The latest hearing for the House Select Committee investigating Jan.6 was the biggest one yet, with surprise testimony from former Mark Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson that contained explosive, never-before-revealed allegations. They were so over-the-top that they almost seem unreal. Donald Trump has already had a meltdown over it, predictably asserting that she spread “fake news” and calling her things like “A Total Phony.”
But another person from deep within the former president’s orbit is giving her the benefit of the doubt. That person is Mick Mulvaney, who served as his chief of staff from early 2019 through spring of 2020, and special envoy for Northern Ireland until the Capitol riot, when he was one of a number of staffers who quit in disgust. After Hutchinson, who had firsthand accounts of many of the events of that fateful day, gave her testimony, Mulvaney said he thought she was on the level.
My guess is that before this is over, we will be hearing testimony from Ornato, Engle, and Meadows.
This is explosive stuff. If Cassidy is making this up, they will need to say that. If she isn’t they will have to corroborate.
“If Cassidy is making this up, they will need to say that. If she isn’t they will have to corroborate,” Mulvaney wrote. “I know her. I don’t think she is lying.”
Mulvaney also speculated that the committee would likely feature testimony from former White House chief of operations Anthony M. Ornato, who Hutchinson said warned Meadows that the visiting Trump supporters would likely be armed; Secret Service Special Agent Bobby Engel, whom Trump allegedly tried to choke; and Meadows himself.
Among the claims in Hutchinson’s testimony were that Trump knew his supporters were packing but didn’t care because “they’re not here to hurt me,” that he wanted to join the mob at the Capitol but wasn’t allowed to (prompting his attack on the Secret Service agent), that he got so mad that he threw his ketchup-heavy lunch against a wall, and more.
Back in April, two months before the hearings began, and when Trump was still widely seen as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in 2024, Mulvaney offered a “short list” of people who could unseat him. One was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Another was Trump himself, who’s “sometimes his own worst enemy.” He may have already been proven right about that last one.
At the beginning of last month, Jack Harlow released his sophomore album Come Home The Kids Miss You which included the Drake-featured track “Churchill Downs.” Some weeks later, a video for the song was released and it featured both rappers enjoying their time at the Kentucky Derby which takes place at the racetrack Harlow named the song after. The visual was later criticized by PETA in a statement. “Jack Harlow and Drake have chosen to glamorize horseracing with their new ‘Churchill Downs’ video,” they wrote. PETA also asked the rappers “to donate the song’s proceeds toward caring for Thoroughbreds discarded by the industry.”
Nearly a month after that statement was delivered, DJ Drama, who signed Harlow to his Generation Now label defended the “Churchill Downs” video following a run-in with TMZ. “No horses were harmed in the making of the video for sure,” he said. “They might have to talk to the Kentucky Derby about that. We were just on location. [The] Kentucky Derby been going on for a long time — don’t go after us.”
In more recent news, DJ Drama’s response comes after he appeared alongside Harlow during his performance at the 2022 BET Awards. Harlow performed “Poison” with Lil Wayne and surprised the world by bringing out Brandy for “First Class” to end the set.
Flavored whiskey is a very hit-and-miss market. Nevertheless, it’s rapidly expanding. Just about every brand has some sort of flavored whiskey, bourbon, or rye these days. By adding flavor to barrels that wouldn’t otherwise fit a standard bottle’s flavor profile, they’re able to shrink waste while growing their product lines — there’s a certain practicality to it.
This begs the question: Are there good flavored whiskeys out there? Or are they all sugar bombs?
Today, I’m doing a blind tasting of eight flavored whiskeys (all from the U.S.). Before we begin, let me admit — I’m on the record as really not digging flavored whiskey. It’s often far too sweet for my palate. That said, I can look at something objectively. Does this whiskey actually deliver on what’s promised on the label? Is it somewhat balanced? Is there any complexity? If so, then I can appreciate it for what it is. If not, it’s hard to find a purpose or use for it.
Our lineup today is:
Sapling Maple Bourbon
R6 Carmela Caramel Flavored Whiskey
Heritage Cocoa Bomb Whiskey
Sapling Maple Rye
Traverse City Whiskey Co. American Cherry Edition
Duke & Dame Salted Caramel
Sheep Dog Peanut Butter Whiskey
Traverse City Whiskey Co. Michigan Apple
Okay, let’s see which of these flavored whiskeys stands out when put to the blind test!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This has a nice nose that’s part maple syrup and part pancake batter (very much like a sour mash bourbon) with a hint of brown sugar and maybe a dash of cinnamon and vanilla. The palate is very much on the sweet side of pancake syrup with a hint of woodiness and a tinge of vanilla frosting.
This isn’t sickeningly sweet but close. It’s also clearly “maple” something or other.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all about the ginger cookies — it’s damn near like inhaling them while still in the box, it’s that distinct. The palate is exactly the same, pure gingerbread. That sharpness from the ginger spice takes a backseat to a dose of caramel with a sweet edge that’s nearly too much.
This was very distinct and not crazy sweet. I can honestly see drinking this around the holidays (in some sort of dessert format) from this taste alone.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose is basically like crushing a bunch of classic Oreos in your hand and then inhaling as hard as you can with your nose right in the cookies. The palate tastes like you’re drinking an Oreo soda, in a good way. It’s weirdly specific but not overly sweet. Don’t get me wrong, this is sweet… but it’s tied to a hard chocolate vibe.
This was, again, pretty good and not overly sweet. I also love an Oreo every now and then, so I’m on board with this flavor profile.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
There was very little on the nose. I had to go back and forth for a minute to pick up a hint of maple and maybe an echo of vanilla. The palate leaned into “sweet” with an underlying essence of flat cherry cola. That was about it.
This just fell flat on all fronts.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose on this one is all about the cheap marzipan you get from the drug store. On the palate, that sweet and pasty marzipan is infused with a huge dose of thick cherry syrup that takes over everything with a clear hint of whiskey-soaked oak, old vanilla pods, and dry cinnamon sticks rounding things out.
This was really something. It’s a cherry bomb that’s not overly sweet that actually also tastes like a whiskey.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all caramel to the point of being saccharine. The palate hits the diacetyl pretty hard with a faux (and cheap) buttery note of butterscotch (which tells me this is a little slipshod on the distilling process). The end does have a mellower salted caramel vibe but it feels more like an afterthought to the cheap butterscotch.
This feels like it’s so close to a bull’s eye yet so far away. There’s promise in there at certain moments but they get lost in the mix of too much sugar and mediocre distillate.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a bit of popcorn that leads into a creamy but very cheap peanut butter — I mean the knock-off stuff on the bottom shelf that’s called “Spiffy” or the like. The palate is creamy yet sweet and very clearly emulates peanut butter vibes. The end feels more like licking the inside of a plastic peanut butter jar than actually eating peanut butter, much less drinking whiskey.
I mean, this is a peanut butter whiskey and it delivered that. So it has that going for it.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
This is another super-thin nose. I can find a hint of apple cider but it’s more like an empty mug that once held the juice than anything else. The palate carries on the same path with the whisper of apple cider supported by thin lines of cinnamon, oak, and maybe some vanilla but not much. The end is pretty non-existent but does remind you of apple in a very generic sense.
This felt like it had the bones but nothing on those bones to help it actually amount to anything.
This whiskey from Vermont starts off with MGP of Indiana rye and mixes it with local maple syrup. That juice is then re-barreled and allowed to rest before proofing and bottling.
Bottom Line:
There just wasn’t a whole lot here. The nose was barely findable and the palate wasn’t much better.
This starts with a blend of 100 percent corn whiskeys with a couple of two-year-old bourbons. That juice is mixed with “natural flavors” of salted caramel to create the final product.
Bottom Line:
This felt very young on the palate. It wasn’t undrinkable but could have used a couple of years in the barrel to let those butterscotch notes settle toward a deeper caramel.
6. Traverse City Whiskey Co. Michigan Apple — Taste 8
This whiskey combines local Michigan whiskey with apples from the orchards surrounding the distillery. The whiskey is infused with those apples in the barrel before proofing, additional flavoring, and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This was a little faint. It was an apple product but you really had to dig deep to find that. At the same time, it wasn’t an overly distinct whiskey either. It just kind of was with no clear flavor profile.
This product comes from Sazerac (which owns Buffalo Trace and Barton 1792 in Kentucky). The juice is a blend of “whiskey” with “peanut butter.” Beyond those vague descriptions, not much else is known about what’s in the bottle.
Bottom Line:
I guess this was fine. I felt like this was more of a cooking whiskey than anything else. But even then, the peanut butter aspects were so plasticky and cheap that I can’t really see using it there either. That said, this was clearly a peanut butter whiskey, so… mission accomplished?
This juice comes from a tiny distillery up in Vermont. The actual whiskey in the bottle is a sourced “American bourbon whiskey” from MGP that’s cut with local Vermont maple syrup. Once vatted, the whiskey spends some more time in oak at the distillery in Vermont before proofing and bottling.
Bottom Line:
I didn’t hate this. In fact, I could see using this as a cooking bourbon to really get those maple flavor notes into something. Cutting a waffle or pancake batter with this would make a lot of sense. Or use it in a BBQ sauce. That said, I suppose this would work in an old fashioned if you cut out the sugar from the recipe.
This whiskey comes from the R6 Distillery in El Segundo, California. The juice is a mix of “whiskey” flavored with caramel and named after Carmel, California. Beyond that, little else is known about the juice.
Bottom Line:
This was pretty damn good. It has a nice balance between the ginger cookies and caramel finish that takes you somewhere. It was a tad sweet for me but that doesn’t take away from the quality of the product.
All of that said, I would have pegged this as a ginger product and not a caramel one.
This whiskey from Seattle is a low-proof local distillate. That juice is then flavored with cane sugar to amplify the chocolate notes in the whiskey, creating this specific flavor profile.
Bottom Line:
This was one of the more distinct whiskeys on the list. It was very clearly something chocolate flavored and didn’t overdo the sugar. Had there been a little more depth to the overall flavor profile, this might have won the day.
1. Traverse City Whiskey Co. American Cherry Edition — Taste 5
This local whiskey from up in Michigan is all about that “local” experience in the bottle. The whiskey is steeped with Montmorency cherries grown on the farm that surrounds the distillery. The whiskey does have “natural flavors” added to round out the palate but relies on those cherries layering into the whiskey as the main flavoring component.
Bottom Line:
This was the most complex and “whiskey-like” drinking experience on the list by far. This was something that felt more like a whiskey that simply leaned into a nutty and cherry-forward flavor profile instead of getting jacked up with sugars to recreate those flavors.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
There were some perfectly good whiskeys on this list, even I have to admit that. There were also some stinkers from a fundamental point of view. I’d say the bottom three should be avoided. Five, four, and three are all interesting and deliver on their promise — but I’m not going to go out of my way to find them.
As for two and one, they’re what you want to seek out. That Heritage Cocoa Bomb Whiskey not only delivered on its label promise but was a distinct and well-flavored chocolate bomb. The Traverse City Cherry, on the other hand, was just a well-made product. I can see drinking it in a highball on a hot summer day and not having a single thing to worry about. It felt like a whiskey that leaned into cherry instead of a distillate cut with cherry syrup. That’s a winner.
There hasn’t been much substantive pushback from the GOP against the Jan. 6 hearings and their many bombshells. Even after former Mark Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson laid out numerous shocking revelations, all Donald Trump could do was rage maniacally on his Twitter clone. Even Fox News has been admitting the House select committee is doing a pretty bang up job, even — or rather, especially — after the hearing that claimed Trump attacked a Secret Service agent and threw a ketchup-heavy lunch onto a wall.
Hutchinson’s testimony — which revealed, among many other things, that Trump knew his violent supporters were packing heat and didn’t care because “they’re not there to hurt me” — left Fox News host Bret Baier beside himself. “Listen, this testimony is, first of all, stunning, because we haven’t heard this. Two, it’s compelling because of her proximity to power, all of these people directly having conversations with her,” he said. He also pointed out, “all of this is firsthand,” lest anyone doubt she’s passing on secondhand news.
Fox News’s Bret Baier describes Hutchinson’s testimony as “stunning” and “compelling” pic.twitter.com/aBoJ2h43MK
Then there’s Neil Cavuto. This time last week, the host was admitting that the hearing about all the election worker lives Trump helped destroy made him “look awful, just awful.” After Hutchinson’s testimony, he brought on a legal expert who said they made have evidence of seditious conspiracy.
When asked if the claims, if true, have “criminal implications” for the former president, former U.S. attorney Alex Little replied, “I think a great of it does.” Little said Trump “had some awareness” of the potential for violence, which did come, and that was “ok with that risk.” He added, “The steps that he took allegedly in The Beast also show a president who was very, very adamant about getting to the Capitol even when his advisers advised him not to [and] when told that it could increase the violence. That’s extremely problematic.”
Little brought up the discussions in the West Wing after Trump was forbidden from joining the rioters at the Capitol, and Hutchinson’s claims “about the president really not caring about the fact that there were chants to hang Mike Pence.” He concluded, “I mean, that’s pretty damning stuff if you put that in front of a criminal jury in a criminal trial.”
Little later laid out the case against Trump:
Realistically, you’re the president of the United States. You owe an oath to everyone, including those police officers who were the Capitol and including people on both sides who are representatives inside that Capitol building. And if you are ok with there being a greater risk of harm because the folks have guns and weapons, and they’re marching towards the Capitol, that shows a betrayal of your oath.
And I think, again, goes directly in line with charges like seditious conspiracy. You can say, “Hey, I’m not worried about them hurting me.” But you need to be worried about them hurting the democratic process and the folks who are in the Capitol building.
Cavuto himself concluded that Trump is “clearly unhinged.”
There have been reports that Fox News is close to finally washing their hands of Trump and throwing their weight behind Florida governor Ron DeSantis instead. Then again, the big guy has never had to pay for his actions, apart from losing reelection and being booted from his favorite social media service.
The New York Knicks have pursued Jalen Brunson in a very public manner for quite some time. During Game 1 of the first round series between the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks, top Knicks executive Worldwide Wes sat courtside along with Julius Randle. His presence ruffled a few feathers for both the Jazz and Mavericks due to the reported interested the Knicks have in both Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson.
New York went on to hire Brunson’s father, Rick Brunson, as an assistant coach, while the Brunson family has strong ties to Knicks executive Leon Rose — Rick was Rose’s first client when Rose was an agent, while Rose’s son, Sam, currently represents Jalen. On draft night, the Knicks traded the No. 11 pick for three future first rounders and offloaded Kemba Walker’s salary. Initially the trade was a bit puzzling, because the Knicks had the opportunity to draft a young player like Memphis center Jalen Duren, but New York prioritized financial flexibility with an eye on free agency.
Those decisions are apparently on the precipice of paying off. Marc Stein reported that the Mavericks increasingly believe Brunson will sign with the Knicks.
Wrote Friday that the Knicks had amassed “major momentum” in their pursuit of Jalen Brunson after draft night.
There is a growing resignation in Dallas, sources say, that the Knicks are indeed Brunson’s top choice and his inevitable destination.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that the Brunson deal would be in the four-year, $100 million range.
At this point, it’s widely anticipated that Jalen Brunson will go to the Knicks on a four-year deal in excess of $100M. It remains to be seen how New York will clear the rest of the necessary cap space and whether the Mavs can work a sign-and-trade to recoup assets.
Brunson had a stellar playoff performance that helped guide the Mavericks to their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 2011. He averaged 21 points a game through the postseason, which included a vital 41-point game against the Jazz while Luka Doncic nursed a calf injury.
The Mavericks had an opportunity to offer Brunson an extension during the season, but chose to wait until the trade deadline for any potential deals that could include Brunson. Once the deadline passed, Brunson was no longer interested in signing an extension because the Mavs could only offer a four-year, $55 million deal.
The deal isn’t set in stone, but Brunson signing with the Knicks would be a major blow for a Maverick team that just started gaining momentum for Doncic’s prime, while New York would acquire some much-needed point guard help.
For all of our disagreements in modern American life, there are at least a few things most of us can agree on. One of those is the need for reform in public education. We don’t all agree on the solutions but many of the challenges are undeniable: retaining great teachers, reducing classroom size and updating the focus of student curriculums to reflect the ever-changing needs of a globalized workforce.
And while parents, politicians and activist debate those remedies, one voice is all-too-often ignored: that of teachers themselves.
This is why a short video testimony from a teacher in the Atlanta suburb of Gwinnett County went viral recently. After all, it’s hard to deny the points made by someone who was just named teacher of the year and used the occasion to announce why he will be leaving the very school district that just honored him with that distinction.
In a video carried by Fox5 Atlanta, 2022 Gwinnett County Public Schools Teacher of the Year Lee Allen breaks down what he sees as the overriding problems in the county’s school system. While his comments are specific to that of Gwinnett County, it’s virtually impossible to not see the overlap across all of America and how the problems have become exponentially more challenging as students have migrated back to in-person learning.
“At the end of this year, I will be leaving Gwinnett County Schools, leaving behind the opportunity to submit for state teacher of the year, roughly $10,000 in salary, and most importantly, the students and colleagues I’ve built strong relationships with,” Allen, a math teacher, says at the beginning of his remarks. “I’m leaving in hopes that I can regain the ability to do the job that I love.”
Normally, one might assume teacher pay is the overriding issue for educators like Allen. But he makes it clear that he is, in fact, leaving money on the table in order to avoid what he seems as unacceptable changes to the student body and how the district manages its teachers and the learning environment. Here are his main grievances, in order:
“First issue at hand is student apathy and disrespect for school rules and norms. … We have an alarming number of students that simply do not care about learning and refuse to even try.”
“We are also experiencing incredible disrespect and refusal to follow basic school rules. There Is little to no accountability or expectation for grades or behavior placed on students or parents. Rather than being asked what the student can do to improve their understanding, teachers are expected to somehow do more with less student effort.”
Cell phone use. Teachers simply cannot compete with the billions of dollars tech companies pour into addicting people to their devices. Phones allow constant communication, often being the spark that fuels fights, drug use and other inappropriate meetups throughout the day. We need a comprehensive district plan with support behind it in order to combat this epidemic and protect the learning environment.”
“Lastly, there is a huge disconnect between administrators and teachers. The classroom in 2022 is drastically different from just three years ago. Most administrators have not been in a classroom full-time in years or even decades. Many teacher do not feel understood, valued or trusted as professionals from administrators and the decisions that they make.”
While Allen points fingers at administrators and student behavior, he also says that the pressures put on both students and teachers alike by COVID-19 had a catastrophic impact on learning. “The pandemic has acted as a catalyst and turned a slow negative trend into an exponential crisis,” he says.
But he also offers some solutions, stating, “I won’t list complaints without offering ideas for improvement.”
All administrators should spend at least one week in a high needs classroom, “without a suit, without people knowing your title and in the same room, all day, for an entire week.”
Prioritizing smaller class sizes.
Greater transparency from the district in terms of needs and expectations and goals.
“We all want the same thing and we cannot accomplish this without supporting one another,” he says near the end of his remarks.
With more than 400,000 views already, it’s clear his remarks resonated with people not just inside his small school district.
There’s almost nothing more important than how we educate our children. And while the national political debate centers on areas of far less importance generated to gin up controversy and campaign fundraising, it’s families and local leaders who will need to do the heavy lifting of re-prioritizing the fundamental principles of learning and leadership if we want an American educational system that can compete on the global stage in 2022 and beyond. After all, when literal award-winning educators like Allen are walking away, it’s clear something more needs to be done.
Kevin Ford, the Las Vegas airport Burger King employee whose story went viral after he displayed the meager goodie bag he received after 27 years of never missing a day of work, might have started off feeling less than hopeful. But after his story reached the masses, his faith in humanity has been restored.
The original video showed the 54-year-old displaying the bag’s mediocre contents: a reusable Starbucks cup, one singular movie ticket, a couple of pens, a lanyard, some keychains and cheap candy (no offense Reese’s and Life Savers).
Despite receiving a “gift” more equivalent to convention swag than a display of employee loyalty, Ford shared authentic gratitude.
“I’m happy about anything, I’m thankful for anything I get,” Ford told TMZ, “but, like most big corporations, they’ve kind of lost touch with their workers.” Ford added that before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees would receive anniversary checks, sharing that he initially thought that’s what the movie ticket was.
TMZ later reported that after Ford’s video began circulating everywhere, he received a flood of new job opportunities from potential employers near and far—including one position restoring classic cars and another working at a beachside restaurant in South Carolina. However, as he was close to retirement at his current job, Ford passed.
“The man in that video is my father. He has worked at his job for 27 years and yes, he has never missed a day of work. He originally began working at this job as a single father when he gained custody of me and my older sister 27 years ago…In no way are we asking for money or is he expecting any money but if anyone feels like blessing him he would love to visit his grandchildren.”
It didn’t take long before the donations started to roll in, and kept coming. Even actor David Spade contributed a generous $5,000 and sent Ford a personal message, saying “keep up the good work.” Shocked, Ford replied, “THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! For even watching the video! I think I might be able to take a day off…”
Ford might be able to do much more than take a day off now. So far, that GoFundMe fundraiser has gathered more than $200,000. And where, yes, there were a few huge donations, most were $10-$20, providing a great example of how small acts of kindness can make a big difference when everyone comes together.
“I just want to say thanks to everybody out there. It’s just so overwhelming,” he told Nicole. “I think that it probably touched people because I think we as humans, period, just need love and gratitude.”
As for what Ford might do with the money, it looks like a visit to see his grandkids in Texas is definitely a go and he’ll probably even purchase a new car (Ford has his sights on a Ford hybrid, fitting). Plus, he might get to pursue his dream of making music. Who knows? One thing is for sure, he now knows that his commitment is recognized.
Niantic created one of the most addicting games in recent memory in Pokemon Go. It turns out the ability to let people go out and live their dreams of catching Pokemon in the real world was an enticing one, and it’s thanks to the success of Pokemon Go that Niantic has had the opportunity to explore beyond that. Over the last few years, Niantic released games similar to Pokemon Go such as Pikmin Bloom and the now-defunct Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
Now, Niantic is going in a completely different direction with its latest project, NBA All-World, which is “designed to bring hoops fans into the real-world metaverse,” per a release. The “real-world metaverse” is a project venture that Niantic has been pushing with many of its future games.
NBA All-World is expected to be similar to Pokemon Go with real-world landmarks where players can participate in NBA-themed gameplay. Some of the gameplay features included in the official press release included:
Challenge Players and Build Your Reputation: First to five in a shooting drill wins a chance to recruit that player. Familiar face? If you’ve already got a player on your team, you can use encounters to practice shooting and earn more Cred. You can also unlock the ability to recruit stronger players with a higher Team Level.
Rep the Lifestyle: Pick up Gear like sneakers and jerseys at Drop Zones. Look out for special Gear that improves player stats and outfit players with sneakers and accessories that help you stand out from the crowd.
Explore the World: Get out and move in the real world to move your player and find Player Encounters, Boosts, King of the Court Challenges, and more.
Push Your Limits: Power up player stats with Boosts in Offense, Defense, and Fitness. Make sure you keep Energy high with Energy Drinks and watch out for lower Energy that makes it harder to score.
It’s going to be interesting to see how basketball fans respond to NBA All-World. While some may find it silly, gamers who love to participate in modes like MyTEAM in NBA 2K are proof enough there’s an audience for this out there. Is this going to be the next Pokemon Go? Probably not. Does it have a chance to pull in a dedicated niche community of basketball fans? Absolutely.
If you’re spending an afternoon or evening standing beside a burning hot grill on a humid summer day, you’re going to need a cold beverage to sip. And while water is a necessity on hot days, nothing goes better with grilled steaks, hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, and various grilled vegetables than a nice, cold beer.
And while I usually prefer to pour my beer into a nice pint glass when I eat dinner, the act of grilling a meal simply requires a bottle or can. Pop a top or crack a can, rest it next to the grill and get to work. And by work I mean stand next to the grill sipping a cold one while the heat does its job. Give your family a wave of the tongs every now and then to remind them of your sacrifices for their sustenance.
Yet all this raises an important question: what beer pairs best with grilling? The simplest answer is that the perfect beer for grilling is whatever beer you enjoy. But while you can’t go wrong with the old standbys, it’s always fun to discover new things, especially if those new things are frosty and cold.
To that end, we once again turned to the pros for help. We asked a few of our favorite craft beer experts, brewers, and beer professionals to tell us the best beers to pair with an afternoon of grilling. Keep scrolling to see all of their picks.
Firestone Walker Union Jack
Firestone Walker
Jeremy Marshall, brewmaster at Lagunitas Brewing in Petaluma, California
I’m not a big meat eater, but I do like to grill. I can’t resist fire. Therefore, I do have a grilling beer and as far as IPAs go, I’d have to say Union Jack by Firestone Walker. Matt Brynildson (from Firestone Walker) is as big a fan of Simcoe hops as am I, and Union Jack is like blasting your face behind the harvester in early September. It is one of the earlier popular IPAs from the 2000s that remains balanced and timeless even after all that has happened to the category.
Lost National Lokal Resident
Lost Nation
Matt Canning, assistant manager and beer concierge at Hotel Vermont in Burlington, Vermont
ABV: 5.5%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
You’re overthinking it if you don’t go in this direction: pale lager pairs best with all food, especially grilled food. Lost Nation Lokal Resident comes to mind, with just enough bitterness and a clean finish. This Czech-style pilsner is known for its crisp, easy-drinking flavor, and it pairs perfectly with grilling.
There’s nothing quite like a juicy burger paired with an ice-cold IPA. Personally, when grilling I prefer something with a little more bite like a traditional West Coast IPA like the popular High 5 from Fort Myers Brewing. No frills, just a good clean and pure IPA.
Altamont Beer Works Maui Wowie
Altamont
Eric Espinoza, bartender at Signia by Hilton in San Jose, California
Best beer for burgers or grilling in general? Anything that says “IPA” in my opinion. If I had to choose a burger IPA, it’d be Altamont Beer Works Maui Wowie. This is actually one of my favorite IPAs. I love the Citra and Mosaic hops it features. Summer makes me think of burgers, barbecue, and this.
3 Stars Ultra Fresh
3 Stars
Jeff Hancock, co-founder and brewmaster at DC Brau in Washington DC
ABV: 8.3%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
When it comes to a beer to pair with a day of grilling, I’m going to have to say 3 Stars Brewing’s Ultra Fresh Imperial IPA. I love it because it’s a local offering – so you can get it uber fresh. The great thing about this Imperial IPA is that the hops are different with each batch, showcasing the freshest hops the brewery has to offer. I love beers that keep me guessing.
Whenever I am grilling, I have to have an IPA in hand. One of my all-time favorite IPAs is King Sue by Toppling Goliath. It is an imperial IPA with Citra hops. It is juicy and sweet which makes it a great pairing for a variety of foods. It’s hard to beat on a hot summer day.
Trillium Vicinity
Trillium
Nancy Lopetegui, taproom general manager at Wynwood Brewing in Miami
Vicinity by Trilium Brewing. The citrusy profile and hops from IPAs pair perfectly with grilled meats and also cut the fattiness from certain cuts. Trillium is the kind of brewery that makes nothing but great beers and Vicinity is no different.
Taproot Burnout Smoked Helles
Taproot
Justin Tisdale, head brewer at Rejects Beer Co. in Middletown, Rhode Island
ABV: 4.6%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
Taproot Brewing in Middletown Rhode Island makes their Burnout Smoked Helles Lager, and it’s the best thing to pair with anything off the grill. Subtle smoke. Huge malt flavor. Balanced hops. Kevin Beachem (brewer at Taproot) crushed it with this one. Every time I see him, I have to stroke his ego a little bit and express my jealousy for him landing so close to the pin on such an amazing example of the style.
Brooklyn Brewery’s East IPA will pair great with grilled meats. An example of a classic English IPA its balance of sweet malt hops, and bitterness will make it a better companion than West Coast or Hazy IPAs. Bigger on malt sweetness and more subdued on hop aroma and flavor, its refreshing bitterness will help cut through the bold flavors from your grill.
Sierra Nevada Summerfest
Sierra Nevada
Chris Pinns, tasting room manager at Societe Brewing in San Diego
Sierra Nevada Celebration is great with grilled foods. The classic “C” fresh hops in this beer are balanced perfectly by a more caramelized malt backbone than one sees in modern-day IPAs. It’s this malt character that creates a divine accompaniment to the caramelization on the grilled meats, while the fresh hops burst in to refresh your palate for the next delicious bite. Since it’s not available in the summer, I’ll go with Sierra Nevada Summerfest instead. It’s crisp, light, summery, and goes great with all summer activities. Especially grilling.
Anchor Liberty IPA
Anchor
Marshall Hendrickson, co-founder and head of operations at Veza Sur Brewing Co. in Miami
Anchor Brewing Co. Liberty IPA is my go-to. Being from San Francisco originally, Liberty IPA was always in the cooler during any family barbecue. I love this beer for many reasons. It’s well crafted, drinks well alone but goes especially well with food, and perhaps most importantly, it’s very nostalgic for me as it reminds me of family barbecues.
Two Hearted by Bell’s is a great grilling beer. An all-time great IPA, the fresh-cut pine hop aromas match up with the intensity of the smoke. The caramel malt sweetness pairs with the caramelization and Maillard flavors of a hard sear and the firm bitterness helps to cleanse the palate and bring out the full flavor of the meat.
All Rudy Giuliani wanted to do was campaign for his much-mocked son, who’s running for governor in the state in which his offices were once raided by the feds. Instead he found himself in yet another one of his creative, Clouseau-esque humiliations. On Sunday, Giuliani was slapped on the back at a Long Island ShopRite. He claimed he was attacked. Surveillance footage showed he wasn’t. Eventually the mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, claimed he filed a false police report. And now there’s an old-fashioned NYC mayor fight.
@ericadamsfornyc has 39% more crime than DeBlasio. He is accusing me of filing a false statement about the assault in SI. The report was filed by the NYPD, after interviewing independent witnesses. The video is deceiving. A tap doesn’t cause swelling. #incompetentmayor
“@ericadamsfornyc has 39% more crime than DeBlasio,” Giuliani wrote, comparing Adams to his predecessor. “He is accusing me of filing a false statement about the assault in SI. The report was filed by the NYPD, after interviewing independent witnesses. The video is deceiving. A tap doesn’t cause swelling.” He tagged it “#incompetentmayor”
It’s not the first time Giuliani has come for a Black mayor of NYC. Before he got the job in 1994, he came for his own predecessor, David Dinkins, even help start a riot in which white NYPD officers attacked City Hall. On Monday, Giuliani sang his own praises, claiming he cleaned up Harlem by going after “crooked black politicians.”
Rudy says when he was Mayor, he cleaned up Harlem by getting rid of all the “crooked black politicians.” pic.twitter.com/AP0aI77RQ8
Giuliani has stuck by his claims that the slap he received was something much worse, and hasn’t convincingly explained how footage of the incident was, as he put it, “deceiving.” Meanwhile, reporters have gone so far as to do a slow-motion play-by-play of the most high-profile slap since this year’s Oscars.
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(@RonFilipkowski)