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Food is a big part of Tacko Fall’s life. Even beyond the fact that he inherently needs to consume more of it than most folks as a professional athlete and, well, his first name, the Boston Celtics’ second-year big man views the things we eat as ways to build bridges between folks from different cultures.

“Every culture has different food, different flavors, different spices, whatever,” Fall told Dime over the phone. “I feel like being able to share it amongst us really can bridge some of the gap that exists between us.”

Fall’s love of food was front and center recently when he participated in an Airbnb Online Experience in which the big man showed off his culinary skills. With the emphasis on food top of mind, proceeds from the event went towards the organization Action Against Hunger.

Dime caught up with Fall ahead of the event to talk food, cooking, and whether anyone on the Celtics’ roster has skills in the kitchen.

Where does this love of cooking that you have come from?

A love of food, so that helps. For example, my mom was here recently, she came and she was here for a couple of months and she basically cooked like every day, and I was like, “Mom, you have to sit down.” She would be in the kitchen, I would wake up and she was just spoiling us, my brother and I. She would wake up in the morning, make us breakfast. Sometimes I wouldn’t even eat because I was like, “I got to go to practice.” Then I would come back, the breakfast would be there. Then she would make lunch and right after then, she would make dinner. I’m like, “Mom.” But she just loves doing it. I guess some of that probably came from her.

So is it one of those things where you grew up cooking or was it something that once you get to college, once you start getting to the NBA, you have to learn how to start fending for yourself, and you started cooking because of that?

Yeah, I mean, I didn’t start cooking … When I was home in Senegal, I didn’t cook. My mom did all the cooking. When I came here in high school, I didn’t as well. But when I got to college, that’s really when I started to figure out a few things. I started with just mostly simple things.

Actually, yeah, I do remember. When I was in high school, I first went to Texas, and I came with a friend and there was two kids from Macedonia, if I recall, and we’re all in the same apartment. The guy I was staying with would make us go get groceries. Sometimes we would have to cook our own food. So there, I did learn how to make, like, one of my favorites, a nacho cheese dish where we added ground beef and tomatoes and all that kind of stuff. It was pretty good.

Sometimes we would buy a whole turkey and make the turkey. We used to make some chicken and rice and all of that. I was just watching them do it and pretty much learning how to do that from there. When I got to Florida, I didn’t do much cooking, but then when I got to college, I started doing a little bit of it. Obviously we have the meals from the cafeteria and all of that, but we also had … I know they would give us some stipend and allow us to go to Publix and give us gift card where you can go and get some groceries from Publix. So here and there, we’d just get a few, some meat or just make simple things.

What are some things that you like cooking, whether it’s Senegalese food or whether it’s other sorts of food that you like to make?

Senegalese food is a whole process. It takes hours to make. I would be lying if I said I could make some Senegalese food. I never really asked my mom to teach me how to make it because I don’t think I would, like, I wouldn’t have the patience to do that. It’s really good, but it’s a whole process. And we like to do things from scratch. We like to get fresh things. One of my favorite meals back home is called Thieboudienne, it’s a rice and fish dish. Rice and fish sounds simple, but it’s not. You have to get the fresh caught fish, fresh vegetables, and you have to cook the rice a certain way. Before you cook the rice, you got to mix it all. It’s like a whole process. It takes hours. For example, when I was home, even when my mom was here, for them to be able to make the meal, they would have to wake up early to start the process. It wouldn’t be done probably until like noon or one o’clock.

Yeah. One of those things where you have to like let all the flavors kind of get to know each other over the course of like six, seven, eight hours.

Yeah.

I know you mentioned your mom was here recently. When was the last time you were able to head back home to visit?

Actually, when I left my country, I was 16 and I didn’t see my mom until I was a senior in college of this year.

Oh, wow.

Yeah. That was the first time where I saw her since I left, she came to my Senior Night. After that, she left and that’s when I was going through the NCAA Tournament and the pre-Draft process and all that. After I got to Boston, a few months, I think around December last year, she came over. She stayed in New York for a little bit, then she came to Boston and stayed with me. But the crazy part is she came to Boston, her and my little brother came to Boston, and then I had to go to the Bubble.

I want to know, how does food, whenever you’re able to get Senegalese food, serve as a way that you’re able to stay connected to home from thousands of miles away?

Food from home, obviously it’s a cultural thing, but it just brings a lot of memories from when I was a kid. I mean, everybody grows up with different struggles and just kind of reminds me of my upbringing and saw the struggles I went through, and it just makes you become more and more grateful. For me, I just have that type of connection and I do miss it. There’s not a lot of Senegalese restaurants — there’s a few in New York. In Boston, I don’t know if there is one. I tried looking for it, but I didn’t find. But I heard someone say there was one, but I just have yet to find it. I don’t get to eat it often. When my mom was here, I ate it every day.

Made sure she got your fill for whenever you’re able to get it the next time, I’m guessing.

Yeah. I don’t know how she got all the ingredients, but she made it happen.

What do you have going on with Airbnb?

So pretty much I’m going to be cooking live. There’s going to be a few guests. Probably going to make some tacos. It’s almost like a fundraiser. I guess for me, coming from my country, I’ve always wanted to find ways to give back. When the idea came, I was like, this is a great opportunity for me to do it. Action Against Hunger, it’s going to go to fighting against hunger in Senegal. That’s something that I’m really excited to do.

Whether it’s through something like this, whether it’s through cooking for teammates, whether it’s just having a meal somewhere, what do you think it is about food that makes it such a good way to build bridges between people?

Well, so my country Senegal is called the pays de la Téranga. That means anybody’s welcome in my country. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Senegal, if you haven’t, I highly encourage it. It’s like there is just a sense of community that you won’t find in a lot of places. You will go there and fit in like you’ve lived there your entire life. People are so nice. People are so welcoming. A lot of that is done through food. So if you haven’t, I would encourage you to go experience that yourself, because that doesn’t do it justice. We just have that kind of culture back home where it’s a pretty big deal. And every culture has different food, different flavors, different spices, whatever. I feel like being able to share it amongst us really can bridge some of the gap that exists between us pretty much.

So just have a few quick hitters here at the very end. One, what’s your favorite place to eat in Boston?

I got a couple. When I first got here, it was Redbones, which was a barbecue place. Really good, I love barbecue — when I was in Florida, one of my favorite one was 4 Rivers, but there is no 4 Rivers in Boston. Then, there’s a restaurant that I first went to that restaurant in New York and I found out they had one in Boston called Mastro’s. The only reason why I go to Mastro’s is because of their butter cake. It’s the best butter cake in the continent.

Then do you have a favorite place to eat in any of the other 29 NBA cities? Or is there so much stuff out there that it’s hard to pick just one.

In the other cities, like I said, obviously Florida because I lived in Florida for so long. It’s probably 4 Rivers. But the other cities, I can’t really say there’s one specific restaurant.

Whenever I talk to someone about gaming, I always ask who’s the best and worst gamer on a team. Who is the best and worst cook on the Celtics?

I could not tell you because I don’t think most of us cook. Even me,I have someone drop off some food for me as well. A lot of us probably have chefs and that kind of stuff. I know Grant maybe does a little bit, but because his mom is here every now and then, his dad as well. We live in the same building. I could say some of my teammates from last year, but I’m not sure. Enes definitely didn’t cook. There’s no way I could see Enes cooking anything. He likes to post stuff and look like he was cooking, but I’m like, “Enes, I know very well there is no way you cooked that” — I just like to tease Enes, he’s with the Blazers now.

You can only eat one thing everyday for the rest of your life. What are you eating?

Wow, I might starve to death. I don’t know. I can’t tell you there’s one food that I would pick over anything. I just like a variety of things.

I know that we’ve seen some other NBA players who have explored cooking a bit on the internet — Serge is the big one, he has his YouTube channel where he cooks for people. I’ve seen DeAndre Jordan do some cooking on the internet, that kind of thing. Have you ever considered doing something where you use YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, whatever, to show off what you like to make and use it as a way to feed your teammates or something?

Never crossed my mind, actually. Never did. I did used to watch Serge’s show, because he’s from Congo, I think. His culture and my culture, it’s a little different but not so, so much. We’re both Africans, were French colonies. A lot of the things that he would make … he would make some crazy things, where you’re like, “Yeah, I know.” So, I’ve seen his show. That’s pretty dope. That would definitely be a good idea, for sure.

In a bold move to combat the increasing amount of COVID infections that have showed no signs of slowing down, Maine Senator Angus King has written a letter to all six of the largest streaming services asking them to make their platforms free over the holidays. King believes that if people have complimentary access to Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV Plus, they’ll be encouraged to stay home and binge TV shows and movies. Via News Center Maine:

“At this time, we must find ways to incentivize people to follow guidance from the CDC, their employer, local public health officials, or school leaders. Unfortunately, some Americans are likely to choose to ignore public health advice and carry on their typical holiday traditions instead of remaining safely at home. While your platforms would likely experience greater traffic as a consequence of extending service, we encourage you to provide temporary service at no cost to non-subscribers as a way to encourage people to make responsible choices and safely navigate this holiday season.”

As of this writing, King has yet to receive a response. He also might be facing a hard sell with at least one of the streaming platforms. HBO Max is currently set to stream Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day and has stopped offering free trials ahead of its release. Its parent company, WarnerMediam is also hoping to help ease lost revenue from the pandemic by shifting its entire 2021 film slate to HBO Max. In short, the studio is gambling big on Wonder Woman drumming up paying subscribers that will stick around for the upcoming Warner Bros. movies.

Then again, as 2020 has repeatedly shown us, anything can happen, so it’ll be interesting to see which streaming platforms, if any, will heed King’s call.

(Via News Center Maine)

Back in October, burgeoning indie-pop singer Claud signaled the beginning of something exciting as they announced they were the first signee of Phoebe Bridger’s newly minted Saddest Factory label. They’ve now officially announced their debut record Super Monster and are following-up the news with a vibrant video alongside their recent single “Soft Spot.”

Directed by Brad Bischoff, Claud’s “Soft Spot” video shows them aiming to part with their emotional baggage. Claud packs up a truck with their belongings and hits the road, only to find themselves continuing to mourn a past relationship.

Speaking about the concept behind the visual, Claud notes that they’ve learned the difference between moving away and moving on from their past:

“Something I’ve come to realize in the last couple years is that moving away is VERY different than moving on (seems obvious but is really not…). This video is about the stuff that you can’t seem to leave behind and that comes with you wherever you go, whether they’re good things or not so good things.”

About the single, Claud said, “I have a soft spot for lots of people, places, and things. This song is about knowing I can’t be with this one specific person, but my feelings won’t go away… I still hope I run into them, or they randomly text me about something. It’s just me romanticizing what I can’t have and being like ‘but what if…’”

Watch the “Soft Spot” video above.

Super Monster is out 2/12/2021 via Saddest Factory. Pre-order it here.

Bun B recently told HotNewHipHop that he doesn’t mind if defending Megan Thee Stallion damaged his relationship with Tory Lanez because protecting Black women is more important. The Houston legend stood up for Megan at a time when few of his contemporaries did, shortly after Megan was allegedly shot in both feet by Lanez after an argument at a Hollywood house party.

Responding to a question about the hip-hop community’s reaction to the shooting, Bun told HNHH, “Initially, many people are hesitant to get into other people’s business. This was a domestic issue between a couple and most people tend to stay out of those. Things can get very touchy.” However, he said, “We have to make sure that we are standing up and supporting and defending our Black women. Because if Black men don’t say, ‘Don’t touch our Black women,’ white men and white women will do and act however they feel or choose against our women. And those days are done.”

He elaborated, “People are usually waiting for that first person to say something, and then more and more people will step to the table. I feel like if I hadn’t said anything, I’m not sure how much people would have even spoken on this issue. And if my relationship with Tory Lanez is damaged, then so be it. We have to protect our Black women and any Black man that doesn’t feel the same way is not my brother.”

He also noted that Tory didn’t “read the room” when he released his defensive album Daystar while allowing that Tory has the right to defend himself in court. Bun admitted he didn’t know whether Tory would be able to continue performing in Houston after the incident, pointing out that “People still went to R. Kelly concerts, so I can’t really say what people will and won’t do.”

You can read the full interview here.

Scott Baio got steamed over John Stamos wanting to be Chachi in a reunion and the reunion itself, and Ralph Malph wants Baio to sit down. Yes, I did type that sentence in 2020, but it’s certainly no less messed up than the rest of what we’ve seen lately.

Let’s briefly recap here. Baio, a noted MAGA enthusiast who recently took over a craft store to celebrate his Trump love, grew angry when his former Happy Days co-star, Ron Howard, crossed nostalgia with politics. Howard’s perceived offense was to organize while raising funds for Joe Biden in the swing state of Wisconsin. Quite quickly, cast members — including Henry Winkler, Anson Williams, Marion Ross, and Don Most — hopped aboard. Baio decided not to reprise his Chachi role (even though he has “Chachi” in his Twitter bio), and he complained that Howard plotted “to use a classic show like Happy Days about Americana to promote an anti-American socialist. #Shameful.” Then John Stamos stepped up with an offer to play Chachi, and Baio judged hard: “This is what Hollywood has come to. #shameful #LiberalsAreDesperate.” He fired shots at Stamos about “Aunt Becky.” It got pretty ugly.

Don Most didn’t appreciate Baio’s tantrums. While speaking to Fox News to promote his Lost Heart film, Most related that he wasn’t surprised that Baio sat out the reunion, but he wishes that Chachi would chill out and realize that free speech goes both ways:

“It was disappointing to hear how strongly he felt. And how he was so critical and negative about us doing this. I felt it was way out of line. I really did. Because we are entitled to our opinions. And we were all as a group uniting to do something, just like he proposes his views. He was part of the show and people are aware of him because of that show. And he’s using that as a way to present his views. We’re entitled to do the same. And we were all united in the way we felt.”

Most also related that he and Scott used to play golf together, but they really don’t touch base anymore, and it doesn’t sound like they’ll be hanging together anytime soon. And what does Scott Baio think of this (which is the reason why he’s currently trending on Twitter)? He has a Chachi GIF in response.

Arca has never been afraid to push boundaries. Earlier this year, for example, she released an hour-long single titled “@@@@@.” Now the experimental artist is back with another ambitious and lengthy project: Her first-ever remixes. Specifically, the song “Riquiquí” has been remixed 100 times with help from artificial intelligence.

The remixes are collected on the release Riquiquí;Bronze-Instances(1-100), which clocks in at nearly six hours long. Arca says of the endeavor:

“Did you know that up until now I had never allowed anyone to remix an Arca song? There existed 0 official remixes to an Arca track until today — ‘Riquiquí’ has gotten 100 remixes by an intelligent sentience, created and trained by the genius minds at Bronze. I’ve worked with Bronze once before; in 2019 I gave musical language to Echo, a musical being birthed into the Museum of Modern Art’s lobby, and then Echo began to speak of its own volition. There you will never hear the same thing twice — for two years it is an evermorphing stream thanks to Bronze’s trained yet unpredictable musical AI. I recognized the textures and melodies, but never the song — for a composer such as myself it remains something truly new which I had never experienced before, a moment of unforgettable experience in virtue of the mystery and wonder Bronze makes possible.

I had the idea to make the album art for ‘Riquiquí’ a QR code that functioned as an instant gateway to a forever-mutating instance of the song. On all streaming platforms you’ll be able to hear 100 unique instances if you will. A prometheus flame.”

Stream Riquiquí;Bronze-Instances(1-100) below.

For all the negative things 2020 has brought us, it has also brought millions of new, interested eyeballs to our once little corner of video game culture.

Well, once they collectively finished Tiger King they came swarming over… but what I’m trying to say is that for both avid gamers and welcomed noobs alike, 2020 has been the year for gaming. And now that this year is coming to a close, what better time for a year-in-review episode with your favorite gaming news and culture show, Uproxx Recon?!

Certified Co-host of the Year, SushiBAE, and honorable mention, me, AJ Lodge, are twelve months wiser and ready to take you through some of 2020’s best moments in streaming, the most wholesome moments in our community, and some of our favorite video games this year. Plus, because we don’t believe that any one game can be the “best,” we’re offering our picks for games that are the “easiest to recommend” and including plenty of discussion about older games that are still thriving even now. There was something to play for everyone this year, whether you’re a fan of great gameplay, engaging stories, or just want to hang with your friends. (Okay, but if you really want to know if Cyberpunk 2077 is better than Among Us, first we have to talk about graphics…)

Check your inventory for chips and salsa because UPROXX Recon is throwing the greatest goodbye party for 2020 that we’ve seen all year!

Never one to skirt controversy, especially when it comes to criticizing her own party, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared her blunt opinion on the Democratic leadership of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer. During an interview for the Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill podcast, AOC made it clear that it’s time for Pelosi and Schumer to go and make room for younger, more progressive leadership. However, AOC acknowledges that no such candidates exist at the time, which she blames on the Democratic Party as a whole for failing to groom “the next generation.” Via The Intercept:

“A lot of this is not just about these two personalities, but also about the structural shifts that these two personalities have led in their time in leadership,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “The structural shifts of power in the House, both in process and rule, to concentrate power in party leadership of both parties, frankly, but in Democratic Party leadership to such a degree that an individual member has far less power than they did 30, 40, 50 years ago.”

While AOC is pragmatic about abruptly replacing Pelosi and Schumer without a plan, citing a vacuum that “nefarious forces” could fill with “something even worse,” she made it clear that this is not about making herself the Speaker of the House. “The House is extraordinarily complex and I’m not ready,” AOC told Scahill. “It can’t be me. I know that I couldn’t do that job.”

AOC also leveled criticism at President-Elect Biden for bringing in “hawkish” members from the Obama administration. While the former president is a beloved figure in Democratic circles, AOC hasn’t been shy about criticizing Obama. She recently pushed back at his criticisms of the controversial “Defund the Police” slogan by arguing that making people “uncomfortable” is what led to increased attention towards police reform.

(Via The Intercept)

The holiday season is upon us and musicians everywhere are celebrating in their own way. Dave Grohl and his cohort Greg Kurstin have been commemorating each night of Hanukkah with covers of popular songs by various Jewish musicians. Florence And The Machine vocalist Florence Welch is also ringing in the joyous season, but she took a more traditional route.

As part Nordoff-Robbins’ annual charity event The Stars Come Out To Sing For Christmas, many artists and musicians gathered to deliver carols, poems, and inspiring messages. Welch appeared during the event to give an operatic rendition of the classic song “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Welch tenderly delivered the lyrics from a box seat of an opera house, filling the opulent room with her moving vocals.

Along with Welch, there were an array of artists who joined in on the carols to raise money for the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy charity. The organization aims to bring a creative music therapy approach to children with psychological, physical, or developmental disabilities. Their annual fundraising event is usually hosted in-person but went virtual this year. It was hosted by Nile Rodgers and saw performances from the likes of The Who’s Roger Daltrey, OneRepublic, Robbie Williams, Tony Bennett, Neil Young, and more.

Watch Welch perform “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” above.

Is there a better gift than a great bottle of beer? Hell, it doesn’t even have to be a bottle. It can be a special six-pack or a growler from your favorite local craft brewery. Sharing beer this time of year just feels festive, even in 2020 when most of our gatherings will be virtual.

While we always have plenty of opinions on which beers you should drink, we thought we’d pull in a crew of seasoned industry experts this time around. We asked beer writers, brewers, photographers, judges, and all-around aficionados to help us create a list of the “best beers to gift someone this holiday season.” Some of their picks were on our radar, others surprised us — which is sort of the whole point.

Before we dive in we should note that one beer was called out three times. We dropped the third call out (mine) and kept the other two, both because we believe in the beer and to give you a rare second opinion on the flavor profile. For the most part, the beers featured are fairly accessible from delivery services (just click the prices). In the few cases where they aren’t, we recommend looking for a local craft beer that matches the tasting notes of the beer getting shouted out.

Let’s dive in!

Sierra Nevada Celebration — Julie Roesser, Beer photographer Craftbeerdeer

Style: American IPA
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
ABV: 6.8%
Average Price: $22.99, 12-pack

The Beer:

If I need to gift someone beer around the holidays, I’ll grab a six-pack of the classic Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA. This seasonal IPA pours clear and is dark amber in color with an off white head. Definitely keeps you toasty in the winter at 6.8 percent ABV.

It’s always tasty, festive, and satisfying.

Tasting Notes:

It’s not your typical sweet winter beer with added spices or anything like that. It’s just a crisp, flavorful, and well-balanced IPA. It’s brewed with Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops and punches you in the face with citrus and pine aromas. The flavor is smooth, hoppy, and piney. It packs rich malty caramel notes with medium bitterness and a sweet finish.

Allagash Coolship Cerise — Alison Grasso, Beer influencer Grassofwhat

Style: Fruited Lambic
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, ME
ABV: 6.7%
Average Price: Check brewery for availability

The Beer:

A classy beer in a beautiful bottle, Coolship Cerise from Allagash also comes with an interesting story. Allagash uses the traditional, centuries-old Belgian technique of cooling the wort in a Coolship — a wide, shallow vat in a room with open windows — and allowing wild bacteria in the Maine night air to inoculate it. The beer is then aged on cherries for six months before being bottled. The addition of cherries produces a familiar and accessible flavor, making it perfect for those who are new to beer, while its spontaneously-fermented complexity will delight those with more advanced palates.

Tasting Notes:

There are notes of tart cherry, oak, barnyard funk, and wine mingling throughout the beer.

Boon Kriek Mariage Parfait — Cristal Peck, Brewmaster and Malt Specialist at Boortmalt Innovation Center, Antwerp

Style: Fruited Lambic
Brewery: Brouwerij F.Boon, Halle, Belgium
ABV: 8%
Average Price: $11, 375ml bottle

The Beer:

2020 is a pretty bleak time to traverse Europe in the pursuit of beer. Exploring breweries and sampling the goods in taprooms is not really a thing these days. So you can imagine my glee when a reconnaissance trip to the countryside region of Lembeek in Belgium unearthed something pretty special: A temporary gift shop within a trailer at a brewery that has been a pioneering force behind Belgium’s rare lambic gems, Brewery Boon.

The trailer was compact yet brimming with vast arrays of spontaneously fermented treats of different blends, different foeders, different fruits. It was endless possibilities with each shelf containing lambics more complex and layered than the other.

Their stylish branding also featured on a handful of merch. I felt like a kid in a candy store. So I went ahead and packed myself a mixed box with a bit of everything. And hey, maybe even a few bottles to gift to those tricky people to buy for, including their Kriek Mariage Parfait!

Tasting Notes:

Kriek Mariage Parfait is not “beer” as we know beer to be. It’s in a league of its own — utter brilliance from beginning to end and unlike anything else. Hectic fizz pulls out aromas of sour cherries augmented by tart wine and deep woody tannins. The distinct lambic funk is almost cheesy but difficult to pinpoint without sounding derogatory when it could not be further from that.

Deep ruby red with a solid and persevering pink foam, you taste the remnants of fresh wild cherries macerated through prolonged barrel-aging. It’s a feast for the microbes of the renowned Lembeek terroir.

Kriek Mariage Parfait drinks like a delicious cocktail of sour wine and sparkling bubbles, oaky cherries, and tart complexity against delicate vanilla. Like I said, utter brilliance from beginning to end. I feel thankful that this tradition is protected and celebrated and the next generation of Boon is ready to take the reins.

TIP: If the Kriek Mariage Parfait is not easy to find, Boon’s standard Kriek (their best-seller actually), or their glorious aged Kriek, their Oude Kriek, are very worthy substitutes.

Wellspent Mister Maraschino — Joe Stange, co-author CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide To Belgium and managing editor Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine

Style: American Imperial Stout
Brewery: Wellspent Brewing, St. Louis, MO
ABV: 13%
Average Price: Check brewery for availability

The Beer:

Beer is daily bread, a basic commodity, and good beer is easy to find these days. If you’re going to give it as a gift, it can’t be something they can find at any supermarket. It doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive, but it does have to be special. It needs a bit of that rare ingredient called unobtainium.

It also helps, I think, if it’s strong. If it comes from a tiny batch from a tiny brewery, even better. It definitely can be local (especially if the recipient ain’t from around here).

Most importantly, though: It has to be really good.

So I’m going with Wellspent Mister Maraschino, out of St. Louis. This big, viscous, bourbon-barrel-aged stout, matured on cacao nibs and Luxardo cherries, ticks all those boxes and more. The red-wax capping even gives it a gifty vibe. Notably, our blind tasting panel over at Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine gave this beer top marks of 99/100 earlier this year.

Tasting Notes:

Nose like dark-chocolate cake batter, studded with cherries drowning in glistening chocolate goo. On the palate: weighty, thick, with dark chocolate coming on strong and getting darker pushes from roasted edges and moderate bitterness. Relatively restrained sweetness, all things considered—it’s warming, balanced, and doesn’t cloy. Bourbon is subtle and brown-sugary. A monster of a beer that works because all those big performers strum in harmony.

It’s one of the best beers I had all year. Good luck finding a bottle. I had one and gifted it to myself.

Burning Sky Cuvée — Matthew Curtis, co-founder/editor in chief of Pellicle Magazine

Style: Farmhouse Ale/Saison
Brewery: Burning Sky Brewery, Firle, UK
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $17.50, 750ml bottle (UK only)

The Beer:

In our house, we have a saying: “Cuvée all-day”

We’re referring to the eponymously named beer from the stupendous Burning Sky Brewery, one of the U.K.’s best-kept secrets. As a producer — for me at least — they rank alongside luminaries such as Hill Farmstead, Casey, Tilquin, and The Rare Barrel. Their beers are often without parallel in England, so when I gift you a bottle, you know it means I genuinely like you.

Cuvée is a special beer among the sours and saisons that makes up this brewery’s range, poured in 750ml bottles. 70 percent of the blend is its house saison, barrel-matured in former Chardonnay barriques. The other 30 percent is a portion of lambic taken from their friends, Brouwerij Girardin in Belgium, also aged in oak at Burning Sky.

Tasting Notes:

This blend (hence the beer’s name) shares a lively, spritzy acidity with a popular sparkling white wine from the north-east of France. This mingles with layered flavors of lemon zest, lime, and gooseberry, all leading to a delectably-dry finish. It’s the kind of beer that’s perfect to open on Christmas morning, and, trust me on this, makes a magical pairing with seafood.

Aecht Schlenkerla Urbock and Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche — Andreas Krennmair, award-winning home brewer and author of Vienna Lager

Style: Rauchbier, Bock and Doppelbock
Brewery: Brauerei Heller-Trum Schlenkerla, Bamberg, Germany
ABV: 6.5% and 8%
Average Price: $10, .5l bottle

The Beer:

Schlenkerla is an odd one. This traditional brewery from Bamberg is one of only two to still brew traditional smoked beers. Their flagship beer, Märzen, presents itself very differently. When served straight from a wooden cask in the brewery taproom/restaurant, the beech smoke is soft and subtle, almost undetectable if you’re used to it. From the bottle, the smokey character is more dominant, often described as liquid bacon.

Of course, the conventional way of aging this beer takes time, some planning ahead, and restraint not to sample the beer too early. Fortunately, Schlenkerla itself uses their beer cellars in one of the hills of Bamberg to age the bottled beers under controlled conditions and sells them by vintage at ages of at least 4 years. The fact that Schlenkerla Urbock and Eiche are truly rare specialties and exceptionally unusual beers makes them the perfect gifts even for seasoned beer nerds.

Tasting Notes:

Two particular seasonal winter specialties from this brewery are Urbock, a Bockbier with 6.5 percent ABV, and Eiche, a Doppelbock, with 8 percent ABV, which is brewed from oak-smoked malt. While they’re great beers on their own, they improve even more with age. When enjoyed fresh, they’re both quite smoke-forward, with Urbock being on the sweeter side, while Eiche is a bit drier and accentuated by oak smoke.

At a year’s age, they can take on a metallic taste. But, after a few more years, this fades away, leaving behind an even meatier-tasting strong beer than before. It’s probably the best smoked beer you’ll ever have.

Avec Les Bons Vœux — Breandán Kearney, founder & Editor-in-Chief of Belgian Smaak

Style: Farmhouse/Saison
Brewery: Brasserie Dupont, Tourpes, Belgium
ABV: 9.5%
Average Price: $12, 750ml bottle

The Beer:

Falling somewhere between a Belgian Tripel and a Belgian Saison, Avec Les Bons Vœux is often overlooked for its smaller sibling Saison Dupont.

This beer started life as a gift! Avec Les Bons Vœux — translating as “With Good Wishes” — was originally created in 1970 as a one-off gift to Brasserie Dupont’s most loyal customers. Its reception was so successful that it was moved into regular rotation and this strong copper blond ale has become a complex staple of the brewery’s portfolio ever since.

Tasting Notes:

The famous open flame kettle at Dupont equips the Bon Vœux with hints of caramel and honey. But the characteristic yeast profile found in all of Dupont’s beers is the dominant element in its flavor make-up. With its highly attenuating fermentation capabilities, its tolerance to high temperatures, and the squat flat-bottomed fermenters in which it does its work, the Dupont yeast delivers stone fruit and citrus notes with some background pepper and clove.

It’s a rich and balanced beer, perfect as a gift for beer beginners or long-time geeks.

Sierra Nevada Celebration — Dave Carpenter, editor-in-chief of Zymurgy, Certified Cicerone®, and author of Lager: The Definitive Guide to Tasting and Brewing the World’s Most Popular Beer Styles

Style: American IPA
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
ABV: 6.8%
Average Price: $22.99, 12-pack

The Beer:

I’m consistently flabbergasted at how many beer lovers still haven’t tried Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Perhaps they’ve mistaken it for a holiday spice bomb and passed it by. The label, with its snowed-in cabin, certainly looks the part of a gingerbread ale, but what lies inside the bottle is a hop lover’s delight.

Celebration Ale makes a great holiday gift because it’s available just about everywhere. It’s reasonably priced. And it’s a true seasonal beer that’s released every year around Thanksgiving. Because it’s built on that year’s hop harvest, every vintage is a little different, making it a fleeting experience to be savored and remembered.

Tasting Notes:

This is classic American IPA — the kind you can see through — is built on old-school Pacific Northwest hops (Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook) to the tune of more than 60 IBUs. Celebration’s flavor more than delivers on the aroma’s assertive promises of pine needles, grapefruit zest, and resin. The bracing bitterness and hop bouquet are supported by a malt foundation that suggests English toffee and biscuits. There’s enough sweetness to even out the bitterness, but Celebration manages to avoid an overly chewy malt character that would reduce drinkability.

So many American IPAs aspire to the deft balance of malt heft and hop brightness of Celebration Ale, but very few do it as well as Sierra Nevada. Give this one to the hop lover on your list. Veterans and newcomers alike are guaranteed to thank you.

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze — Zach Johnston, Deputy Editor UPROXX Life, podcaster One More Road For The Beer

Style: Geuze
Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, Beersal, Belgium
ABV: 6%
Average Price: $27, 750ml bottle

The Beer:

This was an “ah-ha” beer for me. I liked sours and lambic perfectly well before this beer. I loved them after. The beer is a blend of well-aged lambics that are married and then bottled and cellared for additional fermentation and aging. It’s kind of a masterclass in what great beer can be when you take your time making it, making it a great gift for anyone looking to expand their beer knowledge and palate.

Tasting Notes:

The beer greets you with a slight, earthy funk next to mild grassiness, orchard ripe apples, and a hint of citrus tartness. The palate leans into the dry grass and tart fruits with a real sour underbelly next to a slight funk. The sourness, tartness, sweet fruits, and grass balance each other out while a dry nature takes you towards a Champagne-esque final note.