Thirsty?  As that summer heat keeps on rising, so does our urge to grab a cold one.  Many domestic microbrews around the country do their part by releasing fresh summer brews, many of which we’ll be covering in our beer of the week columns this summer.  We’ll start off our summer ale coverage with Sierra Nevada’s Summerfest Lager, a light, smooth, refreshing pilsner-style lager.  Summerfest Lager has a mildly tangy flavor with citrus and spice, finishing with plenty of room for more.  That’s what makes a good summer ale– light enough to quench the thirst while leaving room for plenty more…

Buy: $7/six

The curtain closes, the flash bursts and the best parts of humanity– our humor, love, beauty and flirtation are captured in black-and-white.  Vermont-based artist and photographer Nakki Goranin has documented this telling perspective on American life in “American Photobooth“.  Goranin’s book includes over 200 stunning photographs from the earliest days of the photobooth to last Friday in your local pub.  Ideal for the coffee table, you’re going to want to share this one with your guests…

Buy: $29.70

Moet is a firm believer in good presentation.  Nothing sells a premier champagne quite like a hand-crafted, shiny black box with a gold lock and key.  Moet & Chandon Rose Imperial Champagne comes in a pink leather-lined box with gold detailing.  This 18th Century champagne is the toast of those who can afford to truly splurge, while the rest of us are okay with our third glass of Korbel (burp!).  When the champagne is long gone, why not give this box to your special lady to protect her under-the-bed secrets? [via notcot]

Buy: $TBA

Rogue Brewery is considered by many to be one of the premier domestic microbreweries in operation today. While beers like the Dead Guy Ale and the Shakespeare Stout are most widely acknowledged, Rogue’s Morimoto line of beers command recognition on their own. After tasting the Morimoto Soba Ale, we immediately felt that this one is fit for GearCrave’s Beer of the Week. Its a shame we popped this one as a dresser drink before leaving for sushi, as this would have paired brilliantly with our meal. The Morimoto Soba’s bittersweet taste accompanies flavors of lemon zest, spice and wheat, building into a medium bodied aftertaste that left room for a few more bottles… These might be a little tough to find, so call your local specialty market or liquor store. If they carry Rogue, chances are they can order this for you. Need help talking them into it? Just show ‘em this post!

Buy: $7 (one 22 oz. bottle)

Phil Toledano’s “Phone Sex: The Book” is a graphical exploration into the men and women behind the phone sex industry. Toledano interviewed and photographed thirty phone sex operators, peering into their lives and capturing the innocence behind something perceived as little more than smut. Toledano explains, “the caller agrees to pretend that he (or she) is calling a young, beautiful girl, and the phonesex operator willingly plays the part. Phonesex reveals the truth. It pulls back the veil to reveal the expected, and the unexpected, all at once.” Visit the Phone Sex website (safe for work) for vivid images and passages from the lives of the hidden phone sex operator. [via coolhunting]

Buy: $50

Last Tuesday, Tecmo released Ninja Gaiden II into the wild with much fanfare. Hell, we were excited about this one quite a bit, it was arguably the most note-able release since GTA IV. Tecmo was kind enough to reach out to GearCrave and share ten free copies of Ninja Gaiden II for GearCrave readers. We did so, in a giveaway last week– and now we’d like to congratulate the winners. GearCrave readers Clint Gill, Kyle, Charlie, Patrick, Lawrence L., Brendan, Kadosho, Paul Kotovich, Dev, and Dano will receive a free copy. We’ll send each of you an email to work out the details. Congrats to those who won, and to those who didn’t– we’ve got many more giveaways in the works, including another one coming later today.

Reasons to go to Louisville: The Kentucky Derby, Cardinals basketball games and My Morning Jacket. These “southern rockers” are back today with their new album, Evil Urges. Hype has been steadily building for this release since MMJ lit up the stage at Coachella earlier this year. Expect Jim James’ subdued, Kentucky fried screech to be accompanied by more experimentation by his bandmates. Word is James listened to nothing but Prince for the past two years and the songs show. Along with a heavy obsession with VH1’s I Love the 80s, the influences shine through. Expect funky interludes, dancey beats and plenty of basslines going for a walk.

Continue Reading for more about My Morning Jacket, new about Pearl Jam and other music news for this week.

Continue Reading

Today is a little busier than normal in Hollywood.  Where GearCrave typically covers one, maybe two noteworthy releases, this week there are four films worth checking out.  Sure, these may not be of No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood quality, but each is definitely worth watching.  First, Paul Giamatti personifies a great American President, John Adams.  In Bucket List, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman answer this question: “what would you do if you were given just one year to live?”  Natalie Portman + Scarlett Johansson = heaven.  Does it matter what the film is about?  In this case, you’ll be please with a good film: The Other Boleyn Girl.  Last, another GearCrave love, miss Rachel Bilson stars along with Hayden Christiansen in the sci-fi film Jumper.  See you next week, GearCravers.  Enjoy these films!