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...

Satisfaction Jacksin Double I.P.A.

Thanks to Eric Mathis for giving me a bottle of this a couple weeks ago during one of our weekly beer dinner events. I'll be heading to Madison around February 5th and will surely be getting my hands on this one! I got around to reviewing it while cooking up an organic pea-soup pizza. Literally, a pizza crust with pea soup as the sauce based. I survived on this in Australia!
8.25% ABV

Appearance: Mahogany amber with an ever persisting reddish tint. The head is negligible a it performs with only a slight blanketed coating of film and soapy bubbles around the inner perimeter of the glass. Highly turbid, leaving little to be seen within.
Aroma: A perfumy scent of plums erupts from the surface of the beer, while there are faint notes grapes, strawberries and apricots. There is an undertone of rosemary too! Dark roasted fruits and a mild biscuit malt bill carry the rest on through.
Taste: Very sweet, but with a conflicting bitterness that leads one to think this beer may even have a fruit incorporation into it. The front is represented by caramel and bready base malts, presumably a load of crystal or 30-37. Rich notes of hop based fruit resins and a brief character of tannins. Huge citrus and tropical fruit profile with even flavors paralleling grapefruit and pineapple and apple juice. Still, there remains a slight herbalness, that I personally thing adds a tremendous quality and unique enhancement to the flavor over many the many Double IPA's I've been tasting lately. Alcohol is present, but nicely covered up. Citrusy and almost sour tasting (from the hops) as the beer warms up.
Mouthfeel: Big bodied and even a bit tacky at the front. The carbonation is high, but not so much to mask any of the flavor. In fact, the prolonged bite that is provided, helps expose even more of the tropical fruit zest flavors and bitter undertones. Some stickiness on the lips.
Overall Impression: Amazingly complex. Fruit flavors, malt base and tropical zest bittering units all come together to create one of the best Double IPA's I've ever had. The alcohol warms the throat, while the body provides a near chewy texture, All the while the bitterness drys and refreshes the throat. Impeccable flavor. I love it.

Ballistic IPA

Thanks to Eric Mathis for giving me a bottle of this during our weekly tasting event at the house. He got this from the brewery while helping his sister move. I reviewed this while making an organic based deer stroganoff which I can in ball jars and hope will sustain me as a lunch for the rest of the week. I find the label very interesting as it's oddly reminiscent of Green Lanter, and if it were, his wife, Poison Ivy from Batman...

Served in a snifter.

7.5 % ABV

Sound: Not much of a spritzy when opened.

Appearance: The pour seemed thick and lacking in caronation, only to give rise to a thin bubbled foam when all the beer was in the glass. A Rich mahogany amber with a bright orange hue. Evenly glowing, but hazed to say the least. There isn't much activity seen within the glass.

Aroma: Huge grapefruit and earthy tropical scent erupts from the glass. I could have told you amarillo before even reading the bottle. Other noteable sensations revolve around a rich dark fruit and raisin scent along with plums and figs, even passion fruit. No tartness, but just a mellow yet fruitful nose that consistently blossoms from the glass.

Taste: The front is faintly biscuity, but overall dominated by a forebearing hop juice. I get sweet orange peel bouquet up front with notes of mango and a touch of flowers. Very citrusy. The second half is characterized by a very unique, but all too familiar hop fruit juice flavor. This consists of dark roasted fruits as noted above like raisnins and plums, but also with a sweet grape undertone. The very finish rounds out with a minute leafiness to finish and balance out the sweetness with a few extra bittering units. The aftertaste emits a slight tannic flavor, but still the memory of all the full deliscious fruit flavors acknowledged throughhout. Here also one could draw honey and biscuit malt from the backbone of the beer.

Mouthfeel: Thick and again, juicy. Carbonation is on the extremely low end, but not enough to draw away from the beers experience, though enough to bring fourth more hop flavor. Finish is dry, but there is a big globular cloying texture at the roof of the mouth. Still, a soft mouthfeel about it.

Overall Impression: This is a big fruitful IPA that is relatively reminiscent of Hop Juice by Two Brothers. I found that the amarillo added a generous fruit forward complexity while not becoming off-balanced, eve though the malt was hardly present. Ale Asylum yet again knows how to use their hops!

Hopalicious

Tasted Monday afternoon following a 16 miler to and around Sunderbruch park, I foresee it being the last of the season before the Snow starts. Enjoyed while construction the first of its kind (for me, at least: 100% organic pizza's, crust and all.
Big thanks to Justen Parris for giving me a bottle of this last night during a very enjoyable IPA tasting.

Appearance: Golden in color with a hazy look about it. The head is minimal with soapy accumulations in areas, while the rest stays as a light film across the surface. Carbonation is present.

Aroma: Therein resides a faint undertone of citrus orange zest. Beneath I find a basic biscuit/bready malt backbone that stands more apparent than what I've experienced in the aroma's of other hopped-up beers. Somewhat of a soapiness present as well.
Taste: Much of the flavor resides in the back half, while the front comes off as a bit watery. Some bread malt is there, but very minimal. This beer attenuated to its full potential, leaving little sweetness but still retaining some of it's body. Some citrus at the end, that, like the aroma, takes on an orange peel element. Similarly there is a leafy consistency too. Together there is still a prominent soapiness of which remains deterring. Even a bit of sulfur may be noted. Cascade's have had better days.
Mouthfeel: Light, but still retaining some "girth" as the carbonation punches a slight sting to the tongue, but goes down smooth and foamy. The finish is very drying, yet refreshing.
Overall Impression: I was expecting more from Ale Asylum with this one, Especially after having Ambergeddon and Madtown Nut Brown, which were two stellar beers. I found this one to be lackluster in hop character, with limited complexity and appeal.

MadTown NutBrown

Retrieved this bottle from the Great Taste of the Midwest Beer Fest Brewers dinner the night before. In fact that very same night we met one of the brewers (Chris?) who gave us a tour of their absurdly arranged maze of fermentation and brite tanks. Tasted on a Sunny fall Monday with a bowl of garden fresh potatoes, eggplant, onion, rosemary and pepper.

Appearance: Deep mahogany brown with a rubied hue. Head is poor, even after a vigorous pour only to exhibit hardly even a film. Quite still within the glass, though clarity is strong. At half glass, the beer still manages to leave behind a wet lacing.
Aroma: A hardy cocoa, toasted malt bill spears the nostrils in a rich grain based sweetness. Nutty, for sure but with maple and hazelnut undertones. The very end parallels chocolate. Not much else can be drawn under these strong scents.
Taste: Nothing special resides upfront, though at midtaste the flavor really begins to blossom. Roasted notes and lightly toasted barley make up much of the malted grainy sweetness. surrounding this is maple and perhaps brown sugar. Finally the finale introduces a very rich and thought provoking chocolate malt taste preceding a very basic and subtle hop bittering dryness. The aftertaste is woody and tannic leaving a feeling in the mouth similar to trying to down a tablespoon of cinnamon.
Mouthfeel: A bit under-carbonated for this beer. Thicker bodied, though very smooth and inviting to the palate. Even a bit chewy. Like I said earlier it leaves thee mouth quite dry. Leaves a cloying after feel in the back of the mouth.
Overall Impression: This beer packs a punch of flavor, mostly of chocolate and toasted malts, so don't be too surprised. Nevertheless it's drinkable and richly flavored.

Ambergeddon

I snagged a bottle of this from the brewers dinner the night following the Great Taste of the Midwest. I didn't even realize it was Ale Asylum, but I thought the label was interesting. Eventually that night I would make my first visit to the brewery for a personalized tour (aka Great River group) of the brewery. Reviewed Tuesday Evening after a day at the brewery and making a gallon jug of Hot sauce from the peppers from the garden.

Appearance: Deep looking amber with a darkening hue to it. Glowing with a 5/10 haze making the appearance of carbonation difficult to notice. Head is minimal, but still leaves a sticky white lacing in it's path.
Aroma: Boasting a nice bouquet of fresh grassy hops as well as a underlying toasted malt backbone. When I smell this beer, I think of the very bottom of the brew kettle and all the trub/protein/hop sediment that accumulates there.
Taste: Caramel and toasted malt barley make up a very nicely incorporated malt base. To follow, there is a spicing crisp hop addition that litterally makes the beer big with a pine complexity. A bit grassy, but nothing that even stands out as noticeable. There is a bit of a burn at the end, that I suspect isn't from the alcohol alone, but the thrifty hops that complement the malts and the carbonation. Nutty and even a bit of rye-like spicing under the layers of flavor. Pine and even undertones of orange peel complement the finish and become more assertive as the beer warms.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a normal carbonation that bites the tip of the tongue. The finish is extremely dry and crisp. Very smooth.
Overall Impression: I really wasn't expecting much from this beer, but to my fortunate surprise it was very rewarding! I usually don't finish a beer during a review, but this one had no choice but to be consumed. Huge hop complexity and a very complementary malt bill to match.