Ethan Fixell
Ethan Fixell
 

Ethan Fixell

 
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      Writer  •  Educator  •  Performer

 
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Five of the Best Summer Wines for Less than £20
Five of the Best Summer Wines for Less than £20

AS PUBLISHED BY MR. PORTER

My propensity for wine snobbery is normally high. But when it comes to summer drinking, we should be looking for two things: drinkability and value. Summer wine ought to be easy. It should be refreshing, ready to drink and, most of all, affordable. Here are five of the best inexpensive yet individual wines that will deliver the most quality for the least amount of money this summer.

Colorado Is Home to Some of the Country's Best Wines
Colorado Is Home to Some of the Country's Best Wines

AS PUBLISHED BY TASTING TABLE

Convinced he could open my eyes to a new frontier of American wine, Josh Niernberg, chef and owner of Bin 707 Foodbar in Grand Junction, Colorado, sent me a box of vinos from his home state. And after crushing each unique bottle, I said to myself again and again, “Hot damn—this is from . . . Colorado?”

The United States of Metal
The United States of Metal

As Published By Kerrang!

This our definitive, objective, indisputable list of the single best heavy metal band from every U.S. state, complete with a playlist at the bottom of the page, too. (Though, if you do have any issues with our picks, you can take it up with our man in the United States, Ethan Fixell. Just know that he lost six pounds and four nights of sleep putting this list together – so be gentle.)

 
 

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Kicked off this London trip in the best possible way: with plenty of beer and music. I'd never before been to @TheHopeAndAnchor, but I'm glad I finally got to drink and see a show at the legendary #Islington club. Started the evening with a mug of @GreeneKing_Official IPA, and the easy-drinking cask ale (hand-pumped and properly served warmer and flatter than it would be on draught) was just the thing I needed to take the edge off of a long day of travel. Admittedly, at 3.6% ABV, this mild, malt-forward "British IPA" drinks more like an English Bitter -- but that's good enough for this thirsty, ignorant American. After whetting my whistle, I headed downstairs to witness @EnterShikari absolutely crush it. This is a rock band that typically headlines 10,000 cap rooms like the #AlexandraPalace -- and here they were, leaving it all on stage for a mere 60 people and @KerrangMagazine_. 'Twas certainly a bit warm in that basement, but an evening well-spent. . #GreeneKing #GreeneKingBeer #EnglishIPA #EnglishPaleAle #IPA #CaskAle #CaskBeer #BritishAle #Beer #BeerTime #Beers #EnterShikari #Shikari #entershikariofficial #HopeAndAnchor
Last night I left for London -- but not before one last kiss goodbye from this beautiful, beautiful bottle of @BreaksideBrews #Wanderlust. The dank, citrusy beer is brewed with five Northwest hop varieties, and named after the very condition with which I'm afflicted. Traveling the world is a passion -- but it sure ain't easy when you have to leave behind your wife, child, and delicious bottles of American craft brew. Fortunately, I had the greatest ever British heavy metal band to usher me through the commute: as @IronMaiden's Brave New World played on my iPod (yes, iPod), songs such as "Ghost of the Navigator," "The Nomad," and the album's famous title track were there to soothe my restless soul. . #RhythmAndBooze #WanderlustIPA #WanderlustBeer #IPA #NorthwestIPA #NorthwestBeer #Beer #Beers #BeerBottle #BottledBeer #IronMaiden #Maiden #BraveNewWorld #IronMaidenAlbum #HeavyMetal #MetalAlbum #Metal
The unconditional love of your first born child is cool and all...but all I really wanted for my inaugural #FathersDay was some New York state cider. And I got some -- a damned good bottle, too -- from new online cider retailer, @CiderInLove. This semi-dry, sparkling cider from @OrchardHillNYC is made via the Champagne method, resting on lees for two years before disgorgement and dosage, giving it a subtle yeasty, brioche flavor, along with floral, zesty notes thanks to a mixture of New York apples. By my request, the stereo is blasting Battle Hymns -- released the year my dad became a dad, 1982 -- the brilliant debut from upstate New York fathers of epic heavy metal, #Manowar. Hail all dads, and DEATH TO FALSE METAL! . #RhythmAndBooze #CiderInLove #Cider #NYCCider #NYCider #Cidery #NewYork #CiderTasting #CiderPairing #BattleHymns #HeavyMetal #HeavyMetalCider #Metal #Metalheads #Metalhead #ManowarMetal #Manowarrior
Today's AM kickstart is compliments of @CounterCultureCoffee and their #Asuvim single origin roast from Sololá, Guatemala. (Sounds exotic, don't it?) ASUVIM stands for La Asociación Integral Unidos Para Vivir Mejor, which is a small collective of around 50 producers. The smooth, delicious coffee they've created is lightly roasted by #CounterCulture, and tastes of stone fruit, red grape, and vanilla in the cup. Also fueling the morning is Survive Sunrise, the brand new album by @ASGNation, out today! I think the title alone speaks volumes about what I'm trying to do right now... but the record itself is arguably the band's best (impressive for a 17-year-old group), brilliantly blending alt-rock and stoner metal -- as if Jim James of #MyMorningJacket were to front a supergroup with members of Red Fang and Baroness. . #Coffee #CoffeeTasting #CoffeePairing #CoffeeTime #CoffeeCup #CoffeeFan #CoffeeDrinker #Coffees #ASG #ASGBand #ASGNation #StonerMetal #StonerRock #Metal #HeavyMetal
As Dan Harrington -- vocalist for @Fistula_Official and owner of @PatacRecords -- once said, “Boston is the birthplace of American rebellion. Whether it's dumping a boatload of crappy British tea in the river, or the pummeling garage rock supremacy of SS Decontrol, we got it right the first time, and everyone else took notice.” I'm playing #SSD's classic The Kids Will Have Their Say -- one of the greatest hardcore punk records to have ever come out of Boston -- while sipping another rebellious Boston export: @BullyBoyBooze gin. Bully Boy distills neutral grain and brandy made from local @StormalongCider with Albanian Juniper, coriander, and lemon, along with indigenous Juniperus Virginiana, hibiscus, and pink peppercorn. Bottled at 94 proof, this is powerful stuff -- just like the tunes from their hardcore fellow Bostonians. . #BullyBoy #BullyBoyGin #Gin #Boston #BostonBooze #CraftGin #GinCocktail #SSDecontrol #TheKidsWillHaveTheirSay #BostonHardcore #Hardcore #HardcorePunk #HardcorePunkRock #PunkRock #Punk #ClassicHardcore
I'd been dying to eat at @ClocktowerNYC since shooting a video campaign with Chef @_JasonAtherton at his @Pollen_Street_Social in London. As expected, the food was phenomenal -- notably, the Scottish langoustine tartare (with a grapefruit gelée and avocado) and Long Island Duck Breast (with a confit leg and watermelon radish salad, burnt onion purée, and caramelized kumquats). But what surprised me were the cocktails, which were truly world-class: each distinctly unique, yet perfectly balanced. Here, on the left, is a sweet and savory concoction by the name of The Don, made with olive oil @DiplomaticoRum Reserva Exclusive, Oloroso Sherry, cocoa angostura, honey syrup, and sea salt. And on the right, the tart and tangy Royal Engagement (new to the menu, of course), crafted with @MakersMark bourbon, @Drambuie, housemade carrot-ginger syrup, and lemon. Can't wait to return. . #Clocktower #ClocktowerNYC #TheClocktowerNYC #TheClocktower #JasonAtherton #NewYorkEats #NYCEats #NYC #NYCRestaurant #Cocktail #Cocktails #MixedDrinks #Mixology #BourbonCocktails #SherryCocktails #Bourbon #Sherry #RumCocktail #DiplomaticoRum

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