Last Friday, I headed west to join my cousin for a trip to Madison's newest brewpub, the Ale Asylum. Sadly, we had heard mixed reviews towards their food menu. Not wanting to chance pairing great beer with a subpar lunch, we first ate at Madison's Midtown Pub. It was a nondescript bar; one that you could easily picture as a cookie-cutter model used in Every Town, USA for the locals who don't like "dark" beers. However, their Inferno Chicken Sandwich was a deal and a half at about $5 for a large sammich and fries (plus a large pickle spear). The "Inferno" aspect of this culinary wonder was very spicy pepperjack cheese and potent cajun seasonings on the grilled chicken breast. I could probably eat one a day for the next 34 or 35 years at least.
After downing a pre-tasting lunch and a bottle each of Great Lakes Nosferatu and Bell's Sparkling Ale, we made the trek across Madison to 3698 Kinsman Blvd. At this location sat an unassuming brown stripmall-looking structure with a small sign in front of one door to let us know we had reached our destination. The Ale Asylum itself was a small place with dark earth tones and various reds to set the mood. We were perplexed at our inability to spot the token television set at the bar. We quickly scanned the room a second and third time before determining that this place was either genius or insane to go sans TV. It is a bold move that forces humans to converse and discuss fine beer and gentlemanly pursuits instead of staring slack-jawed at the talking picture box.
As I approached the bar to place my order, I gazed reverently at the impressive tap list hanging proudly on the wall behind the bar. AA had 9 of their own beers on tap, with names such as Diablo, Ambergeddon, and Disporterly Conduct setting the ominous tone. I quickly ordered a sampler of all 9 beers ($9 for 9 four-ounce glasses on a nice tasting tray). Suddenly, a bearded ruffian sporting a stylish riding cap turned to me with his Belgian snifter and mumbled something.
"Excuse me?" I asked cautiously, unsure whether he would hand me his beer or leap at my vulnerable face.
"The Diablo is good. They're all out of their tripel. That's why I'm drinking this. Goes good with pizza," he slurred.
I chose to ignore his monologue and carried the tray back to the table. Before me lay a veritable spectrum of beer toned colours...from lemon yellow to deep rust to nearly pitch black. I scanned the names of each sample like a child eagerly checking tags on the gifts under the Christmas tree. Disporterly Conduct, Big Slick Stout, Happy Ending, Diablo, Gold Digger, Hatha Weizen, Madtown Nut Brown, Hopalicious, Ambergeddon. This was going to be a fun blur.
We dove in, eagerly sipping and nodding in approval. The favorites quickly became apparent, but I was down on a couple on the beers that just didn't do it for me. The porter and the oatmeal stout rose to the top of my list, winning me over with their roasted decadence and cocoa-smooth luxury. The Belgians (Happy Ending and Diablo) were good Belgian ales that did little to distinguish themselves but were eminently drinkable. Gold Digger was an awesome name for a blonde ale. Unfortunately, it was a blonde ale and thus lost major points in my ratings for its strong corn presence and cloying sweetness.
The Hatha Weizen was a standard German hefe which is now a positive as far as my tastes go. For most of my beersnobship, I've disliked hefes as much as I would dislike a jar of formaldehyde. After enjoying New Glarus's hefe offering (Dancing Man Wheat), I have a new appreciation for the style and consider it to be a well-balanced and refreshing ale. Ale Asylum's Hatha was not in the class of Dancing Man, but still tested well. Anyone who knows me knows I love love love nut brown ales, so Madtown Nut Brown was basically the stronger bigger brother of Newcastle. The APA Hopalicious had the most fragrant Cascade hop nose I've ever experienced. This beer smelled like the sweetest citrus fruit you can imagine. It tasted like Florida. The final of the 9 samplers was Ambergeddon, a hopped-up West Coast amber. Ambergeddon looked like a boring old amber but tasted more bitter than some pale ales that come to mind. If you like strong session beers that don't leave you with a sugary stomach ache, Ambergeddon is the perfect medicine.
All in all, Ale Asylum has some kinks to work out in its metamorphosis from brainchild of a beer lover to a strong brewpub, but it's off to a fantastic start. This place has personality, which greatly aids it on the quest to unseat Madison classics like Great Dane and JT Whitney for craft beer dominance. I saw AA fill up like crazy during the hour I was there. It's obvious that they have already amassed a set of regulars, who will be quite disappointed if its time on the Madison craft scene runs out too soon. I'll drink to that sentiment. No straitjacket needed; here's one inmate more than happy to willingly return to the Asylum.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Never been to the Ale Asylum, but it sounds like a stop on my next trip to Madison. My favorite line in your review was 'it tastes like Florida'. I once described the sweet potato fries at Applebee's as 'tasting like November'. Why don't more people make such revelations about flavors? Our tastebuds are tied to our memories and certain culinary experiences and flavors trigger both physical objects, time periods and geographic locations that serve as phenomenal similes.
Quite true. There's a fantastic podcast called "Craft Beer Radio" that features two guys sampling beer in an informative manner. One guy jokes that it's acceptable to use color to describe flavor. As in, "This beer tastes purple". I am a strong advocate of using unique descriptors like purple, Florida, and November. I think it far more interesting than simply saying good, great, grand.
Post a Comment