Bedlam! - Ale Asylum

So, as previously mentioned in my Craft Beer Week post, I was able to sample Bedlam! at the tapping/Beer Wars party at Argus Bar & Grille. I made sure to add a bottle of it to my BYO 6-Pack at the Old Fashioned just to make sure I had a chance to sit down and really enjoy this beer and see what I tasted.

Vitals:

Name: Bedlam!

Style: Belgian IPA

IBU: ??

ABV: 7.5%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: The Old Fashioned (BYO 6-Pack)

As an editors note, I completely love Ale Asylum but am nonetheless completely frustrated by their secrecy that they have regarding their beer. They are apparently (after reading some online posts) notorious for not releasing IBU and Gravity information about their beers (most likely for fear of someone reverse engineering the beer and, thus, figuring out the recipe). At any rate, that's why I don't have the information above.

Descriptions:

Appearance: This beer pours a deep hazy orange, with a few inches of cloud white head on it. Most of the head subsided but there were little patches of it hovering on the top of the beer, which was nice. Not much lace is left by this beer in its wake.

Smell: The aroma you get from Bedlam! is quite floral, slightly citrus-y and somewhat bread-y. Mostly on the citrus you're getting orange and grapefruit I believe. Smells absolutely great and you can also detect some herbs/spices in there too, as it is brewed with clover and coriander.

Taste: This beer tastes very good - everything seems well balanced and compliments each other note that you get on your tongue. You get a great deal of orange and grapefruit, with a little light bread taste. You also get a hint of the clover and coriander, which is awesome because it's so well done it is not overstated in the least...just gives it a little bit of spice and a distinct flavor that sets it apart. It's not too hoppy either, so if you're not into hops you can still enjoy this beer. The malt, as with most Ale Asylum brews, is well done and gives a nice background/backbone for this beer, though the breadiness still comes through well. By the way, this beer hides the 7.5% ABV VERY WELL...BEWARE OF THIS BEER!

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel on this beer is very smooth, medium to light body, almost juicy. However, it definitely has enough resin from the hops to stick on your tongue and teeth after you begin drinking. There is a small amount of carbonation, but it's not overstated and is not a detractor.

Overall Grade: A

Comments: I absolutely LOVED this beer and would recommend it to anyone. It is citrusy enough that many non hop-heads would like it, yet it still has enough hop flavor to cater to a true hop-head. Get out and try this beer now - it is on tap at a lot of local places, including (but not limited to) two of my favorite spots: The Old Fashioned and Argus Bar & Grille. It is a seasonal brew, so make sure you get it while it's around. It is a great summer beer and should be enjoyed over the upcoming months!

Cheers,

Hurls

Back in Business!

So, I haven't posted anything in the past week and a half, due to finishing up spring semester...finals and all that good stuff. However, in the interim (prior to finals) Craft Beer Week 2011 went down in good ol' Mad-town. Events ran, conveniently, April 29 - May 8th (aka, in plenty of time before my finals on the 12th and 13th of May). I managed to find time to take part in a few choice events at the Old Fashioned and Argus Bar & Grille (on Webster & Main).

The first event was a build your own 6-pack at The Old Fashioned - $12.50 for any 6 of their 112 or so bottles of Wisconsin-brewed beer. Quality deal when you compare to Riley's (pricey) or the University Ave Liquor Store (poor selection) BYO 6-Pack deals.

The second event entailed me, that same day, heading out on my bike to Argus Bar & Grille to attend Ale Asylum's tapping of their new Belgian IPA (Bedlam!) and "Beer Wars" from 8-9pm. Beer Wars essentially entailed tallying up the number of Hopalicious pints that were bought and comparing against how many pints of Bedlam! (yes, it has an ! in it's name...though I am also really excited about this beer, so it works out quite well) were bought. Bedlam! won quite handily (of course, it was it's preliminary tapping), and I won a sweet Ale Asylum shirt to boot!

The last event that I went to was another Old Fashioned, where we (Amanda, Mike, Blair, and I) signed up for their Beer Tour, where you have to drink 150 Wisconsin-brewed beers that are on their beer menu. You get a t-shirt, bragging rights, and a goblet trophy that you get to drink your final beer out of! Mike and I have a gentlemen's bet as to who will finish first.

Anywho, that was Craft Beer Week, which was awesome. I will obviously be posting about my progress through the 150 and will be clearing out my notes, which have gotten a bit backed up through finals week!

Cheers,

Hurls