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If you’re a big bock beer fan, you’ve probably noticed that at least a few cans you imbibe regularly are adorned with the image of a goat. Have you ever wondered why this is? The story of the goat goes all the way back to the 1400s in the northern German city of Einbeck. This is where bock beer began.

In the 1600s, the style made its way south to the Bavarian region and, because of a dialectical error, locals began referring to the beer as “Einbock” or “a goat” instead of Einbeck. That’s why today, some four-hundred or so years later we still find bottles and cans featuring a goat.

Why this beer style is great for spring imbibing is a different story altogether. Traditionally, monks brewed the malty, heavier bock style during the winter months to drink during their Lenten fasting.

Regardless of whether or not you noticed the goat mascot or you plan to fast during Lent, you can still probably understand the appeal of bock beer during the spring months. So can brewers. That’s why we asked a few of our favorite brewers, craft beer experts, and beer professionals to tell us their favorite bock beers to drink this season. Keep reading to see all of their picks.

Alhambra Reserva Roja

Zach Fowle, head of marketing for Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Phoenix

ABV: 7.2%

Average Price: $11 for a four-pack

The Beer:

Alhambra Reserva Roja. Normally, to encounter a bock this close to the style’s ideal you’d have to travel to Northern Germany. Granada, Spain (where Alhambra, a subsidiary of Madrid’s Mahou San Miguel since 2007, is located) is a slightly shorter trip, but thankfully this beer’s also distributed in the US.

Tasting Notes:

Take a sip and you get deeply toasted bread crust, moist raisin bread, and a hint of sassafras root; a thick, chewy body and balanced, medium-dry finish; and a mild but lingering tree-bark bitterness with just a nudge of alcohol warmth.

Aslin That Shiz Slaps!

Garth E. Beyer, certified Cicerone® and owner and founder of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin

ABV: 9.5%

Average Price: $12 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

That Shiz Slaps! from Aslin is a doppelbock that’s well-suited for spring drinking. It’s a meal in a can. The ABV is a bit sneaky, so watch out.

Tasting Notes:

It really leans into the dark fruit notes of prunes and fig and raisin jam on toasted bread.

Ayinger Celebrator

Charlotte Herndon, taproom and events manager at Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing in Framingham, Massachusetts

ABV: 6.7%

Average Price: $13 for a four-pack of 16-ounce bottles

The Beer:

Celebrator by Ayinger Privatbrauerei, a 6.7% doppelbock, is a long-time classic. It’s an award-winning beer for good reason. It is a beer I can return to time and time again and still appreciate the profile it has to offer me. This beer has lasted a long time because it is one you don’t grow tired of.

Tasting Notes:

It has the rich malt profile I search for in a bock without too much heaviness in its body. It delivers a rich malt with just a touch of sweetness on the finish to cut the coffee tones on the backend.

Andechs Doppelbock Dunkel

Ryan Pachmayer, head brewer at Yak & Yeti Brewpub and Restaurant in Arvada, Colorado

ABV: 7.1%

Average Price: $4 for a 16.9-ounce bottle

The Beer:

When visiting Germany last year, a fresh liter of Doppelbock Dunkel in the beer garden at the hilltop monastery Klosterbrauerei Andechs was quite special. It wasn’t quite winter bock season in Franconia, but I enjoyed a very good one from Fassla in Bamberg as well.

Tasting Notes:

Classic flavors like brown bread, toasted malts, dried fruits, caramel, toffee, and lightly herbal, floral hops make for an exceptional beer to drink this season (and any season).

Huber Bock

Ryan Schmiege, brew master at Cascade Lakes Brewing Company in Redmond, Oregon

ABV: 5.5%

Average Price: $12 for a twelve-pack

The Beer:

Huber Bock from Minhas is my pick because it brings me great memories of my college years. It’s a classic, clean, no-frills bock beer for any occasion. It’s a smooth, crushable, classic.

Tasting Notes:

Huber Bock is an easy-drinking lager featuring very light coffee elements and roast character with an appropriately balanced hop presence.

Schneider Weisse Hopfenweisse

Parker Penley, lead innovation brewer at Widmer Brothers in Portland, Oregon

ABV: 8.2%

Average Price: $6 for a 16.9-ounce bottle

The Beer:

Schneider Weisse makes a great Weizenbock called Hopfenweisse. It’s never totally fresh in the States in the bottle so I can only recommend you have it fresh at the brewery in Munich. It goes down so easily and is absolutely delicious.

Tasting Notes:

A great choice for spring drinking, this Weizenbock shines with flavors like banana, clove, dried fruits, and floral Noble hops.

Grieskirchner OsterBock

Dominique Trolliet, brewer at Wynwood Brewing Co. in Miami

ABV: 7.1%

Average Price: Limited Availability

The Beer:

Well, on the way to Munich last year via Vienna, I had a bock by Grieskirchner that was perfect. I suspect it is the result of years of brewing, the water source that must be just right. Centuries of brewing deliver the perfect glass of beer.

Tasting Notes:

The malt, the roast, the balance of malt and hop, the smoothness of the beer, and the impressive foam retention.

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Weizenbock

Josh Bartlett, founder of Learning to Homebrew in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

ABV: 7.9%

Average Price: Limited Availability

The Beer:

Dating back to Medieval Germany, bocks are steeped in history and encompass a wide variety of substyles such as the Helles Bock or the Doppelbock. One of my favorite styles is the only non-lager bock in the family, the Weizenbock. One of the best is Sierra Nevada Weizenbock, released in its Beer Camp series.

Tasting Notes:

Tricky to find in a bottle, Sierra Nevada’s Weizenbock includes flavors of malty vanilla custard, banana, and clove along with a rich, creamy mouthfeel.

Paulaner Salvator

George Hummel, grain master of My Local Brew Works in Philadelphia

ABV: 7.9%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

When it comes to a classic European style, I think it’s always best to take it back to the roots. Let’s face it Salvator by Paulaner in Munich, is the beer all those other bock beers want to be. Truly the liquid bread of German monks.

Tasting Notes:

It’s thick and sweet. With notes of caramel, milk chocolate, and honey. A glass of Salvator alongside a sandwich of Westphalian ham, Bruder basil cheese, and mustard on pumpernickel. Yum.

Schilling Brücius

Frederic Yarm, USBG bartender in Boston

ABV: 6.9%

Average Price: $8 for a 16-ounce can

The Beer:

Schilling’s Brücius is a delicious doppelbock with a complex offering of burnt sugar, nutty, milk chocolate, toasted bread, and grassy notes.

Tasting Notes:

Its richness and body are quite satisfying in the colder months and into Spring.

The Minnesota Timberwolves picked up a huge win on Sunday, as they came back from a double-digit deficit to beat the New Orleans Pelicans to vault into the 8-seed in the West and give themselves two cracks at the postseason, starting with a road trip in L.A. to face the Lakers on Tuesday night.

However, the win didn’t come without ample drama and some serious concern going forward in Minnesota. For one, Jaden McDaniels fractured his hand punching a wall and seems likely to be done for the postseason, ridding the Timberwolves of one of their best defenders. That was somehow not the most talked about punch, as Rudy Gobert swung on Kyle Anderson during an argument on the bench in the second quarter and got sent home by the team.

After the game, the team said the situation would be handled internally, but did not offer any information on whether Gobert would miss any of the play-in as well.

This is the second high-profile incident involving teammates this season, as the year began with Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole at practice and getting sent home for the start of the season. After that altercation, Rudy Gobert sent this tweet taking a jab at Green.

Naturally, Green recognized his opportunity on Sunday to return the favor to Gobert, who he is not shy about despising, sending the exact same tweet following Rudy punching Anderson.

Draymond isn’t one to miss an opportunity like this, and this is just incredibly well executed. The Warriors will enjoy a week off after locking up the 6-seed before facing the Kings in the first round, and Green seems delighted by that and by watching another team seemingly combust under pressure, particularly another team where Gobert is a prominent figure.

Entering Sunday’s final day of the regular season, there was no drama to be had in the Eastern Conference, with playoff and play-in matchups all set in stone already, and that was reflected in the 1 p.m. ET window, when teams rested just about everyone and just tried to get across the finish line of the regular season.

However, in the West there was plenty of seeding drama to unfold from 5-9, and the 3:30 p.m. ET window delivered on some late drama. The first outcome to go final was the Warriors blasting the Blazers to ensure their place in the top-6 and a guaranteed playoff berth. Then, the Lakers beat the Utah Jazz to secure the 7-seed as the Clippers beat the Suns to secure the 5-seed and set up a blockbuster playoff series with that very same Phoenix team.

The real drama was reserved for the Pelicans-Timberwolves game in Minnesota, where the Wolves overcame a double-digit deficit, Rudy Gobert getting sent home for punching a teammate, and Jaden McDaniels hurting his hand punching a wall to beat the Pelicans thanks to heroics from Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, jumping New Orleans in the standings to the 8-seed and forcing the Pelicans to once again win two play-in games to reach the postseason.

With that complete, we now have the complete playoff and play-in picture, with the play-in tournament starting on Tuesday, April 11 with the 7/8 games, followed by the 9/10 games on Wednesday, April 12, and the loser of the first game hosting the winner of the second game on Friday, April 14.

PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT

8. Atlanta Hawks at 7. Miami Heat
8. Minnesota Timberwolves at 7. Los Angeles Lakers

10. Chicago Bulls at 9. Toronto Raptors
10. Oklahoma City Thunder at 9. New Orleans Pelicans

The TV schedule for the Play-In is also now set:

PLAYOFFS

EAST
1. Milwaukee Bucks vs. 8. TBD
2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Winner of Hawks-Heat
3. Philadelphia 76ers vs. 6. Brooklyn Nets
4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. New York Knicks

WEST
1. Denver Nuggets vs. 8. TBD
2. Memphis Grizzlies vs. 7. Winner of Timberwolves-Lakers
3. Sacramento Kings vs. 6. Golden State Warriors
4. Phoenix Suns vs. 5. Los Angeles Clippers

The league also announced the first portion of the TV schedule for Game 1s, with Nets-Sixers, Hawks/Heat-Celtics, Knicks-Cavs, and Warriors-Kings all playing Saturday on ESPN and ABC.

Melle Mel might think Eminem is only ranked amongst the greatest emcees list because of his race, but 50 Cent and Rae Sremmurd’s Slim Jxmmi beg to differ. During the duo’s interview on The Bootleg Kev Podcast the duo talked about Eminem’s impact.

On their new album Sremm4Life, the pair was able to clear their sample of the rapper’s 2000 song “Stan.” The track featured on Em’s album The Marshall Mathers LP, has been emmortilized in pop culture and the English language for shining a light on some fans’ unhealthy obsession with public figures. The song in question, “Not So Bad (Leans Gone Cold),” which caused a short-lived clash with rapper Millyz who also recently sampled the track.

When discussing Em’s impact on them personally, Slim Jxmmi confessed, that growing up he ‘used to want to rap like [Eminem].’ Despite Em proudly hailing from Detroit, Michigan and Jxmmi from Tupelo, Mississippi, the geographical distance and regional cultural differences didn’t stop him from being inspired by him.

“That was definitely my favorite rapper [growing up. Man what, I used to do all that ‘Hi, my name is’ [stuff]. I used to like the way he rapped. I [even] used to try and rap like him at one point in time in my life,” proclaimed Jxmmi.

It seems like Eminem’s self-appointed nickname of “Rap God,” was appriorately designated.

Watch the full clip above.

The Minnesota Timberwolves entered Sunday with a chance to leap into the 7-8 play-in game in the West with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans, who held a one-game lead on them coming into the day, and some help elsewhere.

However, after falling behind early things began unraveling for the Wolves, as an altercation on the bench saw Rudy Gobert swing on Kyle Anderson, leading to Taurean Prince leaping up to shove Gobert and the star center being escorted to the locker room and ultimately sent home for the remainder of the game. While everyone was talking about Gobert’s punch on a teammate, there was another key Timberwolves player who had his day ended for punch-related reasons, as Jaden McDaniels punched a wall so hard on his way into the tunnel that he injured his right hand and was not able to return to the game.

I feel like the Wolves might need to have some conversations with their guys about controlling their emotions because losing two players in a pivotal game because they couldn’t stop themselves from punching a teammate/inanimate object seems bad. What is maybe more amazing is, in spite of two of their best defenders being absent, Minnesota still managed to reel in the Pelicans and make it a one possession game late in the third quarter, thanks to some heroics from Anthony Edwards, and their hopes of improving their seeding stayed alive even with the best efforts of Gobert and McDaniels to derail things.

Donald Trump may be at war with his chief 2024 rival Ron DeSantis, but the Florida governor is already busy being at war with another cultural behemoth: The Walt Disney Company. DeSantis has had out for the company ever since they torched his so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, even adding a hilarious clause that would thwart him into the far-flung future. But last week he was made a fool of when the company cleverly circumvented his attempt to rob them of jurisdiction over their land. It was a neat trick and SNL found a way to rub it in even further.

On the most recent Weekend Update, Bowen Yang swung by as Jafar, the nefarious, oddly facial haired baddie from one of Disney’s biggest animated hits, Aladdin. Jafar was unimpressed with DeSantis’ attempts to be evil, calling him an easily one-upped “amateur.”

“He has no rizz, no spark, no drip ― the look is giving baby mayor,” Yang’s Jafar declared. He then brought up one of his more humiliating moments: “He did wear those white cowboy boots, but let’s be honest: They wore him.”

He then took aim on his attempts to purge Florida of anything LGBTQIA+. “There’s already a Disney World where nothing gay happens: It’s called Six Flags,” he cracked before directly addressing the “sewer rat” as the lighting turned to crimson.

“Bravo for attempting to sieze our precious land only to be twarted once again by the House of Mouse,” Yang’s Jafar told the governor. “Don’t say gay? Well if there is no gay, there is no Disney. And everyone loves Disney including you ’cause your dumbass got married there.”

It’s true: Tough guy Ron DeSantis got married at Disney World.

You can watch the segment in the video above.

Former President Donald Trump may not have the stamp of approval from Tupac’s family, but he did earn one from Rae Sremmurd’s Swae Lee. During an interview on the Bootleg Kev Podcast about Slim Jxmmi’s move to Miami, Florida, the conversation took a turn into the political.

Lee said the main reason he moved to Miami and eventually convinced Jxmmi to follow him was the tax benefits. “It’s tax-free, so, you’re making a lot of money, but you’re giving half of your money to Uncle Sam,” said Lee before diving into his disdain for Biden’s allocation of American tax dollars.

“You’re giving half of your money away to Joe Biden for him to send that sh*t over to another country,” declared Lee, referring to American financial aid to Ukraine. “He got [Ukraine straight before he got his own country straight. I don’t really agree with that.”

When the host asks if he would vote for Trump in 2024, Lee answered, “If I had to choose between the A and the B, I’d definitely go with Trump over Biden for sure.”

As the camera panned to Slim Jxmmi to document his answer, he said, “I choose not to speak on politics.”

To which the host responds, “You’re a smart man.”

Lee went on to add that taxes weren’t the only thing that played a part in his decision. “He freed Kodak [Black]. He freed Wayne. He tapped in.” Lee’s comments referred to Trump’s providing rappers Kodak Black and Lil Wayne with presidential pardons near the end of his term.

Black took to Twitter to after his release, writing, “I want to thank President Donald Trump for his commitment to justice reform and shortening my sentence.”

Watch the full clip above.

Kodak Black is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Minnesota Timberwolves entered Sunday’s game with the Pelicans guaranteed a play-in spot, but trailing New Orleans and the Lakers by just a game, it was possible to move into the 7-8 game that gives you two cracks at a playoff spot.

As such, it was a big game and, if nothing else, a tune-up for the play-in tournament this week against a potential foe, and tensions were high in Minnesota, as evidenced by a second quarter altercation on the Minnesota bench. Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gobert were going at each other with the Wolves trailing, with both yelling and gesturing at each other but things escalated when Gobert stepped forward and tossed a punch at Anderson’s chest, leading to some chaos as the rest of the team tried to separate the two, with Gobert being escorted back to the locker room.

We won’t know the details of what they were arguing about until after the game, but there’s not really anything that could justify Gobert being so mad that he punches a teammate during a game. While it’s not the first teammate punch of the year — nor the worst, as Draymond Green lays claim to that in his preseason altercation with Jordan Poole — it’s about as shocking because it happened during the last game of the regular season on the bench for a playoff contender.

UPDATE: Not long after, Gobert was sent home by the team and would not return to the pivotal game for play-in seeding.

It is truly stunning given the circumstances that Gobert would lose his cool in that manner, and now the Wolves will have to navigate a deficit without their star big man if they want a shot at the 7-8 game.

SZA might want to put a hit out on her ex, but there’s one relationship the singer still cherishes: the one with her fans. After five long years since the release of her debut studio album, the singer poured her all into her follow-up, SOS. The “Ghost In The Machine” singer’s creative efforts paid off handsomely both on the charts and via ticket sales.

According to Billboard, SZA’s 18-date SOS North American tour grossed $34.5 million, which equated to approximately 238,000 tickets sold. The tour — which featured a special guest, “3 Boys” singer Omar Apollo — kicked off in February and ran until late March. The tour also featured surprise appearances by Cardi B, Summer Walker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lizzo.

The report outlines the tour brought out in around $1.9 million and 12,812 tickets each show. As for the specifics on each arena, Billboard revealed that despite having the second-highest ticket price at $174.69, the SoCal arena sold 8,700 tickets. For contrast, SZA’s shows in New York at Madison Square Garden and Inglewood, California’s Kia Forum were the two highest grossing as well as highest attended.

The tour’s two shows at MSG on March 4 and 5 grossed $4.7 million, with 27,000 tickets sold. Meanwhile, SZA’s March 22 and 23 shows at the Kia Forum, racked in $3.9 million for 25,000 tickets sold.

As for the the other high-attendance shows, Atlanta came in at about 11,069 tickets sold and Toronto came in around 14,383 tickets sold.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Detroit Pistons wrapped up a 17-65 season on Sunday with a 103-81 loss to Chicago, as they finally get to officially turn the page to the 2023-24 season where optimism will, hopefully, abound. After finishing with the league’s worst record, the Pistons will take a different shape next year both in terms of roster makeup, as they hope to have lottery luck to reshape their lineup, and on the bench, as Dwane Casey announced after the game that he’d be stepping down as head coach to move into a front office role in Detroit.

Casey reiterated it was his decision to make the move from the bench to the front office, but it’s not a surprise as the young Pistons look to move into a new phase of their rebuild. The Pistons will, of course, hope they end up with the top spot in the 2023 NBA Draft and can add Victor Wembanyama to their young backcourt of Cade Cunningham (as he returns from injury) and Jaden Ivey to create a formidable young core group. The timing of when they make a hire, along with the Houston Rockets, will be fascinating to watch as it would make sense for top candidates to potentially look to wait out the Draft Lottery and see if one of those two lands the top pick — or if one falls out of the top-3 completely.

As for candidates, Detroit’s list will likely look like that of a number of other teams looking for a new coach this year, with Ime Udoka, Charles Lee, and Adrian Griffin headlining their wishlist, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.