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The holiday season is full of busy and stressful days, but we have one thing to look forward to as we approach the end of the month. No, we’re not talking about the holidays themselves (what are you insane?) we’re talking about all those sweet mid-to-late December holiday parties. Those weekend nights when you get to trade gifts, swap stories and laugh your stresses away with your closest friends.

And what better way to roll up to the party than with some good booze in hand? Nothing uplifts a party like a good bottle of something special that you can pass around with friends and slow sip near the fire while you talk about the season finale of Succession and how annoying your extended family is. Bottles that you’ll be proud to toast to a new year with.

To help make you the star of this year’s holiday season, our drinks writers collected the bottles of whiskey, gin, tequila, and other spirits that they love to arrive at a party with. These bottles don’t just make for great party favors, they’re great conversation starters too and they all deliver big on flavor. Let’s drink!

Dahlia Cristalino Tequila — Dane Rivera

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $38.39

The Tequila:

Cristalino is a fairly new style in the world of tequila (it’s not even technically considered an official style, but let’s not get into it) and a lot of people haven’t tried it yet, despite its massive popularity in Mexico City party scenes. So bring a bottle to your holiday party and introduce this super-smooth and fairly new type of tequila to your friends.

Cristalino is generally pretty pricey, but Dahlia makes a bottle that uses American oak barrel-aged reposado tequila that’s then charcoal filtered — providing a smooth and supple mouthfeel at an affordable price that won’t make you feel like you’re dropping too much money down for a party.

Tasting Notes:

Warm and inviting vanilla eases you into the earthy flavors of toasted agave and caramel. Notes of oak linger on the palate while orange citrus dances around your taste buds. The mouthfeel on this is silky and a pleasure to sip and savor.

Bottom Line:

A great reposado-based cristalino tequila that goes down super smooth and tastes way more expensive than it actually is. It’ll serve as a great introduction to cristalino for the rest of the party.

Fortaleza Reposado Tequila — Dane Rivera

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $56.99

The Tequila:

If you’re looking to roll up to the party with the best-value (and maybe flat out best) bottle of tequila that every person attending will ever drink, you can’t go wrong with Fortaleza. Seriously, this is some of the finest tequila you’ll ever have the pleasure drinking, and it won’t even cost you a small fortune. You can slow sip it, you can shoot it, but where it really shines is in a mixed drink where it infuses complex flavors that wash over your palate in waves. Every sip of Fortaleza is an experience.

This tequila hails from Nom 1493 Tequila Los Abuelos, located in the Jalisco region, and is made using hand-harvested agave that is slow-roasted and tahona crushed. The reposado is aged in American Oak ex whiskey barrels and served in a beautiful hand-blown glass bottle.

Tasting Notes:

There is something undeniably fresh about the way Fortaleza tastes, you get a sense of the craft and care that goes into producing each bottle. It’s hard to articulate, but incredibly perceptible, you’ll know instantly this is different than any tequila you’ve had.

The flavors are a journey that start with fruit-focused notes like sweet baked apple and citrus zest and settle into a cinnamon and vanilla swirl ending with a delicate floral lift.

Bottom Line:

Well crafted with an unforgettable flavor. Take it to the party, and then gift the host a bottle and you’ll instantly be the star of the show.

Agua Mágica Mezcal — Dane Rivera

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $65 (per bottle) $95 (gift box set)

The Mezcal

Agua Mágica is new on the Mezcal scene but it’s already earning recognition and accolades — pulling a win at the 2021 San Francisco Worlds Spirit Competition. This mezcal is crafted from Espadín and Tobalá agave from San Juan del Rio and made in partnership with Maestro Mescalero Rogelio Juan Hernadez of Oaxaca that is recommended served neat (though I love it in a cocktail). There is something about the tropical fruity flavors that just tastes slightly magical.

The bottle is currently available in a limited edition box set designed by Latin American artist Miguel Cardenas.

Tasting Notes:

Agua Mágica is wonderfully layered, beginning with the fruity notes of fried banana, juicy ripe mango and melon, and a smokey and spicy finish that plays with the flavors of caramel and toasted almond. Combine lime juice, pineapple, and mint with Agua Mágica and you’re instantly transported to a beachside paradise where you can relax under swaying palm trees and forget all about the holiday season.

Or, sip it neat for a fresh and smokey bite.

Bottom Line:

Agua Mágica provides a journey of flavors that will transport you to a tropical paradise in the middle of winter. It’s fruity, sweet, and delicately layered, while still providing that distinct smokey finish you’ve come to expect from mezcal.

Jose Cuervo Reserva De La Familia Reposado — Zach Johnston

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $85

The Tequila:

This brand-new release from Jose Cuervo comes from their Master Distiller, Alex Coronado. Coronado makes this tequila in more traditional methods than the autoclaves and automated operations for the brand’s entry-point expressions. This tequila starts off with single-estate Blue Agave that’s hand-harvested. Those agave pinas are then roasted in old-school ovens (and diffusers for sugar extraction). They also use old-school fermenters and copper pot stills before the juice goes into French oak and ex-bourbon barrels for maturation with a toasted American oak barrel in the mix too.

Tasting Notes:

Hints of black pepper draw you in with a faint essence of cottage cheese that’s cut with fresh pineapple, bay leaf, and brittle toffee. The palate leans into roasted agave by amping up that black pepper vibe while soft vanilla extract mingles with clove, anise, and allspice. A subtle cinnamon stick takes over on the mid-palate, along with slightly sweet almond. The finish doesn’t last too long but carries that spice towards a cedar box full of spicy vanilla tobacco with a final crank off the black pepper mill.

Bottom Line:

This well-crafted tequila from Cuervo feels like the antithesis of everything the brand has become known for. This is about refinement and slow-sipping. The presentation of the bottle and packaging also help it stand out from the crowd and make it a great gift bottle.

The GlenDronach Parliament Aged 21 Years — Zach Johnston

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $262

The Whisky:

Don’t let the name fool you. The “parliament” in this case is the collective noun for rooks — a type of European crow that nests above the distillery. That dark essence is rendered in the whisky through 21 long years of maturation in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks exclusively.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a lot going on with this nose, starting with blackberry brambles hanging heavy with ripe fruit leading towards a well-spiced oatmeal cookie vibe and cut with hints of orange zest and vanilla. A sticky toffee pudding sweetness arrives (heavy on the dates) with flourishes of bitter dark chocolate notes and a sharp holiday spice matrix. The end is very long but very velvety with hints of dark fruits and spices warming your body as it fades away.

Bottom Line:

I’m mildly obsessed with this single malt right now. It’s such a lush and holiday-focused drinking experience that I’d certainly love to receive as a gift.

Eagle Rare — Zach Johnston

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $45

The Whiskey:

This might be one of the most beloved (and still accessible) bottles from Buffalo Trace. This juice is made from their very low rye mash bill. The whiskey is then matured for at least ten years in various parts of the warehouse. The final mix comes down to barrels that hit just the right notes to make them “Eagle Rare.” Finally, this one is proofed down to a fairly low 90 proof.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a lot happening on the nose here, with worn leather mingling with dried orange, fresh sage, butter toffee, and cellared oak. The taste turns towards marzipan covered in dark chocolate with a touch of honey, cherry, and a sprinkling of dark spices with a clear orange basket holiday vibe. The mid-palate leans into candied nuts and cherries towards a finish that touches on that marzipan, toffee, and the cedar-y oak while ending short and cherry-sweet.

Bottom Line:

This bottle has serious name recognition. So even if your giftee isn’t super familiar with bourbon, they’ve likely heard of this monster bottle of whiskey. That hype aside, the juice in the bottle is stellar for the price.

Gray Whale Gin — Christopher Osburn

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $32

The Gin:

Created to pay homage to the Gray Whale’s migratory journey along the west coast, this gin features botanicals, herbs, and ingredients that can be found at various points dotting the California coast. The main ingredient (like with all gins) is juniper, but it’s paired with almonds, fir tree, kombu, limes, sea kelp, and mint.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a symphony of citrus zest, herbal mint, and a seemingly endless field of pine trees. The palate has the juniper backing gin drinkers expect, but it’s also paired with more pine needles, slight mint, a corn sweetness, and lime peels. The finish is warming, herbal, and surprisingly sweet for a gin.

Bottom Line:

This is a complex gin that would make a great base for a seasonal gin-centric cocktail or on the rocks. The best part? A percentage of the brand’s overall profits go to help ocean conservation and doing good is always a hit at parties.

Aberlour A’bunadh — Christopher Osburn

ABV: 59-62%

Average Price: $115

The Whisky:

This award-winning single malt Scotch whisky proves that you don’t need an age statement to show the quality of a spirit. While Aberlour doesn’t divulge how old this whisky is, we do know it was aged completely in oloroso sherry casks and was bottled at a potent cask strength that’s guaranteed to warm you up this winter.

Tasting Notes:

Complex aromas of candied orange peels, sweet sherry, dried cherries, and a gentle, nutty sweetness are prevalent on the nose. The sip reveals dried orange slices, ginger candy, dried cherries, woody oak, and almond cookies. It all ends in a crescendo of wood, sherry, and slight, wintry spices.

Bottom Line:

When it comes to winter whisky, cask strength is the name of the game. It’s high proof with a sweet, sherry backbone, making it a great base for a cocktail or a slow sipper.

Wild Turkey 101 Rye — Christopher Osburn

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $30

The Whiskey:

While Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon gets most of the press, its rye version is not to be missed. This award-winning whiskey was aged for a minimum of four years before being bottled at a potent, highly mixable 101 proof. It’s well-known for its balance of sweetness and spice and pretty much begs to be used as a base for your favorite whisky-based cocktails.

Tasting Notes:

One whiff of this whiskey and you know what you’re in for. Its highlighted by scents of clover honey, toasted vanilla beans, butterscotch, and just a hint of peppery rye. The palate is centered around cracked black pepper, buttery caramel, candied pecans, vanilla cream, and a note of smoke to round everything out nicely.

Bottom Line:

You can spend a lot of money for a well-made rye whiskey or you can grab a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 Rye and save money while not losing any quality. It’s bold, brash, spicy, and belongs on a table (waiting to be mixed with) at a holiday party.

Mario’s Hard Espresso — Steve Bramucci

ABV: 25%

Average Price: $36.98

The Spirit:

This “Hard Espresso” — made with grain spirits, espresso, vanilla, and sugar — charmed me into grabbing it off the shelf, thanks to a connection to Italian heritage that was similar to my own. The expression is a literal distillation of a son’s love for his immigrant dad and recreates a simple, craft-driven homemade spirit that the original Mario used to serve around the holidays.

The bottle even shows the original Mario in all his buff glory and taken all together (there’s a veritable novelization of Mario’s life on the back of the bottle that reads like a viral obituary) you get a portrait of a Most Interesting Man In The World nominee. But as with all spirits, the proof is in the taste. All the cool backstory means nothing if the flavors don’t deliver.

So….

Tasting Notes:

I hoped this would be solid. It was about 10x better than I ever expected. I’ve already ordered three bottles to my mom’s place for Christmas.

Mario’s Hard Espresso’s flavors are clarified in a way that far exceeds other entries in the genre — Kahlua and Bailey’s are sort of similar but… not really. There’s not the palate muddling heavy cream note here, but you still get a sense of creaminess, which is a masterstroke.

What this really tastes like is a spiked affogato. You get tons of coffee on the nose and palate, along with a touch of alcohol warmth, before a really creamy-vanilla-sugar note comes in and scares the heat away. The finish is long and luxurious with no burn.

Bottom Line:

I’ve had two glasses over ice. I made a milkshake with this and coffee ice cream. I invited friends over for spiked affogato (that’s espresso over ice cream) and I tried to mix an espresso martini (I liked it, but didn’t want to burn through this as a mixer).

My bottle was gone in a week — I can’t remember the last time that happened.

Orlando rapper LPB Poody might be at the start of his career, but his performance and energy are already off-the-charts, as demonstrated by his propulsive performance of his newly released single “I’m The One” for UPROXX Sessions. Packed to bursting with boastful gun talk and hot-blooded, me-against-the-world truculence, the thumping track lets Poody fully engage and bring his hardened outlook to vivid life as he holds eye contact with the camera.

Fully committing to music in 2016, Poody’s perseverance marks a 180-degree course change from his early life, when he was in and out of juvenile detention. Although he’s still facing a probation violation charge from earlier this year, Poody’s music illustrates exactly why he felt he needed to turn his life around — and the passion with which he raps highlights how wise a decision it was. Like many artists of his generation, he can credit his career taking off this year to TikTok, where his 2019 single “Address It” has become a favorite on the app, driving streams elsewhere and propelling him to a new starting point, where he has the chance to leave the violent past behind and embrace a much brighter future.

Watch LPB Poody’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “I’m The One” above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Sex And The City star Chris Noth recently reprised his Mr. Big character in HBO Max’s And Just Like That…. He later starred in an exercise-bike commercial to address some season premiere story-controversy. Months ago, the impending return of Noth to the small screens prompted two women to come forward with accusations of sexual assault (which they claim happened in 2004 and 2015, when they were both 25 years old) against the actor.

The two women (known as “Lily” and “Zoe” to protect their privacy against “fear[s] of repercussions”) detailed their allegations in August and October during interviews with The Hollywood Reporter, which reviewed text conversations and verified details as possible. That includes speaking to an official at the UCLA Rape Crisis Center and interviewing friends of the accusers, who corroborated details and even mentioned additional phone conversations that the accusers say they don’t recall, given that they happened in times of distress and may have been “buried.” That’s a word that both women use to discuss how they coped with their trauma.

THR also contacted Noth for comment on the allegations. In a statement, he insisted that the these “encounters were consensual”:

“The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false. These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross. The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.”

Both women’s accounts allege that they visited Noth’s apartment after he showed interest in learning more about them. In Zoe’s case, he lent her a book and asked if she’d bring it to the apartment. From Zoe’s account, that’s when the alleged sexual assault happened:

When she went to his apartment to return the book, Zoe says, he kissed her as she stepped through the door. She tentatively kissed back but then said, “Thank you, I’m going back to my friend.” The kiss itself didn’t alarm her; she thought a kiss from Mr. Big would be a fun story to tell her friends. But she says he then pulled her toward him, moved her toward the bed, pulled off her shorts and bikini bottom, and began to rape her from behind. She was facing a mirror. “It was very painful and I yelled out, ‘Stop!’” she says. “And he didn’t. I said, ‘Can you at least get a condom?’ and he laughed at me.”

In Lily’s case, Noth was married at the time of the alleged 2015 sexual assault:

“He said marriage is a sham. Monogamy is not real.” The next thing she knew, “He was having sex with me from the back in a chair. We were in front of a mirror. I was kind of crying as it happened.” When it was over, she says, “I went to the bathroom and put on my skirt. I was feeling awful. Totally violated. All of my dreams with this star I loved for years were gone.” She called an Uber. Revisiting this brings her to tears, yet she says she finds it freeing to tell the story.

Lily’s friend Alex says she called her from the car. “She was pretty hysterical,” she says. Lily told her that he had “pretty forcibly” had sex with her, and Alex said they should call the police. But Lily wouldn’t hear of it. Lily says she doesn’t remember making the call.

More details on the accusations against Noth can be read in the full piece at THR. The piece also includes information about the crisis counseling that both women sought after the alleged incidents, along with the aforementioned corroborations from friends.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

When we talk about biggest Grammy Awards travesties, we often forget to mention how M83’s impeccable Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming lost the 2013 Best Alternative Music Album award to Gotye’s Making Mirrors. Oy. A sprawling epic double album lost to a release propped up by a one-hit wonder single. What were they thinking? Luckily, we can still press play on M83’s masterpiece and take our minds on an inviting adventure. Or if you really want an all-encompassing experience, the trilogy of videos from the album for “Midnight City,” “Reunion,” and “Wait” takes us on an incredible story arc. One with supernatural children, born as true forces of natures in the shape of young mutant superheroes a la the X-Men.

As the 10th anniversary of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming approaches next year, M83 released a prequel video to that original trilogy today of the track “My Tears Are Becoming The Sea.” The clip, directed by Sacha Barbin and Ryan Doubiago, tells an origins story of one of these superhero kids. As their parents are on the way to the hospital to give birth, an accident happens, but the child saves their lives from inside the womb. The directors explained the concept in a statement:

“This story takes place 10 years earlier in order to highlight the first moment one of these children uses their supernatural gifts. On the way to the hospital and moments before his birth, the child’s parents are victims of a horrible car accident. The unborn child is forced to use his powers to save them from within the womb. The idea was to show the literal birth of a superhero. We wanted to place this story in a realistic and universal setting. We think that the panic created by this magnificent moment speaks to everyone. We also wanted to pay homage to the mothers who are too often absent from the mythology of superheroes. And finally, to go beyond the codes of the genre to carry a symbolic message of hope where future generations would come to save us from a dark fate.”

It’s a heady visual that ties together the theme of the trilogy, albeit ten years later. Speaking of which, M83 will be reissuing Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming as a 10th anniversary transparent orange vinyl edition, available in April. There’s a new cover image that shows the kids from the iconic original cover ten years later. Finally, a parting statement from the band and leader Anthony Gonzalezs read simply: “Gonzalez is hard at work in the studio and looks forward to seeing his fans very soon…”

Check out the cover art and original video for “Midnight City” below.

Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming 10th anniversary orange vinyl edition is out on 4/15/2022. Pre-order it here

Earlier this week, Skip Bayless sent out a tweet that caught Kevin Durant‘s attention. After Durant registered a triple-double in 48 minutes to lead the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets to a win over the Toronto Raptors, Bayless tweeted that he’s the best player in the world and asked, in what must be a contractual thing at this point, “You watch, Bron?” In response, Durant tweeted the following:

There almost certainly was absolutely nothing more to this that Kevin Durant saying he did not like someone, but nevertheless, it got turned into content on Undisputed on Thursday morning. Bayless issued up a response to Durant in which he straight up had a meltdown and tried to read very deeply into a tweet that was nothing more than just KD saying something that lacked ambiguity.

“Kevin Durant has tried to do this to me several times before, dating back to 2012,” Bayless said, referencing another time Durant called him out on Twitter. “And this time, I’m sorry Kevin, I’m not gonna take your bait, I’m not gonna fall into the trap you want me to fall into, because this is what you need and what you want.”

Bayless went on to claim that Durant is in the midst of a “weird strategy” that is “Jordan-esque” in which he “constantly fabricated beefs with rival players and coaches that didn’t even exist to whip himself into a competitive frenzy before games,” which he believes Durant is doing, only with Bayless and media members acting as opposing players and coaches.

“I dare say, I dare you to find anybody in the media who, since 2006, have supported, and backed, and loved Kevin Durant more than I have,” Bayless said. “…I say nothing negative about him besides the off the court, bizarre, strange social media behavior which is completely beneath his dignity, because he is the thinnest-skinned superstar I’ve ever seen. But the reason I don’t condemn him for it is because he uses that, weirdly, to fuel himself in the biggest of games, and on the biggest of stages.”

There’s some more stuff in here about how “Kevin can’t stand that … he hates that I love him too much” that you can watch in the video.

Ye (aka Kanye West) recently had a conversation with British-German artist Tino Sehgal for German culture magazine 032c, and he really said a lot of noteworthy things during the chat. He revealed that he plans to be “homeless in a year” because he’s turning his homes into churches. Ye also noted that he’s working on a performance piece called The Funeral Rehearsal Of Kanye West. Elsewhere during the interview, he also dropped some names and called himself the “template” for some major artists.

Ye said:

“Moses could do everything his army could do, but he couldn’t free his people without the army. And you know, all these leaders, all these people who created the templates — Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, George Lucas — were crazy as f*ck but influenced so many people. I’m just saying, I’m the template. Kanye West is the template for Drake and Travis and…”

He said something similar elsewhere in the conversation, noting, “At this point, every art piece I do is a window, an app, for human beings. 808s & Heartbreak was the app for Drake and The Weeknd, and The Funeral Rehearsal Of Kanye West will be the app for others.”

The interview is print-only and is included as “a special edition booklet” in Issue #40 of 032c, so grab a copy for yourself here.

Seth Meyers went to town on Donald Trump Jr.’s desperate texts to Mark Meadows during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building. To Don Jr.’s credit, unlike his father, he did seem concerned with stopping the violence as quickly as possible. However, the texts also seemingly revealed that Don Jr. doesn’t have his dad’s number, which has been a field day for late night comedians.

“Whatever else we find out about the actual attacks, there’s nothing more embarrassing than not having your dad’s number,” Meyers joked before making a solid Succession reference. “Even Kendall Roy gets to talk face to face with Logan.”

Following the Succession quip, Meyers busted out his Kendall impression, which he admits has been getting marginally better over the past three months. (It’s actually not bad.) In fact, Meyers tried it out for Logan Roy actor Brian Cox on an earlier episode who politely called it “incredibly brief.”

However, after dunking on Don Jr., Meyers was feeling pretty confident about his Kendall impression, and the late night comedian stretched the bit out even further by imagining Kendall planning the January 6 rally. Needless to say, Meyers peppered the whole segment with numerous F-bombs, and a surprise impression of Cousin Greg, which we have to say, was stronger than Meyers’ stab at Kendall. He does a mean Nicholas Braun.

(Via Late Night with Seth Meyers)

Like he does every year, Barack Obama has been unveiling his “favorite books, music, and movies” of 2021. His book list can be seen here, and on Thursday, the former-president (the one not throwing a fit over someone making fun of his hair) released the list of his favorite movies. “Next up are my favorite movies of the year. Each of these films tells a powerful story, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did,” he tweeted.

Here are Obama’s 14 favorites:

Drive My Car
Summer of Soul
West Side Story
The Power of the Dog
Pig
Passing
The Card Counter
Judas and the Black Messiah
The Worst Person in the World
Old Henry
The Last Duel
The Tragedy of MacBeth
C’mon C’mon
Quo vadis, Aida?

That’s a good list — and I’m not saying that just because three of those movies also appear on our Best Movies of 2021 list. OK, I’m slightly saying that, but where’s The Green Knight? Or Titane? Or Dune? What does Obama have against sandworms? Or maybe he’s working with Big Sandworm to get us to not see Dune, so we don’t fear the sandworms before they inevitably take over the world. I’m onto you, Obama.

Good pick with The Card Counter, though.

Let’s get this out of the way now: “Betty White” will trend on Twitter on the morning of January 17, 2022, but don’t worry, she’s fine. There’s no need to break out the Denzel Washington GIF. That’s her 100th birthday (!), and the Hollywood legend is celebrating it with a film about her incredible life.

Betty White: 100 Years Young — A Birthday Celebration “offers a revealing glimpse into her life—behind-the-scenes on set, working with her office staff, entertaining at home, lending her voice as an animal advocate and, we join her at her actual birthday party, as she celebrates the big day with a star-studded cast of friends that love her,” according to the official description. Guests (who are hopefully making virtual appearances) include Ryan Reynolds, Tina Fey, Robert Redford, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Clint Eastwood.

Here’s more:

Betty White: 100 Years Young Birthday — A Birthday Celebration is packed with clips from some of Betty’s most famous roles, including the innocent Rose on Golden Girls, her celebrated host gig on SNL – one of the highest rated SNL episodes ever- her award-winning Super Bowl/Snickers commercial, the worldly Elka on Hot in Cleveland, and her role as the bawdy Sue Ann on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and numerous other career highlights. Also included is a lost episode from Betty’s early sitcom from the 1950s.

“Who doesn’t love a party?!? This one is gonna be GREAT!” White said in a statement. This rager can be seen in movie theaters on Monday, January 17, at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (local time). You can find out more information here.

Named for the German word for warehouse and/or storage, lager is one of the oldest and most celebrated beer styles in the world. In a beer-verse filled with punch-packing double IPAs, rich, indulgent barrel-aged beers, and funky, fruited sours, lagers offer a crisp and refreshing respite, no matter the season.

While many drinkers likely envision the classic pale lager, the style comes in all colors of the beer rainbow. Depending on if it’s a Pilsner, helles, Vienna lager, bock, dunkel, or even a smoky schwarzbier, this style can be amber, ruby, or even as dark as your favorite stout or porter. It’s also a fun style to get into during the winter months because of the nearly endless flavor profiles ripe for discovery (plus it’s often lighter in texture than our other winter favorites).

Since picking out the right lager for your palate can be confusing (given all the options out there), we asked a handful of well-known brewers and craft beer experts to tell us the lagers they’ll be drinking this winter. Let’s dive in and see what they picked!

Augustiner Maximator

Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery in Brooklyn, New York

ABV: 7.5%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

My pick is Augustiner Maximator. This classic Munich doppelbock has a toffee-like depth of malt flavor that is very rarely equaled in the United States. It’s great with a wide variety of winter foods like roasted meats, game, root vegetables, and more.

It’s a beer that I would be very proud of if I brewed it myself.

Samichlaus Schwarzes

Aaron Uhl, owner of Uhl’s Brewing in Boulder, Colorado

ABV: 14%

Average Price: $21 for a four-pack

Why This Beer?

What flavors make it great? Big, bold, hints of dried fruits and toffee that are usually only found in stouts and other complex strong ales are layered into this beer. Samichlaus Schwarzes is an amazing example of thinking outside the box to use what you have available to make one of the tastiest winter warmers around. Not to mention there are two other varietals to shift between throughout the cold months.

KCBC Morbid Hour

Alex Wenner, owner and brewer at Lasting Joy Brewery in Hudson Valley, New York

ABV: 4.6%

Average Price: $13 for a 16-ounce can

Why This Beer?

KCBC’s Morbid Hour is the only answer to this question. Ever since they opened, KCBC has been making some insane and amazing giants in flavor in the realms of stouts, IPAs, and fruited sours. But Morbid Hour is, to me, one of their crowning achievements.

Perfectly understated, a crushable, crisp, and clean lager with just the right notes from roasted malts that lend notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and bitterness that creates the perfect beer to drink all day around a fire pit surrounded by several feet of snow.

New Glarus Two Women

John Clampitt, lead brewer at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $9 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

New Glarus’ Two Women is my favorite beer right now. It’s simplistic in its construction. Its floor-malted German barley and Hallertau hops are about all that’s in it, but it is greater than the sum of its parts. The floor-malted barley gives a different expression of that bready, German barley. The Hallertau hops provide just enough bitterness and noble hop aroma to round it out.

I always ask for a few twelve-packs anytime someone I know is in Wisconsin.

Wibby Double Dunkel

Derek Gold, director of brewing operations at WeldWerks Brewery in Greeley, Colorado

ABV: 7.5%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Wibby Brewing’s Double Dunkel is the lager equivalent of hot chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate, roasty coffee, and vanilla notes with a nutty maltiness round out the whole affair. You can enjoy it on the slopes, but I prefer it next to a fire with a book.

Little Machine Sir Veza

Kayleigh Schutte, assistant brewer at Our Mutual Friend Brewing in Denver

ABV: 5.3%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

I’m a sucker, no matter what season it is, for Little Machine Beer’s Sir Veza. It’s a Mexican-style lager with the best sweet touch of corn. This beer is light but doesn’t get the super light feeling of other Mexican lagers.

Be sure to get a lime, but don’t squeeze all of it in the beer.

Mainstay Klaus Bock

Jeremy Cowan, owner and founder of Shmaltz Brewing Company in Clifton Park, New York

ABV: 10.5%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

Mainstay Independent in Philadelphia brews an amazing Klaus Bock with beautiful malt notes throughout. It’s a classic lager with a smooth body, and, of course, all from a fantastic brewer with tons of years of lager experience in an iconic American lager town.

Ayinger Celebrator

Shaun O’Sullivan, co-founder and brewmaster at 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco

ABV: 6.7%

Average Price: $13 for a four-pack

Why This Beer?

I always expect this beer to have a higher ABV with all that flavor. But that’s not the case with this very respectable 6.7 percent ABV beer. This doppelbock has a deep brown color and a rich malt structure with aromas of dried currants, vanilla, cracker bread, and sweet flavors.

Half Acre Fader

Erika Wojno, US director of marketing at BrewDog in Columbus, Ohio

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Fader from Half Acre is my pick. But I’m not just drinking it in the winter, I’m drinking it all year round. I have a total beer crush on everything about this Chicago brewery. This beer is crisp, refreshing, and loaded with biscuit-like malts and citrus notes.

Bierstadt Dunkel

Patrick Ware, co-founder and head of brewing operations at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Phoenix, Arizona

ABV: 6%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

Bierstadt does an incredible job making highly drinkable lager worthy of chugging in half-liter glasses. Bready-toasty malt drives the intrigue while still having a background hop presence to balance.

East Rock Black Lager

Jack Hendler, co-owner of Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers in Framingham, Massachusetts

ABV: 6.2%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Black Lager from East Rock Brewery is the perfect beer for winter. It’s dark, malty, and full-bodied. It’s one of those beers that warm you up when it’s cold out. It’s nice and clean, relatively easy-drinking beer on the stronger side — just above six percent.

Wiseacre Tiny Bomb

Luis G. Brignoni, founder of Wynwood Brewing Co. in Miami

ABV: 4.5%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

I’ve been traveling to Tennessee often and I’ve really enjoyed Tiny Bomb from Wiseacre. It’s a Pilsner and you really get to appreciate the consistency and quality that the brewer puts into it. Pilsners are very delicate to brew and with Tiny Bomb you get a nice balance between the malt crispness and the use of hops.

It’s very good, not just for winter but year-round.

Roy Pitz Ludwigs Revenge

Dess Leeper, sales representative at WeldWerks Brewing in Greeley, Colorado

ABV: 5.25%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

When I first helped a friend out with some general things during the infancy of Roy Pitz back in 2009, the beer that they made that always grabbed my attention was a rauchbier. The beer itself was based on the local history of a town being burned down during the Civil War. They made a beer that has a history intertwined with local and international traditions that truly make this beer unique. When I sip it, I think of sitting by a campfire in the snow, smelling pleasant smoke and bacon. Rauchbiers — or smoked beers — have flavors that you don’t always find in beer, and, for me, it is one of the best beers this time of year.

Spaten Optimator

Andrew Hood, wood cellar manager and brewer at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis

ABV: 7.6%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

My favorite winter lager would be Spaten Optimator. It is a classic Doppelbock and well-executed. You can’t go wrong with this beer. It has warming flavors of toffee, caramel malts, and dried fruits that make it exceptional on a cold winter’s night.