milk.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, I found hints of ripe grapefruit, caramelized pineapple, and tangerine. That’s about it on the nose though. The body is creamy and cloudy with more citrus as well as pineapple and other tropical fruits. It’s juicy and memorable, but a little too creamy and sweet for my liking.
Bottom Line:
It shouldn’t be a surprise that a beer that features so many oats would have a creamy flavor profile. It ticks all the hazy IPA boxes, but it’s the sweet oats and creamy mouthfeel could be a little much for some IPA fans.
Samuel Adams is most well-known for its iconic Boston Lager, but it also makes a pretty good New England-style IPA. Wicked Hazy is brewed with Samuel Adams IPA yeast as well as Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, white wheat, and golden naked oats. It gets its hop flavor from the addition of Galaxy, Simcoe, Mosaic, Citra, and Cascade hops.
Bottom Line:
I expected more from Samuel Adams. While not a terrible beer, it’s just not very exciting at all and the flavors are fairly one-dimensional and unexciting.
Lagunitas is well-known for its bold, hoppy IPAs so it’s no wonder the California-based brewery tried its hand at crafting a hazy IPA. Loaded with Cashmere, Comet, Citra, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Sabro, and Mosaic hops, it’s known for its combination of sweet tropical fruit flavors and bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
Lagunitas Hazy Wonder definitely is a wonder. I wonder why they added so many hops and made it so dank. It’s a good beer for fans of slightly bitter hops added to tropical fruit flavors, but maybe not for classic hazy IPA drinkers.
While I enjoy their beers, I wish there was a way to shorten the Voodoo Ranger beers’ names. They’re a real mouthful. The Juicy Haze version of the brand’s popular IPA off-shoot is brewed with American hefeweizen yeast, pale and C-80 malts as well as wheat oats and Citra, Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, and Nugget hops.
Bottom Line:
While this hazy IPA is juicy and filled with tropical fruit flavors, it has a few other flavors that might turn off New England-style IPA purists. Namely, slight tart and bitterly piney flavors.
Since every area of the country has its own mythology, the Pacific Northwest (where Rogue is located) is no different. Apparently, there’s a creature called Batsquatch that’s been seen in the area around Mount St. Helens over the years. This year-round beer brewed with flaked wheat, malted wheat, 2-row malts, and oats as well as imperial juice yeast and Belma, Mosaic, and El Dorado hops is known for its massive tropical fruit flavor.
Bottom Line:
Batsquatch is a great example of a New England-style IPA you can get anywhere. It’s hazy, cloudy, creamy, juicy, and filled with tropical fruit flavors with just the right amount of hop bitterness.
One of the first big names to get on the New England-style IPA bandwagon, Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing is still one of the best hazy IPAs you can get anywhere. It gets its fruity, juicy flavor from a mixture of malts, oats, wheat, and yeast, as well as Citra, Magnum, Simcoe, Comet, Mosaic, and El Dorado.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing is still one of the most popular hazies on the market. It’s fruity and sweet, yet has a nice herbal, earthy, slightly bitter finish that brings all the flavors together nicely.
This hazy, juicy, tropical fruit-filled, slightly bitter IPA is brewed with pale malt as well as flaked barley and oats and hopped with a massive amount of El Dorado, Mosaic, Southern Passion, Sabro, Citra, and Sultana hops. It’s hoppy, juicy, and perfect for a hot, humid day.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to easy-to-find grocery store hazy IPAs, it’s tough to beat the well-balanced, juicy flavor profile of Elysian Mind Haze.
This complex, hazy, juicy, flavorful beer gets its flavor from being brewed with a mix of malts, oats, and wheat. It’s also brewed with Mandarina and Cascade hops and dry-hopped with a mixture of hops including Azacca, El Dorado, Mosaic, Chinook, Cashmere, Callista, and Idaho 7.
Bottom Line:
Firestone Walker Mind Haze is one of the most well-rounded, complex hazy IPAs on the market. The best part? You can grab this beer at almost any store that sells beer.
Another beer that was at the forefront of the hazy IPA revolution was Two Roads Two Juicy. This 8.2% ABV unfiltered, cloudy New England-style IPA is brewed with Hallertauer Blanc, Citra, and Mandarina Bavaria hops. This creates a juicy, flavorful beer with a ton of citrus and tropical fruit flavors.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to hazy IPAs you can get anywhere, you’d have a difficult time finding one better than Two Roads Two Juicy. Hazy, juicy, tropical fruits, and lightly herbal, subtly bitter hops.
This beer has everything New England-style IPA drinkers crave.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
While I didn’t love every one of these hazy IPAs, I did realize that you don’t have to only look at the trendy craft brewery for a well-made, juicy, delicious, balanced New England-style IPA. There are many options available at your local beer store, a corner bodega, or a grocery store. Keep that in mind and you’ll have a pretty great beer-drinking summer ahead of you.
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