Category: News

Call of Duty League’s inaugural season has been one to remember in some very unexpected ways. The shooter’s foray into big time eSports was abruptly cut off by the COVID-19 pandemic, ending major touring and taking the competition back online. The season rolled on remotely, though, and this weekend will see the league crown a champion with a final four matchup featuring the biggest names in Call of Duty.

The league is going big for its finale, from a custom throne constructed for the champions to a $1.5 million prize for the team that comes out on top. The Chicago Huntsman, Dallas Empire, Atlanta FaZe and London Royal Ravens have plenty to play for this weekend, but a championship ring and pair of custom Jordans certainly helps sweeten the pot, too.

For Ryan Wyatt, it’s the culmination of a career in gaming that has seen him playing, broadcasting and now bringing Call of Duty to the masses through YouTube, which partnered with Call of Duty League in its first season and will stream the Finals this weekend. Much has changed in the COD world since he first became involved, first as a player and then a caster and now with his work as head of YouTube Gaming. The eSport has come a long way since he was commentating matches via Skype in his bedroom while in college, and he has big things in store for the league and YouTube Gaming.

Wyatt talked to Uproxx about YouTube’s place in the gaming world, gave a preview of what to expect from championship weekend and when we can expect a Fall Guys eSports league.

This weekend I would say is a long time coming in a lot of ways. But this year, especially with the stoppage due to the pandemic, what’s the feeling now that we’re finally at the finish line for Call of Duty League’s first season?

Yeah, it was a pretty poetic storyline to see the old OpTic versus the new OpTic, right? In the Chicago Huntsman, that came down to the wire.

With YouTube in its first year of licensing the Call of Duty League, it’s been spectacular to say the least. I’ve been a longtime Call of Duty fan, I commentated Call of Duty eSports for about seven years, starting with Call of Duty 4. Was a part of OpTic as a member. So just to see the evolution of the league, to see the evolution of OpTic gaming and Hector, to see the Huntsman. A lot of animosity between those two organizations and to see the teams duke it out with that kind of match. You just can’t write that stuff. It was pretty incredible.

You’ve been involved with COD for a long time and seem this evolution happen. From an outsider’s perspective these sort of battles seem inevitable. As more people get involved, as the sport grows and bigger organizations invest in it and the platform gets bigger. But seeing those play out and impact the league itself, how fascinating was that for you?

Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts and emotions about it to be honest with you. Because when I started playing competitively and commentating, I was commentating matches out of my bedroom in college online. That’s where it started. So everyone was participating in these online tournaments, playing from home.

We got really lucky when MLG started supporting it with Modern Warfare 2. Picked up PlayStation as a sponsor. You see that, that’s the starting point: commentating off Skype in your bedroom, to franchising the league. People paying and writing big checks to be a part of it, these big sponsors. These big moments.

And I also have to give credit to all of the players, the league, Activision, for just rocking through COVID, right? Being able to say we have this new league, we’re going to go through these new challenges that were unforeseen and still come out on the other end with millions of people were watching over the weekend. So it’s just, to me, I’m in absolute awe. And in a lot of ways I feel we’re just getting started. I can’t give out too much info but we have a lot of exciting plans to expand it from a product perspective going into next year. Where I think fans will continue to lean into the platform more. These storylines have a way of writing themselves with these teams, so I’m very excited for this weekend. Sunday’s going to be wild.

The teams that are still here in the final were very good right away. And then when things shut down a lot of these players were quarantining together and played together a lot. It seemed to me the tenor of the league changed a bit and some teams caught up. How much do you think that impacted what we saw in the second half of the season when things went online?

I think some of the teams that have had more player changes will benefit and did benefit from playing together more online. But I think it’s kinda like a double edged sword because the downtime gives optionality to play other games or you’re playing Warzone and not necessarily focused on actual comp matches. So I think it goes both ways.

I think playing on the internet creates its own challenges, with the idea that the highest level integrity being on LAN. It’s just not something that can happen and should happen right now. So I think there’s pros and cons to it. The most established teams like this Chicago Huntsman and Dallas Empire, I think, to your point, they’re going to be fine no matter what. They’re always ready to go. But I do think some of the other teams benefited from the time.

If you can stay focused, though, and I think that if is a big thing. And when I say stay focused I mean continue to play Call of Duty at a high level. Not stray away or play other games. And I think some teams were able to do that.

I talked to some players through the season and when they were streaming, Warzone is what people want to see them play. But as you said, it’s not a mode where you build the same skills you’d need in competitions. As a former pro player it must be interesting to see the balance between a player trying to build an audience and staying sharp.

Yeah, arguably Warzone is definitely the game where if you’re a streamer day to day, Warzone is going to pull the numbers for these creators. People want to watch these players play at the highest level, which is why you see these numbers when it comes to actual tournaments themselves. But to your point, as a player, Warzone when you’re playing you’re using sometimes different guns and you’re definitely using them in a different setup and style than you’d be competitively. You’re dealing with constant changes, nerfs and buffs to guns. So it’s different. It at least helps you mechanically stay within the game and it’s not like you’re playing a different kind of shooter or genre of game. So I don’t think you lose that much of it but undoubtedly behaviorally Warzone is just so, so different from competition and I think it can throw you off a little bit.

And also just not playing with your teammates in competition. You’re squadding up with other people and you lose a little bit of that step where you come together and your callouts are there and you’re really on point. At the same time, a lot of these pro players who have a lot of experience in the league for a while or have been playing professionally for a while: it’s like riding a bike. So give them enough reps back in that environment and they can quickly transition.

As far as what we’re going to see this weekend, you have ties with Chicago. We’ve seen a lot written about them and have gotten a lot of attention. Would you say they’re the favorites or is a bit more uncertain where we’re not sure what we will see until they start playing?

It’s a really good question. Look, as a fan of the game I have my eyes on Dallas and Chicago. Chicago is such a polished team and they seem to be really hitting a rhythm. These final four teams, anything can truly happen. Even though that’s cliche, and you’re online and it does change the environment. And it can change it in a good and bad way.

Some people can be truly fueled by playing on a LAN where you have that crowd and you have that support. And organization like the Chicago Huntsman, you have fans that really show up and you can feed off that. You don’t get that same kind of dynamic when you’re playing in an online environment at all. You can get hyped up on big plays but you lose the energy of the crowd. In a lot of ways it’s fair to compare how NBA players are dealing with playing in the bubble right now where you’re losing all of that and there really is no home court advantage. It does change the dynamic of the game but some of these more tenured players will be able to deal with that.

And you look at Scump, just pulling an example. This is someone who has been playing online since he started competing in Modern Warfare 2 online. You have players that are so used to playing at a high level in an online environment that it’s actually going to benefit them. And some of these younger players, where they came in when Call of Duty eSports is so well established. They’ve played so many hours of Call of Duty online, but it’s just a different dynamic when you play at a high level. So you give an edge to Dallas and Chicago because they have some of the more established players and the tenure on that team.

I feel like London’s kind of been an underdog of sorts. Maybe it’s a geographic thing, but is that a team people are maybe sleeping on this weekend? What would people need to look for from them to make it to the Finals and win it all?

It’s a good question. From a brand perspective and that team there’s probably some truth to that as far as they’re not as recognized. And it’s fair to say in some capacity they’re playing as a bit of an underdog. But they’re a really talented team as well. You can’t dismiss them. I just think of kind of they might have the edge in playing with a chip on your shoulder, it can have some kind of benefit. If someone like a (Empire players) C6 or a Clayster sleep on them when they face them if they get past Faze. Or if Huntsman come in and they start playing slow. These guys can get an early jump on them. So I think anytime you’re in the final four they have to take these teams seriously.

So yes, they may be an underdog, particularly from a brand recognition and overall talent. but that team can throw off the final four with Huntsman being the favorite and them flipping all that upside down. And you have to imagine they’re going to go into that match with a chip on their shoulder as well. They understand the prestige and the team Huntsman is playing but they can look at that very easily as an opportunity to kind of throw them off. and that makes the final four very wild if something like that happens.

For you at YouTube Gaming, this must have been a very interesting year in how things have gone but I wanted to get to know your role better and where the platform is going and what will happen over the next few months.

Yeah, I’m responsible for our global gaming platform on YouTube. Gaming on YouTube is one of the biggest verticals that we have and there are 200 million people logged in and watching gaming content on YouTube every single day. So it makes YouTube with that size the largest gaming platform in the world. And that comes with a lot of responsibility to the publishers, to the eSports leagues, to the players and content creators. So my job is to make sure that we kind of deliver on that and continue to push forward.

There’s a lot of competition from a platform perspective, which I think is great because I truly believe all ships rise in those situations. Between Amazon’s Twitch and Facebook Gaming and Google’s YouTube Gaming we are all pushing each other forward and making sure we’re delivering on our promises. So it’s exciting, and I think what I really look forward to is making sure we continue to grow our live gamin business.

Gaming video on demand content is substantially larger than the live gaming industry. A lot of people don’t know that because I think live is much more fun to talk about than the beastly size of video on demand and uploads. So live has a little bit more enthusiasm in there and a little bit more competitive from a platform perspective. And so we have an obligation to deliver great products and content, great products to the creators and great content to the viewers. So really if I could summarize my role it’s to deliver on that.

Can you pull some strings and get me a highly competitive Fall Guys pro eSports league up and running in the next few weeks?

Oh my god, I would love that. Fall Guys is such an incredible game. I’m already calling it to be Game of the Year to be honest with you. You can quote me on that. Really fun game. And I honestly think competition takes form in a lot of different ways and I actually think you’ll see some fun creator tournaments across the platforms with Fall Guys. And I’ll be absolutely tuning in to those. I think that game is so good. So good and so funny.

As far as Call of Duty, you’ve very much been involved in the competitive world when the sphere. In a lot of ways I feel like I’m catching up, because the evolution of the community changes when the game changes. We’re kind of on the brink of that again, but it’s never happened with COD League where it is right now and Warzone as popular as it is. Is there some uncertainty with what happens next with the league and its players or do longtime players know where things will go?

It’s a really good question and I think it’s a little bit of both. If you look at Call of Duty eSports from a stock perspective, it just continues to go up. And I look at it right now I think there’s so much more to do and there’s so much where it’s going to continue to go up. Call of Duty on YouTube, just as a user generated content perspective, is massive. There’s a ton of Call of Duty fans, and I would argue there are, outside of the game itself, there are more fans on YouTube of Call of Duty than anywhere else in the world, right?

And so there’s kind of two things that’s really interesting. One, that’s seeing Call of Duty really establishing itself as a top tier eSport. Making it a league, bringing in sponsorship, bringing in viewership. Really establishing itself on YouTube. Hitting the highs. But there’s really so much more to be able to go and os much more runway for them. I’m excited to see where it goes and see how this season ends. Treyarch, traditionally, has done a fantastic job with eSports. That studio in general really gets it. They were one of the first movers to support eSports back in Black Ops 1. So you ave to think, this is great, it’s already so big. But I have to be honest with you, my expectations are for it to continue to go bigger and I think also enter more of the mainstream.

Call of Duty is a very unique thing when you look at a lot of eSports. It’s a lot more mainstream, you look at Tiger Woods talking about playing, there’s a lot of NBA players playing it like Ben Simmons, he just signs with FaZe. So Call of Duty has this potential to just break out mainstream more than any other eSports out there so it’s kind of this perfect story right now. YouTube, the biggest platform in the world, the biggest gaming platform in the world, the franchise being established. The product continuing to be improved on YouTube, the game continuing to be improved to support eSports. So you have all these things and catalysts firing at the same point that, next year’s going to be wild. Let alone the championship.

That’s the question I always wonder: is being more recognizable the biggest part of growth? Is the next step for Call of Duty League getting people who know who Ben Simmons is but not FaZe interested in eSports?

A hundred percent. I think how I look at it, too, is the older generations of people had a big stigma on video games, let alone a big stigma on eSports. So as that point of view becomes more outdated, and the numbers are very much supporting it, you have millennial audience growing up and Get Z growing up and so forth. You will have this continue to grow where it is not this niche. And particularly with Call of Duty. You could ask anyone out there in the United States and they would have heard of Call of Duty, as a game. It has a such a brand recognition. But I think what will happen now is you’ll have this better understanding of the nuances of that genre in battle royale Warzone versus eSports and competition. I see this in the numbers of just how gaming is growing on YouTube, how eSports is growing on Youtube. You’re seeing people from the NBA, MLB move into powerful executive positions at eSports organizations. So yeah, I don’t see any indication that it would go anywhere but continue to go up as far as a cultural recognition.

All I’m really hearing here is that I’m never going to get good enough at this game because more people are coming to kill me at all times.

You and me both, man. Back in the day when nobody was playing it was really easy to be good at Call of Duty. Now there’s so many people playing. When I try to get into it and play Warzone when I have time — I’ve got a newborn now so it’s few and far in between. But when I get on I’m getting my ass beat. So don’t worry about it. We’ll work on the other side of it, supporting the growth of it.

The question of when cops are justified in using deadly force is a tricky one.

Some circumstances are clear cut—if a gunman is actively firing on a crowd of people, for example, we’d all agree that a police officer shooting them would be the right thing to do. But other circumstances are much fuzzier and elicit tough questions. Should an officer shoot if just their own life is in danger? Most would agree they have a right to self-defense. But how is that determination made? What if an officer *thinks* someone has a weapon, but isn’t sure? What if a person appears threatening, but clearly is having a mental breakdown? That’s where things get gray real quick.

Most of us have never been in one of those situations and never will be. So one way those of us who don’t wear a badge can explore those gray areas is by listening to the stories of those who have.

J.J. Hensley is a former police officer as well as a former special agent with the U.S. Secret Service. If anyone knows the constant vigilance and readiness law enforcement requires, it’s him. And he shared a personal story on Twitter that exemplifies how not-so-clear-cut armed encounters can be, even with people who have weapons and are not complying with officer orders.

Hensley wrote:

“A woman ran at me with a knife once. I was responding to a domestic and she flew out the front door, huge knife in hand, & came right at me. I drew my weapon, yelled ‘police,’ told her to drop the knife. She didn’t. At some point, I’d drawn my weapon.

I don’t know why I didn’t shoot. I could have shot her. If I would have, I would been cleared. In fact, I may have been given a citation for bravery or some nonsense for what would have been a reflexive reaction to my training. But, I didn’t shoot at the first opportunity.”

“The woman veered off & ran around me, straight to her car. She jumped in behind the wheel, still holding the knife. The next thing I knew I was at the side window. I didn’t shoot. I extended my baton, broke the window, and told her to drop the knife and get out. I didn’t shoot.

She screamed and started the car. I didn’t shoot. The car moved. I didn’t shoot. A short pursuit ensued and she was taken into custody. When I asked her why she ran at me with the knife, she had no idea what I was talking about.”

“In her extreme distress, she had run out of the house, tears flooding her eyes, intending to harm herself and never saw me on the walkway in front of the house. I could have shot her. That was in the middle of the night in 1998 or 1999 and I still think about that incident.

So, why? Why didn’t I shoot her? She was certainly a threat to my life. She was potentially close enough to stab or slash me before I could stop her. I think this is why – In my heart, I didn’t WANT to shoot anyone. I didn’t go into law enforcement looking to shoot anyone.”

“In addition to the ‘us vs them’ mentality that is drilled into those who enter the profession, I think something else is happening today. I don’t think it’s the training (my current profession). I think it’s the hiring and the culture.

Until major police reform that includes national training and pay standards is addressed, we are going to continue to see a real problem in this nation. Law enforcement needs to be a true profession. Simply batting off criticism with ‘Back the Badge’ memes isn’t the answer.”

“Call it want you want: ‘Reform,’ ‘Defund,’ ‘Restructure’… it doesn’t matter. A major ideological shift has to occur or the ‘us vs them’ mantra in policing will become a reality and the ‘us’ isn’t going to be a pretty picture.”

Hensley also shared an article he wrote about police reform after the killing of George Floyd. He talks about the difference between the need for a change in training and a change of culture. He shares the speech the nation needed to hear from its president. And he concludes with, “I have spent nearly my entire adult life in and around law enforcement, and officers and agents are vocal in their complaints about their agencies and departments, yet no other profession, to include the rank and file, fights change as much as law enforcement.” That time has to come to an end.You can read it here.

Thanks you, Mr. Hensley, for sharing your expertise to help those of us who know change needs to happen—but don’t have the experience to know what that change should look like—understand the issues more clearly.

On Wednesday night and Thursday, NBA players met in multiple meetings to discuss the path forward after refusing to play games in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The meetings have been described as tense and emotional, which makes sense given this is a tense and emotional time amid continued incidents of police violence towards Black men and women.

While there were reports of frustration with the lack of planning on the part of the Bucks for launching the strike without warning, the end result was productive conversation and, ultimately, an agreement with the league and team owners to create a social justice coalition, offer PSAs throughout the playoffs, and turn every team-owned arena into a voting location. On top of that, following a call with the Wisconsin lieutenant governor and attorney general, the Bucks successfully pushed for the Wisconsin state legislature to return to session to finally vote on a police reform bill.

There’s certainly still more that must be done, but anyone indicating the NBA’s protest was done in vain or without impacting change is doing so in bad faith. On Friday, after returning to practice, NBPA president Chris Paul spoke with reporters about the past few days and why it was good for these conversations to happen, while also getting emotional about a conversation he had with Jacob Blake’s father.

“What we’re doing right now in the league is huge,” Paul said. “I think for the young guys in our league are getting a chance to see how guys are really coming together to speak and see real change, real action. Cause guys are tired, I mean tired. And when I say tired, we’re not physically tired, we’re tired of seeing the same thing over and over again. I was blessed and fortunate enough to talk to Jacob Blake’s father, and he’s a Winston-Salem State graduate and was in my hometown of Winston Salem for awhile. And it’s emotional. It’s emotional when you a Black man and when George Hill spoke he spoke about being a Black man. He was hurt. He was hurt, we’re all hurt. We’re all tired of seeing the same thing over and over again, and everybody just expects us to be OK because we get paid great money. We’re human, we have real feelings and I’m glad we were able to get in a room and talk with one another and not just cross paths and say, ‘Good luck in your game.’”

The last point he makes is one that is maybe the biggest benefit of everyone being in the Bubble in Orlando, because it’s one thing to have a Zoom call with players around the league, but it’s another for everyone to be in the same place and be able to really talk through things, have arguments, have disagreements, but do so face to face and ultimately come together on this issue.

While visiting Phoenix to cover the latest U2 album for Rolling Stone in 1987, writer Steve Pond had the chance to visit the set of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. While on set, Pond was able to interview the two young “stars” of the film, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, who were virtually unknown at the time. With Bill & Ted not making a whole lot of waves when it hit theaters, and only later becoming a sleeper hit, the interview with the actors was never published and sat on a dusty, old tape cassette until now.

Timed to the theater and VOD release of Bill and Ted Face the Music, Pond published the unearthed interview in The Wrap, and it offers an endearing look at a young Reeves at the literal beginning of his career. While modern audiences know the actor as the blockbuster star of The Matrix and John Wick films, along with such ’90s classics as Speed and The Devil’s Advocate, Pond met a 22-year-old kid in Phoenix who wasn’t sure if he was cut out for this whole acting thing as he attempted to describe his now-iconic role of Ted “Theodore” Logan.

“He’s not the wittiest guy and not the smartest. You know, you wouldn’t want to talk about quantum theories and stuff like that. But I can’t talk about that either.”

Reeves frowned when I asked how long he had been acting. “Well… I don’t know if I’m acting now,” he said. “I’m pretty bad.” Pause. “I mean, I’m OK, but I hate acting most of the time that I do it.” The future star sidestepped whether he’d pursue another line of work. “I have other interests,” he said, “but none as all-consuming as this godawful job.”

Obviously, Reeves found his confidence and went on to spend the next 30+ years as a box-office staple, although he was being sincere about his other interests. The actor has dabbled in playing a band, motorcycle repair, and he’s in the midst of writing his first comic book — which he also wouldn’t mind turning into a movie.

(Via The Wrap)

Fall is almost here and that means we’re about to get barraged with whiskey drops. It makes a lot of sense, the holiday (gift-giving) season is a mere few months away. This fall is destined to be even bigger, broader, and better than any fall that’s come before. And one main reason for that is that we’re finally getting Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel from Buffalo Trace here in the U.S.

So, what’s the difference between this and the standard Blanton’s Single Barrel expression we already have? Blanton’s Single Barrel was born in 1984 from the legend Elmer T. Lee who would handpick “honey barrels” from the center cut of Warehouse H in what’s now Buffalo Trace’s main facilities. That expression was the “original” single barrel bourbon on the market and has become one of the most hyped bottles of bourbon out there. That single barrel expression is cut to 93 proof (46.5% ABV) for each bottle.

Straight From The Barrel is straight from the barrel in every sense. There’s no filtering and no cutting the juice down to a specific proof. This is Blanton’s in its purest form. That means the ABV will vary from release to release.

That also means the look, nose, and taste of these very limited releases will vary as well. Buffalo Trace says in their press release that this year’s expression carries “notes of dark chocolate, caramel, and butter with earthy undertones of walnut and hazelnut on the nose.” They continue, “the palate delivers intrepid notes of warm vanilla, oak, toasted nuts, and a rich spiciness with hints of butterscotch or honey, with a deep and resonate finish.”

You might be able to grab a bottle of Blanton’s Straight From The Barrel for the suggested retail of $150. But, given the limited availability and the fact that this is Blanton’s, expect higher prices on retail shelves — if you can find it that is.

It hasn’t even been a year since Lube Man made his Watchmen debut, and I can’t imagine life without him. He slid into my heart.

The 2019 winner for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Lubing Right on Up and Sliding into a Sewer was a slippery menace, able to both hide in the sewer from Sister Night and hide his real identity from us, the viewers. The most popular theory is that Lube Man is actually FBI Agent Dale Petey, but that hasn’t been confirmed. Until now.

In a video interview between Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof, composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (of THE Nine Inch Nails), and Rolling Stone‘s Alan Sepinwall, that greased-up rascal Lube Man hijacked the Zoom call to recite a poem. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times / It was the age of Aquarias / Now let’s get precarious ’cause a mask won’t stop this virus / Slipping into your mind from behind,” Lube Man rapped over one of Reznor and Ross’ beats. They didn’t give it to him for free, though. In lieu of payment for their musical accompaniment, Lube Man had to reveal his true identity. And for once, an internet fan theory proved accurate: Lube Man is… Petey, and he’s really hoping for a second season (it ain’t happening).

You can watch the Rolling Stone interview here (and all of Watchmen this weekend).

(Via Rolling Stone)

Fall is right around the corner. Before we all know it, we’ll be awash in pumpkin ales and Oktoberfest lagers. The holiday season with heavy-duty ABV spiced ales will be right around the corner from that. Then, it’ll finally be 2021 and we’ll start all over again. So, to hold on to the last, fleeting days of summer 2020, we’re calling out some great summer beers that we are actually drinking.

The below eight beers are from Uproxx Life’s drinks writers. These are the beers that stand out to us right now. Hopefully, our insight will help you expand your beer palate and world. Some of these beers will be pretty easy to find nationwide while others will be a bit more regional. Either way, each one is a good example of that bridge between late summer sippers and fortifying fall flavors. – Zach Johnston

Augustiner Lagerbier Hell — Zach Johnston

Style: Helles Lager
Brewery: Augustiner-Bräu München, Germany
ABV: 5.2%

The Beer:

I’m not going to lie, I drink this beer year-round. Still, there’s something about sitting in the beer garden this time of year as the weather breaks, gets a little windier, rainier, and you feel it in your bones that summer is essentially over while sipping a crisp Augustiner from a holzfass (wooden keg). This Munich beer is exactly what you need it to be. It’s refreshing AF on a hot summer day. It’s fortifying as the leaves start to turn. What more can you ask for?

Tasting Notes:

This is a mellow lager with an edge that dances between melon sweetness and earthy grassiness. The malts are present with a biscuit feel that’s accentuated by a mild hop bitterness that leads back into the grass. The sip ends crisp and bright with a light touch that never weighs you down.

Bottom Line:

I can’t think of a better beer to end summer on than this one. Then, I can’t think of a better beer to celebrate the start of fall with than this one.

Brooklyn Lager — Zach Johnston

Style: American Amber Lager
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
ABV: 5.2%

The Beer:

This is the premier beer from the now-iconic Brooklyn Brewery. And … it still slaps. Staying true to the idea of an American craft lager, the hops are front and center with the more classic lager malty notes pulled back. This is a real refresher, especially off the tap.

Tasting Notes:

You’re greeted by those hops and it brings about a real sigh of relief for your senses. The malts have a deep caramel edge that counterpoints the resin and florals of the hops damn near perfectly. The sip lingers with those bright hops and caramel-y malts just long enough to draw you in for another gulp from the glass.

Bottom Line:

This is on tap a fair amount around Berlin and I’ve found I’ve been ordering it a lot recently. It’s just hitting the right spot right now.

Mikkeller Raspberry Blush — Dane Rivera

Style: Berliner Weisse
Brewery: Mikkeller Brewing San Diego, CA
ABV: 4%

The Beer:

Over the summer, Mikkeller’s Raspberry Blush has been my go-to beer on those punishingly hot summer afternoons when I’m looking for a refreshing sour beer that’s low enough in ABV to lend itself to a multi-can session. From Mikkeller San Diego, Raspberry Blush is a Berliner-Style Weisse brewed with raspberries and coffee, giving it a rich pink hue that is as visually refreshing as it tastes.

Tasting Notes:

While it looks intense, Mikkeller’s Raspberry Blush is actually pretty balanced, with some slight initial raspberry tartness that is tamed down and rounded out by notes of earthy roasted cacao. The flavors hit in waves but never overstay their welcome. It’s refreshing and light with a glittering appearance that is as fun to pour and fun to drink.

Bottom Line:

Kill a four-pack with a friend or knock it out on your own over the hottest days as we slowly escape summer.

Cascade Brewing Mango Road 2019 — Dane Rivera

Style: Sour Blonde Ale
Brewery: Cascade Brewing, Portland, OR
ABV: 8.3%

The Beer:

If you’re looking for a refreshing sour ale that screams “summer” but you also want something with a bit of a punch, don’t sleep on Cascade Brewing’s Mango Road 2019. This sour blonde ale is aged in oak wine barrels for 18 months before being steeped with mangos, jasmine flowers, and pink peppercorn, resulting in a medium-bodied brew with a complex combination of flavors.

Tasting Notes:

Be warned — I don’t care how many sour ales you’ve had, the first taste of Mango Road might make you recoil as your palate activates from the intense tart acidity. But after the flavors settle, this brew really comes alive with refreshing notes of mango, fragrant jasmine, and just a hint of spice to round it out.

Bottom Line:

Popping open a bottle of Mango Road is sure to be a new summer pastime. And while you could definitely kill a bottle yourself, I find this one is best shared with one or two other people as a nice early appetizer for a night of drinking.

Three Nations Brewing Mango Smash IPA — Gabrielle Pharms

Style: Indian Pale Ale
Brewery: Three Nations Brewing Company, Carrollton, TX
ABV: 6.9%

The Beer:

Three Nations Brewing Company founder and brewmaster, Gavin Secchi, was trained in Germany. Prior to Three Nations, he worked at a number of popular breweries including Goose Island in Chicago, Karbach in Houston, Rahr & Sons in Fort Worth, and Franconia in McKinney before launching Three Nations in 2015. First brewed in spring 2017 as a seasonal IPA, Mango Smash has now become the company’s bestselling beer.

Tasting Notes:

The light honey hue is a result of the 2-row base malt. Crafted with pineapple concentrate and juicy mango, it’s the six different hops that give this beer its alluring aroma. Mango Smash has a dry, light, and crisp mouthfeel, with a slightly bitter finish consisting of subtle sweet stone fruit.

Bottom Line:

If you’re thinking this beer will be overtly bitter like most IPAs, that’s not the case. It’s the perfect brew for those seeking something fruity and refreshing to combat the final sweltering heat of summer.

Strange Land Fleur D’Oranger — Gabrielle Pharms

Style: Belgian Tripel
Brewery: Strange Land Brewery, Georgetown, TX
ABV: 7.5%

The Beer:

Strange Land Brewery’s Fleur D’Oranger is rooted in Georgetown, Texas, just outside of Austin. Yet, it’s inspired by Belgian brewing tradition. The hand-crafted beer is a limited release and makes use of local ingredients, such as honey, which adds to its unique flavor profile.

Tasting Notes:

This distinctive beer pulls you in with its citrus and floral scent. Brewed with orange blossom honey, zesty orange peel, and coriander, the effervescent fruit flavor is balanced with a bite of bitterness. A delicious hint of tangy lemon and hops gives this beer a well-rounded finish.

Bottom Line:

From the first whiff to the last sip, the Fleur D’Oranger has all the fixings to be an essential beer of the year well beyond its summer appeal.

Karbach Viva Chela! — Chris Osburn

Style: Mexican-Style Lager
Brewery : Karbach Brewing Company, Houston, TX
ABV:: 5.5%

The Beer:

When it comes to a summer refresher, it’s really hard to beat a simple, crisp, Mexican-style lager. There’s no over-the-top hop presence or random adjuncts overpowering the classic, thirst-quenching flavors. But, if You really want to quench your thirst on a hot, steamy summer day, it’s hard to beat the classic chela. I go for Karbach Viva Chela with its Mexican-style lager combined with salt and lime.

Tasting Notes:

This beer tastes like summer in a can. Crack one open and you’re immediately met with subtle citrus and salt aromas. The first sip is equal parts briny, full of an explosion of citrus, and undeniably crisp. It only gets better from there.

Bottom Line:

This is the kind of beer you reach for all summer long. But, it’s so good you’ll probably want to continue drinking it well into the fall.

New Belgium Voodoo Ranger 1985 — Chris Osburn

Style: Hazy IPA
Brewery: New Belgium, Fort Collins, CO
ABV: 6.7%

The Beer:

I was born in the early 80’s and I love everything about the decade from Teen Wolf, to snap bracelets, to Garbage Pail Kids. That’s why I was so excited when New Belgium dropped a hazy IPA in homage of the decade perfectly suited for sipping in a Members Only Jacket.

Tasting Notes:

While it’s likely this beer wouldn’t have had the same appeal in the 80’s, it’s fresh, juicy, and full of tropical fruit flavors like mango, guava, and grapefruit. Just like the 80’s started off sweet and ended subtly bitter as the 90’s arrived, so too does this beer.

Bottom Line:

While it seems like a gimmick, this beer is far from a publicity stunt. Fans of hazy IPAs will love this beer just like “I love the 80’s.”

Chicago’s King Von is a rapper on the rise after signing to Lil Durk’s Only The Family record label and releasing his critically-hailed studio album Levon James earlier this year. He’s begun drawing attention with singles such as the Lil Durk-featuring “Down Me” and “All These N****s,” the heartbroken “Why He Told,” and now, he’s building on that buzz with the impassioned video for “How It Go.”

In the “How It Go” video, Von addresses the shortcomings of the justice system — a favorite topic for the Windy City spitter — as he details what goes on behind the closed doors of a criminal trial. Specifically, the first half of the video focuses on the negotiations between prosecutors and public defenders which often result in plea deals for young men and women who feel powerless in the face of the courts. The latter half of the video sees Von struggling to survive in prison, from fights with fellow inmates to the crushing mental pressure of solitary confinement.

“So what you gon’ do?” Von asks in the song’s piercing second verse. “You gon’ rob or gon shoot? / You gon’ trap or gon’ crack? / You gon’ win or gon’ lose?” It appears he’s chosen to win, switching up street life for rap life, and with the assistance of Lil Durk, is well on his way to dodging his former profession forever.

Watch King Von’s “How It Go” video above.

The 2020 Emmys are fast approaching, and the lineup of talent being recognized by the awards show serves as a reminder of all the good TV that’s out there, just waiting to be devoured. And as we like to do around all the major awards shows, Uproxx asked Britt Ellis and Taylour Chanel to break down a handful of their favorite nominations in a brand new episode of Obsessed! And this time, Chanel and Ellis are shaking off the disappointment of last year’s underwhelming awards season in favor of highlighting some standout performances and fan-favorite series that might take home hardware come Emmys night.

That includes Zendaya’s mesmerizing turn as a drug-addicted teen on HBO’s Euphoria — a show that’s become a cultural phenomenon and has fans clamoring for a second season to drop soon. Chanel is definitely one of those fans, tuning into the season not once, but twice, in order to appreciate its gritty, surrealist storytelling. And lit makeup looks. For Ellis, though, the show to watch from this year’s awards slate is Succession, which has been nominated for 18 awards, including major acting categories like Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. Even if you’re like Chanel and struggle to watch “rich white people doing rich white people things,” the dramatic chaos of this dysfunctional family is undeniably addictive.

One thing our hosts can agree on, though, is that critical darling Schitt’s Creek deserves all the Emmy love following its glorious final season. The series was nominated in every main comedy category, doubling down on recent past Emmy love that took entirely too long to develop if you ask us. Still, better late than never.

Will this finally be the year some of these exciting series take home Emmys hardware? Check out the video above to see what Ellis and Chanel think.

Despite a healthy sense of self-doubt — the hallmark of any artist (and I don’t use the term “artist” lightly) — as an art director, animator, musician, videographer, director, designer, and pro skater it doesn’t seem like there is anything Alexis Sablone can’t do. Oh, and did we mention she also has a Masters Degree in Architecture from MIT? During the pandemic, Sablone pulled her various talents together to self-produce, score, shoot, and edit the promotional material for her new Converse CONS collection, Designed By Alexis, which features new iterations of Converse’s iconic One Star Pro, Jack Purcell Pro, and Louie Lopez Pro sneaker silhouettes made to Sablone’s performance-based specifications.

“I grew up skating by myself in a small town, so in some ways, skating New York City all alone during quarantine felt familiar,” Sablone tells us. “On the other hand, filming myself, making the music, and editing it all together with my animations was very new for me. I’ve never controlled all of the pieces in a project like this and the process really gave me a creative outlet and something to throw myself into during the isolation of quarantine.”

Originally conceived to be introduced at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games where Sablone would ride as part of the inaugural US Skateboarding team before the pandemic put a pause on that, Sablone’s background in architecture and her artistic sensibilities pop up throughout the Designed By Alexis collection, as every minute detail feels consciously constructed. Throughout our chat, Sablone speaks of the tactile feel of the sneakers, the grip of a rubber toe, or the need for reinforced stitching to compliment her precise style. As such, every aspect of the design feels constructed with a purpose that artfully mixes functionality with style. The collection reflects a person who is interested not just in art from a superficial standpoint, but someone interested in exploring the inner workings of what makes the composition work in the first place.

So let’s jump into our chat with Alexis where we talk about her new sneaker line, creating during the pandemic, the influence of Japan, and the ways she hopes the skateboarding community continues to evolve to be a more inclusive space.

You’ve been making a name for yourself as a pro skater for quite a while, but it wasn’t until recently that you signed with Converse. What is your connection to the brand and why was Converse the perfect home for what you wanted to accomplish in footwear?

I grew up with Chucks. I had some awareness of the shoe’s early history as a basketball sneaker, but mainly I think Chucks always stood out because it was a shoe all different types of people loved to wear. Depending on who’s wearing it and how, Chucks take on a whole different style, but they’re always classic. That’s why when I eventually came to know Converse as a brand in skateboarding, it fit. I liked the way skateboarders looked in Converse and skateboarding is about a lot of things, but style is and always has been one of them. In addition, one of my best friends was the team manager at Converse Cons, plus the team has many of my favorite skateboarders. When the opportunity for me to join the team came along, it just made sense and felt right.

Tell us a little bit about what you were going for with the design of the One Star Pro?

Despite my love for Chuck Taylors, the One Star was almost immediately my favorite skate shoe when I got to Converse. I began skating in the ‘90s and although the One Star technically began as a ‘70s basketball shoe, to me, it was a shoe of the ‘90s. It has a little bit of that classic skate shoe of the ‘90s look, a little bit of that ‘90s punk kid at the mall look. Basically, it felt classic and nostalgic, bringing me back to my favorite period in skateboarding style and history.

I loved skating it as it was. But for my One Star Pro, I wanted to make some performance modifications and tried to do so in ways that were visible but kept the classic feel of the original. I blow through shoes really fast when I skate, plus I like the grippy feel of a rubber toe on the board, so I added reinforced stitching and a partial rubber toe cap to meet those needs. I’m really happy with how it came out and I think the modifications add to the lifetime of the shoe, which makes me feel good knowing kids out there buying it can get a lot out of it.

What about the Jack Purcell Pro and the Louie Lopez Pro made you want to include these silhouettes as part of the collection?

I thought the three shoes complemented each other. I enjoy skating in all three, but they each bring a little something different and feel pretty different to skate in. The signature thick rubber toe of the Jack Purcell Pro gave me an excuse to do a version of my One Star AS Pro with a suede toe rather than rubber just this once, since some people don’t like the grippy feel of rubber in the front. It was nice to work with a collection of three for that reason – I could make one really bright shoe (the Louie) and then two monotone shoes, all black and all white, but still tie the three together with details like the license plate and sole print, and also the mixing of multiple materials in each shoe.

One of the cool things about your new collection is how much creative control Converse gave you over the project, letting you make music, shoot and edit footage, make animations… What was their reaction to you taking such a hands-on approach and what was your favorite part of that process?

The decision to make that project came pretty naturally. It was a combination of timing — the pandemic and being isolated — plus my own desire to kind of push myself in new directions and see what came out, and finally, Converse’s willingness to trust me through the process. Obviously, the skateboarding itself wasn’t new to me, nor was the animation, since I’ve done a number of animation projects for skate videos at that point. But filming myself, editing, and certainly, making music was all totally new to me.

It’s hard to pick one favorite part of the process. Making the track was definitely the most frightening since, apart from loving music and being able to sing along to some extent, I knew nothing about how it was made. I’m sure I’ll look back and have a hard time listening past all the rookie mistakes. But, for now, I’m pretty excited about how it came out since I was really operating in the dark. Everything — not just the music — was a process of trial and error: “Nope, that looks wrong” or “nope, that sounds terrible” or “no this” and “no that.” Eventually, though, I think it came together and was a pretty rewarding process.

Ultimately, you could look at it and say “Ok, cool. It’s like, a little minute and a half long skate video.” But from the inside, with any creative process, like anyone that makes anything knows from experience, it’s a million little decisions, and a lot of careful thought and dreaming up ideas, and headaches trying to execute them, realizing they don’t always work out like you’d thought.

All in all, that’s my idea of fun, I guess. I always need a project to keep me going and this one really helped push me through a strange and isolating time in the world.

Your collaboration with Converse CONS paid tribute to Japan as inspiration, what specific inspiration did you draw from the country?

Well, initially, the shoes were supposed to be released around the 2020 Olympic games hosted in Tokyo. So that’s where the prompt began. But on a more personal level, from Miyazaki and Masaaki Yuasa to Maki Sasaki and Shigeru Mizuki, Tadanori Yokoo, Masahisa Fukase, Issey Miyake — just to name a few — many of my favorite artists are Japanese. So in that way, I’m constantly inspired by Japanese culture and work that has come out of it.

When I was younger, I had a book of Japanese woodblock prints as well as Hokusai Manga and I was obsessed with the idea of sequential images and the realization that my Disney cartoons were built off of this foundation, in a way. Also, I was in love with the way the signatures were drawn into the woodblock prints. Usually characters inside of a vertical box, and often in bright colors that really popped and stood out from the rest of the image — like a scroll almost superimposed, floating on top of the image. Somehow, graphically, this just really attracted me and I liked studying them. They were always the part I looked for first before the actual image!

The heel and sole details in the pack I designed for Converse, although totally different, tries to borrow from these colorful, graphic, signature strips, as well as the idea of sequence that early Manga gave to us. All three of the shoes share the same signature — a square red license plate on the back heel containing a perfect Converse star logo, but as you lift the heel, the red square continues and stretches into a long red rectangle down the sole, inside of which, the star evolves or devolves sequentially into abstraction.

You have a Master degree in Architecture from MIT, which is kind of the perfect academic study for a skater, how did your interest in art and architecture influence the Designed By Alexis line?

I think our influences often get all mushed together and ultimately combined with our own intuition and sensibilities as designers. So, it’s really hard to pull one thread and say how this affected that and so on and so forth. But, my background in architecture certainly helped me learn to work through the iterative and often painful design process. I say painful, because for me, there’s inevitably a part of the process in everything I design, where it’s not clicking, it feels wrong, and I don’t know how to make it right. There is no “right”, of course, but there’s a feeling I get and have learned — continue to learn — to trust, that tells me I’m moving in the right direction with a project. A lot of the work I’m doing now falls outside of the classic realm of architecture, but my process and development as a designer feels like a continuous evolution from many long sleepless nights at MIT.

Style is such a major part of the skateboarding scene, what kind of statement if at all are you trying to make with your sense of style?

I have always just been myself, dressed how I felt comfortable, and never wanted to do something loud just to make a statement. For me, that felt phony. Growing up, I hated the idea of people trying to stand out by looking the part but not really backing it up with substance. My outward style is still pretty simple. I guess it’s getting bolder as I get older because I feel more grounded and like each new year of experience gives me more of a right to not care what anyone else thinks. That said, I’ve always wanted to rely more on other creative outlets, drawing, animating, designing, and physically skateboarding, to try to express myself and let all of that work make its own statement — whatever that may be.

Pro-skater, architect, musician, director, videographer, artist … you do everything. With the Designed By Alexis line, as well as operating as an art director and deck designer within the skateboard industry, what is your approach to art direction and what are you trying to visually infuse into the realm of skate style?

There’s some overlap here in what I was just describing. If I’m making a statement, or visually infusing anything into skateboarding, It’s not part of a master plan I have beyond the fact that I try to trust my instincts and be as authentic as possible. I’m a perfectionist in many ways. As a result, I hate a lot of what I do at least at some point in the process. I’m obsessed with all of my work and I either love it or hate it and those sentiments flip flop from one second to the next. The biggest goals I have are personal. I’m not thinking about what I infuse into skateboarding at large. I’m in my own little bubble. I’m learning to press “send”, to put the pencil down, to take a step back and be okay with whatever I just made, so I can move forward and start working on the next thing.

Not only are you one of the most accomplished and visible women in skateboarding, but you’re also going on to be a core member of the United States’ first-ever Olympic skateboarding team. I wondered if you can speak on your experience operating in a sport overwhelmingly populated by straight men and what you hope for the world of skateboarding going forward?

I was 21 years old before I really first met and got to know any other non-male skaters. Growing up, most of the time it was just me skating alone. There weren’t other skaters in my town and there certainly weren’t any gay skaters or girls. I’ve always believed that skateboarding can and should be for everyone. It was a place for non-jocks and outcasts and weird kids when I started and I think that’s what drew me to it. It was something different and I think it helped me escape into something — a community, a culture — even before I was aware of what I was escaping or really knew that I was queer.

For that, I feel fortunate and am so grateful to have found skateboarding. It wasn’t until I was much older that I saw some of the flaws and had to deal with the uglier inequalities inside the industry. I think the skateboarding community is finally starting to become more self-aware and the industry is beginning to follow suit and improve its practices by supporting and promoting more than one kind of skater. I think there’s still a long way to go, but I’m hopeful.

How have you been spending your time in quarantine, and where is the first place you’re going to skate outside of New York when travel opens up?

I have no idea where I’ll go! I used to feel like JFK was becoming my second home and now I can’t even imagine stepping foot in there. I hope Paris. Whenever I romanticize traveling, Paris is the image that comes to mind. But anywhere will feel like an adventure at this point. In the meantime, I’m happy to be where I am. I’ve been busy skating in the streets and working on some new design projects in my studio and I have no complaints. NYC is my favorite city in the world and I feel lucky to live here every day.

The Designed By Alexis collection is available now at Converse.