New playlists!

Gib had a great idea: to add playlists of our favorite songs/bands of the week. One of our favorite things to do together is listen to music - usually Pandora. So, we thought we'd share our favs.

This is really a compromise: Gib wants to do a "Top Ten Favorite Bands/Musicians" list, and I CANNOT do it. I can't commit. I have different favorites all the time. A weekly list works for me.

So.

Enjoy the playlists. Or, you can press mute.

Katie's Top Ten Favorite Beers

1.) St. Bernardus Christmas Ale – It makes me sad that a seasonal beer is top on my list, but alas: this beer is awesome. It is really rich – tastes like cinnamon, caramel, and plum. It is darker than the beers I usually go for, but the brewers got enough carbonation in there to make it taste kind of light but creamy.2.) Kasteel Donker – I’ll leave the description of this one to Gib. Like he mentioned, I like that is a little bitter, giving it a complexity that a lot of Belgian style beers are lacking.

3.) Delirium Tremens – One of the first high gravity beers I tried (thanks, Thom!), and still one of my favorites. It is fruity and light, and really carbonated. It is a perfect summer beer.

4.) Avery Reverend – This is a go-to favorite. It is reddish in color and tastes like caramel. It is slightly sweet and slightly bitter, and really easy to drink.5.) Chimay Blue – This one is a classic Belgian beer in my opinion – fruity, somewhat spicy, and really easy to drink. It is complex enough to make it interesting.

6.) Hoegaarden Original White Ale – A long-time favorite. It’s a wheat beer that tastes like orange and coriander – definitely refreshing.

7.) Sam Adams White Ale – Another seasonal beer – this one’s only available during the spring. It is one of the easiest beers to drink, in my opinion. All of the Sam Adams beers are great, but this is the best.8.) Unibroue La Fin du Monde – Gib has a good description on this one. If you haven’t caught on by now, I tend toward Belgian style, citrus-y beers, and this is a great one.

9.) Unibroue Trois Pistoles – Darker than I normally like, but I love it. I tried to avoid thinking about value when making my list, but it can’t be ignored in the case of the Unibroue beers – it’s a great deal.10.) Kasteel Tripel – Kind of similar to the Delirium Tremens, this one is light, sweet, and fruity.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

Blue Moon

Lost Abbey Cable Car

LA 31 Grenade

Franziskaner

Shocktop

Gib's Top Ten Favorite Beers

1.) Avery The Reverend - A high-gravity Belgian quad that is my personal model for what a beer should taste like. I will shed many tears of joy on the day they start selling this in bottles where I live. Right now you can only get it on draught at select locations. This is the most delicious beer I have ever tasted and if I am honest, the others on my list can’t hold a candle to this one. I would like to meet the creator(s)of this fine drink and give them a big smooch.2.) Kasteel Tripel Blonde – While a distant second behind “The Reverend,” this is still a freaking awesome beer. It is a delicious, high-gravity, Belgian style blonde abbey ale that is mildly sweet with an incredibly smooth finish. I stock up on this and #3 on my list every time I return home to Birmingham because I can’t find them anywhere in Mobile, AL.

3.) Kasteel Donker – This is the darker version of #2. It is a delicious, high-gravity Belgian style brown ale that has just a touch of bitterness that is absent in the Kasteel Tripel. I find the deep, chestnut color it has when poured to be quite beautiful, making it one of the more aesthetically pleasing beers on this list.

4.) Unibroue Trois Pistoles – This beer holds a special place in my heart because it was the first “high-gravity” beer that I fell in love with. It is a spicy, caramelly, delicious Belgian style dark ale that I think is the best beer produced by one of my favorite breweries (Unibroue). Like the Kasteel Donker it is also quite pleasing to the eyes when poured.

5.) Unibroue La Fin Du Monde – Another great beer by Unibroue, this is a high-gravity Belgian style tripel that is spicy, citrus, and smooth all rolled into one. At 9% alcohol by volume, $11 for a four pack of these guys is an awesome deal.

6.) St. Bernardus Christmas Ale – A high-gravity seasonal beer that tastes like cinnamon, plum, and caramel. I wish you could get this sucker year round.

7.) Blue Moon – This is a Belgian style wheat ale that tastes like orange and coriander. One of our favorite things to do here in Mobile is to go to a local hamburger joint and get a $6 pitcher of this stuff and two-for-one hot wings. A slice of orange in the glass is a must…

8.) LA 31 Grenade – I don’t know who thought of brewing a beer with passion fruit, but after tasting this beer I am sure glad they did.

9.) Sweetwater Blue – Again, I don’t know who thought of brewing beer with blueberries, but I am sure glad they did…

10.) Ommegang Three Philosophers Quadrupel – A high-gravity Belgian style Quad that tastes like cherries, bourbon, and vanilla. It is delicious and refreshing.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

Budweiser

St. Bernardus Tripel

Abita Andy Gator

Yuengling

Sam Adam’s White Ale