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We write about the India Pale Ale often and there’s a reason for it. When it comes to beer hierarchy, it’s very difficult (especially during the misty summer months) to beat the appeal of the IPA. It’s a complex, complicated beer that was originally created in the 1700s in England with the sole reason to stay fresh on the long journey to India (hence the name). In the centuries since, it’s become a style that has branches that appeal to every type of craft beer drinker.

While the IPA is most known for its hoppy aroma and flavor, there are various types of IPAs with different levels of hops and bitterness (as well as many other unique, fruity, citrusy flavors). These include the English IPA, Black IPA, Session IPA, Double IPA, Triple IPA, American IPA (also known as West Coast IPA), and the newly popular New England IPA.

Since we spend a lot of time writing about well-known IPAs, we figured the time was right to highlight some of the lesser-known, underrated IPAs you should be sipping as summer fades into fall. Check out eight of our favorites below and click on those prices to try them yourself.

DC Brau Joint Resolution

ABV: 5.5%

Average Price: $13 for a six-pack

The Beer:

In a time of great divide in our nation, we really need a joint resolution, even if it’s just in beer form. This 5.5 percent, highly crushable, cloudy, juicy, hazy IPA is brewed with Pale 2-row, white wheat, flaked oats, Carafoam, and Acidulated malts alongside multiple hops like Michigan Copper and Chinook.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is exactly what you’d hope for in a hazy IPA. It’s loaded with aromas of citrus zest, ripe tropical fruits, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. The palate echoes the nose with flavors of tangerine, grapefruit, mango, peach, and a nice floral, dank hop flavor that leaves you wanting more.

Bottom Line:

This is the juicy, hazy, tropical IPA you’ll want to sip for the rest of the summer. It has everything New England IPA fans crave.

Evil Twin Falco

ABV: 7%

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

The Beer:

This 7 percent ABV IPA isn’t as bold and bitter as most West Coast IPAs but also isn’t as hazy and fruity as a New England IPA. It’s complex, balanced, and just might become your new summer sipper.

Tasting Notes:

This almost amber, straw-colored beer begins with a nose of freshly baked bread, caramel malts, and light wildflowers. There’s very little hop resin in the nose. Taking a sip reveals the missing hop flavor with notes of spruce tips, more floral flavors, grapefruit, pineapple, and a nice citrus zest finish.

Bottom Line:

This is one of the most well-rounded IPAs on the market. It’s filled with fresh fruit and citrus flavors and just the right amount of hop bitterness to appeal to all IPA drinkers.

Upslope IPA

ABV: 7.2%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

The Beer:

If you’ve never tried Upslope, you’re really missing out. The Colorado-based brewery has been cranking out bangers since it opened in 2008. Its IPA is the brewery’s shining star with its 7.2 percent ABV. It’s malty, piney, slightly bitter, and highly drinkable. One sip and it will earn a permanent spot in your beer rotation.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is highlighted by scents of lemon peel, butterscotch, and bready malts. The palate is a complex mixture of caramel malts, fresh-baked bread, lime zest, and light, resinous, bitter hops. It’s surprisingly well-balanced and sippable.

Bottom Line:

Hops aren’t the main event in this IPA. There’s a healthy dose of caramel and bready malts to temper the piney hops presence.

Two Brothers Heavy Handed

ABV: 6.7%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

More than two decades ago two brothers (Jason and Jim Ebel) started Two Brothers in Warrenville, Illinois. They’ve been making award-winning beer ever since. One of its best, unique brews is its Heavy Handed IPA. This wet-hopped IPA is referred to by the brewery as a “hop lover’s dream” and we couldn’t agree more (though the taste varies based on the hops included in each batch).

Tasting Notes:

This hop-centric beer begins with aromas of wet green grass, dried hay, resinous, floral hops, light citrus, and a nice malty backbone to tie it all together. The taste is a combination of caramel malts, pine needles, fresh-squeezed lemon, and a gentle bitterness at the finish.

Bottom Line:

Even with the high alcohol content and heavy hand (get it) of hops included, this IPA manages to be very well-balanced and surprisingly mellow in flavor.

Shed Mountain IPA

ABV: 6.6%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This is the replacement for the brewery’s original Shed IPA. It’s brewed with Chinook, Centennial, and Simcoe hops and is a true hop bomb. This is because, while there is a malt backbone, the piney, resinous, slightly bitter hops are the main event.

Tasting Notes:

Potent aromas of orange rinds, grapefruit, pine trees, a kick of floral hops greet you on the nose. The palate opens with biscuit-like malts that are overshadowed by resinous pine, more grapefruit, tangerine, and a nice dry, refreshing finish.

Bottom Line:

This beer is touted as being super hoppy, but, unlike some of the harsh, bitter West Coast IPAs that claim the same thing, it manages to be flavorful, floral, and un-abrasive in its hop flavor.

Starr Hill Northern Lights

ABV: 6.2%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Starr Hill Northern Lights is brewed with 2-row and caramel malts, as well as Falconer’s Flight, Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade, and Columbus hops, giving it a balanced, crisp, hoppy flavor.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is littered with scents of grapefruit, wildflowers, fresh hay, earthy grass, and a slight, sweet malty scent. Sipping it brings forth notes of lemon, lime, grapefruit, slight pine, and just enough caramel malt flavor to temper the hop bitterness.

Bottom Line:

While this beer definitely leans in the floral, citrusy, piney IPA zone, there’s enough malt backbone to appeal to all IPA fans.

Uinta Hop Nosh

ABV: 7.3%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Uinta is fairly well-known in the craft beer drinking community, but it’s still a little underrated in the general beer world. Its award-winning Hop Nosh is its flagship beer for a reason. It’s pleasantly bitter, aromatic, and refreshing. Its balance of bitterness to malts is what makes it a real winner in our book.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a symphony of ripe pineapple, juicy melon, slight pine, and a hint of floral hops. The flavor is dank, resinous, and filled with hints of grapefruit, pineapple, lime, sweet malts, and a strong, yet not abrasive bitter finish.

Bottom Line:

This is more in line with the classic West Coast IPAs we know and love. While there are sweet malt flavors included, this is a bitter hop bomb and we love everything about it.

Terrapin Hopsecutioner

ABV: 7.3%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

The Story:

With a name like Hopsecutioner, you better believe this is an intensely hoppy beer. This 7.3 percent ABV IPA might be aggressively brewed with Warrior, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo, and Cascade hops, it’s well-balanced with the addition of 2-Row Pale, Crystal 24L, and Victory malts.

Tasting Notes:

Resin and pine are the dominating aromas after your first nosing. They’re followed by hints of lemon peel, grapefruit, and a nice, sweet caramel malt scent throughout. The palate is a symphony of tangerine, grapefruit, ripe berries, pine needles, and bready, sweet malts.

Bottom Line:

This is our kind of IPA. It has the wallop of six hop varieties bringing it bitter, floral, resinous flavors with the heavy malt component making it less aggressive than it might have been.

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

If you don’t know a lot about scotch and someone gave you a glass of an Islay single malt, you might assume that all whisky from Scotland was smoky, briny, and rich. But this is far from reality. The flavors vary by region, sometimes drastically. Speyside whiskies are known for vanilla, spice, honey, and only sometimes gentle smoke. Highland whiskies vary from sweet honey and heather to bold spice to smoke bombs. Lowland whiskies tend to be sweeter with more pronounced caramel flavors. Campbeltown, the Islands, and to a bigger degree Islay is where you’ll find briny, salty, and peaty smoked whiskies.

Here’s a refresher on peat-smoked whisky. For those unaware, peat is a decaying, highly compact organic matter that is found all over the island of Islay and various other places in Scotland, Ireland, and the world. It’s like thick mud that’s cut from the ground and used as a source of fuel. These whiskies get their flavor during the malting process when peat is burned to dry the barley and stop germination while imbuing the grains with billows of peat smoke. This adds the “smoky” flavor that peated whisky fans look forward to with every sip.

Today, we’re going to turn our attention to ten bold, brash, massively smoked expressions from Islay and beyond. Each of these whiskies are for those looking to either get into the style or take a step up with their already smoky palates. Also, if any of these bottles sound good to you, hit the prices to try and a bottle yourself!

Caol Ila 12

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $80

The Story:

A favorite of bartenders and scotch fans alike, Caol Ila 12 is well-known as one of the best smoky/briny Islay whisky gateway bottles. This dominatingly peated whisky was matured for 12 years and somehow manages to be reasonably priced at under $100. It’s herbal, smoky, slightly medicinal, and perfect for slow sipping near the ocean or in front of a painting of the sea.

Tasting Notes:

Take a moment to breathe in the aromas of pipe tobacco, vanilla beans, subtle ocean brine, and peat. Take a sip and you’ll find flavors of salted caramel, spicy cinnamon, dried fruits, and more peaty smoke. It all ends with a warming mouthful of immersive campfire smoke.

Bottom Line:

This is the bottle for peat beginners. Instead of diving right into the likes of Ardbeg and Bruichladdich and demolishing your palate, start with Coal Ila 12 and work your way up.

Kilchoman 100% Islay

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $100

The Story:

This is the tenth iteration of the beloved 100% Islay Series. The expression was distilled using Publican and Optic barley that was grown at Kilchoman and malted and peated on location. It was distilled and then matured in a combination of bourbon casks and Oloroso sherry butts for nine years.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’re greeted with aromas of ocean brine, almond cookies, vanilla, and a boatload of peat smoke. On the palate, you’ll find hay, dark chocolate, buttery caramel, and woodsmoke. The finish is long, warming, and ends with a nice herbal, peat smoke finish.

Bottom Line:

Depending on which year you find of this memorable expression, the taste will be subtly different, making each year a new flavor experience.

Compass Box The Peat Monster

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $65

The Story:

Compass Box is well-known for sourcing and blending whiskies from highly-regarded distilleries. The whiskies included in The Peat Monster are notably smoky and sourced from the Isle of Islay as well as the Highlands. This combination makes this expression both smoky and fruity.

Tasting Notes:

This complex whisky begins with scents of sea salt, iodine, dried cherries, and peat. Sipping this whisky will open your senses to a world of wildflowers, smoky bacon, tropical fruits, and more smoke. The finish is a nice mixture of sweet fruit flavors and rich, earthy smoke.

Bottom Line:

While this definitely fits the parameters of a “smoke monster” on par with the legendary Nessie, it also has a great, fruity sweetness that makes it really well-balanced.

Talisker Storm

ABV: 45.8%

Average Price: $60

The Story:

First released in 2013, this no age statement expression from the Talisker is matured in a combination of refill and toasted American oak barrels for under 12 years. It’s known for its bold, smoky, spicy, complex flavor.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll be greeted with aromas of crisp pear, astringent, bitter chocolate, and smoke. On the palate, you’ll find hints of wood char, toasted vanilla beans, peppery spice, and wood smoke. It all ends in a dry, pleasingly warm, smoky finish.

Bottom Line:

Talisker Storm lives up to its bold name. Sipping this whisky is like drinking in a swirling, rich, smoky hurricane of flavor.

Lagavulin 16

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $100

The Story:

One of the most well-known smoky whiskies in the world, this expression is matured in oak casks for 16 years. It’s well known for its combination of bold peat smoke as well as a mellow, sweetness, and a pleasing dry finish perfectly suited for sipping.

Tasting Notes:

Take a moment to give this whisky a proper nosing and you’ll notice hints of fresh Band-Aid, sea salt, and a wallop of peat smoke. Sipping this whisky will reveal flavors of toasted wood, buttercream frosting, spicy pepper, and a mouthful of smoke. The finish is salty, peaty, and smoky.

Bottom Line:

If you only buy one bottle on this list, make it Lagavulin 16. In our opinion, there’s no better peated whisky for the price.

Port Charlotte 10

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $70

The Story:

If you take a look at the bottle, you’ll immediately notice the words “heavily peated” and you’ll know exactly what you’re about to get in to. First released in 2018, this is the flagship expression for Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte line. This super smoky Islay single malt was matured for ten years in a combination of virgin American oak barrels, second-fill American oak barrels, and French wine casks.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll be struck by the vibrant aromas of candied orange peels, ocean brine, vanilla beans, and astringent peat. Take a sip and you’ll find notes of campfire smoke, salted caramel, sugar cookies, and spicy cinnamon. The ending is dry, smoky, and spicy.

Bottom Line:

This is not a smoky whisky for beginners. It’s briny, salty, subtly medicinal, and full of potent peat smoke throughout.

Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength

ABV: 60.1%

Average Price: $85

The Story:

Laphroaig 10 is one of the most well-known gateway Islay malts. It’s astringent, smoky, perfectly salty, and sweet. If you’re ready to level up to a bolder, brasher, more high-proof version that’s aged for ten years in ex-bourbon barrels before being bottled at cask strength, Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength is the bottle for you.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find scents of clover honey, almond cookies, toasted vanilla beans, and smoky astringency. Take a sip and you’ll be greeted with flavors of salted caramel, seaweed, buttery caramel, and peat smoke. The finish is dry, warming, and ends with a nice combination of vanilla, smoke, and brine.

Bottom Line:

When it comes to high-proof, potent, smoky whiskies, it’s pretty difficult to beat this expression from Laphroaig. It’s surprisingly wallet-friendly for the bold flavors in the bottle.

BenRiach 10 Curiositas

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $60

The Story:

Obviously, when drinkers think of peated scotch, Islay’s distilleries immediately come to mind. But, this smoky, peated, flavorful whisky comes from BenRiach up in Speyside. The malted barley is peat-smoked with Speysides more forest-driven peat and then it’s aged for ten years in oak barrels.

Tasting Notes:

Before you dive right in and take a sip, take a few seconds to fill your nostrils with the smells of caramel apples, vanilla beans, wood char, and rich smoke. Next, you’ll enjoy hints of dried fruits, wildflowers, butterscotch, and bold peaty smoke. The finish is peppery, smoky, and subtly sweet.

Bottom Line:

While Islay gets all the press for peated whiskies, it’s important to note that there are plenty of mainland distilleries making peated expressions. This bottle from BenRiach is one of the best.

Bruichladdich Octomore 10.4

ABV: 63.5%

Average Price: $250

The Story:

When it comes to peaty, smoky Scotch whiskies, no list is complete without the godfather of all smoke bombs, Octomore. 10.4. The youngest Octomore to date, it was distilled in 2016 and spent only three years aging in virgin oak barrels. This whisky isn’t just in your face with smoke like some of the previous expressions in this series, it’s more well-rounded with fruity sweet flavors.

Tasting Notes:

Take a few moments to breathe in the scents of cinnamon apples, sea salt, dried fruits, and dried peat. Take a sip and you’ll find flavors of pipe tobacco, raisins, sticky toffee pudding, and campfire smoke. It all ends with a nice, spicy, warming smoky heat.

Bottom Line:

This is definitely not the first smoky scotch you’ll add to your collection. But, once you’ve tried some of the beginner malts, this is the kind of bottle that will find a “forever home” on your whisky shelf.

Ardbeg Corryvreckan

ABV: 57.1%

Average Price: $95

The Story:

The name Ardbeg is synonymous with peat smoke. You can bet that if you crack open a bottle from this Islay distillery, there’ll be a fair bit of smoky goodness paired with sea brine. Corryvreckan — named for a nearby whirlpool in the sea — is a perfect blend of those two notes.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find vanilla cream, dried fruits, charred wood, and herbal, smoky peat. The palate is swirling with candied orange peels, sweet treacle, peppery spice, iodine, and smoked bacon. The finish is a nice mix of salted caramel and campfire smoke.

Bottom Line:

You can’t go wrong with any of the expressions from Ardbeg. They’re all a little different. If you enjoy Corryvreckan, make sure to try Ardbeg 10, An Oa, Uigeadail, and the other outstanding expressions.

As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

Any time I’m given the opportunity to boast about Texas whiskey, particularly the bourbons, I take it. In fact, this year I was able to flex my tasting “muscles” as a judge of the Texas Whiskey Festival. Just when I thought I couldn’t be impressed even more about the unique whiskey Texas has to offer, I was enthralled even more by the varying nuances of bourbons across the state. Given that it’s never the wrong season for bourbon, I have my go-to drams throughout the year while also taking time to try the new kids on the block.

For this blind tasting, I’ve included a few of my go-to names alongside newbies to the world of Texas bourbon and my palate. While a couple of these bourbons are what I consider hard to find on the market (looking at you Milam & Greene and Grayson Whiskey), most bottles can be easily purchased online for under $50 in most regions.

So, which bottles are part of the blind tasting? See below.

• Treaty Oak The Day Drinker Texas Bourbon
• Still Austin The Musician Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Milam & Greene Distillery Edition Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon
• Grayson Texas Blended Bourbon
• Nine Banded Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Nine Banded Wheated Straight Bourbon
• Silver Star 1849 Bourbon Whiskey

You might notice a few Texas bourbon rockstars missing from the lineup of this blind tasting. This was intentional. For one, this is the first Texas bourbon blind tasting for UPROXX. Two, there’s enough sun for everyone in that there’s a variety of sippers that warrant your attention too. And before you get all holy roller on me about including Nine Banded Whiskey — yes, I know it’s sourced from Indiana. I’m including it to see how Indiana juice compares to pure Texas distillate blind. Will it stand up? Let’s get into the tasting, y’all, and find out!

Part 1: The Taste

Taste 1:

Tasting Notes:

The golden amber hue coupled with the cinnamon aroma drew me in immediately. The flavor is riddled with toasted oak, leather, and reminiscent of the candied nuts I get from Buc-ee’s (a gas station convenience store). The finish fades nicely like that of a pleasant song that’s come to its end.

Taste 2:

Tasting Notes:

The baking spices, specifically clove and cinnamon, are coupled with honey upon the first whiff. Fruity flavors coupled with apple butter scream “Autumn!” but also buttery toffee notes make this quite an exceptional pour. Warm, spicy finish at the back of the palate.

Taste 3:

Tasting Notes:

There’s a butterscotch color along with the same fragrant allure similar to Werther’s Originals. Hints of oak and vanilla dance across the taste buds before its fleeting soft sweet finish.

Taste 4:

Tasting Notes:

The aroma reminds me of the orange cookies my grandmother made for me as a child. They were toasted, fruity, and rich just like this whiskey. The palate is full of dark chocolate with a long-drawn finish that’s just as sweet and sumptuous as the first sip. I have a feeling this is Milam & Greene’s bourbon.

Taste 5:

Tasting Notes:

The nose encompasses a few things I appreciate about bourbon including oak, brown sugar, and spice. There’s a creamy, caramel mouthfeel that’s made complete with a quick flame of heat at the finish.

Taste 6:

Tasting Notes:

The honeysuckle hue partnered with the toasted almond nose drew me in, but it’s the torched brown sugar and hints of honey on the palate that kept my rapt attention. The finish is a warm hug in potency, just enough to be comforting without being squeezed to death.

Taste 7:

Tasting Notes:

Reddish mahogany color is certainly different, so I surmised this bourbon had a solid oak presence, and I was right on the nose (literally). Heavy oak aroma is accompanied by roasted chocolate coffee beans with a velvety mouthfeel that’s made even more appealing by its maple and allspice flavors. Spice nibbles at the finish with a slow burn at the front of the palate.

Taste 8:

Tasting Notes:

For breakfast as a child, I used to enjoy toasted bread with butter and honey. The nose reminds me of this fond memory. The mouthfeel is enjoyably creamy with a soft hint of vanilla bean. The finish is underwhelming and left me asking: Where’s the heat?

Part 2: The Ranking

8. Treaty Oak The Day Drinker Texas Bourbon — Taste 8

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $25

The Whiskey:

The Day Drinker has a mash bill consisting of 57 percent Yellow Corn No. 1, 32 percent Texas wheat, and eleven percent malted barley. It’s aged for one year in first use American white oak with a medium char level.

Bottom Line:

Not bad for a one-year-old bourbon in terms of flavor complexity. I just wish the finish left more of an impression.

7. Nine Banded Straight Bourbon — Taste 6

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $32

The Whiskey:

This whiskey has a mash bill consisting of 87 percent corn, eleven percent rye, and two percent malted barley made in Indiana. The whiskey is then sent down to Texas’ Hill Country where it’s cut with our limestone-filtered water and bottled locally.

Bottom Line:

Nine Banded won me over as a fan. However, this is a bourbon that’s best suited for an old fashioned rather than sipping neat.

6. Nine Banded Wheated Bourbon — Taste 5

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $38

The Whiskey:

This wheated bourbon is crafted with 51 percent corn, 45 percent wheat, and four percent malted barley in Indiana. Like Nine Banded Straight Bourbon, this dram is made complete with limestone-filtered water from the Texas Hill Country.

Bottom Line:

This one is the polar opposite of Nine Banded Straight Bourbon, and that’s a good thing. You can enjoy this neat as much as you would in a spirit-forward cocktail.

5. Grayson Texas Blended Bourbon — Taste 7

ABV: 59.7%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

Batch one of Grayson contains a blend of Texas whiskeys from some of the biggest names in the game, including Ironroot Republic Distilling, Balcones Distilling, and Five Points Distilling (the masterminds behind Lone Elm Whiskey). Each barrel in the blend was three to seven years old. Fun fact: Grayson is the first black-owned whiskey brand from Texas. It was co-founded by author and craft spirits expert Nico Martini, former MLB three-time All-Star Vernon Wells, and private equity investor Brandon Davis.

Bottom Line:

If you’re not into a heavy oak presence, this one isn’t for you. It’s an all-around solid sipper and I look forward to batch two.

4. Milam & Greene Distillery Edition Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 4

ABV: 60.9%

Average Price: $100

The Whiskey:

This limited edition grain-to-glass straight bourbon was the distillery’s first “Certified Texas Whiskey” produced in Texas Hill Country (Blanco, Texas specifically). The mash bill is comprised of 70 percent corn, 22 percent rye, and eight percent malted barley.

Bottom Line:

If you’re a chocoholic, then you’ll fall in love with this limited release. We’re all chocoholics at the end of the day, right? Also, I wish you well in finding a bottle outside of Texas.

3. Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon — Taste 1

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $31

The Whiskey:

This grain-to-glass bourbon is crafted using a traditional pot still distillation. It’s made from a four-grain mash of corn, wheat, rye, and barley and aged for a minimum of two years in Balcones’ Waco rickhouse.

Bottom Line:

This is a must-have for any bourbon lover in the country, even if you’re not a fan of Texas!

2. Silver Star 1849 Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 3

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $46

The Whiskey:

This Fort Worth-based distillery remains a mystery in terms of its distillate origins. It’s crafted with a mash of corn, rye, and barley and aged in a 30-gallon white oak barrel for just over three years. Cool fact: The bourbon is cut with Texas rainwater.

Bottom Line:

This one was a shocker in the best way. Hello, new go-to.

1. Still Austin The Musician Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 2

ABV: 49.2%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

The Musician consists of a mash bill of 70 percent white corn, 25 percent rye, and five percent malted barley. It’s then aged for around two years before getting cut with local water and bottled.

Bottom Line:

Young, yum, and fun! The Musician has easily become my go-to bourbon for sipping neat and in cocktails. This bourbon proves the adage that sometimes “age ain’t nothing but a number.”

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

Social media often has a revolving door of trending topics, but there are those few moments where something comes out of left field. An example of that has been the recent uptick in celebrities admitting to rather unusual shower routines. It all started when Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher said they only bathe their children when “you can see the dirt on them.” Kristen Bell chimed in afterward and revealed she’s a “big fan of waiting for the stink. Once you catch a whiff, that’s biology’s way of letting you know you need to clean it up.” Jake Gyllenhaal later deemed bathing to be “less necessary, at times.”

The entire ordeal has left many with questions for their friends and favorite celebrities. This includes Cardi B who took to Twitter to share her reaction to those who don’t shower on a daily basis. “Wassup with people saying they don’t shower ?” she wrote with an arched eyebrow emoji, before adding, “It’s giving itchy.”

Cardi’s concerns are akin to that of many other people, but for what it’s worth, fans of The Rock and Jason Momoa can rest knowing that the actors are all for a good scrub to begin and/or end their day. The former pointed out that he’s “the opposite of a ‘not washing themselves’ celeb” as he showers three times a day in addition to exfoliating and singing “off key” in the shower. Momoa, on the other hand, had a simple response when he was asked about his shower routine. “I’m not starting any trends. I shower, trust me,” he replied. “I’m Aquaman. I’m in the f*cking water. Don’t worry about it. I’m Hawaiian. We got saltwater on me. We good.”

You can read Cardi B’s tweet above.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Bonnaroo ran into a lot of trouble setting up the follow-up to their 2019 festival. The pandemic prevented organizers from hosting the showcase on the originally planned weekend of June 11-14, 2020. At first they delayed to September of that year, but they were soon forced to postpone until June 2021…before pushing it back for a third time, to September 2-5, 2021. Thankfully, the showcase will go as planned this year, but attendees will not be able to enter the venue without adhering to a new rule.

On Tuesday, the Tennessee-based festival announced new requirements for the showcase. “The safety of our patrons and staff is our number one priority,” organizers wrote in a statement. “As such a full COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test will be required to attend Bonnaroo 2021.” This is the same rule that Chicago’s Lollapalooza implemented last month for their 2021 festival. “Bonnaroo strongly encourages vaccination,” the festival added. “The last day to receive the second shot of Moderna or Pfizer, or a single dose of Johnson and Johnson is Thursday, August 19th.”

For those who follow Bonnaroo’s new policy, they’ll be able to enjoy an impressive lineup that includes Tyler, the Creator, Young Thug, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby, Run the Jewels, Kevin Gates, Tame Impala, J.I.D, and more.

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

Las Vegas Summer League provides an avenue for basketball die-hards to indulge in wall-to-wall action from midday into the late evening for more than a week. For others, it’s an opportunity to catch a glimpse of some of the NBA’s potential stars of the future. And on a few occasions during the week, single games can bring both, which was the case on Tuesday night during a matchup featuring No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons against No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green and the Houston Rockets. The Rockets ultimately picked up a 111-91 victory but, as always, the final score took a backseat to the work of exciting prospects.

Cunningham got the better of the matchup in the early going, as the Pistons were more intentional about getting him on the ball and Cunningham’s intensity and competitiveness rose to the surface. First, he flashed his three-point shooting with an early pull-up.

Then, Cunningham attacked the rim for an intriguing finish, only to follow that up (after creating a steal with his defensive range near mid-court) with a dish in transition.

Not to be outdone, Green settled in with his usual and varied shotmaking arsenal. That included a tough three-pointer to get things going.

Cunningham was able to create more effective opportunities, both as a jump shooter and as a penetrating option, and that was on display with a third quarter rim attack.

Green kept it coming with perimeter shooting and, not to be understated, the ability to draw fouls and convert 10 of his 11 attempts at the free throw line.

Perhaps the highlight of the night went to Cunningham, though, as he went one-on-one with Green and created a three-pointer with some flair.

Of course, Cunningham and Green weren’t the only intriguing prospects involved in this particular contest, and there were several reminders of that. 2021 first round pick Alperen Sengun impressed for the Rockets as an offensive focal point, using his craft to finish near the rim in multiple ways.

Sengun also stepped way beyond the arc for a deep three-pointer that turned some heads, and he finished the night with 21 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

Detroit received notable contributions from Saddiq Bey (12 points, seven rebounds, four assists), Saben Lee (13 points, two steals) and former college superstar Luka Garza (15 points in 16 minutes), but the other attention-grabbing effort came from Rockets guard Josh Christopher. He finished with 15 points and seven assists in 27 minutes, living up to his pre-college hype as a scorer and quickly becoming a crowd favorite with his attacking style on both ends.

All told, this was a matchup that lived up to the hype, both with the top two picks and their supporting counterparts. Cunningham wasn’t incredibly efficient, scoring 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting, but his two assists understate the effectiveness of his distribution — his teammates went 3-for-26 on threes for the evening — and he is already a very strong defender with three steals and quality activity. Green picked up where he left off after a fantastic opener with 25 points, five rebounds, and three assists, overcoming a considerable amount of defensive attention from Detroit and making sure his presence was felt.

This was still only a Summer League game in the end. Still, it answered the bell from an entertainment standpoint and several rising prospects were able to effectively showcase their appeal and future upside.

Technically speaking, Rand Paul is a doctor: He’s an ophthalmologist. But that doesn’t exactly make him qualified to talk about, let’s say, highly transmissible diseases that have caused a once-in-a-century global health crisis. And yet, time and time again, he’s squared off against Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top immunologist, who safe to say knows much more than he does. And every time Paul comes for Dr. Fauci, he only gets schooled, because at best he’s an eye doctor. But now Paul’s medical bona fides, or lack thereof, have gotten him temporarily suspended from YouTube.

According to Yahoo!, the physician and current senator was yanked from the video sharing service after dropping an instantly controversial video in which he didn’t just come out against mask mandates, but claimed they’re dangerous. (They’re not.)

“Saying cloth masks work, when they don’t, actually risks lives, as someone may choose to care for a loved one with COVID while only wearing a cloth mask,” Paul says in the video. “This is not only bad advice but also potentially deadly misinformation.”

He also railed against “vaccine passports” and the nation’s top doctors, whose attempts to stop a currently worsening pandemic he described as a “drunk-with-power reign over the Capitol.”

Paul’s video was over-the-top even for COVID skeptics. Most simply complain about them being symbols of oppression, or at least slightly uncomfortable. Doctors by and large agree that they offer at least some protection, for one’s self and for others. But Rand went all in, asserting that they don’t work, when data comparing places with widespread mask use to those without it strongly suggest otherwise.

It was unhinged enough to not only get Paul suspended for a week, starting Monday, but to be the second YouTube video yanked from the service in a week. Last week, they removed one showing his appearance on Newsmax, wherein he argued much the same thing, on top of complaining about his beef with Dr. Fauci, of course.

Paul did not take the suspension lightly. “They are now banning all my speech, including speech that is given on the Senate floor, which is protected constitutional,” he told reporters. “YouTube now thinks they are smart enough and godly enough that they can oversee speech, even constitutionally protected speech.”

Paul isn’t the only Republican suspended from a social media site for spreading COVID misinformation. Marjorie Taylor Greene was suspended from Twitter for a fourth time after claiming that “vaccines are failing” and “do not reduce the spread.” (Ditto masks, she also claimed.) According to Twitter’s rules for COVID misinformation, if she’s suspended a fifth time, it will be permanent.

Anyway, please wear masks, even if you’re fully vaccinated. They’re just masks. You’ll live.

(Via Yahoo!)

A number of rappers have stepped into the marijuana industry, among them Jay-Z, G-Eazy, Ice Cube, and Russ, at a time when recreational weed use has become increasingly legal across the nation. It’s not just about making it easier for people to get high. There’s been a push to alter past penalties given to those were placed in prison when it was still widely illegal. And ot raise awareness for this idea, some in Michigan have decided to start a new music festival.

Former NBA player Al Harrington’s Village, who is responsible the largest conglomerate of black-owned cannabis brands in the United States, is starting Nobody’s Home, a hip-hop festival on September 4 to bring awareness to marijuana laws. Rick Ross and G Herbo will headline, with Freddie Gibbs, Jay Electronica, Chase B, Babyface Ray, G.T., and more set to appear. The festival will take place in Benton Harbor, Michigan with performances running from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Dwight Mitchell City Center Park.

According to HipHopDX, Kanye West’s longtime manager John Monopoly is responsible for curating the festival while another former NBA player, Wilson Chandler, leads the cannabis brand, Nobody’s Home, that flagships the event.

The Nobody’s Home festival is free to attend for anyone over the age of 21 years old. RSVPs for the event can be made on their website here.

Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In 2002, Halle Berry made history: She became the first Black person to win the Best Actress Oscar, for the drama Monster’s Ball. But in a new interview, she says it didn’t lead to the avalanche of great roles like she’d assumed. Instead, she had to fight for good parts, even accept ones she found dubious. Which is one reason, she admits, that she did the derided comic book spin-off movie Catwoman. Still, she doesn’t exactly regret doing that one.

While talking to Entertainment Weekly ahead of her forthcoming action movie Bruised (as caught by IndieWire), Berry looked back on how her nabbing an Academy Award didn’t lead to tons of juicy roles with prestige directors.

“It was surprising,” she said. “Because I thought they were going to just back up the truck and drop them off at my house, right? When you have a historic win like that, you think, ‘Oh, this is going to fundamentally change.’ It did fundamentally change me, but it didn’t change my place in the business overnight. I still had to go back to work. I still had to try to fight to make a way out of no way.”

And so the newly Oscar-winning Halle Berry had to lower her expectations and do some dicey movies — like Catwoman, which gave the Batman for her very own heroic movie, with a villain played by no less than Sharon Stone.

“It’s like, okay, that’s a film I can’t say I’m totally in love with, but this isn’t a hobby. It’s how I take care of my children,” Berry said. “But I try to keep that sense of wonder and stay curious. Because being a Black woman, I haven’t always had parts that I absolutely love.”

That said, Berry’s first post-Oscar role was another game-changer: With Die Another Day, she became the first Black actress to play a heroic Bond girl. (Previous Black Bond girls, such as Gloria Hendry in Live and Let Die or Grace Jones in A View to a Kill, had been in cahoots with the Bond villain.) But a spin-off featuring her character, Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson, was axed because MGM refused to hand $80 million to a movie starring Berry.

When Catwoman came crawling, she found it hard to say no. And though it was a critical and commercial bomb, it had its perks. “It was one of the biggest paydays of my whole life, which, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Berry said. “I don’t want to feel like ‘Oh, I can only do award-worthy stuff.’ What is an award-worthy performance?”

Bruised hits theaters on Sept. 12. Meanwhile, one can watch Catwoman on HBO Max.

(Via EW and IndieWire)

This year was primed to be a return to live shows after a year that saw almost none of them. But those who were hoping to see Fleetwood Mac’s lead vocalist Stevie Nicks perform live will have to wait until at least 2022. The singer took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce that she is canceling her planned performances for 2021 due to rising COVID-19 cases across the country.

“These are challenging times with challenging decisions that have to be made,” she wrote in her message. “I want everyone to be safe and healthy and the rising Covid cases should be of concern to all of us. While I’m vaccinated, at my age, I am still being extremely cautious and for that reason have decided to skip the 5 performances I had planned for 2021.” She added, “Because singing and performing have been my whole life, my primary goal is to keep healthy so I can continue singing for the next decade or longer. I’m devastated and I know the fans are disappointed, but we will look towards a brighter 2022.”

Nicks was set to perform at the Jazz Aspen Festival in Colorado and BottleRock Napa Valley in California during Labor Day weekend. Her next scheduled performance was Austin City Limits, where she would sing both weekends of the festival, namely October 1-3 and October 8-10. Nicks was also slated to appear at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in October, but festival organizers announced over the week that the showcase would be postponed until next spring.

Chris Stapleton will replace Nicks at Bottleneck while subs for her stints at the Jazz Aspen and Austin City Limits festivals will be announced soon.