The Cleveland Browns have had a pretty dreadful season given lofty expectations after reaching the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs last season. On Sunday, they saw themselves get eliminated from the playoffs before even taking the field in Week 17, which meant their Monday Night Football game in Pittsburgh was only meaningful for the Steelers, beyond the chance for the Browns to play spoiler in Ben Roethlisberger’s likely final game at home.
After a scoreless first quarter that saw neither offense get much going, it was clear that points would be at a premium and both teams would probably need some assistance in getting in the end zone. Luckily for Pittsburgh, Cleveland was happy to oblige with one of the dumbest penalties of the season to extend the Steelers’ first touchdown drive of the game.
On third down, Jadeveon Clowney made a great play on a wide receiver screen to force what should’ve been a long field goal attempt, but after bringing Claypool down, he ripped off the star receiver’s shoe and chucked it towards midfield, earning an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
That naturally led to a touchdown, as Roethlisberger found Diontae Johnson on a slant after being moved into the red zone by the penalty, and the Steelers took the first lead of the game.
It’s, stunningly, not the first time we’ve seen a shoe throwing penalty, as Florida famously lost to LSU after setting up a game-winning field goal with a similar 15-yard penalty after a third down stop. At some point players will finally learn not to do this, but until then, the internet will simply laugh at the stupidity and post Austin Powers GIFs.
Halsey’s fourth studio album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power was not only one of our Best Albums Of 2021, it also clocked in at number 11 on the The 2011 Uproxx Music Critics Poll where more than 200 music critics submitted their picks for the year’s best releases. Working with producers Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor on the album, it was definitely a turn towards rock and roll for the pop star that she totally dominated. Uproxx’s Caitlin White wrote that “Wading through pregnancy, misogyny, historical sexism, and so much more, this record crystallizes her sound in unexpectedly moving ways.”
Today, Halsey dropped the If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power (Extended) version seemingly out of the sky. The new version features two juicy new tracks and they announced the release tweeting “The extended version of IICHLIWP is out now featuring the new and moody ethereal goodness that is “People Disappear Here” plus a @nineinchnails reimagined version of “Nightmare.””
The extended version of IICHLIWP is out now featuring the new and moody ethereal goodness that is “People Disappear Here” plus a @nineinchnails reimagined version of “Nightmare” https://t.co/SFFxC7VgSh
As if the original “Nightmare” didn’t already provide a powerful enough jolt, the Nine Inch Nails version of “Nightmare — Reprise” features more live drums and cosmic effects that breathe new life into the anthemic jam. Meanwhile, “People Disappear Here” is written by the album’s super songwriting team of Halsey, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Greg Kurstin. Halsey sings of trying to escape an insidious web of existence that really feels like they’re channeling a desire to break free. The chaos of the song’s outro guitar and piano drive home those deep emotions.
Listen to “Nightmare — Reprise” above and “People Disappear Here” below.
In Miami for part of his surprise New Year’s Eve show with Future, Kanye was spotted with not one but two mystery brunettes in a hotel room on New Year’s Day. In a report from the The Daily Mail, photos of Yeezy and a woman in a crop top on a balcony indicated he had company ringing in 2022, and later another woman in a plunging top also appeared on the balcony.
But later that night, Ye was out with someone else — he was spotted by TMZ at Carbone with actress Julia Fox on what appeared to be a date. So single Kanye is definitely back in the building, no matter how he might still feel about the mother of his children. Let’s hope all this leads to some musical inspiration in the very near future.
Most of us would consider it a wonder to reach the age of 100, much less 119. But Kane Tanaka, a woman living in Fukuoka, Japan, who boasts the “oldest person in the world” title, celebrated her 119th birthday on January 2.
Guinness World Records tweeted her a happy birthday and shared a video of her from 2019, when she was officially given the title. Guinness shared that she was born—prematurely, no less—on January 2, 1903, the same year that the first silent film was released and the year Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved sustained, powered flight for the first time.
She has seen two world wars, two pandemics, the invention of countless technologies and more life changes than children of today could possibly imagine. She married at age 19 and raised five children. Her husband ran a family rice and noodle business, which she helped run when he went off to war in 1937.
What’s most fascinating, however, is how she spends her days now.
According to Insider, Tanaka lives in a rest home, where she wakes up at 6 a.m. and spends part of her day studying mathematics. She loves solving number puzzles and playing board games. (Guinness shared in 2019 that she had become an expert in the game of Othello, often beating the nursing home staff.)
Happy birthday to Kane Tanaka!nnShe turns 119 today https://twitter.com/gwr/status/1104338626492665857u00a0u2026
— Guinness World Records (@Guinness World Records) 1641233972
According to Kyodo News, Tanaka enjoys carbonated drinks and chocolate. During her Guinness ceremony, she was gifted a box of chocolates, and when someone asked her how many chocolates she wanted to eat, she replied, “100.”
The person who holds the record for the oldest person to ever live (verified in recorded history) is Jeanne Louise Calment of France who died in 1997 when she was 122. She was also fond of chocolate, reportedly eating two pounds of chocolate a week.
She was 11 when WWI started, 36 when WWII started, 74 when Star Wars was released, and 116 when Covid-19 started. And her name is Kane Tanaka, the worldu2019s oldest living person at age 118 years. She was born on January 2, 1903.n#Tiredearthpic.twitter.com/PPcFFHyRg5
That’s two supercentenarians who have embraced chocolate, just saying.
Tanaka’s 62-year-old grandson, Eiji, told Kyodo News that he would like to congratulate her in person soon. “I hope she remains healthy and has fun everyday as she grows older,” he said.
Happy birthday, Kane Tanaka! Here’s to another wild and wonderful trip around the sun.
The best feeling as a parent is when your child does something that exemplifies good character without being asked and without expecting any recognition or reward for it. Seeing your kid practicing patience, kindness and helpfulness, even when they think no one is looking—that’s when you know that all your hard parenting work is paying off.
So when you’re a mom with six kids and the baby monitor you have in your 18-month-old’s nursery shows your 10-year-old stepping up to help his little brother—in the middle of the night, no less—your heart might melt a little. And when he tells you the thoughtful reason why he didn’t just come and get you when he heard his brother fussing, your heart might just explode.
A viral TikTok captured this scenario at Gloria McIntosh’s house in Ohio last December, and it could not be sweeter.
McIntosh told TODAY Parents that she always told her kids that the true test of a person’s character is what they do when no one is around—a lesson that her son Mason clearly took to heart when he got up at 3 a.m. to comfort his 18-month-old brother, Greyson.
“The baby woke up in the middle of the night,” McIntosh wrote. “I heard him fussing so I just checked the camera to see if he would just fall back asleep and saw his brother showing the best example of love and patience. He stayed with him for almost 30 minutes trying to get him back to sleep. I eventually came in and got the baby, and asked my son why he didn’t just come and get me.”
The reason was as sweet as can be.
“He said he wanted me to get some rest, because I did a lot that day. While parenting is not his responsibility, just the fact that he understood that he is his brother’s keeper, and considered my long day as a mom, is much appreciated. ❤️”
When he climbed into the crib with him? Gracious. That’s when you know your kid going to be all right.
“I was smiling the whole time,” McIntosh told TODAY Parents. “He has a love for Greyson that is unspeakable. I can’t even really explain it.”
McIntosh said Mason is a natural caregiver. “I’m sure Mason was tired and cranky. He was woken up at 3 a.m.,” she said. “But how you saw him treat his brother is how he is. He steps up.”
The first two decades of the 21st century have been a reckoning of sorts for humanity. Technology has shrunk our global community and broadened our connections with one another, forcing us to grapple with how prejudice, inequality and oppression of all kinds have influenced us all.
Some of that has been great. Some of it not so much. Social media has proven to be a double-edged sword, expanding our exposure to diversity on the one hand, and limiting our ability to have nuanced conversations on the other. Platforms such as Twitter allow people to make clear, concise statements about where they stand, which can be good and necessary at times. They also create an environment where a stance that doesn’t fit neatly into 240 characters is ostracized as being wishy-washy at best and highly problematic at worst.
All of this combined has resulted in a weird paradox of people pushing for complex social discourse while also insisting on removing all complexity from that discourse.
Case in point: Patton Oswalt’s last two Instagram posts about Dave Chappelle.
The comedian shared a series of photos with Dave Chappelle in Seattle on New Year’s Eve. Oswalt had been performing in downtown Seattle when he got a text from Chappelle to come join him at his show just a block away.
“Finished me set at @mccawhall and got a text from @davechappelle. Come over to the arena he’s performing in next door and do a guest set. Why not? I waved good-bye to this hell-year with a genius I started comedy with 34 years ago. He works an arena like he’s talking to one person and charming their skin off. Anyway, I ended the year with a real friend and a deep laugh. Can’t ask for much more.”
Chappelle has long been known for pushing the social envelope with his comedy and has created some controversy for himself, especially with his recent Netflix special in which he tackled the issue of transgender rights in a way that felt harmful to many trans people and allies. (Full disclosure: I have not watched his special myself, so I am only sharing the reactions I have seen to it, not commenting on the content itself.) Some people accused Chappelle of being anti-trans, others accused him of “punching down,” while others were more offended by how old and tired his LGBTQ-oriented jokes were than by the jokes themselves.
Patton Oswalt has been an outspoken ally of the LGBTQ community, so seeing him celebrate sharing the stage with Chappelle was jarring for some fans. They made their feelings known, which prompted this response from Oswalt:
“I saw a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time this New Year’s Eve. We’ve known each other since we’re teens. He’s a fellow comedian, the funniest I’ve ever met. I wanted to post a pic & an IG story about it — so I did. The friend is Dave Chappelle. Thirty four YEARS we’ve been friends. He’s refocused and refined ideas a lot of us took as settled about race & history & Life On Planet Earth and spun them around with a phrase or punchline. We’ve done bad & good gigs, open mikes & TV tapings. But we also 100% disagree about transgender rights & representation. I support trans peoples’ rights — ANYONE’S rights — to live safely in the world as their fullest selves. For all the things he’s helped ME evolve on, I’ll always disagree with where he stands NOW on transgender issues. But I also don’t believe a seeker like him is done evolving, learning. You know someone that long, see the struggles and changes, it’s impossible to cut them off. Impossible not to be hopeful and open and cheer them on. Also, I’ve been carrying a LOT of guilt about friends I’ve cut off, who had views with which I couldn’t agree, or changed in ways I couldn’t live with. Sometimes I wonder — did I and others cutting them off make them dig their heels in deeper, fuel their ignorance with a nitro-boost of resentment and spite? I’m an LGBTQ ally. I’m a loyal friend. There’s friction in those traits that I need to reconcile myself, and not let cause feels of betrayal in ANYONE else. And I’m sorry, truly sorry, that I didn’t consider the hurt this would cause. Or the DEPTH of that hurt. I’ve been messaging a lot on IG today, and the back and forth has really helped guide me in the writing of this. I (naively) deleted a lot of posts in the comment thread — critical ones from LGBTQ writers AND shit-posts by TERF/anti-trans orcs looking for clicks & giggles. I wanted a ‘nice comment thread’ about the pic with my friend. Ugh. So easy to think someone ELSE needs growth and miss the need in yourself. Gonna keep trying.”
Right here is where I, as a writer, feel the need to choose my words carefully. That’s fine—I’m a firm believer that people should choose their words carefully. However, I’m also fully aware that no matter what I say from this point on, some people in the comments are going to complain. That’s why I wanted to share Patton Oswalt’s posts and write this article—because while so many people have a desperate desire to remove complexity and nuance from our discourse, I have a desperate desire to insert it.
Here’s my TL;DR stance on that topic: Relationships are complicated. Perspectives are complicated. Practically nothing in this world is black-and-white, and if we refuse to acknowledge that seemingly conflicting things can be true at the same time, we will never be able to work through the things that divide us.
I’m not here to defend Dave Chappelle, nor am I here to defend Patton Oswalt. I’m here to defend the idea that people who consider themselves friends can have wildly different beliefs, can disagree vehemently with one another on really important issues, can debate and fight over such things and still see value in one another and in their relationship. Everyone makes different choices about what and who they support, as well as why and how, but those choices are rarely as simple as some make them out to be.
Let’s say someone decides, “I flat-out refuse to be friends with someone with racist/sexist/anti-LGBTQ views.” Great, so where do you draw the line? Because the vast majority of people have shades of those views, even those who purport not to, simply by living in and being groomed by the world we were born into. If you cut out all people with any hint of those views, you’re basically cutting out most of humanity.
“Well, we can be friends as long as they are educating themselves and making an effort,” one might say. Great, so how do you assess that? What criteria do you use? What if they aren’t learning what you want them to or at a pace you deem acceptable? How do you measure those things? And even if you do decide that someone is too problematic for you to associate with, what is your purpose in cutting them off? Is it to change their mind? (Unlikely.) Is it to punish? (Understandable impulse, but is that actually solving the problem?) Is it to reduce harm? (If the person is causing you harm, disassociation makes sense. If the person is causing other people harm, is your disassociation going to stop that harm? Could you do more good in the world by maintaining the friendship?)
This is where nuance and complexity come in. The answers to all of those questions are going to be different for every single person and every single relationship, and that’s okay. Some people don’t even feel the need to ask and answer those questions because they view the nature and purpose of relationships differently, and that’s okay, too.
I’m not saying we should tolerate or befriend Nazis; what I’m saying is that there’s an ocean of gray between befriending Nazis and piling onto or disassociating with anyone who hasn’t reached a perfect stage of social enlightenment. While we all can decide where on that spectrum we want to be, we cannot—and should not—decide that for anyone else. Every person is different, every relationship is unique and I don’t think any one of us should be in the business of judging who should be friends with whom.
We need fewer black-and-white hot takes and more acknowledgment that living with other human beings in this world is complicated. Oswalt’s post was the response of a complex human with complex relationships who is trying to navigate a world that doesn’t embrace complexity. Perhaps it’s imperfect, but really, when did we start to demand perfection from people?
Call out harm when it happens, absolutely, but let’s move away from the idea that one person’s problematic words or behavior mean that everyone associated with that person must be called to account for their sins. There’s just no way that ends well for anyone, and it definitely won’t get us anywhere near where we want to be.
From the NFL Network to NBA TV and beyond, North American professional sports leagues operate networks explicitly designed to promote the product. While that can include exclusive broadcasts of valuable game footage, intriguing documentaries or even studio programming, challenges can arise when navigating the waters of objectivity, analysis and criticism. On Monday, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reported that Ken Rosenthal, a well-regarded journalist and reporter from The Athletic and Fox Sports, lost his position at MLB Network in a move “that is believed to be the end result of acrimony that peaked in the summer of 2020 after Rosenthal criticized commissioner Rob Manfred.”
Rosenthal’s situation is interesting in that MLB Network was not his primary employer, but Marchand reports that his contract expired at the end of 2021. From there, an MLB spokesman shared a statement with the New York Post.
“As MLB Network continues to look at fresh ways to bring baseball to our viewers, there is a natural turnover in our talent roster that takes place each year,” the statement reads. “Ken played a significant part at MLB Network over the last 13 years. From spring training to the winter meetings, we thank him for his work across MLB Network’s studio, game and event programming, and wish him the very best going forward.”
Rosenthal was reportedly “kept off the air for around three months” in 2020 after writing about Manfred’s performance during MLB’s pandemic-led challenges. He was not publicly suspended, and was paid, but Marchand describes the situation as a “months-long penalty box” that seemingly never recovered in full.
The piece in question, penned by Rosenthal for The Athletic, did criticize Manfred to some degree, but not to the point of being out of bounds or really raising any kind of flags for being unfair. Rosenthal wrote that “Rob Manfred finally seems to be figuring out he has no choice: Strike a deal with the union and salvage the 2020 season, or ruin his legacy as commissioner of baseball.” From there, he also noted that “as if the perception that Manfred is beholden to owners and out of touch with players was not bad enough, he was trending on Twitter on Monday after performing a massive flip-flop.”
All in all, this is a strange situation, especially given that more than a year has passed since the time of the first column that reportedly drew the ire of MLB. Beyond that, this is the type of sticky spot that makes league-run networks challenging, and it is noteworthy that MLB has always insisted that there is something of a firewall between the commissioner’s office and any journalism, which doesn’t exactly jive with this reporting. Making things even more interesting is MLB’s ongoing lockout and the fact that MLB.com currently displays very little information about any active player, including the removal of all imagery.
Rosenthal seems to be best known for his work at The Athletic and as a sideline/dugout reporter for FOX’s MLB coverage. As such, he should land on his feet well from this, but that doesn’t change the bizarre nature of MLB’s actions, particularly if the reporting from Marchand proves to be accurate. Manfred has a long history of strange and often nonsensical behavior and, if there is a chance that parting ways with Rosenthal came from the top, that behavior could be continuing.
UPDATE: Rosenthal confirmed he was let go by MLB Network on Twitter in a statement, and while he didn’t go into details, his note about always trying to “maintain my journalistic integrity” seemed to be a nod towards the details in Marchand’s piece.
Can confirm MLB Network has decided not to bring me back. I’m grateful for the more than 12 years I spent there, and my enduring friendships with on-air personalities, producers and staff. I always strove to maintain my journalistic integrity, and my work reflects that. 1/2
“The Matrix” (1999) directed by the Wachowskis, was one of the biggest box-office hits of the ‘90s. It changed the course of cinema by being one of the first films to create a credible cinematic world that exists in the digital realm.
The special effects and action sequences were also groundbreaking at the time. The slow-motion “bullet-time” effects would become a hallmark of action films for the next 20 years.
The film’s success made its lead actor, Keanu Reeves, a very rich man. The actor made a $10 million salary for appearing in the film and received $35 million on the back end.
But instead of pocketing the generational wealth, he donated 70% of it to fund leukemia research. Reeves’ sister, Kim, was diagnosed with cancer in 1991 and battled it for 10 years, before going into remission.
He also sold his home to be closer to his sister and spent $5 million in therapies to help her recover. Reeves was the primary caretaker for his sister while she was sick, he cooked her meals, cleaned the house and prepared her medication.
He dedicated his life to being a cancer caretaker as his career as a leading man was skyrocketing.
Keanu Reeves with his sisters Kim and Karina during the premiere of Matrix pic.twitter.com/C0kJ5Z4fis
His dedication to his sister meant that “The Matrix”’s first two sequels had to be delayed.
“She was always there for me, you know. I will always be here for her,” he said.
The siblings have a close bond forged by a tough childhood. Their father walked out on the family when Reeves was just 2 and later served time for drug possession. The children were raised by their mother and they moved frequently, living in Canada, Australia, New York and Hawaii.
Reeves created a charity foundation to help those fighting cancer, although he doesn’t want any of the credit. “I have a private foundation that’s been running for five or six years, and it helps aid a couple of children’s hospitals and cancer research,” he said, according to The Mercury News.
“I don’t like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does,” he added.
Reeves is also very generous with his coworkers. He reportedly gave a significant amount of the back-end profits he made from “The Matrix” films to the visual effects artists and costume designers, although that was apparently more an in-kind donation to the production of the films, and not literally a cash payout to crew members and some have claimed.
Reeves’ nomadic life as an artist has led him to the understanding that true happiness doesn’t come from accumulating wealth and material objects, but learning how to appreciate what you have already.
“That enormous sense of gratitude is enough for me–I don’t need to surround myself with a lot of objects and possessions to feel that way,” he said according to the Mirror. “It’s always nice to open your eyes every morning and see the world–it all seems so simple! That’s why I frequently use an expression that I like very much, and which gives me peace of mind: ‘I’m happy to be here.’”
The NBA pressed on through a December with rising case counts and saw well over 100 players go into COVID protocols during December, and while the league instituted new rules requiring teams to sign replacements to 10-day contracts on hardship exemptions in order to keep games going even during outbreaks, there were some postponements that could not be avoided.
In total, the NBA has postponed 11 games this season, and it appears the league office spent the time after Christmas crunching the schedule to try and figure out how to reconfigure things to make those games up. On Monday, the league announced the new dates for those 11 games, plus eight games that were moved to facilitate the rescheduled games, as well as a pair of new game times to help give teams the needed time between tipoffs.
The NBA today announced the rescheduling of the 11 games postponed in December due to the impact of the COVID-19 virus. pic.twitter.com/MJyiNesT5P
In total, 19 teams are impacted by the 21 rescheduled games, with the Nets, Bulls, and Raptors all having four new game days (with the Nets also having a new game time this Sunday).
The NBA will hope that will be the only rescheduling it has to do this season, and hope that the league is through the worst of the surge of cases that saw dozens of games go on with hastily thrown together rosters of players who, sometimes, hadn’t met one another before pregame warmups.
Sometimes we get a little too caught up in the American craft beer world and have to take a step back and pay a little respect to those who not only came before but are still doing it today. We’re talking about the European breweries that created and perfected styles that American brewers do their best to imitate. Today, we’re specifically talking about German beers. There are myriad German brands and styles just waiting to be discovered (or re-discovered) as long as you’re willing to put down your New England-style IPA or fruited sour long enough to try them.
Luis G. Brignoni, founder of Wynwood Brewing Co. in Miami likes Oktoberfest beer, regardless of the season.
“I really do appreciate a lot of different German styles and brands,” he says, “including a lot of the traditional styles from the Hefeweizens to the different lagers they offer. If I had to pick one, I may pick the Oktoberfest style. I enjoy the malt complexity in them. I look forward to them coming out every year and sharing with family and friends.
Eric Warner, brewmaster at Karbach Brewing Co. in Houston is more of a fan of the country’s take on the wheat beer.
“I’m a huge fan of the German-Style Hefeweizens (or Weissbier), which is ironic because the first time I tried this style 35 years ago I thought it was one of the grossest beers I’d ever tried,” he tells us. “They are definitely an acquired taste, but once the style did connect with me, I was hooked for life. The aroma of hefeweizens is complex and beguiling: notes of clove, nutmeg, banana, and bubblegum.”
Whether you enjoy weissbiers, doppelbocks, or helles lagers, Germany has something for your palate. To find the best options, we went to the professionals for help. We asked a handful of well-known craft brewers and craft beer experts to tell us their favorite German beers for now and any time of year. Keep reading to see their selections.
Aecht Schlenkerla Marzen
Aecht Schlenkerla
Alex Wenner, owner and brewer at Lasting Joy Brewery in Hudson Valley, New York
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love pilsners. However, we can get great pilsners all over the world. There is one beer style that has hardly made it out of Germany, let alone brewed as perfectly as it is by the masters. Aecht Schlenkerla are the premier maltsters and brewers of rauchbier, or smoked beer. Brewed with beech-wood smoked malt, the classic marzen from Schlenkerla is the gold standard for smoked beers. The intense smoke flavor that could almost trick you into thinking someone had managed to liquefy a smoked brisket or pork shoulder is not for everyone, but I recommend everyone try and have a taste at least once.
Weihenstephaner Helles
Weihenstephaner
Tom Fiorenzi, director of brewery operations at Shiner Beer in Shiner, Texas
German Beers have a distinctive aroma and taste. The malt, yeast, and hops are all unique and vary in intensity for each beer style. The beer style is very personal to me since I grew up in a German community that celebrated in a traditional fashion. I have two favorite German Beers and they are dependent on the time of year. Specifically, I enjoy the Weihenstephaner Original Helles and Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen. Traditionally, the brewmaster would adjust the recipes to make a lighter gravity beer in the summer (known as light beer today) and a higher gravity beer in the winter months.
Paulaner Munich Helles is my pick. It has just a little sweetness, great German malt character, and next to no hops. It’s the way beer is intended to be made.
Ayinger Celebrator is still a delicious classic and of course who doesn’t love two goats sharing a giant stein of overflowing doppelbock. We made a monster lager called Bock Bock influenced by the style and with typical American craft slight regard and slight disregard for tradition, we cranked up the ABV, threw in a slew of additional malt varieties — and then barrel-aged the whole batch in bourbon barrels.
Edelstoff Helles Lager from Augustiner-Bräu is a wonderful highly drinkable beer from Bavaria, Germany. Its grassy hop aroma, soft malt notes, and bright straw color, and effervescent bubbles make this one of my favorite beers to enjoy over and over and over (I can keep going here) again; and at a mere 5.2% ABV that is not that hard to do.
My favorite German beer is Ayinger Urweisse. It is an amber weissbier that perfectly balances banana and clove yeast-derived flavors with bready and caramel malt-derived flavors. It is the quintessential biergarten weissbier.
Huppendorfer Pils
Huppendorfer
Jack Hendler, co-owner of Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers in Framingham, Massachusetts
ABV: 4.9% Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
Huppendorfer Pils – but you can’t get this beer in the US. You will have to go to Bamberg, or right outside of Bamberg to get that beer. It’s a cool place. It’s an old-time family historical brewery that just makes classic Franconian beers and the pils is one of their best. It’s not overly bitter but it has a nice hop aroma. It has foam that sticks 5 inches out of the glass. It’s a perfectly crafted, excellent pilsner.
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier
Weihenstephaner
Stephen Hale, founding brewer at Schlafly Beer in St. Louis
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier, or Hefeweizen. Everything about this style is magnificent—the dedicated style of glassware, the distinct aroma and flavor, the freshness, and the overall uniqueness of the beer. I know not everyone is a fan, but there are those who feel passionately. The yeast strain really sets it aside (as with many beer styles), and once you fall in love with it, you’re hooked.
I have a soft spot in my heart for Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, brewed by Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu in Munich. It’s a long story involving stumbling back from Oktoberfest and going into a German pub because we saw the Franziskaner sign when we definitely didn’t need another liter. It’s got all the best flavors of a Hefeweizen — great banana, clove, and wheat.
I love German beer and that was only fueled after studying at the Doemens Academy outside of Munich. My weekends were filled with chasing down some of the finest lager bier brewed in the world. Without a doubt, the favorite I found was Tegernseer Hell – a perfectly balanced and beautifully hopped helles. This beer is flawless. It is brilliantly bright, a rocky pillowy head, and has a hop aroma I have tried to replicate in my own beers for years. The hops burst from your stein like a radiant and vibrant bouquet of flowers.
Another reason this beer has stuck with me was the journey I took to get there. Taking several trains winding through the mountains finally depositing you in the most picturesque mountain town on a lake. The brewery is tucked away in the north wing of a beautiful monastery and the tables inside are adorned with the common “Stammtisch” placards awaiting their daily patrons who will inevitably consume a liter or two of this gorgeous helles.
One of the first German beers I ever tried in my younger days, Spaten Optimator is a 7.6% ABV doppelbock highlighted by notes of roasted malts, caramel, and dried fruits. It’s bold, rich, and well-suited for winter drinking. It’s the kind of beer I go back to again and again.
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CLOWNEY PULLED A MARCO WILSON!!
: #CLEvsPIT on ESPN
: https://t.co/cgTGrVtr6i pic.twitter.com/gM6uDxCRod
(@FO_ASchatz) January 4, 2022
