There are few jobs that require people to be as nattily dressed as a TV news anchorperson. One has to look good for the camera while also projecting professionalism and credibility.
“It’s part of our uniform,” Tim Pham, the morning anchor on “Up with KREM” in Spokane, Washington, told USA Today. “It’s required in TV, I guess. It’s not written on paper, but when you turn on the news, the viewer expects to see someone who is dressed professionally.”
Having to look good every day means you accumulate quite an impressive wardrobe. Pham had a large collection of 250 ties—many of them crammed beneath his work desk—so he decided to share them with any young, up-and-coming journalists who may need one.
He put the offer out to his followers on Twitter.
u201cYoung professionals/journalists: I am giving away some of my ties! 8 yrs ago I opened up my first paycheck in TV for a whopping $600! I worked 3 jobs just to get by, let alone buy ties for work. If you need a tie, DM me. All I ask is that you pay it forward one day. n#PhamilyTiesu201d
“8 yrs ago I opened up my first paycheck in TV for a whopping $600! I worked 3 jobs just to get by, let alone buy ties for work,” the tweet said. “If you need a tie, DM me. All I ask is that you pay it forward one day.”
Pham couldn’t believe the response.
“It did reach a lot of journalists,” Pham told USA Today. “But I also heard from people in different industries, recent college grads, a lot of seniors in college. Nonprofits even reached out to me. There was a jail that reached out to me asking about filling their closet for people leaving the prison system to then go find a job for an interview.”
Overwhelmed by the number of requests, Pham had to figure out the logistics of sending out all of the ties and some businesses reached out to help. A laundry company said it would help wash the ties. A shipping company said it would send the ties free of charge and others reached out to donate their used ties to the cause.
Pham now calls his mini charitable organization “Phamily Ties.”
Pham told Upworthy that Phamily Ties has sent out around 100 ties and handed out more than a dozen locally in Spokane since his tweet. He hopes his tie giveaway encourages young journalists to “keep working hard” and to pursue their dreams.
“They shouldn’t be counted out from a job they are qualified for because they don’t have the means to buy a tie,” he told Upworthy. “I hope this initiative encourages others to pay it forward and help the next generation coming behind us. So many people invested in me, now it’s time to do it for someone else.”
u201cBack in the saddle after a much needed vacation. Co-anchoring #UpWithKREM with @CProctorNews. Fun fact, Cody and I worked at competing stations in Great Falls, Montana 6 years ago. @KREM2 #GreatFallsMafiau201d
He also believes that having the right tie can help young professionals get the confidence they need to succeed.
“A tie by itself is nothing impressive, it’s a piece of fabric stitched up,” he told Upworthy. “However, when worn, it adds more than style, it boosts confidence and shows others they are a professional. Everyone should be able to walk in this confidence and professionalism, yet the cost of ties is out of budget and not a priority for journalists who make pennies in their first job.”
As for now, Pham isn’t accepting donations but is getting his partners together for another tie drive in 2023.
“I am in the early stages of developing another giveaway next year with the help of sponsors and my company to help organize a campaign/event,” he told Upworthy.
People often deride Twitter as a place that fosters negativity and creates division in America. However, Pham’s experience is wonderful proof that there are still a lot of great people out there and that social media can bring them together to help those making their way in the world.
There are some people who live under the illusion that everything they say is deeply interesting and have no problem wasting your time by rambling on and on without a sign of stopping. They’re the relative, neighbor or co-worker who can’t take a hint that the conversation is over.
Of all these people, the co-worker who can’t stop talking may be the most challenging because you see them every day in a professional setting that requires politeness.
There are many reasons that some people talk excessively. Therapist F. Diane Barth writes in Psychology Today that some people talk excessively because they don’t have the ability to process complex auditory signals, so they ramble on without recognizing the subtle cues others are sending.
It may also be a case of someone who thinks they’re the most interesting person in the conversation.
For others, it’s a symptom of a disorder. Michelle C. Brooten-Brooks, a licensed marriage and family therapist, writes that excessive talking can also be a symptom of, among other things, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or anxiety.
“Anxiety can cause someone to speak excessively,” Brooten-Brooks writes at Very Well Health. “While many with social anxiety may avoid social interactions, some may inadvertently talk excessively when in social situations out of nervousness and anxiety.”
So what do we do when we’re stuck in a situation where someone just keeps talking? A Reddit user by the name of Spritti33 asked for some advice about how to “politely end a conversation with a person who won’t stop talking” and received some very practical and funny responses from members of the online forum.
A lot of folks pointed out that it’s not impolite to walk away from a person who is incessantly talking because they are being rude by disrespecting your time. Others shared how, in some cultures, there are ways of shutting down a conversation while allowing both parties to save face.
Here are 19 of the best responses to Spritti33’s question, “How does someone politely end a conversation with a person who won’t stop talking?”
1.
“In Flanders we have a word for it, ‘bon,’ and then you say something ‘I have work to do,’ ‘It’s time to go home,’ ‘It’s time to get drinks.’ And people realize the other person wants to leave without being mean,” — ISuckAtRacingGames
2.
“In Ireland we do like a little clap/slap our thigh/clap the person’s shoulder and say ‘Right! Shur look, I’ll let you go…’ as if we’re being polite and letting the other person off the hook, but actually, it’s like get me the fuck out of here haha!” —funky_mugs
3.
“If they keep talking over polite cues, I have found there really isn’t a polite way to exit the conversation,” — Binder_Grinder
4.
“This is so true. People that do this don’t care whether you’re into the conversation or not, they’re talking simply because they want to. I’ve gotten better at just interjecting (even mid-sentence if I’ve already tried everything else) with, ‘I’m sorry, I have to go. (start walking away at this point) It was nice talking to you.’ Don’t give any excuses or reasons for leaving, just do it otherwise they’ll try to talk about your reasons.” — PSSaalamader
5.
“As a teacher, I have learned how to interrupt people who do not leave any pauses when they’re speaking: start nodding and verbally agreeing with them, ‘Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh…’ You can’t interrupt these people, but you can start agreeing while they speak, then raise your voice and say, ‘Yeah, wow, excuse me but I must go,'” — Janicegirlbomb2
6.
“Remember that it is them who is being impolite by talking incessantly about things of no interest to their audience,” — Orp4mmws99
7.
“Source: am a therapist. What you do is recap their last story and in the same breath add a goodbye.
I.e. ‘Sounds like you guys found a bunch of great deals at the mall, that’s awesome! Thanks for meeting with me, you’ll have to tell me more next time we run into each other. It was great to catch up!'” — pikcles-for-fingers
8.
“Just start coughing these days it’ll clear a whole room in seconds,” — Sinisterpigeon
9.
“People who are like this expect folks to just walk away from them while they are talking because that’s the only way the conversation ends. It’s not rude to them, it’s normal. So, it’s entirely okay to say, ‘all right this has been great, see you later,’ and then just walk away smiling,” — Underlord_Fox
10.
“If you can practice this, start to train one of your eyeballs to slowly drift off whilst the other eye remains locked on theirs. That should do the trick,” — The-Zesty-Man
11.
“At 62, I just walk away. My bullshit filter has disappeared,” — Negative_Increase
12.
“You gotta realize that everyone else they talk to just walks away. They’re used to that. They think a conversation is you just talk at someone til they walk away. It’s not weird to them,” — DelsmagicFishies
13.
“I don’t know why some people are so afraid of this. It is not rude. You don’t need to lie. ‘We can speak more other time. Goodbye,’ is fine,” — Kooky-Housing3049
14.
“On a more serious note, I typically do an ‘oh shit’ type of face like I’ve just remembered I had something important scheduled. I say ‘Sorry, what time is it? check the time Ah crap, I hate to cut you off but if I don’t head out now I’m going to be late for ____.’ Then I scurry away like I’m really in a rush. If you’re in a situation where you can’t straight up leave, I swap ‘gotta head out’ for ‘I told someone I’d call them at [time] and they’re waiting on my call’ and then make a fake phone call,” — teethfairie
15.
“‘Wow, you have a lot of opinions about this subject…’ and then never stop angling the conversation back to how weird it is that they’re still talking,” — Ordsmed
16.
“Had a friend who would put his hand gently on your shoulder and kindly say, ‘I love you , but I just don’t care, good (night/day),'” — Think-Passage-5522
17.
“While not exactly polite, my Aunt Sophie had a great way of ending a conversation. When the monologue got too much she would nod her head like she was listening and then at the slightest pause she would go, ‘The end.’ And walk away.
She mostly did it with kids who didn’t realize they were yabbering on about Thundercats too long. (It was me, I was yabbering on about Thundercats too long.)” — theslackjaw727
18.
”Change your stance, instead of facing them head on turn 90° your body language will end the conversation quickly without being rude,” — Zedd2087
19.
“Where possible, I’ve always found it best to tell these people up front that you have somewhere to be 15, 30, 45, etc minutes from now. If that’s not realistic, I’ve found that if you can usually find a gap to say you need to run if you focus on doing only this for 3-5 minutes,” — Pretend_Airline2811
Imagine you’re hiking out in the red rocks of Moab, Utah, or taking a stroll down the beach in Key West, Florida, when you come across a gorgeous piece of glazed pottery. No one is around, just a beautiful, hand-carved bowl sitting with an envelope next to it that reads:
FREE ART
This bowl was left here for someone to find and keep. If it doesn’t speak to you, leave it for someone else to find, or take it and give it to a friend. I only ask that it be enjoyed, and if you like, you can let me know where it ends up. (Contact details inside.)
Love, Kim
Kim Press is an artist from Texas who shares her pieces under the name Sailing Adrift Studios. When she travels, she takes a piece with her to leave for a random, unsuspecting person to find. Lucky wanderers in 36 states and two countries have come across Press’ pottery “free art drops” and gotten to take home an unexpected artistic treasure from their own travels.
And these aren’t any old bowls. Check out how absolutely stunning these pieces are:
Press recently shared a video highlighting some of the pieces she’s dropped, and every single one of them would be an incredible gift.
“To say that I am proud of these numbers is an understatement,” she wrote. “In my wildest dreams, I could never imagine how much taking a pottery class and playing in mud would change my life…. And it just goes to show that if you travel far enough, eventually you will find yourself.”
People who find Press’ pottery let her know where the pieces ended up, and half the fun of it is seeing how far they travel. She put a page on her website where she shares the pieces’ “found” stories, such as the bowl she left in Santa Monica, California, making its home in Spain, a bowl she left in Tucson finding its way to China and a piece found in Pennsylvania ending up in Mexico. Sometimes she leaves them in hiking spots in the wilderness. Sometimes she drops them in the middle of a city. Some pieces have stayed in the states she dropped them and others have traveled across the country or the world.
People who have found them have shared how much joy their discovery brought them:
“Just wanted to drop you a note to say that I picked up your ‘Free Art’ in the park in Fairhope during my last day of my Snowbird stay (January and February) in Orange Beach. While I was in Orange Beach, a dear friend fell and broke her hip and I wanted to get her something to take back. When I say your beautiful bowl, I knew it would touch her heart. Thank you so much for your generosity. She absolutely loved it.”
“Dear Kim , Today I found a wonderful surprise, we were at Ft. Zach for my grandson’s 5th birthday party and found this on our table, my first thought was ..why is this here? Then I read the card and was speechless… How incredibly lucky I am to have such a precious gift. You are an amazing , talented person. Thank you so much , this will be something I will pass on to my grandchildren. I wish you nothing but the best!”
“Found this incredible gem today. It makes me happy how people are so passionate about their gifts and talents that they would want to share it with the world. Thank you.”
Some people have even started looking for the pieces when Press does an art drop announcement, alerting friends and family if the drop is near where they live. A woman who found a bowl in Boise, Idaho, wrote:
“My friend follows you and today she shared your profile with our friend group. We all followed your page and on my way home from work she called me and sent me on an adventure. I squealed when I found it. Thank you so much!! Keep on keeping on.”
And a group in Lago Vista, Texas, shared:
“Our out of state guests were about to do a polar plunge in our pool when they saw your post and decided to go art drop hunting instead… so exciting!!!”
Everyone who found pieces shared how much gratitude they felt upon finding them.
Thank you, Kim Press, for bringing joy not only to the people who happen upon your artwork, but also to those of us living vicariously through them. (I really need one of those bowls!)
Coming out can be an emotionally fraught process. Even when you’re secure in your queerness, there’s still a sense of fear and hesitation. Because it’s so emotional, people sometimes choose an unconventional way to do it. That includes coming out in an unlikely place … like a Harry Styles concert. Yes, this has happened more than once.
Most recently, a fan of Styles used the singer’s help to come out as gay during the Love On Tour 2022 stop at London’s Wembley Stadium.
In a clip posted to Twitter, Styles picks up a cardboard sign that had been thrown onto the stage.
“You’re a free man” 🌈🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Harry Styles helps an Italian fan come out at his London show 🥹
“From Ono to Wembley: help me come out,” the sign reads.
“So you would like the people of Wembley to bring you out?” Styles asks, a smile on his face. You can tell he’s done this before, and that he’s genuinely excited to do it again.
“When this sign,” he begins, but returns the sign to the fan and picks up a Pride flag.
“When this flag goes over my head, you’re officially gay, my boy,” he says with a proud smile on his face. Of course, the crowd begins to cheer.
Styles runs back and forth waving the flag, but hesitates before raising it over his head, joking, “still straight!” before he continues to run. Then he stops, raises the flag in the air while throwing his head back triumphantly.
“Congratulations, Mattia, you are a free man!” Styles screams as the crowd roars.
Styles then takes another minute to revel in what has just happened. It’s obvious he takes his role of helping fans come out seriously. There’s a level of trust and care between Styles and his fans underpinning what everyone has just witnessed.
Being in the audience of a Harry Styles concert when a fan comes out is both intimate and big. People make the choice to do it knowing their declaration will become a YouTube video or news article by the next morning, and that never seems to scare them. It seems that there’s something liberating about coming out to thousands of strangers.
As a longtime Harry Styles fan, I’ve seen this happen in real life. During the Los Angeles dates of Love On Tour 2021, I attended two shows where fans used the concert as an opportunity to come out. Styles asked each fan if they had an item they wanted him to hold to signal their official outing. He then ran around the stage building the anticipation until the glorious moment the item was lifted over his head and the crowd erupted. It was an honor to be part of such a life-changing moment.
Styles isn’t a stranger to helping his fans come out during one of his concerts. In 2018, during a tour stop in San Jose, California, Styles helped another fan come out.
“I’m going to come out to my parents because of you,” says the sign Styles reads to the audience. Although the parents weren’t in attendance (they were in a nearby hotel), Styles still took the opportunity to help.
“I’m going to tell Tina before you get a chance to,” he said.
“Tina, she’s gay!” he yells, before telling the young woman that her mom “says” that she loves her. The video has become a bit of an inside joke among fans, but proves that he has always been willing to provide a safe space for his fans.
YouTuber Logan Paul revealed that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson” stopped talking to him after he filmed his notorious “suicide forest” video, and if that sentence makes sense to you (guilty…), you spend too much on the internet (…as charged).
Paul was a guest on a recent episode on the True Geordie podcast, where he discussed his falling out with The Rock. They used to make videos together, including one where he asked the wrestler-turned-movie star how he can get “DJ-sized, bro,” but then Paul uploaded a video to his popular YouTube channel of a dead body in Japan’s Aokigahara forest, also known as the Suicide Forest, and he got a call from The Rock’s publicist.
“After Japan happened, obviously I found myself in a hole, rightfully so, that I had never been in before. Extremely low mentally, and I got a call from my publicist, who also repped Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson,” he said. The publicist, speaking for her client, asked for Paul to “remove every picture and video” of him and the Black Adam star together. “I thought we had a healthy relationship, an open line of communication,” he continued, “and I was so sad that my hero wanted nothing to do with me.”
Paul, who has 23.5 million subscribers on YouTube, claims that The Rock reached out to him a few months ago through a direct message on Instagram to say that he enjoyed one of his videos. But he didn’t respond back (“I think I’m a scumbag for outing this story,” he admitted). Paul thinks The Rock is a “f*cking awesome” person, but, he added, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt.” You can watch the interview above.
Kevin Bacon is going back to his campy thriller roots to star in a new horror film from Blumhouse productions, who are known for their spooky-yet-sometimes-hilarious films. Looking at you, Happy Death Day.
In They/Them, Bacon will play Owen Whistler who runs Whistler Camp, a conversion camp that aims to “psychologically break down” their LGBTQ campers. On top of the psychological breakdown, a killer seems to be stalking the grounds and claiming victims. Bacon historically hasn’t had good luck with isolated summer camps in the past. When will he learn?
The trailer shows some Whistler counselors inviting the campers into the “safe space” before it slowly turns into a bloody slasher, complete with creepy marionette puppets and some old-timey photos that may or may not be haunted. The title is a play on words, as They literally slash Them. That pun alone should get some praise! Here is the official synopsis:
When a group of LGBTQ+ campers arrives at Whistler Camp – a conversion camp run by Owen Whistler (Kevin Bacon) – they are promised a “new sense of freedom” by the end of the week. But as the counselors attempt to psychologically break down each of the campers, a mysterious killer starts claiming victims, and they must reclaim their power if they’re going to survive the horrors of the camp. Written and directed by Academy Award nominee John Logan and produced by Jason Blum, They/Them is an empowering slasher film starring an ensemble cast that includes Carrie Preston, Anna Chlumsky, Theo Germaine, Quei Tann, Anna Lore, Monique Kim, Darwin del Fabro, Cooper Koch, and Austin Crute.
The movie will drop on Peacock on August 5th. Check out the trailer above.
Michael Jordan does not own a reputation of being the warmest personality across the sports landscape. That notion was generally understood, but further reinforced throughout the The Last Dance documentary back in the spring of 2020. His stern public persona once again, understandably, shined through when a random fan asked for a photo with the NBA legend in a parking garage, while simultaneously filming him.
As most people would, Jordan justifiably took exception to this person’s behavior, asked that he stopped being recorded and quickly turned down any request for a photo as he walked to his car.
Of course, Jordan is entirely in the right for his frustration here. It’s merely a funny example, given all the details we know about Jordan’s hard-line nature and the fact that, despite his status as one of the famous people to ever live, he greatly values his own privacy.
The best part is how the videographer seemingly ruins their friend’s slim chance to snag a picture with Jordan. The cameraperson is so starstruck by Jordan’s presence that they can’t find anything other to say than repeatedly yelling Jordan’s name, as the all-time great repeatedly tells them to put the phone down.
When the person not holding the camera finally musters up the courage to inquire about a flick, they’re met with a swift “no” from Jordan and that’s that. Jordan’s first impression of them being greeted by an unsolicited video derails any opportunity to salvage the interaction.
Maybe, they’ll learn from this moment and avoid videos in the future if they actually meet LaMelo Ball, who appeared to be the initial subject of their intentions.
As the Senate race in Pennsylvania heats up, Democratic candidate and the state’s lieutenant governor, John Fetterman, continues to run circles around Dr. Mehmet Oz, whose campaign has been one embarrassing misstep after another. The TV doctor narrowly won the Republican nomination following a recount, and now, in a move that’s sure to anger the base who just barely elected him, Oz is reportedly distancing himself from Donald Trump.
According to Axios, Oz has been scrubbing all “Trump branding” from his campaign website and social media accounts. It’s an odd about-face, which Fetterman wasted no time capitalizing on. Just hours after the Axios report, Fetterman’s Twitter account fired off a clown meme roasting Oz for everything from being a New Jersey resident to desperately seeking Trump’s endorsement, only to realize that it’s now a political liability.
As for the scrubbing of Trump from Oz’s entire campaign, it’s a pretty thorough cleansing despite the candidate heavily using the former president’s name on social media throughout the primary. Via Axios:
Oz’s social media banners now say “Thank you, Pennsylvania,” and feature a solo photo of him without Trump. His website no longer has a pop-up fundraiser appeal touting his Trump endorsement.
Oz’s Twitter bio no longer advertises him as the “Trump Endorsed Candidate for U.S. Senate,” and he hasn’t tweeted about Trump since May 17.
Oz’s campaign hasn’t run Facebook ads since the primary, and on Google his only general election ad reads, “The PA Senate Race will determine who has the majority. Donate to take back the US Senate!”
Even on the Trump-run social media site Truth Social, Oz hasn’t posted about Trump since the primary — though he still touts his Trump endorsement in his bio.
When reached for comment, Oz’s spokesperson said that Trump is still the first name listed on the “Endorsements” section of campaign website, which is true. However, the former president is no longer featured on the front page or in pop-up ads that were highly prominent during Oz’s primary campaign.
Before you take a sip of a summer beer, you should know a few things. All summer ales are summer beers, but not all summer beers are summer ales. Confused yet? Fine, a little background: there’s no set definition for what a “summer beer” can be. But there is a beer style called “summer ale,” and that beer is usually low in alcohol, light, and easy to drink, often with a citrus element. While a summer ale is a summer beer, it’s not the only kind of summer beer.
Technically speaking, a summer beer can be any style, although lighter styles are more common. In the simplest terms, a summer beer is a beer that makes you think of summer.
Along with swimming, sunbathing, and surfing the internet for new A/C units, another activity we typically associate with summer fun is grillin’. Who doesn’t remember dropping cannonballs into the pool while a dad (be it yours or someone else’s) blew his eyelashes off with a lighter-fluid fireball? As logic would dictate, summery beers go great with grilled food — steaks, sausages, veggies, burgers — or at least, they should.
That’s why, for our latest summer beer blind taste test, we tried to make our tasting as situationally appropriate as possible. Instead of just blindly nosing and tasting a handful of well-known summer beers, we decided to pair them with a bite of a juicy cheeseburger. To see which combination was more than the sum of its parts. How else could we finally find the best summer beer?
It’s a little hard to grill up a consistent product while nosing, sipping, and taking notes, so in lieu of making our own, we selected the most standardized product we could imagine, a Quarter Pounder with cheese from McDonald’s. You’ll probably prefer to grill your own, but if you don’t have the time or space a fast food burger and a beer do make a great “mind vacation.” Now then, onto the test!
Today’s Competitors:
Samuel Adams Summer Ale
Allagash White
Victory Summer Love
Brooklyn Summer Ale
Bell’s Oberon
Sierra Nevada Summerfest
Long Trail Summer Ale
Shipyard Summer Ale
Part 1: The Taste
Christopher Osburn
Taste 1
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is loaded with myriad aromas like coriander, cloves, and other spices as well as banana candy, caramel malts, and a light fruity scent. The palate, when paired with a bite of the cheeseburger, is very fruity, yeasty, malty, and has a nice mix of banana and spices. All of these flavors only add to the savory, umami flavor of the burger. It’s definitely a great beer to pair with grilled foods.
Taste 2
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
A nose of biscuit-like malts, wet grass, citrus zest, and slight, piney hops greeted my nose. Sipping it, when paired with a bite of burger, brought forth caramel malts, more citrus, and light, floral hops. It’s crisp and easy to drink and pairs well with a savory, cheesy, fatty burger. But there’s nothing really interesting in the flavor profile that sets this apart from many other crisp, easy-to-drink summer beers.
Taste 3
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are aromas of bready malts, earthy grass, fresh hay, citrus peels, and floral, slightly piney hops. After a bite of burger, the palate continued this trend. The juicy, meaty burger paired very well with the Meyer lemon, tangerine, caramel malts, and piney, slightly resinous, subtly bitter finish. This is the crisp, malty, citrusy beer you’ve been looking for to pair with your summer burgers.
Taste 4
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a bit uneventful with some light tropical fruit esters, citrus zest, and maybe some subtle floral hops. But I really had to dig to find them. The palate isn’t much more exciting even when paired with a juicy burger. Some more tangerine, grapefruit, and other indistinguishable citrus flavors are paired with some lightly floral, subtly bitter hops. They all worked fine with the savory, salty meat, but didn’t really wow me. Overall, a lot of citrus and not much else.
Taste 5
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Lemon zest, floral hops, and sweet malts are prevalent on the nose. Otherwise, the nose is a bit light on the aroma. I took a bite of my burger and washed it down with this beer. The juicy, salty meat paired well with the sweet wheat, orange peel, and lemon zest of the beer and the cheese was a good accompaniment to the gentle spices. Overall, it was a decent pairing. But just not an overly interesting beer.
Taste 6
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose has some hints of sweet wheat, lemon zest, and orange peel. But really not much else. It’s not a very good start. I took a bite of the burger and then washed it down with some beer. The meaty flavor of the burger paired well with the wheat, citrus, and slightly floral hops flavors. The problem is that there isn’t really much more going on with this beer. It’s pretty boring and unexciting overall.
Taste 7
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of banana peels, citrus zest, caramel malts, and light yeast met my nose before my first sip. After a bite of the burger, I took a sip. I found notes of orange peel, lemon curd, banana candy, bready malts, and a nice, slightly sweet, lightly bitter finish. The balance of yeast, malts and light citrus paired perfectly with the meaty, savory, salty burger.
Taste 8
Christopher Osburn
Tasting Notes:
The nose is surprisingly complex with aromas of earthy grass, caramel malts, citrus zest, slight pepper, and subtle, floral hops. This is the first beer that really seemed to mesh well with the umami, salty, cheesy flavor of the burger. The meaty flavor paired well with the citrus zest, sweet grains, caramel malts, and floral, slightly piney, barely bitter hops. I would definitely enjoy this combination again.
While it seems like there are new summer beers every year. Some have been around since well before the craft beer boom. One of the most popular timeless summer brews is Shipyard Summer Ale. This 5.1% American wheat beer is brewed with Saphir and Williamette hops as well as 2-row British Pale ale malts, Munich malts, and malted wheat.
Bottom Line:
While Shipyard Summer Ale pairs fine with a cheesy burger, it’s the burger itself doing the heavy lifting. The beer is fairly muted and boring on its own.
This re-imagined summer ale was created because of the popularity of a small-batch brewery-only release. This pale ale (they call it a “juicy golden ale’) features Cashmere, Mandarina Bavaria, and Amarillo hops. It’s known for its juicy, citrusy, slightly bitter flavor profile.
Bottom Line:
Long Trail Summer Ale isn’t a bad beer. It has a nice citrus profile. It’s just fairly one-dimensional and it works well with a burger not because of, but in spite of it.
There are few summer beers as more well known as Samuel Adams Summer Ale. This American wheat ale is subtly spiced and gets its main flavor from the addition of orange, lime, and lemon peels. There’s a reason it’s one of the most anticipated summer beers.
Bottom Line:
Personally, if I was going to pair a burger with any Samuel Adams beer, it would be the classic Boston Lager, with its mix of malts and Noble hops. Its Summer Ale isn’t a bad beer, it’s just a little bit of a one-trick pony with the citrus flavor.
Sierra Nevada briefly discontinued this summer staple last spring (and dropped Summer Break Hazy IPA) only to bring it back just as quickly due to demand. This 5% crisp pilsner is brewed with Munich, Pilsner, and 2-row Pale malts as well as Perle, Saaz, and Spalter Select hops.
Bottom Line:
I understand the appeal of Sierra Nevada Summerfest. It’s a great American take on the classic Czech-style pilsner. It’s just that it’s on par with countless others that you could easily plug into this spot instead and be just as happy.
While many breweries opt for wheat beers when crafting their summer beer, Brooklyn instead opted for an English-style pale ale. Available from March until August, this 5% brew is known for its crisp, crushable flavor and balance of citrus and floral hops.
Bottom Line:
I’m not surprised Brooklyn Summer Ale paired so well with a cheeseburger. It’s a combination I’ve definitely enjoyed in the past and will do so in the future. The flavors work really well together.
One of the most eagerly anticipated beers in the spring and summer, Bell’s Oberon is an American wheat ale made with simple ingredients like water, barley, wheat, hops, and house ale yeast. Unlike some wheat beers, there are no spices or fruit flavors. It’s simple, flavorful, and filled with citrus and hop flavor.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason Bell’s Oberon is a beloved summer beer. It’s well-balanced and flavorful and the citrus, yeast, and wheat flavors pair well with the burger ingredients.
There’s no American wheat beer more highly rated and beloved than Allagash White. It’s also one of the greatest summer beers of all time. This Belgian-style wheat beer was brewed with malted wheat, raw wheat, oats, coriander, and Curaçao orange peel.
Bottom Line:
Allagash White is such a widely loved beer, I’m not surprised it fared so well when paired with a burger. The gentle spices, yeast, and orange peel play well with the meaty, salty burger.
There might not be a more aptly named beer than Victory Summer Love. This eagerly anticipated blonde ale is brewed with Pilsner and Carapils malts as well as Tettnang and Simcoe hops. The result is a crisp, light, citrus, and pine-forward summer beer.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to well-rounded beers to pair with burgers, it’s really tough to beat the malt, citrus, pine, earthy, floral flavor profile of Victory Summer Love.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Just like with other beer blind taste tests, complexity and balance were key in rating and ranking these beers. A cheeseburger can be very heavy, fatty, and salty and it needs to be tempered with the right beer. It’s clear beers (regardless of the style) that have a broad, expansive flavor profile fared better than lighter, simple beers.
Sep 03 – Philadelphia, PA @ Made In America*
Sep 04 – Las Vegas, NV @ Day N Vegas*
Sep 16 – Rochester, NY,
Sep 17 – Cleveland, OH*
Sep 18 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!
Sep 20 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
Sep 22 – Norfolk, VA @ NorVa
Sep 24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
Sep 25 – Queens, NY @ Rolling Loud*
Sep 28 – Indianapolis, IN @ Old National Centre
Sep 29 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
Oct 01 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave-Eagles Club
Oct 02 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fillmore, Minneapolis
Oct 04 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
Oct 06 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
Oct 08 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
Oct 10 – Dallas, TX @ The House Of Blues
Oct 11 – Houston, TX @ The House Of Blues
Oct 12 – New Orleans, LA @ Fillmore
Oct 14 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
Oct 15 – Orlando, FL @ Plaza Live
Oct 16 – Miami, FL
Oct 19 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
Oct 20 – Washington D.C. @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
Oct 22 – Richmond, VA @ Brown’s Island
Oct 27 – Montclair, NJ @ The Wellmont Theater
Oct 28 – Providence, RI
Oct 29 – Boston, MA @ The House Of Blues
Oct 30 – Wallingford, CT @ Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre
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