GoneTrending

Along with the recent announcements of the Adjacent Festival in New Jersey and the online iVoted Festival, there is now the unveiling of the fifth Innings Festival in Tempe, Arizona. It will take place on Feb. 25 and 26.

In the fest, there will be 18 acts total, including Green Day, Eddie Vedder, Weezer, Marcus Mumford, the Offspring, the Black Crowes, the Pretty Reckless, Hazel English, Umphrey’s McGee, the Head And The Heart, Heartless Bastards, and more. Tickets go on sale Thursday, Oct. 27 at 10AM PT. Find more information about the festival and tickets here.

Earlier this year, Weezer had to cancel their Broadway residency because of low ticket sales. Frontman Rivers Cuomo revealed in the Weezer Discord group: “I just learned that our Broadway shows have been cancelled (due to low ticket sales and unbelievably high expenses.) I’m very sorry to be telling you this now after we’ve already invested so much time, thought, and emotion. Extra apologies to those of you who cleared your schedules and made travel plans to be with us. Thanks to @Broadway Producer for all your hard work and great ideas. I loved where we were going and I hope we can find a way to resurrect our vision.”

Zack De La Rocha injured his leg during a July stop on Rage Against The Machine’s long-awaited reunion tour. A little later, when announcing earlier this month that the band needed to cancel their 2023 North American tour, he revealed it was a torn Achilles heel. De La Rocha is down but not out. The Rage frontman is featured on Algiers’ single “Irreversible Damage,” released on Wednesday.

Algiers described the song as “feral” and the frenetic, genre-melding soundscape backs that up. “Time is over” is chanted throughout the track, but per NME, vocalist Franklin James Fisher described it as ultimately positive: “The end of that song is the sound of joy. That’s what hope sounds like in 2022 when everything’s falling apart.”

The Atlanta-bred political provocateurs mesh seamlessly with De La Rocha, whose verse asserts, “This a relapse / What it be god / No rehab for my jihad / A rapture in a grief storm / Time on my neck and it be gone.” His flow accelerates and intensifies as he spits about being abandoned, murdered and reborn in an alley, ultimately seeking a way to wash away the pain.

“Irreversible Damage” arrives as Algiers revealed Shook, their new album due February 24, 2023, via Matador Records.

“Bite Back” featuring Billy Woods and Backxwash dropped as the lead single last month. Big Rube, Mark Cisneros, Samuel T. Herring, Jae Matthews, LaToya Kent, Nadah El Shazly, DeForrest Brown Jr., Patrick Shiroishi, and Lee Bains III are also featured across the 17-track album.

Watch the “Irreversible Damage” visualizer above.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet and where to buy them. We are approaching Halloween weekend which means the season of spooky sneakers is upon us! The Halloween-themed offerings tend to be a bit hit or miss, but there are always at least a couple of sneakers that manage to speak to the season while still looking dope in the process. In the case of Halloween 2022, four sneakers understood and nailed the assignment this year, which is better than most years!

As tends to happen as we approach the end of the year, Nike dominated our list this week. The end of the year is typically a slow time for notable sneakers, with most brands putting in as little effort as possible — instead relying on easy re-releases that are guaranteed to make money. Fortunately for sneakerheads, Nike’s idea of not trying is to drop some of the most coveted Jordan colorways of all time. It might not be a great time of the year to be a sneaker fan, but if you’re all about Jordans, you’re swimming in options.

Here are the seven best sneaker drops of the week, let’s dive in!

Nike LeBron 2 Midnight Navy

The LeBron 2 returns this week in a Midnight Navy colorway. It’s been a minute since we’ve seen Nike drop a LeBron 2 so this is cause for celebration The sneaker makes visual reference to the pair LeBron rocked while playing for the United States Basketball team during the 2004 Olympics and features a full leather upper in a white and navy colorway with small red accents (USA!) and sits atop a Zoom-cushioned encapsulated midsole with Lebron branding on the heel.

The subtle geometric detailing on the midsole on this sneaker is super fresh. The LeBron lineage of shoes ended up taking a much more visually extreme aesthetic, but it’s fun to think about what might have been if the subsequent LeBrons followed the design ethos of this simple and functional basketball sneaker.

The Nike LeBron 2 Midnight Navy is out now for a retail price of $210. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Air Jordan 3 Fire Red

This one is a no-brainer, do we even need to say anything about this shoe or should we just include the buy link and call it a day? This is a Fire Red Jordan 3— wait, let me rephrase that, this is THE Fire Red Jordan 3. The OG, the very sneaker this famous colorway first originated, and now it’s back!

Featuring a white leather upper with elephant an elephant print midsole and Fire Red accents, the Fire Red is perhaps the most beloved colorway of the Jordan 3. Copping this pair should be priority one this week.

The Nike Air Jordan 3 Fire Red is out now for a retail price of $210. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app of aftermarket sites like GOAT.

Nike Dunk High Somos Familia Día de Muertos

The Halloween-themed sneakers are here! Or well, in this case, Día De Los Muertos themed, which contrary to popular belief is not the Mexican version of Halloween. They’re totally different holidays people!

That’s an article in itself and we’re here to talk about shoes so I’ll spare you the history lesson. The Día de Muertos Dunk High features a split design with a textured suede upper and some intricate embroidery work. The design is inspired by day of the dead orfrendas, grave alters where people place their offerings to their passed beloved ones.

This is hands down one of Nike’s best October-holiday-themed sneakers.

The Nike Dunk High Somos Familia Día de Muertos is set to drop on October 26 at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Air Force 1 Mid ’07 Halloween

It’s a little hard to be excited about this Halloween-themed mid-rise AF-1 when you’ve got the Día de Muertos Dunk High. It’s not nearly as fun or festive, but it’s still a great look if your vibe is all about blacked-out Air Forces.

This stealthy black design features an all-leather upper with a shimmering reflective coating, a ghostly double Swoosh and subtle Goosebumps green accents. It’s a dope design, even if it doesn’t have the same attention to detail as the Día de Muertos Dunk.

The Nike Air Force 1 Mid ’07 Halloween is set to drop on October 27th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Dunk Low Halloween

The Halloween kicks continue! Dubbed the ‘Halloween’ this low-rise dunk features a faded cracker leather upper with a Swoosh shadow and reflective detailing. The sneaker sports the same green accent work used on the Air Force 1 Mid but instead of relegating the green to the insole only, a bit of it appears on the outsole.

I like this a bit more than the AF-1, it gives off a witch’s cauldron vibe and fits well with the spooky season.

The Nike Dunk Low Halloween is set to drop on October 27th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Stray Rats x New Balance 580

New Balance isn’t making the same insane amounts of money that Nike is, so the brand isn’t at a point in its career when it can waste resources on Halloween-themed sneakers, but teaming up with Stray Rats on Halloween weekend is just as good, if not better.

Stray Rats is known for its grimy and spooky vibe, and these garish colorways are the sort of thing we expect from a Halloween-themed sneaker. The 580 silhouette is a rare sneaker in the New Balance archives, originally exclusive to Japan, and features a nubuck upper atop a ABZORB midsole.

Repping Stray Rats is a Rat Logo lace jewel, with New Balance branding at the heel. The sneaker is available in Burgundy with Mystic Purple and Dark Moss with Cosmic Grape.

The Stray Rats x New Balance 580 is set to drop on October 28th at 7:00 AM pst for a retail price of $159.99. Pick up a pair via the New Balance webstore.

Nike Air Jordan 4 Midnight Navy

How does Jordan Brand celebrate Halloween? By dropping classic Jordan colorways I guess. The Jordan 4 Midnight Navy is essentially the white cement Jordan 4 with midnight navy accents instead of black and, this might be a controversial statement but, the sneaker looks better for it.

Sure it doesn’t exude that same classic vibe, but who cares? It’s a Jordan 4, it’s going to look classic regardless.

The Nike Air Jordan 4 Midnight Navy is set to drop on October 29th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $210. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT or Flight Club.

As the holidays approach, the new whiskey releases are beginning to stack up. There’s so much out there right now that you can easily get lost in the weeds trying to keep track of it. We’re here to help as much as we can. To that end, I’m conducting another rye whiskey blind taste test of brand-new ryes that have just hit shelves.

For this blind taste test, I’ll be focusing on rye whiskeys from the U.S. and Canada. Some of these are so new that you might not even be able to find them in your neck of the woods, at least not yet. Others are 2022 editions of expressions that get released every year that you should be able to source (a little) more easily. Spoiler alert: All of them are pretty damn good.

Our lineup today is:

• Jefferson’s Ocean Aged At Sea Double Barrel Rye Whiskey Voyage 26
• Noble Oak Double Oak Rye Finished with Port Wine Oak Staves
• Redwood Empire Emerald Giant Rye Whiskey
• Alberta Premium Limited Edition Cask Strength Rye
• Square 6 by Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
• Willett Distillery Kiamichi A Family Reunion Whiskey Aged 5 Years
• Lot 40 Dark Oak 100% Rye
• Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Straight Tennessee Rye Whiskey Finished in High Toast Oak Barrels

For the ranking today, I’m going off of taste alone. This is about what tastes best when tested blind. I’m looking for depth of flavor, the vibe (where does this whiskey take me?), and whether I’d actually like to drink this in real life instead of just tasting it professionally. Sound good? Let’s dive in!

Also Read: The Top Five Rye Whiskey from the Last Six Months on UPROXX

• All 19 Brands From The Buffalo Trace Distillery, Ranked
• The Single Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
• The 50 Best Rye Whiskeys Of 2021, Ranked
• We Tasted Rye Whiskeys Blind To See If Any Of Them Could Beat Willett
• The 100 Best Whiskeys Our Head Drinks Writer Tasted In 2021

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

There’s a nice subtlety to the nose with hints of vanilla-laced pancakes covered in brown butter and real maple syrup next to sour mulled wine with a spice mix of star anise, clove, allspice, and cinnamon, and a hint of singed marshmallows. The palate is rich and full of buttery toffee next to spiced nut cake with plenty of vanilla sauce and flakes of salt. The mid-palate has a wintry spiced tobacco warmth that leads to a hint of minced meat pies, apple-cider-soaked cinnamon sticks, and sour red cherries tossed with smoked sea salt.

This is really freakin’ good. I can’t really tell if this is Canadian or American rye (there’s a bourbon-y vibe), but it doesn’t matter when it’s this easy to drink and satisfying. It’s also comforting. You really are left with a sense of ease on the finish.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear grassiness on the nose that’s like a freshly filled lawnmower bag next to soft caramel, woody spices, and a whisper of oatmeal cookie dough. The palate leans into the brown sugar and cinnamon of that cookie dough with a whisper of maple syrup next to more grassiness. The end has a note of bell pepper next to more of that wet oat feel with a mild sense of fennel-crusted rye bread.

This was fine. It was grassy and very much a rye but nothing to write home about.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

There’s a nice fruitiness on the nose that’s kind of like dark fruit leather next to sourdough cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting, plenty of vanilla, and some brown sugar butter. The palate has a light white pepperiness that’s countered by sweet green herbs, burnt orange, and floral honey. The green herbal vibe takes on a slight savoriness as light winter spices layer into tobacco leaves with a hint of cedar bark.

This was pretty good. I think it feels like a solid cocktail rye to build some killer Manhattans or Sazeracs with more than a sipper though.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

There’s a bold sense of buttery and dark toffee on the nose with rich and oily vanilla pods, dark blackberry jam, mulled wine spices (star anise, allspice, clove, cinnamon), brandy-soaked raisins and dates, dry Earl Grey tea leaves, and a hint of dark cacao nibs. The palate builds on that with tart black currants dipped in salted dark chocolate next to a hint of espresso cream, and caraway-encrusted sourdough rye bread (the real stuff from Central Europe, not the bullshit rye you get in the Americas) that leads to a huge cinnamon spiciness on the mid-palate. The end rounds off that cinnamon Hot Tamale spiciness with a sweet sense of vanilla white cake bespeckled with dried cranberries and shredded blackberry tobacco.

Yeah, this is a masterpiece. It’s so deep and enticing while being complex and almost cryptic. It beckons you back for more again and again and then reveals something new and fresh. What a pour!

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Massive notes of wet grains and raw pancake batter, raw oatmeal cookie dough, and molasses-laced bran muffins dominate the nose with supporting nuances of honey, figs, and maybe some black tea. There’s a white pepper edge to the palate with a raw cornbread batter vibe with more of that graininess. The end is, you guessed it, grainy AF with hints of chili pepper in that raw cornbread, brown sugar, vanilla oils, and maybe a hint of allspice.

This feels like the craftiest whiskey to ever crafty. The graininess is almost impossible to get past. It’s all well-rounded and makes sense but this feels about a million miles away from a rye whiskey. Is that a good thing? Maybe?

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Wow! This nose is gorgeous with subtle notes of tart cherries tossed with flakes of salt next to dark plum jam laced with soft cinnamon, ground clove, and nutmeg, vanilla pound cake with poppy seeds, red and orange nasturtiums, floral honey, and salted cashews. The taste is fruity but moves more toward pineapple cores, peach skins, and lemon pith next to a soft dry sweetgrass braid twisted up with wild sage and cedar bark with notes of pine-infused honey, old black tea leaves, and cinnamon sticks that have just been singed on the mid-palate. The end is lush and beautifully layered with real sourdough rye crusts, honey-dipped Graham Crackers, dark chocolate-dipped sour cherries, and a hint of walnut bread with plenty of wintry spices and butter.

I didn’t think anything could come close, much less beat, taste 4 but this just did. This is outstanding whiskey. It takes you on a journey that’s luxurious and welcoming while delivering a seriously deep flavor profile that just keeps giving.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a complex nose full of dried sweetgrass, cinnamon toast, clove-studded orange skins, rich salted caramel, and vanilla beans soaked in cherry liqueur. The palate leans into a fatty dark chocolate fudge with spiced apple cider, sweet and rich cherry syrup, apple fritters with a powdered sugar frosting, and a hint of vanilla tobacco with a woody edge. The finish layers some dark cherry syrup into that vanilla tobacco and adds a mild spiciness thanks to the cinnamon and orange.

This is a very solid whiskey. It feels like a classic sweeter rye whiskey with a solid depth and a good overall vibe.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

There’s a lot of wood on the nose with pine bark nestled next to piles of cedar kindling with decent notes of garam masala, zucchini bread, chocolate cream pie, and maybe a whisper of dried red chili spiciness lurking in the background. The palate has a salted caramel sweetness countered by dark gingerbread, apple cores, molasses, and rum-raisin vibes. The end is fruity and nutty with a Christmas cake feel to it next to cinnamon-laced tobacco and more of that cedar.

This is another winner. This isn’t quite as deep or luxe as some of the other pours but it’s damn fine and well-rounded with a sweeter edge.

Part 2: The Ranking

8. Square 6 by Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey — Taste 5

ABV: 47.5%

Average Price: $90

The Whiskey:

This is a one-of-a-kind whiskey from the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience on Whiskey Row in Louisville. Artisanal Distiller Jodie Filiatreau makes exactly one barrel of whiskey a day there to release exclusively at the gift shop on site. The juice in the bottle is a unique Heaven Hill mash bill of 63% rye, 24% corn, and 13% malted barley, which makes this a “high-rye rye whiskey.” Small batches of barrels are put together for the release and proofed with local award-winning Lousiville water before bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was so grainy that a lot was lost in the mix. It kind of felt like being force-fed raw cornbread batter. I also can’t see that graininess not overpowering a cocktail. So, I don’t know about this one.

7. Noble Oak Double Oak Rye Finished with Port Wine Oak Staves — Taste 2

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $36

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is made from Indiana juice that’s finished in Ohio. The “double oak” maturation process means that his high-rye mash was first aged in new American oak per law, and then re-barreled into old port casks for a final rest. Those barrels are batched and the whiskey is proofed with Ohio water before bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was very much in the “fine” category. I think I’ll be using this for cocktails mostly.

6. Redwood Empire Emerald Giant Rye Whiskey — Taste 3

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

This 95% rye whiskey (a portion from Indiana) is shipped out to Sonoma County, California where it’s blended with Redwood’s own rye and proofed. The whiskey is named after the fastest-growing Redwood tree in the world, the Emerald Giant.

Bottom Line:

This is a really solid rye whiskey. It’s not overly spicy and has a good balance. I can see this making one hell of a Manhattan or old fashioned, or really shining in whiskey sour too. Basically, every whiskey from here on down (including this one) is a winner.

5. Lot 40 Dark Oak 100% Rye — Taste 7

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $53

The Whiskey:

This version of Lot No. 40 is made from 100% Canadian rye grains. It’s twice distilled and then rests in low-char American oak for a few years. Before it’s blended, the whiskey is re-barreled into heavily-charred oak for a final rest. Once it hits just the right spot, it’s batched, lightly proofed, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This was truly solid from top to bottom. The only reason it’s not a little higher is that the next expressions just popped more on the palate. That said, this feels like the perfect bottle to have around for both mixing solid cocktails and sipping on the rocks.

4. Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Straight Tennessee Rye Whiskey Finished in High Toast Oak Barrels — Taste 8

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $42 (375ml bottle)

The Whiskey:

This is the same rye as standard Jack Daniel’s, 70/18/12 rye/corn/malted barley. In this case, the hot juice was charcoal filtered and then loaded into new oak for five-year rest. Then the whiskey was re-barreled into new high-toast, no-char oak barrels for nearly three more years of mellowing. Finally, the best barrels were batched, proofed, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This was the fruitiest whiskey on the list by far, and that was kind of nice. Overall, this felt like a super easy sipper that offered a nice break from overly woody and spicy whiskeys

3. Jefferson’s Ocean Aged At Sea Double Barrel Rye Whiskey Voyage 26 — Taste 1

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $82

The Whiskey:

This Canadian rye went on one hell of a journey. The juice aged for about five years in medium-charred American oak before it was re-barreled in both new medium-char barrels and toasted barrels. It then went on its voyage around the oceans — you can check out the whole voyage route here. Once the barrels arrived back in the U.S., they were small batched, proofed, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This was subtle and delicious. It’s mildly spicy, sweet, and nutty with a sense of classic rye from top to bottom. Again, I can see this crushing as both a cocktail whiskey and an on-the-rocks sipper.

2. Alberta Premium 2022 Limited Edition Cask Strength Rye — Taste 4

ABV: 63.5%

Average Price: $85

The Whisky:

This year’s Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye is made exclusively with classic Canadian Prairie rye grains grown locally in Alberta. Glacial spring water from the Rocky Mountains is in the mix as well as new white oak barrel aging. Once those barrels hit just the right spot, they’re batched and bottled with no proofing at all.

Bottom Line:

This was fabulous whisky. I really wanted to go right back into this one and keep searching for new flavor notes and smells. It feels like an amazing sipper that had no burn from that high-proof at all, it’s kind of like a magic trick really.

1. Willett Distillery Kiamichi A Family Reunion Whiskey Aged 5 Years — Taste 6

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $149

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from the new Kings of Leon’s collaboration is their entry point to the trio of bottles released this year. The juice is a 12-barrel blend a mix of two Willett rye mash bills that were aged in both char 5 oak (a very heavy alligator char) and 24-month cured oak from Hoffmeister Cooperage. Those extremely rare barrels were then batched and just kissed with water and then bottled in only 2,780 bottles.

Bottom Line:

This was outstanding. I’m still thinking about it right now. I want to live in this whiskey for a while. It’s one of the better pours of whiskey this year. I’m stoked to see how their eight-year-old rye and 19-year-old bourbon expressions stack up.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

I can’t overstate this, the Alberta Premium Cask Strength bottle and Kiamichi bottle are both stellar whiskeys in general (rye or not).

If those bottles are too hard to source (depending on wherever you’re located), I’d say try Jefferson’s Rye. It’s a solid whiskey that’ll make a great cocktail mixer through the holiday season.

Still, goddamn, that Kiamichi was a true killer pour of whiskey.

Hugh Jackman retired Wolverine, the character that made him a household name, with 2017’s Logan. Or did he? The answer is he did before he decided to un-retire him. It was recently revealed that Jackman would dust off his X-Men aggro superhero for Deadpool 3, which reunites him with his faux-feud-ee Ryan Reynolds for the first time since the first solo Wolverine picture. But the team-up was long in the works — and it really started when Jackman sat down to watch the first Deadpool.

“I was 20 minutes in, and I was like, ‘Ah, damn it!’” Jackman told Variety (in a bit teased out by The AV Club). “All I kept seeing in my head was ‘48 Hrs.’ with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy. So it’s been brewing for a long time. It just took me longer to get here.”

Deadpool came out in earlyish 2016, at which point, Logan — which [spoiler] ends with Wolverine given a proper send-off (i.e., he eats it) — was already in the works. That said, the start of principal photography was still a few months off, so Jackman could have rallied for an ending where the character doesn’t eat it. Or he could have done what he did and bide his time before returning.

Reynolds has been trying to get a Deadpool-Wolverine mash-up going for the last three-plus years, ever since the Fox-Disney merger happened. Alas, it wasn’t possible until recently, though it’s not been made public why not.

Jackman, though, is stoked to return. “A little part of me now thinks I’d be better at it,” Jackman told Variety. “Is that arrogance of age or something? Wolverine’s a tortured character — more tortured than me. But I always get the feeling of him being comfortable in his own skin. And I feel more comfortable in my own skin now, even though it’s messier.”

(Via Variety and The AV Club)

A lot of festivals are going on and being announced, and that includes the iVoted Festival, which doesn’t work like the rest. It’s the largest digital concert in history. By submitting proof of your vote in the upcoming election on Nov. 8, you can win entry to 600+ concerts nationwide including Lizzo, The Who, Demi Lovato, Dave Matthews Band, Marcus Mumford, Smashing Pumpkins, Beabadoobee, Post Malone, Noah Cyrus, and more.

Entry will also RSVP you to their election night webcast, which will include even more artists: Billie Eilish, Finneas, Run The Jewels, The Happy Fits, Molly Burch, Rise Against, Jordana, Umphrey’s McGee, Elijah Wolf, 3OH!3, and way more. Find more about the festival lineup and rules here. There are guidelines for those who are under the age of 18 as well and want to attend the online festival.

The website explains further: “In 2020, #iVoted produced the largest digital concert in history, which took place on November 3rd, Election Night. 450+ artists participated, all curated per the data of the top streaming artists in and from key states. Fans RSVP’d to access the stream with a selfie at home or from outside of their polling place or at home with their blank and unmarked ballot.”

Kendrick Lamar took his Big Steppers Tour to Accor Arena in Paris last Saturday, but it wasn’t just a celebration of his Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers album from May. The show marked 10 years to the day since Lamar unleashed his groundbreaking major-label debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d City. To mark the occasion, The Big Steppers Tour was livestreamed from Paris on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel and Prime Video.

If you didn’t catch the spectacle live, a replay of Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour is available to stream on Prime Video.

“As a kid from the west side of Compton, hearing Good Kid, m.A.A.d City for the first time and seeing Kendrick’s journey from neighborhood hero to global superstar ignited a fire in me that I’m forever grateful for,” Amazon Music’s Head of R&B and Hip-Hop Tim Hinshaw said in a statement provided to Variety. “It showed me that no matter where you start in life, hard work and dedication will put you where you hope and dream to be. Now, 10 years later, it’s almost poetic that two kids from the same city with similar, but different dreams have landed in Paris to celebrate not just that record but Kendrick’s latest revolutionary album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. We’re honored to sponsor this tour and bring this show to fans around the world.”

Check out some highlights of Kendrick in Paris below.

Not your savior. #KendrickLivestream pic.twitter.com/GTriLWOjlP

— Amazon Music (@amazonmusic) October 22, 2022

When the calendar turns from summer to fall, we don’t totally put away our crisp pilsners, bitter IPAs, and refreshing lagers, but we definitely start to learn toward darker, maltier brews. One of my favorite beers to ring in the season of crisp leaves and chilly nights is the brown ale. s. Luckily, all are well-suited for fall sipping.

In its simplest terms, a brown ale is usually a dark brown-hued beer with a lopsided malts-to-hops ratio. While the flavors can vary depending on the type of brown ale, they’re generally known to feature toasted malts, caramel, chocolate, and toffee, and have little to no bitterness at the finish. The style includes English-style brown ale, brown porters, Flanders ales, American brown ales, and others.

Now that we have all the necessary facts out of the way, it’s time to actually try some. To help get you started, I’m tasting and ranking some of the brown ales I was able to get my hands on this week.

8) Jackalope Bearwalker

ABV: 5.1%

Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Technically this 5.1% ABV beer is labeled as a “maple brown ale.” That’s because it isn’t simply a brown ale. It’s made with chocolate malts but gets its bold, sweet, rich flavor from being infused during the conditioning process with pure maple syrup.

Tasting Notes:

This beer’s nose is dominated by molasses, vanilla, and very light maple. The palate is more of the same with some caramel, toasted malts, and some light pine, but not as much maple as we’d hope. In fact, we really had to try hard to find any maple flavor. Overall, it’s pretty watery and unexciting.

Bottom Line:

For a beer labeled as an “ale brewed with maple syrup”, it’s not as sweet as it should be. Overall, it’s fairly bland, watery, and unexciting.

7) Avery Brewing Ellie’s Brown

ABV: 5.5%

Average Price: $11.75 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This 5.5% American-style brown ale is brewed with six different malts as well as Sterling, Bullion, and Cascade hops. It’s known for its sweet, nutty, malty flavor profile that’s well suited for fall sipping.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is surprisingly light for such a dark beer. There are notes of caramel malts and a nutty aroma, but not much else. The palate is a mix of toffee, fruit esters, and slight, roasty malts, with just a hint of bitter hops at the finish. While it seems like there were a lot of flavors, they didn’t seem to mesh well. The flavors just didn’t work for me.

Bottom Line:

This beer doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. Is it a sweet, malty brown ale or is it a slightly tart, bitter dark lager? It’s just not for me.

6) Abita Turbodog

ABV: 5.6%

Average Price: $9.50 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This popular brown ale from Louisiana’s Abita is brewed with a combination of caramel, pale, and chocolate malts, and gets its floral, piney kick from the addition of Willamette hops. One of the brewery’s flagship beers, it’s known for its combination of sweet, rich flavors and light hops.

Tasting Notes:

Notes of caramel, toasted malts, and sweet grains meet the nose. Nothing else noticeable in the aroma department. The palate has more toasted malts, light vanilla, chocolate, and light, hoppy bitterness. It had everything brown ale drinkers enjoy, it’s just a little flat and light on flavor.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for a no-frills, malty brown ale for fall, look for Abita Turbodog. If you’re looking for a little more depth, look elsewhere.

5) Calicraft Oaktown Brown

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $15 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

This is a different type of brown ale. Instead of simply being a sweet, malty, warming beer, it also gets a fruity, wine-like flavor from a blend of three different oaks during fermentation. It’s also hopped with Cascade hops to give it a slightly bitter finish.

Tasting Notes:

Right away, this beer has the aromas we know from a classic American brown ale. There are notes of chocolate, toasted malts, caramel, and candied nuts. The flavor follows suit with more vanilla, toasted malts, caramel, and fruit ester. It’s surprisingly sweet with some bitterness at the finish.

Bottom Line:

This is definitely a unique beer, and we implore you to give it a try because it has to be tasted to be believed. That being said, it’s simply too sweet for my palate.

4) Liftbridge Fireside Flannel

ABV: 5.5%

Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This brown ale is adorned with a flannel background with a roaring fire. Brewed with roasted malts and Yakima hops, it’s exactly the kind of beer you’d drink to warm yourself on a chilly fall day.

Tasting Notes:

Classic aromas of butterscotch, toasted malts, vanilla, chocolate, and light, floral hops are all prevalent on the nose. The palate is equally complex with notes of oaky wood, more toasted malts, toffee, bready-malts, and lightly bitter hops that seem to tie everything together nicely. All in all, it’s a very well-balanced, warming fall sipper.

Bottom Line:

Fireside Flannel is an aptly named beer. It’s balanced, complex, and has a nice mix of sweetness and bitterness, the kind of beer that will make you want to throw on a flannel shirt and greet the cool fall weather.

3) Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $10.99 for a four-pack

The Beer:

One of Samuel Smith’s most popular beers, Nut Brown is brewed with simple ingredients like well water, barley malt, yeast, and aromatic hops. The nutty, sweet, rich flavor is anything but simple.

Tasting Notes:

Complex aromas of bready malts, caramel, vanilla, and roasted malts greet your nose before your first sip. The palate continues this trend with raisins, fruit esters, brown sugar, sticky toffee pudding, and a gentle, sweet candied almond finish.

Bottom Line:

There’s a reason Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown is one of the most beloved brown ales of all time. It’s sweet, rich, nutty, and extremely memorable.

2) Cigar City Maduro

ABV: 5.5%

Average Price: $10.50 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Named for the robust, well-known cigar from Tampa’s Ybor City, Cigar City Maduro is a Northern English brown ale brewed with flaked oats. Even if you aren’t a cigar smoker, you can still appreciate the toasted malts, coffee, and chocolate flavors of this beer.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find aromas of caramel, toasted malts, bitter chocolate, and roasted coffee beans. Sipping it reveals flavors like almond cookies, butterscotch, chocolate, freshly brewed coffee, and a gentle, dry, slightly bitter finish. Bold, flavorful, and balanced.

Bottom Line:

This is an all-around great example of a brown ale done right. It’s filled with flavors like chocolate, caramel, and coffee, and has just the right amount of bitterness and a dry, memorable finish.

1) Port Brewing Board Meeting

ABV: 8%

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

The Beer:

If you’re looking for a warming fall beer, this is the brown ale for you. It’s a bold 8% ABV and has been a year-round beer from the San Diego-based brewery since 2013. It gets its intense flavor from the addition of cacao nibs sourced from San Francisco and locally sourced coffee.

Tasting Notes:

Bold aromas of espresso beans, semi-sweet chocolate, toffee, and vanilla are highlight the nose. The palate is filled with more cocoa, freshly brewed coffee, butterscotch, vanilla, and slightly nutty flavors. It’s so complex that you don’t even realize how high the alcohol content is.

Bottom Line:

While not touted as a breakfast beer, I can’t think of many better brown ales that I’d want to enjoy at a tailgate or instead of a brunch mimosa. It’s rich, complex, and extremely flavorful. Just don’t let the high alcohol content sneak up on you.

Ariana Grande captioned her latest Instagram post “New earrings,” knowing very well that nobody is looking at those pearls. Grande recently debuted blonde hair. She’s previously gone bleached-blonde for her Sweetener album cover and her “No Tears Left To Cry” video. But this time, the hair heightens the hype for her turn as Glinda in Jon M. Chu’s film version of Wicked.

“Earrings look great!” Chu commented on the photo. Joan Grande, her mother, added, “The most beautiful.” And Cynthia Erivo coyly wrote alongside green heart and smirking emojis, “Earrings are AMAZING!!”

The multi-platinum global pop star told Allure in September 2021 that she was temporarily stepping away from recording music to try out “new versions of storytelling.” At the time, it was assumed she meant her role in Adam McKay’s Netflix sci-fi satire Don’t Look Up or becoming a coach for season 21 of The Voice. But last November, Grande and Erivo were announced as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, in Wicked. The two-film adaptation of the famed musical, which Grande grew up idolizing, is expected in December 2024 and December 2025.

Earlier this month, Grande shared behind-the-scenes photos with Erivo (while notably still a brunette). She had been spotted in September on the film’s set in London with her husband, Dalton Gomez, after rumors flew that she’d moved across the pond for the film. Actress Ari is thriving, and don’t make the same mistake as the fan who told her to “remember you’re a singer.”

It’s been a few days since the release of Taylor Swift‘s new album Midnights. Fans have been picking it apart quickly, as they often do, whether that’s by identifying Easter eggs or dissecting lyrics. A new layer of the song “Bigger Than The Whole Sky” — which comes on the deluxe version — is being speculated on by Swifties, with some theorizing that it has to do with miscarriage.

The lyrics go: “Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye / You were bigger than the whole sky / You were more than just a short time / And I’ve got a lot to pine about, I’ve got a lot to live without.” She continues: “I’m never gonna meet / What could’ve been, would’ve been / What should’ve been you / What could’ve been, would’ve been you.”

Regardless of whether the song is actually about a miscarriage, fans who’ve suffered them have come forward saying that the track deeply comforted them in their time of need. This is taking place on all different sorts of social media, but especially TikTok.

Swift also went on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and discussed her productivity. “I love writing songs, poems, stories, scripts,” she said. “I love writing those things because there’s a part of it I don’t quite understand how it comes to fruition.”