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“Value” — especially when it comes to alcohol — is a very interesting idea. While your definition might be different, ours is pretty straightforward. When we think of value, in the case of gin specifically, we use the term to describe the amount of enjoyment and quality we get out of said gin against every dollar we spend on it. That means the best value gin could be $100 (but taste like $200) or it could be $20 (but taste like $70).

Putting value on gin is complicated because depending on the botanicals and herbs used, two gins can taste very different (save for the underlying juniper berry flavor in all gins). Luckily, it’s exciting to look for value in the gin world because there are so many unique gins available. Just ask Bradley Stephens, USBG bartender at Cereus PDX in Portland, Oregon.

“Gin is a fun one, isn’t it?” he says. “All you need is a base spirit and some juniper to start, the rest is your botanical wonderland. Walking a gin aisle at the liquor store is like walking through a booze garden.”

We asked a few well-known bartenders to tell us their picks for the best value-per-dollar gins. Keep scrolling to see if they picked your favorite gin.

Koval Gin

Jennifer Donegan, bar manager at Bar Pendry in Washington DC

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $39

The Gin:

Koval Gin out of Chicago is the most well-balanced gin I’ve come across in a long time. This is a delicate gin that can be enjoyed as a martini that’s perfectly accented with a bit of Lillet Rose. Try it and thank me later.

Tasting Notes:

It has the classic juniper, but it’s so well balanced with light floral and botanical notes that you don’t need to mask it with tonic.

Beefeater London Dry Gin

Alex Barbatsis, bar director at The Whistler in Chicago

ABV: 44%

Average Price: $22

The Gin:

Beefeater London Dry Gin is a classic for a reason, and it is also many people’s go-to gin for a negroni— myself included. It’s what I drink most of the time, so Beefeater is an invaluable addition to any back bar. Plus, you can get the giant 1.75-liter bottles for an even better discount.

Tasting Notes:

Beefeater is a classic London dry gin. It’s centered on piney juniper berries, citrus peels, and spices. It’s a perfect choice for a gin & tonic.

Bombay Dry Gin

Federico Doldi, food & beverage director at Gansevoort Meatpacking in New York City

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $21

The Gin:

The best value-per-dollar gin is Bombay Dry Gin. This complex dry gin is flavored with eight herbs and botanicals using a vapor infusion. It’s a must-have for any at-home bartender.

Tasting Notes:

The nose of Bombay Dry is soft, pleasant, round, and accessible aroma, with a touch of angelica. Mild juniper with a pine and herbaceous facet, notes of citrus, and a hint of gently piquant cinnamon provide a lift to the spirit. The palate is quite creamy with an almost vanilla-like sweetness reminiscent of gins that begin from a base of wheat— especially red winter wheat.

Conniption American Dry Gin

Tsuru Goto, food & beverage manager at Society Cafe in New York City

ABV: 44%

Average Price: $28

The Gin:

We love to recommend Conniption Gin. They use a dual distillation process using both traditional vapor infusion as well as modern cold vacuum distillation. This helps create depth and complexity in the gin without using any artificial extracts.

Tasting Notes:

The result is a super versatile, tasty spirit that works beautifully in both classic gin cocktails as well as fun new stuff. The nose is juniper pine, citrus peels, coriander, and cucumber. The palate is juniper, pine, lemon peels, and angelica.

Wonderbird Gin No. 61

José Medina Camacho, co-owner and mixologist of Adiõs in Birmingham, Alabama

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $48

The Gin:

Wonderbird Gin No. 61 out of Mississippi uses ingredients that are local to the delta. It’s applicable in many ways in the sense that it brings something to the market that others don’t. It’s also incredibly versatile—i.e. great to drink neat or in a martini.

Tasting Notes:

This rice-based gin is known for its complex flavor profile featuring hints of lemongrass, pine, pepper, citrus peels, and spices.

Tanqueray Rangpur Gin

Tracy Javier, lead mixologist at VUE Rooftop at Hotel Washington in Washington DC

ABV: 41.3%

Average Price: $27

The Gin:

Tanqueray Rangpur though is a delicious, unique gin distilled from Rangpur Limes, which is like a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. This is one for the citrus fans. It’s a great gin for a gimlet or gin & tonic.

Tasting Notes:

It’s juicy and citrus-forward. For the price, it’s one I restock on my shelf constantly.

Sipsmith London Dry Gin

Chris Cutjapan, general manager of Carbon Beach Club Restaurant in Malibu, California

ABV: 41.6%

Average Price: $36

The Gin:

Sipsmith is my favorite gin for the money. It’s a beautiful spirit and not overly floral like other London dry gins. Made in the eighteenth-century style on copper pot stills, it’s a true throwback when it comes to the gin world.

Tasting Notes:

It has a lemon peel and some juniper spice. Excellent on its own or when making cocktails. It’s as good if not better than the more expensive Monkey 47 gin.

Fords Gin

Bijan Ghiai, beverage manager-sommelier at Urban Hill in Salt Lake City

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $25

The Gin:

One standout in this category is Fords Gin. I can’t say it has ever disappointed, with the bottle costing around $20. It shows as a versatile spirit component that any cocktail bar that holds its weight in salt needs to consider.

Tasting Notes:

This English dry gin really delivers with a blast of coriander and fresh pine. It plays well in many different categories of cocktails, standing up in sours, livening up martinis, and structuring out fizzes effortlessly.

Citadelle Gin

Nick Jackon, head bartender at The Rum House in New York City

ABV: 44%

Average Price: $22

The Gin:

Citadelle Original is a great value for quality gin that has won several awards but is not too expensive. The versatility adds to its value in that it makes amazing gin and tonics, is great in traditional dry martinis, and can still add something to other classic cocktails.

Tasting Notes:

It’s a bright gin that balances fresh citrus notes with contemporary juniper and a touch of spicy and floral notes, with a finish that opens up with touches of pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Bristow Gin

Anne Saunders, head bartender at The Kimpton Shane in Atlanta

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $43

The Gin:

I recently tried Bristow Gin out of Mississippi and really enjoyed it. Made by Cathead Distillery, Bristow Gin is made with eleven herbs and botanicals. It’s aged for three weeks in stainless steel vessels to add to its complexity.

Tasting Notes:

A lot is going on with this gin’s flavor profile. Silky citrus and peppercorn notes balance out juniper for subtler gin & tonics and gin cocktails.

The New York Knicks have gotten off to a solid start to the 2023-24 season, holding the 5-seed in the East at 16-11, with Jalen Brunson deserving credit for a large portion of their success.

Brunson appears on track for his first ever All-Star selection, averaging 25.3 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game on 47.2/45.8/80.1 shooting splits, as he’s been nothing short of spectacular for the Knicks this season. Brunson’s terrific play has allowed them to navigate injuries and some ups and downs from Julius Randle and RJ Barrett to remain solidly over .500. After back-to-back wins over the Lakers and Nets, the Knicks became a national topic of conversation as pundits debated their viability as a real contender in the East this season.

On ESPN’s NBA Today on Thursday, Becky Hammon joined the crew and said she thought the Knicks needed “a 1A dude” to be a contender and lacked that guy. Perkins said they have that guy in Brunson, but Hammon noted he was “too small” to hold that title and rattled off how the only recent example of a championship team being led by a “small” guy is Stephen Curry and the Warriors — it should be noted Isiah Thomas would be the other outlier in this category.

That had Perkins upset and he tried valiantly to defend Brunson but struggled to really get the point to land, first pointing out how Brunson made a conference finals (with the crew pointing out that was Luka Doncic’s team, first) and then trying to argue he belongs where you’d put Donovan Mitchell. The problem there is, I don’t think many folks would put Mitchell in the same category as the Giannis-LeBron-Jokic-Steph category. Hammon also points out that she’s saying this as someone who was a small player who got buckets and she knows from experience how the game of basketball is just generally dominated by those who are born with a size advantage.

I do understand some frustration with the conversation from Perk’s side, because it does feel like it’s discrediting Brunson’s terrific start to the season and what he can do as a player. That said, the truth of the matter is, as Hammon accurately notes, there are only a handful of players in the league that actually are proven as 1A guys on a championship team and almost none of them are small (with Steph as an exception, but even he isn’t even that small). Maybe Brunson and the Knicks can shock everyone and prove Hammon wrong, but that’ll be a tall order (pun intended).

Seventh grade teacher Mr. Frakes routinely asks his students to give their observations on various aspects of adulthood to post on his TikTok.—everything from “things parents love to say” to reactions to old school songs to guessing the “worst parts about adulting.” The answers are always hilarious…if not a little brutal to us olds.

His Christmas edition is no different. Recently Mr. Frakes asked his students “what do you buy someone in their 30s for the holidays?” And the adults who saw the video can’t help but commend the accuracy.

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The list is as follows, verbatim.

“Measuring cups…bwahaha.”“

“Signs that say ‘Bless The Home.’”

“A Dyson vacuum.”

“A bottle of wine and hip implants.”

“Panera bread gift card. People in their 30s love soup!”

“Bingo cards.”

“You give them Bath & Body Works stuff. That’s what my mom wants!”

“Expensive meats.”

“Hard Candies.”

“Candy Crush Premium.”

“You get them old people candles that smell like ‘home’ or ‘back then.’”

“T.J. Maxx gift card.”

“The wrinkle creams.”

“Heated blanket cause their muscles be hurtin.”

“A coffee mug that says ‘don’t talk to me til I’ve had my coffee’ because they’re all coffee obsessed millennials.”

“A lawyer for the divorce attorney. (fight for the kids).”

@7thgradechronicles Its me. I’m 30s. 😂🫣😬#teachersoftiktok #teacher #teacherlife #teachertok #middleschool #middleschoolteacher #middleschoolteacher #middleschoollife #dyson #panerabread #tjmaxx ♬ Holly Jolly Christmas – Michael Bublé

Obviously, adults who saw this joked about feeling personally attacked. But also seen.

Case and point: one person wrote, “Okay the ‘they’re all coffee obsessed millennials’ was personal” as another admitted, “I watched this while drinking coffee out of my ‘dont’ talk to me til I’ve had my coffee’ mug.”

Meanwhile, another added, “ But are they wrong? Because I honestly love soup and candles. I’m 36.”

Echoing that sentiment, someone commented, “not me thinking all those gifts sound amazing.”

And of course, everyone was eyeing that Dyson vacuum.

Growing older might mean muscles that “be hurtin’” and some judgement from the younger generation, but it clearly also comes with a deep felt appreciation for the simple, practical things in life, as indicated by this list. Nothing wrong with that.

(After all, the young ones might balk now, but it won’t be long til they become coffee obsessed as well.)

May we all get a bit of holiday joy this year, in whatever form we can.

Generosity comes in many forms, but the most beautiful gifts come straight from the heart, no matter how much they cost. And when a heartfelt gift comes from a child? That’s a pure form of giving that’s hard to match.

A former teacher shared a story of the most memorable gift a student had ever given her, and it prompted a flood of teachers sharing similar stories that show the meaning of true generosity.

Heather Babin Benoit shared a photo of a small white gift box with a purple crayon inside it with the following story:

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“Nine years ago, a student of mine saw other kids giving me presents and he had nothing to give. He took a box from a present he was given and his purple crayon from his pouch and wrapped it. He walked up to me and said, ‘I hope you love it, it is your favorite color.’ I still get tears in my eyes when I open this box.

Purple is my favorite color. He knew that. He paid attention to what I said. He didn’t have much to give in his eyes but he gave me so much more than a purple crayon. He gave me love. He gave me his heart. He gave me a kind gesture.

Nine years ago, it was my last Christmas as a classroom teacher. I received many gifts in this lifetime, but this present will always be a gentle reminder that it is always the thought that counts.”

See on Instagram

The comments on Upworthy’s share of the story on Instagram were filled with teachers sharing similarly meaningful gifts their students had given them over the years. (Fair warning: If the purple crayon didn’t already have you grabbing a tissue, you might want to grab one now.)

“A student once got me a dryer sheet. He had a troubled home life and didn’t have a lot of money, but he brought me a dryer sheet for Christmas because ‘It’s my favorite smell, and I wanted you to have one to smell too!’ It’s been 8 years, and I still have that dryer sheet. ❤️” – @roxanneamarques

“I had little boy in my Kindergarten classroom who brought me a mostly used bottle of old perfume. He said I’m sorry it’s all I had. I assured him I loved it and he said. “It was my Mom’s favorite perfume and you remind me of her.” His Mom had died the year before. The most selfless and heartfelt gift I have ever received.” – @carol_j_becker

“This reminds of a student I had when I taught 1st grade, his family didn’t have money for store bought valentines so he hand wrote valentines on loose leaf paper with pencil to every student in the class. Kids understand the true meaning of giving.” – @heatherbee721

“Years ago a student gave me a tiny piece of paper with just a curved line on it. It was our last day working together and he told me it was a smile. I still have that little smile in my office. 🥰” – @orangegrad

“Years ago when I taught pre-k, a child gave me a packet of ketchup for Christmas so he’d have something to give me. His mom worked at a burger place and he spent his afternoons and evenings there sitting in a booth because she had no child care. 😢❤️” – @awcarlsson

“One year one of my first graders gave me 2 extra long Slim Jim beef sticks that I believe were intended for her own snack. Keep in mind I am a vegetarian. 2 hours into our day she came up to me and said Ms. Hagan, I’m really hungry and think I need to eat one of those Slim Jims I said absolutely. Then an hour later she came back and whispered, I’m starving and I need to eat that other Slim Jim. Best present ever and best story. 😂😍” – @lu.hagan

“My daughter was teaching at a school where many students didn’t have money for gifts or great home situations. A little girl who received free breakfast took all the marshmallows from her cereal box and put them in the bag the plastic silverware came in to give my daughter her teacher as her Christmas gift. I could still cry thinking about how much her little heart wanted to just give a gift to her teacher.” – @stacykib

Other commenters shared how much the story meant to them.

“I really hope that kid sees this someday and then he’ll know how many people smiled because of his beautiful purple crayon,” wrote one person.

“You cannot compete with the pure innocence of a child, that’s why their energy must be protected,” shared another.

“I’m not sure which is more beautiful. That the student gave the sentimental gesture, or that the teacher recognized the sentiment in the gesture. Both are making me cry,” shared another.

Indeed, giving a gift from the heart is one thing; recognizing the value of such a gift is another. May we all be thoughtful givers and receivers, especially with the children in our lives.

It’s the season for popping corks on champagne bottles. If you’re anything like us, that season started with Thanksgiving and is going strong through New Year’s Day. As with all wine, the temperature is paramount when serving a good bottle of bubbly. Entire industries are devoted to making sure your wine is at the exact right temperature when it hits your lips.

Which begs the question, what is the best temperature to serve champagne?

As someone who drinks a lot of champagne year-round and has worked at bars that highlight champagne service, I can go deep on this subject. I worked at Rum Trader in Berlin, which devotes a huge part of its service to magnum Bollinger bottles — the only place outside of Champagne, France that does so. So knowing and treating champagne correctly is a passion of mine.

First and foremost, you want to let your champagne rest in a cool and dry place in general. A cellar that stays below 60F is ideal (a pantry off the kitchen typically works). Then, you’ll want to put that bottle in the fridge the night before you plan to open it. The temperature settles in if you have a nice 12-hour window for the bottle to rest at that temp without being jostled around. But there’s so much more to it than that. Let’s get in the weeds!

There are some different thoughts about the ideal temperature to serve/drink champagne. First, let’s look at a fridge. The average U.S. home fridge is going to be set for 40F. The bottom and back of the fridge will be cooler by two degrees or so. The door will be the warmest with an additional two or even three degrees. So, you’re looking at a window of 38 to 43 degrees Fahrenheit in any given home fridge — generally.

The consensus out there is that brut champagne — the dry version that most of us drink — should be served at 46F to 50F. If you don’t have a fancy wine fridge, you’ll need to plan a little. The best idea is to take the bottle out about 10 to 15 minutes before you pop it to allow the temperature to rise from 40F to 46F. Once popped, the wine will continue to warm more rapidly. If you have four people/glasses, you should be able to get two rounds from the bottle pretty easily. If you’re pouring that second glass within about 15 minutes, you should be fine without an ice bucket. If you’re with slow drinkers, you’ll want to use an ice bucket with a very scant amount of ice to maintain cool temps.

If you’re talking to an expert from Champagne, France, things change slightly. The Chef de caves and Executive VP of Production at Louis Roederer, Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, famously insists that champagne should be enjoyed at 50F to 54F, which is significantly warmer than what I’ve listed above. Lecaillon notes that the profile notes available in champagne are at their most vibrant in that temperature range. This temperature is also far easier to achieve if you’re pulling a bottle from a dark and dank cellar. In practice, you simply have to pull your bottle from the fridge much sooner — at least a half-an-hour — before you pop it for pouring. In this case, though, I’d 100% use an ice bucket to ensure that the temperature doesn’t go above 55F. The wine will just taste warm after that.

If you want to follow what The Court of Master Sommeliers says, you’ll want to aim for 42F to 50F. This is the widest and most useful metric to use. There’s a lot of space here to enjoy nicely chilled champagne and a little warmer and creamier champagne that can be simply left on a table as you pour, drink, and repour until the bottle is kicked. This is the tactic that I’d use. I’d pull the bottle from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a good five minutes. Once popped, I’d simply leave the bottle on the counter/table until finished (which is never that long).

Okay, so how do you measure the temperature of your wine? Well, a lot of it is just instinct. You know that bottle is coming out of the fridge at 38F-40F. Unless your kitchen is a sauna, it won’t warm that quickly — like I said, a 10-minute sit on the counter is plenty of time to get to the mid-40s temp-wise. Then if you’re aiming for a 50F to 54F temperature by the end, sitting on the table is perfectly fine — again, unless your house is sauna.

You can get wine temperature gauges like this if you want to get really pedantic about it. But unless you’re pouring for Master Sommelier judges, I’d keep it a little simpler than that and trust your abilities to feel it out.

In the end, get that bottle in the fridge the night before, take it out of the fridge five to 10 minutes before you want to pop it, and then enjoy the ride.

Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. Way behind schedule, things have finally slowed down in the world of sneakers. No that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything noteworthy is dropping this week — far from it. It just means there are fewer dope drops to drool over.

Did you think your holiday shopping was done? Think again!

This week’s drop list is short but strong. We’ve finally got the release of the anticipated Travis Scott “Cactus Mac,” Scott’s take on John McEnroe’s revived signature sneaker from Nike. Off-White is delivering two new colorways of the hiking-friendly Terra Forma, and Joe Freshgoods and New Balance are linking up one last time for a new take on the 990v4.

Those three releases are the heavy hitters, but even the more minor sneakers are pretty great too, like the new Sail and Sport Red Dunk, and the Craft Celadon Jordan 1. But enough talk, let’s dive into the best sneakers of the week.

Travis Scott x Nike Mac Attack SP Cactus Mac

Price: $120

We’ve been waiting on this one since it was first teased in the summer and now the Travis Scott Mac Attack (or Cactus Mac) is here! It’s kind of a shame that it’s dropping this close to Christmas, this was a highly anticipated release and I think it would’ve made more noise if it was released earlier in the year when everyone was still paying attention.

But who are we to complain? The sneaker is here and that’s what matters. The Cactus Mac is Scott’s take on the John McEnroe signature and features a black mesh underlay with soft grey leather overlays, a blue and black checkerboard tongue, the Travis Scott signature backward swoosh and Cactus Jack branding at the heel.

The Travis Scott x Mac Attack SP Cactus Mac is out now for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.

Off-White x Nike Terra Forma Mantra Orange/Matte Olive

Price: $210 (Mantra Orange/Matte Olive)

A Nike hiker done in Virgil Abloh’s wild style, the Off-White Terra Forma features a textile upper with suede overlays a cored tongue, and a chunky outsole with spiky traction for enhanced grip. All the Off-White touchstones are also here: the plastic zip-tie, the exposed stitching along the swoosh, and that iconic orange tab.

The sneaker drops in two earth-toned-meets-psychedelia colors dubbed Mantra Orange and Matte Olive. Both look great, but our favorite is the Matte Olive as it captures that hiking aesthetic a bit better.

The Off-White x Nike Terra Forma Mantra Orange/Matte Olive is out now for a retail price of $210. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Women’s Dunk Low Sail and Sport Red

Price: $125

Nike is a brand that has such strong silhouettes that sometimes all the brand needs to do to make a drop notable is release a good colorway. That’s what this woman’s exclusive low-top Dunk has going for it. It’s a legendary sneaker done up in a great colorway! It’s lazy, but we’re not mad at it.

The Sail and Sport Red features a leather upper in Sail with Sport Red nubuck overlays and pops of Medium Brown and pink accents at the tongue, swoosh, and heel. It has a Christmas meets Valentine’s Day vibe to it that we can’t help but love.

The Nike Women’s Dunk Low Sail and Sport Red is out now for a retail price of $125. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.

Nike Attack White and Yellow Ochre

Price: $130

So maybe you love the look of the Nike Attack but you’re not feeling Travis Scott’s version of the sneaker. To which we have to ask: are you alright fam? Judgment aside, this week brings not one but two Nike Attacks and this Yellow Ochre version has a totally different vibe than the more drab Cactus Jack version.

The sneaker features a mesh upper with leather overlays in bright white with Yellow Ochre details on the swoosh, outsole, and heel. The sneaker also sports a muted take on the classic checkerboard tongue found on the original.

The Nike Attack White and Yellow Ochre is set to drop on December 22nd at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Air Jordan 1 High OG Craft Celadon

Price: $180

Here we are at the last dope Jordan 1 drop of the year, the AJ 1 High OG Craft Celadon. The sneaker features that classic high-top Jordan look with a few details that elevate the design. The upper features luxe leather with exposed stitching on the Swoosh, an exposed foam tongue, and an aged midsole that matches the olive tones of the overlays.

The colorway is a simple three-color design that consists of a Pale Ivory base with light olive overlays and accents in Bright Mandarin.

The Air Jordan 1 High OG Craft Celadon is set to drop on December 23rd at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $180. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.

Joe Freshgoods x New Balance 990v4 Made in USA

Price: $219.99

Joe Freshgoods is dropping one last New Balance collaboration this year and we’re pretty psyched about it. The 990v4 features a mix of mesh and patent leather underlays with suede overlays, reflective details throughout, an ENCAP midsole, and Joe Freshgoods branding on the inserts and foxing.

Rounding out the design is a special 1998 graphic on the heel tab, a shoutout to the sneaker’s original release date.

The Joe Freshgoods x New Balance 990v4 Made in USA Marshmallow is set to drop on December 22nd at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $219.99. Pick up a pair at New Balance.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

Finding the best beer any given year is a pretty much impossible task. No one gets to it all. Hell, you’d be hard-pressed to even scratch the surface of the U.S. beer scene much less what’s going in, say, Germany or England or Australia. Still, there are some organizations out there that do their best to give you an idea of what’s good right now around the globe. The Tasting Alliance — the group that runs the famed “Oscars of spirits competitions,” the San Francisco World Spirits Competition — just released their 2023 Best in Show beers.

I was a judge this year and tasted a lot of beers over a two-day judging event. I was placed at a table with a master brewer of some pretty big fame and the person who brings in all the beers for Whole Foods. We were a good team of judges and shockingly close on many of the medals we gave. Alas, I’m getting ahead of myself.

The way medaling — and the eventual “best in show” designation — works is like this:

• Three or four judges gather around a table and taste about 60-70 beers over the day.
• For the first round, we evaluate each beer on an individual basis via a double-blind tasting.
• We then write our tasting notes and give the beer a medal anonymously without talking to each other.
• The medals are gold plus, gold, gold minus, silver plus, silver, silver minus, bronze plus, bronze, bronze minus, or “eliminated.”

If we all give a beer a gold medal, that beer is a Double Gold. If we all give a silver, that beer is silver. Two bronze and one silver, that beer is a bronze. Now, you’ll notice those “plus” and “minus” designations. If I were to input “silver minus” — that means that I could be convinced or talked down to a bronze pretty easily. A “silver plus” means that the judge could be talked up to a “gold” or would at least agree with a gold medal if the other two judges gave it a gold.

The next day, we judged the beers against each other in what’s called “sweeps.” In this case, the whole room of beer judges voted on each beer that made it to the top as double golds against each other. So we blindly tried all the top medaling lagers against each other, then the non-alcoholic beers, and so on until a “Best in Show” beer was awarded for each style in the competition.

Let’s address the elephant in the room: As with all awards competitions from the Oscars to the Grammys to the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the entries are based on brands/companies/marketing teams submitting their product. So this is never about judging every beer on earth. It’s about judging the beers we receive (and it is pay-for-play) any given year. This year that was just over 600 beer entries.

Okay, those are the details. Let’s get into the good stuff and take a look at the best of the best from this year’s Tasting Alliance Beer Competition!

• The Best Craft Beers Of 2023 (So Far), Ranked
• The Most Underrated Breweries in America, According To Craft Beer Experts
• The 30 Best IPAs To Drink Right Now, Ranked
• The Best Oktoberfest Beers On The Market, According To Craft Beer Pros
• The Best Under-The-Radar Pilsners, According To Craft Beer Experts

Best Non-Alcoholic Stout Beer & Best In Show Non-Alcoholic Beer — Bravus Brewing Co. Gravitas IV Bourbon Stout

ABV: 0.4%

Average Price: $34.99

The Beer:

Bravus Brewing Co. has built its empire around NA beers. Their special release every year is the “Gravitas” bottle. Last year’s Gravitas was an NA stout that was left to age in used bourbon barrels to add extra layers of depth before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: This is so very clearly a bourbon-aged stout from the jump with deep cinnamon spice layered into mocha lattes with a vibrant maple syrup sweetness.

Palate: The palate followed the nose with tons of bourbon vanilla, creamy chocolate spiced with cinnamon, and more of that maple syrup with a twinge of sour stout and old oak.

Finish: The old oak and winter spices came through more on the finish as the beer faded (pretty quickly).

Bottom Line:

This is a nice NA beer. The bourbon barrel aging really adds a nice depth that you rarely see in non-alcoholic offerings. I do think that you might forget you’re drinking an NA beer with this one, hence its “best in show” status.

Best Lager/Classic Pilsner & Best In Show Lager — Little Brother Brewing Pleasing Gene German Pilsner

ABV: 4.4%

Average Price: $7

The Beer:

Little Brother Brewing out in Greensboro, North Carolina, leaned into tried and true German tactics with this one. The beer uses German yeast, malt, and hops to best replicate the iconic style in the U.S.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is soft and effervescent with a sense of honeyed malts, soft piney hops, and a touch of caramel crackers.

Palate: “Crisp” is the best word to describe the lush palate with more of those piney hops leading to a touch of sweetgrass, Graham Cracker, and honeysuckle.

Finish: The end leans into the sweetgrass and lush hops before fading toward a light and almost airy end.

Bottom Line:

This is just a refreshing AF lager. It’s easygoing and does its best to remind you of the huge and iconic German pilsners made in Bavaria.

Best Pale Beer (Belgium Style Strong) & Best In Show Pale Beer — Prodigy Brewing Hop Light District Hoppy Belgian Style Ale

ABV: 6.6%

Average Price: $3.95

The Beer:

This Belgian-style ale from Utah’s Prodigy Brewing is all about the hops. They layer in earthy, floral, and herbal hop varieties with fresh grapefruit peels to add more body to the finished brew.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Bright but almost dank citrus gives way to grassy hops with a caramel malt backbone on the nose with hints of clove and cardamom.

Palate: The palate leans into those soft spices with a dank hoppiness next to dried florals and honeyed oatiness.

Finish: The end is all about the oily hops with a soft piney vibe that’s just the right dank.

Bottom Line:

This is a nice everyday sipper with a good depth. The hops are balanced but still bold enough to hold onto your attention.

Best Dark Beer (Belgium Style Strong) & Best In Show Dark Beer — Boulevard Brewing Company The Sixth Glass Quadrupel Ale

ABV: 10.2%

Average Price: $15.99

The Beer:

This beer from Kansas City is all about deep and dark brewing. The beer combines Cara 100, malted wheat, Munich, and Pale malts with Hallertau Blanc and Styrian Golding hops. Then the brewers layer in brown sugar, dark candi syrup, dark sugar, and dextrose to add a whole galaxy of sweetness.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Dark and dried fruits mix with dark caramel maltiness on the nose next to a hint of brandied cherry, cinnamon stick, and funky brewer’s yeast with a hint of sourness.

Palate: The palate lets the yeast drive the taste toward rum raisin, spiced holiday cake, and honey Graham Crackers with a dash of caramel apples that lean toward toffee.

Finish: The sweetness gets buttery and dark on the end with toffee, almond, and dark brandied cherries dipped in chocolate before the soft tartness sneaks back in.

Bottom Line:

This is a really deep and fun sipper. There are a lot of bold flavor notes that work toward a wintry boozy vibe that feels like it’d work wonders as an after-dinner pour with pie or cake.

Best IPA Specialty Beer & Best In Show IPA — MadTree Brewing Holly Days IPA With Spruce Tips

ABV: 6.8%

Average Price: $10.99

The Beer:

MadTree’s holiday IPA has become beloved over the years and for good reason — it’s really freaking tasty. The beer is made with Cascade, Chinook, Sultana, and Eureka! hops over a malty base made with 2-Row Brewers, Vienna, barley flake, Carapils, and Caramel Rye malts. Then spruce tips are added at the end to give the beer that wintry brightness.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Pine dank pops on the nose with a nice underbelly of creamy caramel maltiness with a hint of sourdough bread crusts and maybe even a flutter of fennel next to sweetgrass and soft tobacco.

Palate: The palate is all about the bright and fresh piney spruce tips and dank hops with a grassy vibe that gives way to a creamy malty base that’s just kissed with orange oils and maybe a hint of clove.

Finish: The end leans into the bright pine and sweet grassy hops with a pungent sense of herbal oils before the creamy caramel maltiness sneaks in with a hint of winter spice cakes.

Bottom Line:

This is a fun and refreshing winter sipper. Stock up now and enjoy this one until the trees start to show leaves again.

Best Flavored Stout & Best In Show Flavored Beer — Crowns & Hops Brewing Co. Slays Stout

ABV: 6%

Average Price: $17.99

The Beer:

This special holiday release from Inglewood, California’s Crowns & Hops is all about the rich winter sweet spice. The stout is amped up with vanilla, maple syrup, and pecans to give the stout a truly deep holiday theme.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with deeply roasted malts with a dark caramel edge before going deep on pecan waffles with butter and pancake syrup cut with a dose of vanilla oil.

Palate: The taste leans toward an almost sour espresso pour before it goes full mocha frappuccino with a pump off the vanilla bottle.

Finish: The end leans into the pecan nuttiness with an almost dry edge that’s just barely smoldering next to rich maple syrup cut with real butter and more of those deeply caramelized malts.

Bottom Line:

This is dessert (or a sweet breakfast) in a glass. If you’re looking for a thick AF nutty and sweet stout, this is going to be your jam.

Best Sour Ale & Best In Show Sour Ale (Tie) — Rodenbach Grand Cru

ABV: 6%

Average Price: $16.99

The Beer:

This Flanders red ale from Belgium is a blend of young and old. The mix is 1/3 young beer with 2/3 beer that’s spent two years mellowing a massive oak foeders in a cellar in a castle in Belgium.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Apple cider vinegar slowly turns into thick and sweet balsamic on the nose before dark caramel with a flake of salt leads to a medley of dried fruits — raisins, prunes, apricots, mangos.

Palate: Sour cherries and tart apples are cut with orange oils on the palate as that creamy caramel turns into rich toffee with moist vanilla-laced tobacco adding serious depth.

Finish: The vanilla marries the sour cherry to the tobacco on the finish as the orange oils create a bright finish with a creamy toffee underbelly.

Bottom Line:

This is a very tasty sipper that balances sourness with deep creamy buttery sweetness perfectly. This is a lot of fun to drink.

Best Sour Ale & Best In Show Sour Ale (Tie) — The Ale Apothecary The Beer Formerly Known as La Tache

ABV: 8%

Average Price: $11

The Beer:

Bend, Oregon’s The Ale Apothecary blends malted barley and wheat with locally sourced Cascade hops to make this throwback beer. That beer is cut with acid-heavy lactobacillus culture (made in-house) before the beer goes into the barrel for a year of rest and fermentation. Finally, the beer is dry-hopped for a month in oak before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose draws you in with lemon meringue pie with a sense of old fruit baskets that have started fermenting in the sun next to piles of fall leaves and old cellar floor dirt.

Palate: Thick sour cream drives the taste toward those fermenting orchard fruits with a hint of spice bark, soft vanilla, and moments of sage, sweetgrass, and barnyard mud.

Finish: The end balances sour creaminess with funky old fruit before leaning to a wet grassiness.

Bottom Line:

This is like a walk through an old orchard well past picking season. It’s deep, funky, and balanced, making it a very good sip of beer.

Best Lambic & Best In Show Sour and Wild Beer — Timmermans’ Oude Gueuze

ABV: 6.7%

Average Price: $22

The Beer:

Timmermans’ Oude Geuze is a blend of old lambics from deep in a Beglian cellar. The lambics are at least two years old when blended and then that beer spends more time in old Portuguese oak before a final blend is made for this release.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Funkiness draws you in the nose — think of a barnyard just after the rain — before tart apples stewed in vanilla cream with a cut of clove, cinnamon, and anise arrive with a sense of overripe peach and bruised pears.

Palate: Lemon curd with a sour creaminess drives the palate toward more of that bruised pear with a sense of quince, fig, and stewed apple fritter frosted with cream cheese frosting.

Finish: The finish has an airy fizziness that just works as the cream cheese frosting goes a little sour with the bruised pear, figs, and soft oaky spices before this fleeting sense of an old fallow straw field sneaks in.

Bottom Line:

This was my favorite pour of the whole damn competition. This is an excellent beer that balances funky depth with classic orchard notes perfectly.

The Taylor Sheridan universe is rapidly expanding, thanks to the latest title in the catalog, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, which has become another mega-hit for fans of cowboy hats and horses.

Lawmen tells the story of Bass Reeves, one of the first Black U.S. Marshals, played by David Oyelowo. The series pulled in some massive ratings, and Oyelowo is giving all of the credit to Taylor Sheridan.

In a new interview with The Wrap, Oyelowo credits the showrunner for paving the way for more Western-inspired stories, and how that opened up for more representation. He said, ” I mean, the amazing thing about what he has been able to build with Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, that audience, the tone that he’s created, it laid the groundwork for a show like Bass Reeves being able to exist because the idea of doing this show has been with me since the project was brought to me in 2014, and we went out with it in 2015. The entire industry – cable networks, studios, they all turned it down,” Oyelowo admitted. “Streaming didn’t even exist then. That’s how long we’ve been trying to get this done. And then in 2017, they all turned it down again,” he said.

It took Sheridan to step in and find a place on TV in order to make room for more stories like Lawmen. Oyelowo continued:

And then along comes Taylor Sheridan and this underserved audience who love westerns, who love the tone of what he’s doing, who love the fact that he’s looking at this place in America that you could argue had become ignored in contemporaneous TV and film. And that gave us the platform, that gave us the foundation. Chad Feehan, to your point about the Yellowstone universe, I was always very keen that it stood apart from that, and there is such appetite for that, that people were keen for it to be another offshoot. But to me, that would be a diminishment of the fact that Bass was a real guy. And Yellowstone though, I’m sure based on some truth out there in terms of what goes on in that place, is not, that emanated from Taylor’s mind.

This needed to be different, but they shared DNA, especially with 1883. I remember seeing that and thinking, Whoa, now I have a very clear vision of what “Bass Reeves” could be. I hadn’t seen anything like that from an episodic standpoint, from a scope and scale standpoint in recent history that was so in line with my personal vision and ambition for the show. And again, I would say he laid the groundwork for us to build upon.

Of course, he couldn’t talk about a Sheridan show without mentioning the elephant in the room. Sheridan’s mega-popular series Yellowstone has a reputation for being popular with a particular group of people. “I think that’s one thing that would be universally agreed is that Lawmen: Bass Reeves was not a MAGA show,” Oyelowo said.

Lawmen has been doing well even without having a direct connection to Yellowstone, with 7.5 million viewers in its first week alone. If you need a good way to bond with your father or distant uncle over the holidays, now is the time to watch!

You can stream the entire first season of Lawmen on Paramount+.

(Via The Wrap)

In recent years, Roseanne Barr has become a prominent figure in MAGA world, but according to her ex-husband Tom Arnold, the controversial used to hate Donald Trump back in the ’90s. Not only that, but Barr was a huge supporter of Hillary Clinton.

The revelation from Arnold was sparked by a tweet from political commentator and educator Tim Wise who recalled the famous couple making a donation to stop David Duke’s ill-fated senate campaign in 1990.

“The de-evolution of Roseanne Barr has been a shit show to watch,” Wise tweeted. “I remember in 1990 when she and @TomArnold sent $2500 to the anti-David Duke organization I worked for to help defeat him in the US Senate race. Today, she’d probably send Duke the money instead. Sad.”

Not only did Arnold confirm the donation, but he expanded on Barr’s former political leanings during the salad days of Roseanne. Arnold also shared Trump’s true thoughts about Barr, who’d go on to become one of his biggest supporters.

“We hated David Duke,” Arnold wrote. “Loved Edwin Edwards. We supported Bill Clinton. Went to his Inauguration. LOVED Hillary Clinton. Had her in our home raising $ for Democrats. Roseanne HATED Donald Trump. After we divorced Trump told me I was lucky because she was disgusting. Life is strange.”

Barr famously got fired from the Roseanne reboot in 2018 after she fired off a racist tweet about former Barack Obama advisor Valerie Jarret. She’s been riding the right-wing “cancel culture” grievance train ever since.

(Via Mediaite)

In a touching moment in Prime Video’s Red, White, And Royal Blue, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) comes out to his mother, President Ellen Claremont (Uma Thurman), revealing that he’s in love with the British Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine). While Alex is nervous about how his mother will handle the revelation, Ellen immediately accepts her son with open arms, phoning in an order for pizza.

Historically, we’ve seen coming out moments in film and television go one of two ways — the character’s friends and family either reject them, leaving them to find a new community, or they are initially reluctant to accept their sexuality or gender identity, but eventually come around. But in recent time, we’ve seen fresher, more relatable stories on-screen, demonstrating reassurance for characters who are already out within the context of the piece, newly out, or, in some cases, not even canonically queer.

After Ellen orders pizza in Red, White, And Royal Blue, she is seen holding and embracing Alex on the couch for as long as he needs. She then asks him, “Are you gay, bi, fluid, pan, or queer?,” expressing genuine interest in how her son identifies. Alex responds, “Mom, I’m bi,” and she reassures him “the B in LGBTQ is not a silent letter.” Though the romance between the British prince and the son of the American president comes with its controversies, Ellen shows to be fully supportive, and even offers him some sound advice.

The plot of Red, White, And Royal Blue is certainly not a universal romantic experience, however, this particular moment in the movie demonstrates a more loving and affirming coming-out experience. Ellen asks appropriate questions and provides support for Alex in a vulnerable moment, which is all most LGBTQ+ people want when they invite others into this facet of their lives. By including more moments like these on-screen, more young queer people can see that coming out isn’t always an end-all-be-all between them and their loved ones, and more of their loved ones are given examples of appropriate, safe responses to a newly out person in their lives.

But queer or not, expressing one’s true self and feelings may not result in a safe, functional environment. In a season two episode of FX’s The Bear, Chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) celebrates The Feast Of The Seven Fishes, an Italian-American Christmas celebration in which family and friends gather around the table and eat seven different types of fish. The episode takes place outside of the show’s regular timeline, about five years before the opening of Carmy’s restaurant. A home full of yelling Italians, and a crowded kitchen spearheaded by an emotionally reactive Donna Berzatto, Carmy’s mother, who is brilliantly played by Jamie Lee Curtis, visibly overwhelms Carmy, who is later approached by his cousin, Michelle.

Sensing Carmy’s discomfort amid his dysfunctional family, Michelle, who is played by lesbian icon Sarah Paulson, makes Carmy a special offer.

“Do you want to come stay with me for a couple of days in New York?” asks Michelle. “Just like, get the f*ck out of here. I think it’s really important to keep your head in the game…this isn’t good for your head, this isn’t good for anybody’s head, but especially yours.”

Though Carmy isn’t explicitly queer, and neither is Paulson’s character in this episode, this particular moment resonated with The Bear’s black sheep viewers. Many queer viewers — and viewers, in general, who grew up in dysfunctional households — often find solace in an affirming family member. In an interview with Variety, White revealed that this scene was improvised.

“It was such a touching moment,” said White. “It ended up being one of my favorite scenes while watching it because it’s one of the only times Carmy feels really seen.”

While the scene may not necessarily allude to sexuality or gender outright, that it was improvised may indicate something personal to Paulson. It is also worth noting that while the openly queer Ayo Edebiri, who plays sous chef Sydney Adamu on The Bear, does not appear in the episode, she did co-produce the episode, thus wrapping this moment in a cozy, queer package.

As we have the science and language to more accurately describe sexuality and gender, we realize that these identities are more fluid than they are fixed. On Netflix’s Glamorous, which was unfortunately given the ax after its first season, we meet Marco Mejia (Miss Benny), a make-up-obsessed vlogger who lands a job at a luxury cosmetics brand. Throughout the season, we see Marco, who presents as a gay man through most of the episodes until the finale, balance the corporate world with dating and supporting their mother, Julia (Diana-Maria Riva).

Though Julia and Marco often butt heads, Julia is supportive of her child throughout their journey. In the finale, Marco begins to come out as transgender to their mother, who interrupts them and praises them for always knowing who they were. She concludes the conversation telling them “You’re the best daughter a mother could ever have.”

Confident in their gender expression, Marco is then seen visiting a doctor who specializes in transgender healthcare before the episode closes.

In an essay published in Time by Benny shortly before Glamorous’ premiere, she revealed that Marco’s journey aligns with her personal journey. She thanked the people who affirmed her identity, including the show’s creator Jordon Nardino and executive producer Kameron Tarlow, who allowed her the platform to tell her story with care.

“These two men changed my life the moment they heard my story and promised to protect and support me in telling it the way I wanted to,” Benny said.

The film and television landscape is evolving in tandem with the ways we understand gender and sexuality. No two people’s experiences are alike, however, community is essential. Through telling stories of acceptance and affirmation, modern works of cinema and media can display more authentic and relatable queer and queer-adjacent experiences. And viewers can take comfort in knowing that they will, somehow, find their people.