Ale Asylum - Ambergeddon

Pouring a gorgeous reddish color with a fluffy cap of light beige foam, Ambergeddon drew us in with both its looks and its inviting aroma. Amber ale is a broad category and we never know exactly what kind of personality we're going to get when we pop one open. Most tend toward malt dominance, but the aroma here proves that plenty of hops have come to this party. Look for bright citric and soft floral notes overlaying a sturdy impression of caramel and light toast. On the palate, we found this amber quite balanced and smooth, with a robust malty core shot through with bold hop notes and more than a little fruity character. Hop bitterness is surprisingly firm for an amber ale, but it finds plenty of balance in the prominent malts and a bit of residual sweetness. We enjoyed this brew greatly; it's a tasty amber that delivers plenty on both the malt and hop fronts. For food pairing options, we're inclined towards well-spiced grilled or roasted chicken, hand-tossed pizza, or noodles in a spicy Thai peanut sauce. Cheers!

Madison, Wisconsin's Ale Asylum got its start back in 2006 when partners Dean Coffey, Otto Dilba, and Otto's wife, Hathaway, began brewing in a small industrial park location. Dean and Otto met while working together at the now closed Angelic brewpub in downtown Madison. Dean dreamt of being able to brew on a larger scale than what the brewpub could offer, and to bottle his beer and sell it at retail. Dean was ready to build a business and use his marketing skills to grow it. When Angelic decided to quit brewing to focus solely on being a bar, the time was right—Ale Asylum was founded, using Angelic's cast-off brewing system.

Fast forward to 2012. Ale Asylum had grown too big for their small 8,000 sq. ft. facility, so they built a brand new 45,000 sq. ft. brewery on a 4.5-acre plot of land that provides them plenty of room to expand in the future. Their old 13-barrel brewing system was replaced by a 33-barrel system, and a much larger bottling line was purchased from Atlanta's SweetWater Brewing Company that enables them to produce up to 277 bottles per minute, as opposed to the old line's 70. In addition, visitors to the brewery can enjoy a variety of brews and pub-style food in Ale Asylum's large Tasting Room and outdoor patio. In December of 2014, Ale Asylum, in partnership with restaurateur Tim Thompson, opened the Ale Asylum Riverhouse in downtown Milwaukee, so now "inmates" (as the Ale Asylum team likes to call their fans) in Wisconsin's largest city and beer haven have an Asylum all their own. The brewery currently produces seven core beers plus around two dozen rotating seasonals and limited-run beers. For more info, call 608-663-3926 or visit aleasylum.com.