Over the weekend, John Mayer appeared on CNN’s New Year’s Eve show, where he was interviewed by Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper. However, Mayer wasn’t appearing in person, but from somewhere way more unique: a cat bar in Japan.
The choice of Mayer’s venue for a celebration caused Cooper to burst out in hysterical laughter, likely caused by the fact that the two hosts were allowed to drink again for the 2024 New Year’s Eve show.
“It’s a place you can come, enjoy a drink or two, and talk to cats,” Mayer said, as the animals could be seen walking in the background. “It’s a cat bar. I don’t know how much more clear I can be about the objective of this place.”
“Just the shot of the cat’s ass in your face is making him delirious,” Cohen joined in, commenting on Cooper giggling off to the side.
The exact bar was called Bar Cats In The Box. Mayer had been performing in Japan, including a show at Tokyo’s Blue Note on December 30 — which is likely how he winded up hanging out with cats. And, while cat coffee shops have become more of a thing in the States, bringing cats to the bar is still something new.
Check out the clip of Mayer causing laughter from the cat bar below.
Lastly, there’s price. All of these prices are based on Total Wine in Louisville, Kentucky. Prices have gone up since last year at this tier. Most of these bottles are anywhere from $1 to $4 pricier than the same time last year. That means that these bottles may sneak above $20 in your region (depending on availability and local taxes). Thems the breaks, folks. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Old Forester’s 86 Proof is a very straightforward whisky. The mash bill is mid-range rye with 18% next to 72% corn and a final 10% malted barley (the same bill for all their bourbon). The juice is aged in a fairly heavily charred oak barrel for an undisclosed amount of time (the youngest barrel is likely older than four years). The whisky is then blended and proofed down to a very manageable 86 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a big nose of vanilla-cherry tobacco with a hint of fresh mint lurking in the background next to a touch of floral honey.
Palate: The taste has a grilled corn-on-the-cob vibe with a hint of pepper and butter next to small doses of citrus and soft oak.
Finish: The end is surprisingly long and leaves you with a spicy warmth and a touch more of that sweet corn and butter.
Bottom Line:
This is a great place to start your love affair with Old Forester’s bourbons. They release some amazing limited editions throughout the year alongside a killer core line. This expression is specifically built as a mixer. You make highballs or simple dive bar cocktails with this one. It shines brightest in those applications. So break out the Coke and ginger ale and have some fun with this one!
This four-year-old bonded bourbon is the budget version of Buffalo Trace’s Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. line — it’s the same mash bill and all of those bourbons are bonded too. That also means that this bourbon is only proofed down to 100 proof, far above the Old No. 8 entry point for this brand’s cheapest bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is surprisingly bright with a nose full of lemon-honey tart sweetness, a touch of vanilla extract, a hint of charred wood, and maybe a little wet leather.
Palate: The taste keeps it simple and really leans into the oak and vanilla while the honey sweetness mellows to a standard caramel with a hint of spicy tobacco.
Finish: The end is pretty short but leaves you with that vanilla, honey, and tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is the most drinkable and mixable Benchmark. The whiskey shines through in a whiskey and Coke. It also works really well as a beer and a shot of bourbon for your dive bar nights at home with your crew. You can make a cocktail with this, but there are better options further down this list for that.
8. J.W. Dant Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This whiskey is made with the iconic Heaven Hill bourbon mash bill — 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. The nuance is that the barrels chosen for this brand follow a different flavor profile than the ones for the other iconic bourbons coming out of Heaven Hill these days. Think of this like a throwback bourbon to the 1950s that hasn’t changed all that much (besides the age of the barrels in the whiskey).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this one is pure banana bread brimming with buttery cake, walnuts, cinnamon and nutmeg, and a touch of honey.
Palate: The palate leans into the wood with a No. 2 pencil vibe that leads towards dry vanilla husks and a touch of salted caramel-covered peanuts.
Finish: The back end of the sip stays sweet and nutty as wintry spices cut with orange oils drive a slowish finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a great standard mixing whiskey to have on your home bar. It’s great for a classic bourbon highball with good mineral water and a nice fruity garnish. It also works as a shooter thanks to that honeyed sweetness.
7. Four Roses Bourbon Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This introductory juice from Four Roses is a blend of all 10 of their mash bills. The barrels are a minimum of five years old when they’re plucked from the warehouses, blended, brought down to proof, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose also brings along dried flowers, plenty of honey, and orchard fruits, with a hint of dark spice.
Palate: The palate adds vanilla to the honey and apple foundations with a light sense of tinniness that feels kind of cheap.
Finish: The end is short but full of orchard fruit, caramel sweetness, dark spice, and green oak with a nice vanilla underbelly.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into the cocktail base whiskeys. Yes, you can still use this for highballs (with soda pop or mineral water). But you can also make a good and very simple old fashioned with this one and it’ll be A-okay.
6. Jim Beam Double Oak Twice Barreled Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Originally only released on the international market, the expression became so popular that customer demand led to it hitting U.S. shelves a couple of years ago. This is standard Jim Beam that’s aged for around four years that’s then re-barreled into new oak barrels for another shorter rest. Finally, those barrels are batched and proofed for bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a hint of dry firewood sitting in black soil on the nose that leads to more classic Beam notes of cherry vanilla cream soda, dry apple, buttery caramel sauce, and a hint of old oak staves.
Palate: There’s a sweet sense of creamed honey on cinnamon toast on the palate that leads to singed marshmallows and spiced-cherry tobacco leaves with a hint of cedar lurking behind it.
Finish: The end has a nice sense of woody vanilla pods and cherry bark next to dark chocolate laced with cinnamon and tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This isn’t a bad sipper over a lot of rocks. But you’ll want to focus on cocktails with this one too. We suggest using this for batched cocktails like an old fashioned or Manhattan.
5. Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is Evan William’s small-batch bourbon reissue. The expression is a marriage of 200 barrels of Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon (78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye). That whiskey is batched and then proofed down to 90 proof (instead of the old 86 proof) and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a very distinct nose that ventures from vanilla-soaked leather to a very clear sense of allspice berries and ground clove with a hint of cornbread batter and soft oak.
Palate: There’s a light sense of caramel apples on the palate leading toward Johnnycakes covered in butter and honey with a light nutmeg lurking in the background.
Finish: The finish arrives with a hint of dry reeds that end up on a vanilla cream with brown spices.
Bottom Line:
This is another one that you can get away with sipping over some rocks in a pinch. Think of it like a good table whiskey. This really shines in cocktails though. We suggest leaning toward citrus-forward smashes and sours with this one.
4. Jim Beam Black Extra-Aged Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This expression replaced the old Jim Beam Black Label 8 Year, which was a huge favorite amongst the old-school Beam heads. The whiskey in this bottle is aged longer than your average four-year-old Beam, but there is no age statement on exactly how long. I’ve heard things, but only rumors. The best way to think of it is that it’s aged for as long as it needs to be before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A clear sense of expensive vanilla beans next to apple cotton candy, honey-buttered cornbread, soft oak staves, and Dr. Brown’s Cherry work through the nose.
Palate: The taste has a hint of sourdough apple-cinnamon old-fashioned doughnuts next to vanilla pound cake with a hint of poppy seed and orange zest, a whisper of clove and anise, and a smidge of pecan pie.
Finish: The end has a dried vanilla tobacco vibe by way of spiced apple cider and old cinnamon sticks next to a hint of raisins and bruised peach skins.
Bottom Line:
You can 100% sip this over some rocks and not be mad about it at all. Overall, this is a good utility bourbon to have on hand for everyday sipping, mixing, and cooking. Throw some of this in your next batch of pancakes or sugar cookies and you’ll be all set.
Wild Turkey 101 starts with Turkey’s classic 75/13/12 (corn/rye/barley) mash bill. The hot juice then spends at least six years in the cask before it’s batched and just kissed with Kentucky limestone water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a cherry bomb on the nose with deep notes of burnt orange, buttery toffee, old oak staves, and cumin-heavy taco seasoning with a hint of old leather gloves and clove buds.
Palate: The palate has a vanilla pudding cup vibe next to butterscotch candies, nougat, and a twinge of menthol tobacco next to clove-studded oranges on the mid-palate.
Finish: The end of this is a classic cascade of bourbon notes: caramel, vanilla, cherry, winter spices, and light woodiness.
Bottom Line:
This is the gold standard of utility bourbon. It’s deeply spiced with a sweet edge that works as a sipper over rocks or in your favorite whiskey-forward cocktails. You can make a bourbon sour with this that’ll slap. At the same time, mix up a spicy Manhattan that’ll equally slap. “Dealer’s choice” is what we’re getting at.
2. J.T.S. Brown Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
This is a quality whiskey from Heaven Hill’s classic bourbon mash bill (78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye). That means this is the same base juice as Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, several Parker’s Heritages, and Henry McKenna. It’s a bottled-in-bond, meaning it’s from similar stocks to their iconic Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond and a few other whiskeys on this list.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cream soda with a dash of cherry opens the nose next to dry leather patches, caramel sauce, and a light touch of floral honey.
Palate: The palate brings forward dry and woody spices with a hint of eggnog creaminess leading toward Graham Crackers and a sweet tobacco chew.
Finish: The end turns the woody spice into old oak with more vanilla, honey, and leather lingering the longest.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best bourbons at the best price on the shelf right now, full stop. It’s incredible how well this whiskey sips over some ice. You can also make a killer old fashioned with this stuff.
1. Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Heaven Hill makes great whiskey, especially inexpensive bottled in bonds (as we’ve shown on this list). This “b-i-b” is tailored for the Evan Williams flavor profile. Still, this is Heaven Hill, so we’re talking about the same mash bill, same warehouses, and same blending team as beloved bourbons like Elijah Craig and all other Heaven Hill bourbon releases. This is simply built to match a higher-end Evan Williams vibe.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a lovely nose at play with soft taco mix spice next to creamy vanilla, caramel-dipped cherries, a hint of pear skins, and plenty of nutmeg.
Palate: The palate has a minor note of cornbread muffins next to cherry-vanilla tobacco with a dash of leather and toffee.
Finish: The end leans into some fresh gingerbread with a vanilla frosting next to hints of pear candy cut with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Bottom Line:
This is excellent bourbon at any price point, one of the best values in all of whiskey, and just great all around. Sip it, mix it, or shoot it — no matter what, you’ll be in for a classic bourbon treat.
William Zabka first portrayed karate bad boy Johnny Lawrence in 1984’s The Karate Kid. 39 years later, he’s 58 years old and can still pull those same moves for Cobra Kai. The cast has revved up to begin filming the show’s sixth and final season in the new year, and if there’s any worry about Johnny taking it easy for this round, those fears can be dashed away.
Zabka showed off a training montage on Twitter, and a moment at 0:16 should be of particular interest.
Even though Cobra Kai will only receive one more round in the dojo(s) on Netflix, there’s always hope for more Johnny Lawrence. The showrunners have expressed the desire to continue more Miyagiverse stories, and Sony is already working on a (sort-of standalone) movie starring Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan. That project will aim to bring the two existing movie worlds together. It’s understood that the younger Cobra Kai cast members won’t join that film, but there has yet to be a denial about a Johnny/William cameo.
Whatever happens on that note, it’s worth drawing attention to how Zabka dropped in a little Eagle Fang nod into his emoji game up ^^^ there. This will remind obsessives of how the recent cast table read included Demetri actor Gianni DeCenzo uttering a line about how it was time to “decide our dojo name.” C’mon, no new names! Eagle Fang has had its dark days, but that dojo and Miyagi-do will always be kicking. Literally.
When Severance arrived on Apple TV+, it became an immediate hit with viewers and critics alike thanks to the show’s compelling story about a new drug that can separate a person’s personality. They’re one person at work and another person when they leave the office, never the two affecting the other. Or at least that’s the plan.
Starring Adam Scott as Mark, Severance proved to be a fascinating dystopian look at office life punctuated with some extremely weird, yet hilariously dark comedy moments. Fans were thrilled when the show was picked up for Season 2, and actually began shooting episodes. However, things took a turn. Season 2 was plagued with rumors of behind-the-scenes problems, including rumors that the creative team was refusing to speak to each other. To make matters worse, the writers’ strike shut down production.
While executive producer Ben Stiller assured fans that the rumors of creative differences were blown out of proportion and that the show is still heading for its target air date, there is no known release window at this time. However, Severance Season 2 is most likely to premiere sometime in 2024. The show was well into production before the strike, and if Stiller is correct, it should be on track to start streaming later this year.
Here’s what Severance creator Dan Erickson told Entertainment Weekly about Season 2:
The first season was an ensemble piece at work, but it was much more focused on Mark on the outside, obviously. We wanted the audience to experience Mark’s life through his perspective, and he has no idea who Helly and Irving and Dylan are on the outside; his whole context for them is work. So we wanted to tell it in that way for season 1, but in season 2, we’re going to be showing all of these people on the outside. Similar to Mark, they each had their own reason for getting this procedure, and they’re all at some stage of a healing process for one thing or another.
“I just can’t wait, because these actors are all obviously so good,” Erickson continued. “And being able to take what Adam did in the first season — with the differentiation between his innie and outie, and how they feel like the same person but with this vastly different lived experience — seeing the other three characters’ version of that dichotomy is, I think, the most exciting part. In season 2, we’re really going to expand and get into all of that.”
Last Spring, Universal Pictures announced that Jordan Peele‘s newest flick would arrive in time for Christmas 2024, and while that might not be happening, Peele has confirmed that a new movie is on the way…at some point. But it will be worth the wait, and the director says it has the possibility of being his “favorite movie” he’s ever made. Behind 2016’s Keanu, probably.
Peele spoke with Conan O’Brien about his upcoming movie, which is obviously taking a bit longer than anticipated. He explained, “It’s been an interesting year because the writer’s strike had had me in a state of listening, and that’s where I need to be,” the writer/director said on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast when asked about any upcoming projects.
Even though many movies were delayed during the strikes, Peele knows which direction he’s going for the currently untitled fifth film. He added, “I do feel like my next project is clear to me, and I’m psyched that I have another film that, you know, could be my favorite movie if I make it right.” He will probably make it right.
Peele’s last project was 2022’s Nope which starred Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer. What could make his upcoming film a favorite? Knowing what we know about Peele, we can assume it will be wildly unsettling and possibly disturbing. But still lots of fun!
Every week, Billboard unveils the top 10 songs on the latest Hot 100 chart. The most recent rankings, for the chart dated January 6, are out now, so let’s run down who had this week’s biggest hits.
10. The Ronettes — “Sleigh Ride”
The new chart covers the tracking week from December 22 to 28, and the chart that represents Christmas and Christmas Eve tends to be the most holiday-focused of the year. That’s certainly the case this week, as the only non-holiday song in the top 10 is…
9. Jack Harlow — “Lovin On Me”
Throughout the holiday onslaught, Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” has been the consistent non-Christmas beacon hanging on in the top 10, and it managed to stick around at No. 9 this week.
8. José Feliciano — “Feliz Navidad”
Feliciano’s 1970 favorite peaked at No. 6 during the 2020 holiday season, but its 2023/2024 high has fallen a bit short of that.
7. Dean Martin — “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!”
This is a new all-time peak for Martin’s rendition of “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!,” as last week’s placement at No. 8 matched its previous high.
6. Andy Williams — “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”
Williams now has the all-time record for the span between his first and latest week in the top 10 at 64 years and three months, as “Lonely Street” was first in the region in October 1959.
5. Burl Ives — “A Holly Jolly Christmas”
Spots No. 5 through 3 are the same this week as they were last time, starting with Ives’ holiday mainstay.
Helms hasn’t yet been able to crack the top 2 with his holiday hit, as two titans keep getting in his way.
2. Mariah Carey — “All I Want For Christmas Is You”
It’s usually the case that Carey has the first and final No. 1 single of the year as “All I Want For Christmas Is You” holds onto the top spot as the calendar rolls over, but not this time.
1. Brenda Lee — “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”
Carey was No. 1 last week, but after previously spending a couple weeks at No. 1 recently and falling down to No. 2, 1958’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” is back on top, making it the first No. 1 single of 2024.
Why did Lee and Carey swap spots? It looks like Lee’s song had more momentum than Carey’s. The two tracks had similar numbers in terms of airplay and sales, but “Rockin’ racked up 57.3 million streams (a 16-percent increase) vs. “All I Want” getting 54.8 million (up 13 percent). Carey’s airplay and sales numbers were actually both higher than Lee’s, but Carey had a bigger drop-off in airplay from last week to this one.
This week’s #Hot100 top 10 (chart dated Jan. 6, 2023).
Did you get some new cookware over the holidays? Was your New Year’s Resolution that you’d finally start cooking more? Are you staring at the unopened box for that new pan in between reading the opening sentences of this article? Look, we’ve all been there (maybe not that last part) and we promise, cooking doesn’t have to be hard. Once you start nailing a few recipes, you’ll be shocked at how quickly your imagination and ingenuity take over and you’re able to make great dishes with whatever you have on hand.
But where to start? One of the quickest ways to develop your cooking muscles is by recreating your favorite recipes, and one of the easiest out there is Olive Garden’s famous alfredo sauce. We’re not talking about a copycat recipe either, we mean the real thing. How do we have access to Olive Garden’s famous alfredo sauce? They gave it to us.
Well, sort of. Before a couple of years ago, Olive Garden used to list its full alfredo recipe — as well as other famous dishes — on its website. Recently, OG has taken all its recipes down, so what does one do when it wants to look at an old version of a website? Consult The Wayback Machine.
If you’re not familiar, the Wayback Machine is a non-profit resource that tasks itself with building a digital archive of the internet, meaning you can see old versions of websites. So this recipe comes straight from Olive Garden themselves. Here is what you’ll need.
3 oz butter
1 TBSP Garlic
2 TBSP All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup imported Parmesan cheese, grated (we suggest Parmigiano Reggiano)
1/2 cup imported Romano cheese, grated
Salt and black pepper to taste
We did some snooping on Reddit and other online forums and found alleged former Olive Garden employees mention that in place of flour, OG uses something called powdered “white sauce base.” What’s in the “white sauce base?” There is no way of us knowing, but we’re going to assume it’s flour and extra spices like garlic or onion powder.
Putting it all together is pretty simple as well, according to Olive Garden you’re going to want to:
Sautee the butter and garlic in a saucepan on medium heat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan and stir occasionally until the sauce begins to simmer. Remove from heat.
Serve the Alfredo sauce over your favorite pasta, like fettuccine, linguine, or bow tie.
Taste your sauce as you make it and you’ll never go wrong. And now you have one less reason to go to Olive Garden (which is probably why they removed the recipe from their website).
Wayback Machine/Olive Garden
But before you fire up that stove let us try and convince you to do things the authentic way. Look, if you’re an Olive Garden fan, you’ve definitely had the “Olive Garden isn’t authentic Italian food” conversation and you’re probably sick of hearing it (also because Olive Garden was never trying to be — it’s fast Italian American food). And we’re not here to trash Olive Garden’s food. We just want you to have the best fettuccine alfredo possible, and once you’ve had this authentic recipe by Uproxx’s own Zach Johnston (that you can actually find in Roman restaurants), you’ll never go back.
Still not convinced? Well, take this into account, you’ll only need five ingredients: pasta, butter, parmigiano reggiano, salt, and pasta water. Not only does this recipe use fewer ingredients and boast deeper flavors, but it’s also the real thing, which is going to give you bragging rights when you start showing up to parties with your homemade fettuccine alfredo.
The Internet, a band that features Syd and Steve Lacy, seems to be teasing their return. The group’s last album, Hive Mind, dropped back in 2018, and fans have been waiting to see what would be next. However, since then, the members have stepped out to pursue their solo careers as well.
Starting the new year off strong, The Internet recently shared a post on their Instagram account, which has fans extremely excited. The photo slideshow finds the group working in the studio. “mutha’ f*ck the wagon, come join the band,” the caption reads.
Back in 2022, Syd did an interview with NME where she shared that there would be a “next” album from The Internet. The band later clarified that it would not be their last, just the final one in a label contract.
Besides that, not much else is known about the new music that will (seemingly) be coming from The Internet. But, as one user put it, “2024 is saved,” if they do drop an album this year. A few other users have speculated if they’d be playing Coachella.
Anderson Valley/Three Sheeps/Avery/Clown Shoes/iStock/Uproxx
2024 is here. Hopefully, it’ll be a year of new opportunities, new adventures, and new beer (along with some old favorites). What better time to start on the latter than right now? January is a tremendous month for beer fans with a slew of darker beers and classic, crisp, hoppy favorites. The first month of the year has something for every palate.
And even though much of the Northern Hemisphere is in the early grasp of wintery conditions, that doesn’t mean January beer is all dark and malty. It’s a great month to mix in wheat beer, pilsner, or IPA with winter warmers, stouts, and barleywines.
To help you begin your 2024 beer journey on the right foot, we did the initial work for you. Below, you’ll find eight of the best beers to track down this month. Some are new limited-edition releases and others are annual favorites. All are great for properly ringing in the New Year all month long. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Proving that winter is just as much of a time for dank IPAs as summer, Clown Shoes Galactic: Dank Debula is a winter banger brewed in the West Coast IPA style with Simcoe, Columbus, and Galaxy hops. It has a nice caramel malt base and gets added resinous flavor and aroma from Dank & Stormy Hopzoil (concentrated hop oil).
Tasting Notes:
While this IPA has notable dank, floral pine aromas you’d expect from a classic West Coast-style IPA, its nose also carries a ton of bready malts and butterscotch. The palate is a nice mix of caramel malts, fresh bread, candied orange peels, lime, pineapple, and a ton of dank pine needles. The finish is dry and pleasantly bitter.
Bottom Line:
This piney and sublimely dank IPA is the perfect respite for the usual dark malty beers of winter.
As we head into a new year, you probably have a lot on your mind. So do the folks at Colorado’s Avery Brewing. They have a “latte” on their minds with their winter favorite Avery Latte On My Mind. This coffee stout gets its unique flavor from real espresso beans and sugar.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all fresh coffee, roasted malts, and toasted vanilla beans. The palate adds to this with dark chocolate, roasted barley, toasted vanilla beans, caramel, and a nice backbone of bold espresso beans. The finish is a mix of chocolate sweetness and coffee bitterness that leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
Not only is this a great warming stout for winter, but it will also give you a pick-me-up during the seemingly sunless days of January.
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale is one of the most sought-after winter beers for a reason. This annual barleywine is known for its complex body and flavor thanks to the use of Caramel and Two-Row Pale malts as well as ale yeast alongside Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops.
Tasting Notes:
There are notes of candied orange peels, caramel malts, raisins, and a nice kick of piney hops on the nose. For a barleywine, it’s a very intriguing start. Drinking it reveals freshly baked bread, caramel, roasted malts, wintery spices, dried fruits, molasses candy, and some floral, piney hops. The finish is warming, boozy, and memorable.
Bottom Line:
This is a barleywine for drinkers unsure if they’ll enjoy barleywine. It’s a barleywine for IPA drinkers.
Also referred to as the “Sledder’s Choice IPA”, Brooklyn Winter IPA is a red IPA brewed with Simcoe and Trident hops. It’s known for its bold and complex flavor profile thanks to the addition of spicy rye. This gives it a little extra warmth on the coldest winter nights.
Tasting Notes:
For an IPA, there’s a nice malt presence on the nose. There’s a good deal of caramel and roasted malts as well as dried fruits, orange peels, and pine needles. The palate is loaded with orange zest, raisins, cranberries, caramel malts, rye spice, and pine. The finish is spicy and warm.
Bottom Line:
This is a warming, spicy, and unique take on the winter IPA. It belongs in your fridge until the spring thaw.
You might not automatically think about wheat beers when you imagine January’s beer offerings (though you should, it’s a year-round style). But one sip of Three Sheeps Lightweight, a complex, roasty black wheat ale will change that. It’s bold, dark, and loaded with roasted malts, but somehow crisp and refreshing as well.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of roasted malts, chocolate, gentle smoke, and wheat make for a very inviting nose. The palate continues this trend with notes of dark chocolate, roasted malts, funky wheat, and light piney hops. The finish is smooth, sweet, and lightly bitter. Overall, it’s surprisingly light and drinkable.
Bottom Line:
This is a very interesting beer in the best way possible. It’s a roasty, dark, lightly tangy wheat beer that manages to both be complex and light and refreshing.
This seasonal saison is brewed with raw white wheat, pale and special blend malts, with Hallertau and Saaz hops. It gets its unique flavor from the addition of Swan’s Wildflower Honey. It’s known for its mix of fruity flavors and honey sweetness.
Tasting Notes:
Fruit esters, funky Belgian yeast, winter spices, and sweet honey begin everything right on the nose. Sipping it brings forth notes of freshly baked bread, funky yeast, orchard fruits, caramel malts, fruit esters, and sweet honey. The finish is a nice mix of yeast, fruit, and honey, and just a hint of bitterness.
Bottom Line:
Allagash wants you to know that you don’t have to only drink saisons in the summer. Snow Report is proof of that.
Why not start January with a classic winter warmer? Anderson Valley Winter Solstice is one of our favorites. Brewed with Pale two-row, Crystal (40L and 80L), and Munich malts as well as oat flakes, house yeast, and Northern Brewer and Chinook hops, it’s known for its mix of caramel sweetness and warming winter spices.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find scents of raisins, figs, and other dried fruits as well as light spices, bready malts, and sweet caramel. The palate is all molasses candy, dried fruits, toasted malts, butterscotch, light spices, honey, and oatmeal cookies. The finish is dry with a mix of caramel and cinnamon sugar.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking to start the New Year with a warming winter beer, you can do much worse than Anderson Valley Winter Solstice.
Victory Koffee Kake Ale
Victory
ABV: 6%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
While a well-made coffee is great, it’s elevated to new heights when you pair it with a delicious coffee cake. Victory decided that wasn’t good enough and paired that with TastyKake to make a coffee cake beer. The result is a 6% ABV ale that tastes like a coffee cake with flavors like cinnamon sugar, vanilla, and pound cake.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of cinnamon sugar, vanilla beans, caramel, and brown sugar greet you before your first sip. It really does smell like you simply opened the box to a freshly made coffee cake. The palate only adds to this with a ton of cinnamon, butterscotch, toasted vanilla beans, brown sugar, dried fruits, and other spices. It’s sweet and indulgent.
Bottom Line:
While coffee cake is a popular breakfast food, this beer is most suitable as a dessert beer. We’d even suggest pairing it with a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream.
This year’s hottest New Year’s Eve party was at Mar-a-Lago. All the greats were there: a frequently-arrested former president, Vanilla Ice, only one of the Ninja Turtles for some reason, an Elvis impersonator. But the real star of the show (at least in their minds) was Eric Trump and his Tom Petty-covering wife, Lara. She wore a dress from Oscar Lopez that some in the MAGA community found to be “inappropriate.”
Mediaite reports that Lara “posted an edited video, complete with the dulcet sounds of French Montana, Lil Pump, and Diplo, of her walking to and from the party in a remarkably revealing gown… To be fair, she looks great. But commenters on the post largely found the video and her super high-cut gown inappropriate.”
One of the top comments on Lara’s Instagram post reads, “Love the Trump family, but to me this dress seems inappropriate for the occasion. If she was vacationing and had on swimsuit I doubt many would have a problem. However in a formal setting it looks like something someone screaming for attention would wear. It certainly takes our focus off many more important issues that need addressing. Poor choice.” Another commenter tsked, “These women these days leave nothing to the imagination anymore. Although, she is beautiful, the outfit is a little too much. Her husband must be proud of her for showing all that skin to other men.”
Instagram user “JoaniePonyBalony” summed it up well, writing “She can. But she should not. “Derjam1288” opined “Yikes. I’m proud of my wife but this is a poor decision. Way too far,” while “taylormoll” averred love for Lara Trump but conceded, “This dress is trashy.”
You can’t win with these people. Trump should be allowed to wear whatever she wants. It’s (repeat after me) her body, her choice.
But the reactions are still pretty funny.
What I admire the most about Lara Trump are the Christian values of humility and modesty. pic.twitter.com/96JAplodO4
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