Bedlam - Ale Asylum

THANAT0PSIS

Wisconsin

4.53/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Ale Asylum Bedlam

Appearance: Ale Asylum’s highly acclaimed Trappist IPA is pours a nearly crystal-clear, firey, deep orange. The beer looks almost akin to the color of a blood orange, or a gorgeous autumn sunset (sadly, this is the summer seasonal instead of the fall). A healthy three-and-a-half fingers of bone-colored head explodes off the top of the beer and leaves a swath of lacing in its path down the glass towards the insanely effervescent, hazy-yet-crystalline liquid. This beer is one of the best-looking beers out there. Seriously.

Aroma: Wow, this is complex and builds anticipation, as an aroma should. Tangerines, oranges, pineapples, grapefruits, and perhaps even peaches and apricots assault the nose up front. A playful, yet not intense hoppiness follows through, with the enticing smell of Trappist yeast on its heels. The yeast is accompanied by just the slightest hints of sweet malts, but that is a hidden gem in this beer. The strong yeast smell that lingers on the nose and wafts out of the glass may not be for everyone, but it plays so well with the tropical fruits that it is almost irresistible.

Taste: This beer is immensely juicy. The complexity follows the aroma step for step with the tropical fruits flooding the taste buds with sweetness all over the tongue; the bready yeastiness taking over from there. Malts are there ever so slightly (as before) and blend everything together to get an almost banana-like quality in the finished amalgam of taste. Surprisingly, the hops do not hit nearly as hard as some of the other IPAs from Ale Asylum (Hopalicious and Satisfaction Jacksin come to mind), which is a bit disappointing; there is no astringency or bitterness to balance out the fruity sweetness of this otherwise beautifully tasting beer. Still, Ale Asylum may have ignored balance on this beer on purpose, and when a beer tastes this good, balanced or not, it is hard to find fault regardless; the lack of bitterness is merely a nitpick in this upper echelon beverage.

Mouthfeel: The medium-thick body and creamy, fizzy texture slide down slowly and spread the multitude of tastes everywhere. There is just a hint of alcohol warming as the glass empties, which may be happening sooner than the drinker thinks. The sweetness is expectedly sticky and coats the tongue and mouth, yet washes away rather quickly for a dry aftertaste. As with taste, the lack of hops comes into play just a bit in the lack of astringency that one normally expects with IPAs. Again, this is a very minor nitpick.

Overall: This is Ale Asylum’s best offering. It is truly a shame that this is not a year-round beer because, living in Madison, I would love to have this in my fridge at all times. The Trappist (or, more broadly, Belgian) IPA is not something I have had before, but I will certainly be seeking more out after this masterpiece of brewing craft. This is unquestionably deserving of a spot in my personal Top Five Beers, and is just a hair off perfection. As it is distributed only within a very small radius in Wisconsin, look for possible trades if you are interested. If ever there was a beer that needed exposure, it is this jaw-dropping Trappist IPA. 18.5/20

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 04:38:30 | More by THANAT0PSIS

MightiestBeard

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

06-18-2013 19:21:31 | More by MightiestBeard

Jparker37

Wisconsin

3.84/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle poured into a nonic pint.

A - Good clarity inside its copper color. Small white head. Spotty lacing.

S - Piney hops have a wet/resiny sense. The beer quickly opens up to show some spicy phenolics. Pleasant American aroma with said belgian qualities. Toasty and mild nutty malt.

T - Starts with a nice layer of biscuit malt shortly slides underneath a big piney hop flavor midway. There are some citrus tones in there as well. Spicy yeast qualities blend into adequate bitterness that is only perceived on the back of the tongue. Crisp finish with gripping hop flavors long after.

M - Medium body, medium-light carbonation, dry.

O - Aroma was it's highlight, had a good grasp on style. Hops seemed to be one dimensional leaning strongly towards pine in aroma but even more so taste. Great feel and appearance. I would recommend but not go out of the way to find.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2013 00:34:10 | More by Jparker37

Dactrius

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -5.9%

06-15-2013 23:05:32 | More by Dactrius

slavall

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -5.9%

06-15-2013 03:12:37 | More by slavall

tourdot

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev -23.5%

06-14-2013 04:58:06 | More by tourdot

StoughtonGuy

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -17.6%

06-14-2013 02:13:13 | More by StoughtonGuy

RhinoDBJ

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -5.9%

06-14-2013 01:45:22 | More by RhinoDBJ

MrTinnedPEach

Alberta (Canada)

5/5  rDev +17.6%

06-12-2013 22:18:23 | More by MrTinnedPEach

superfriend

Wisconsin

4.75/5  rDev +11.8%

06-11-2013 15:10:16 | More by superfriend

MNPikey

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -11.8%

06-09-2013 03:36:12 | More by MNPikey

anticipation23

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev 0%

06-05-2013 04:55:18 | More by anticipation23

312HopBomb

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark straw color with small ring of white. Good lacing.

Smells intense with earthy hops mixed with Belgian funk and some sour fruit. I could smell this all day long. Light malt.

Taste has strong funky plastic bandaid yeastiness that is not bad. Big hop taste with grapefruit and pith. Somewhat boozy.

Mouthfeel is slick and slightly syrupy. Moderate carbonation and medium/heavy body.

This was more of a sipper.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2013 02:36:13 | More by 312HopBomb

callmeishmALE

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

06-04-2013 03:20:46 | More by callmeishmALE

pjsikorsky

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -5.9%

06-03-2013 12:18:58 | More by pjsikorsky

Klake

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -5.9%

06-02-2013 22:56:42 | More by Klake

amalahow

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev 0%

06-02-2013 19:30:03 | More by amalahow

TonyTalon

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -11.8%

06-01-2013 22:12:55 | More by TonyTalon

Woodman70

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -11.8%

06-01-2013 02:34:01 | More by Woodman70

aaronblain22

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev 0%

06-01-2013 00:30:47 | More by aaronblain22

MJCVII

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +17.6%

05-31-2013 17:43:49 | More by MJCVII

Drock325

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev 0%

05-31-2013 06:14:35 | More by Drock325

chadkersey3000

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

05-28-2013 05:00:05 | More by chadkersey3000

pk18

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev 0%

05-27-2013 22:28:18 | More by pk18

NJB145

Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +11.8%

05-27-2013 20:45:35 | More by NJB145