Fireball released a toasted marshmallow vanilla flavor, in case you want that

As a New England WASP, I probably have a hereditary fondness for grand old rooms. My Boston Brahmin forebears, after trading religious zeal for mercantile ambition, liked nothing better than sipping claret, playing whist, and smoking cigars in their clubhouses on Beacon Hill. In private quarters adorned with mahogany paneling, maritime paintings, and marble fireplaces, my flinty ancestors chortled deep into the night—safely removed from wives, papists, and, God forbid, Yale men.

Since moving to New York City, I’ve delighted in finding bars that feel like clubhouses frozen in the Gilded Age. The Campbell in Grand Central comes to mind. The Rose Club at the Plaza. Although much newer, the Polo Bar gussies up the blue-blood clubhouse aesthetic with fabulous fare, a trophy-laden wine cellar, and an ultra-exclusive mystique. But the apotheosis of robber-baron extravagance is The Gold Room at Lotte New York Palace.

When you think about the flavor of beer, what do you imagine? To me, it’s a crisp, refreshing, no-frills lager. The type of beer you’d just as likely crack open on an unseasonably warm spring day while grilling as you would after an afternoon of mowing the lawn on a hot, hazy, humid summer day. It’s light, refreshing, and tastes like beer.

That’s not to say that there isn’t a place for chocolate- and coffee-centric porters or boozy, barrel-aged stouts, or even tart, lip-smacking sour beers. There is a time and place for those and many other styles. It’s just that sometimes I want to crack open a beer and not taste an explosion of tropical fruit juices or get bashed in the head with malts or oaky wood. I want a beer that tastes the way I imagine it should. Specifically, I’m thinking about a balanced, thirst-quenching lager.

SimplyGoodCoffee, a brand known for its innovative plastic-free coffee brewers, just dropped the next generation of plastic-free drip brewers. Pairing an exceptional cup of coffee with the one feature the original brewer was missing, the new SimplyGoodCoffee plastic-free programmable brewer lets coffee lovers wake up to a freshly brewed pot without sending hot or cold water through any aluminum or plastic.

As coffee drinkers become increasingly aware of what’s really going into their cup, this new launch includes a series of thoughtful upgrades from the original model. Beyond the programmability feature, the stainless-steel internal water pipe has been replaced with glass, the reservoir cover is now silicone, and the carafe and lid have been redesigned for an easier fit and greater durability. It also features an automatic drip-stop, a more efficient heater, improved water-level sensing, and programming that stays saved for up to three days during a power outage. The result? A smarter morning coffee routine upgrade for anyone looking to reduce plastic exposure without sacrificing a stellar cup of coffee.