BEDLAM

Thanks to Andrew for bringing a bottle of this a small tasting we did earlier this week. His Girlfriend was recently in Madison and stopped at Ale Asylum to pick some up.Tasted just 20 minutes before my bus arrives to Holland to take me to Chicago for a weekend of bicycling, brewery tours and festivals.

Appearance: Pours a glowing amber with a touch of orange present throughout. The head is very minimal, only sustaining a faint soapy white accumulation around the inner perimeter of the glass.
Aroma: Fruity and tropical are the first sensations that enter the nostrils. Peaches, grapefruit and plums are what make the aroma so strong and apparent. The malt bill is relatively non-existent under the main focus of this beer - the hops... Some subtle spiciness emerges as the beer warms.. reminiscent of clove and bubblegum. Huh, I wonder, maybe Trappist/Belgian?
Taste: The start is foamy and the sweetness doesn't make itself known until the midtaste when the hops also introduce themselves. The front also came off to me as a bit watery and thin.. more to do with mouthfeel, but the sweetness was underwhelming too, perhaps something to do with complete attenuation? Caramel malt comes through as more of a fruity plum/pear sweetness and is easy to deceive. The second half introduces an interesting mix of fruit, Belgian yeast spice and tropical/ grapefruit related hops tones.
Mouthfeel: The carbonation is the first thing sensed in this beer. It is made up of a very fine bubble, that later expands. As mentioned earlier, the mouthfeel was a bit thin, but the body falls under a medium stature.
Overall Impression: The Citra come through fantastically! Similar to Amarillo when paired with such a well crafted malt. Hints of dark fruit and tropical flavors run rampant through the aroma and taste. The Trappist yeast definitely takes a second hand status here, but is nonetheless present...so to the fact that one could notice it if it was not mentioned on the bottle...