Ale Asylum Diablo Belgian Dubbel

Brewed by Ale Asylum
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Madison, Wisconsin USA

Brown body. Light aroma - green leafy hops w/ a sweet caramelly backing. Teh flavor has a nut oil element alongside astringent husk and caramel.

Growler ala the Mad City crew. A brew that I had a tough time with. I enjoyed it, but I could not put a finger on anything that made it stick out. I sampled this through out the tasting and still didn’t come up with much. A hazed dark tan color with a small dark beige head. Aromas of caramel malt and mild hops. Dry malt and aged hay in the flavors. Some mild spice and pastry comes on. Still I look for more.

Growler courtesy of the Madison triumvirate. Hazy, light and murky caramel brown in color. Spicy hot caramel-glazed, fried chocolate bananas commandeer the nose. Nutmeg and cinnamon meet with a sugary, peppered ginger crème, along with cocoa sprinkled on banana bran breakfast cereal. Later on we get a mild accent of wet birch and rubber. Oily spiced stream comes in with a dry, cocoa powder flavor and feel. Banana bran reintroduces itself with a lightly toasted caramel cushion. Ginger, nutmeg and a tantalizing banana-chocolate crème brûlée parallel. Loses a little bit of speed near the end, pulling some attributes from cocoa bubblegum. Chocolate puffs and mild green skinned plantains give an ample track to a well-balanced beer, but there seems to have been not enough patience to let this one gel in the conditioning phase of its construction. Nutmeg and caramel macchiatos surmise the finish.

Thanks Madison Crew. The beer pours to a nice hazy caramel colored body with a thin white head. The aroma is brown sugar, green grapes, malty. Perhaps the best smelling dubbel I’ve had. Perhaps. The flavor is sweet malty, green raisins/grapes, banana, nice caramel malt. Nice and toasty. One of the best I’ve had of a style I don’t like that much. Nice rich palate. Medium-full body. Creamy.
Resampled on tap at the brewery.

Thanks to the Madison Crew. Pours a murky brown color, small white head. Aroma is spicy, caramel, baby powder, a little cocoa. Flavor is bitter almost slightly tart, bitter and sincerely. Decent stuff.

On tap at brewery

This was the third sample of ten tried in a row. Initially mistaken for the Happy Ending, we quickly realized our mistake after the next sample. This is the star of the Ale Asylum lineup. If you can only choose one beer from their tap list when you visit make it this one.

Aroma / Appearance - A deep amber body presented itself with a rich bouquet of oranges, mango, white wine and a general fruitiness I could not quite pin down. It made me excited about what was to come, which is where the real fun begins.

Flavor / Palate - A sweet alcoholic first wave gave way to fruity notes that were not unlike a blend of apples, pears, bananas and mangos. Mixed in with that were honey and caramel notes. The alcohol is palateable but despite burning does not overwhelm the senses. This is an extremely full bodied beer that was very enjoyable. At $3.50 a pint this one is a steal for what you get - one of the best beers in the Madison area. As I mentioned earlier, if you can only get one beer make it this one.

Aroma is bright, with caramel, toasted bread, raisins and a touch of spice. Cloudy amber-brown with a thin, off-white head. Complex flavors of grape, caramel, sweet bread, chocolate and a spicy finish. Sweet, but nice and dry with a crisp and thin body. This was the star of the night in my opinion. I’ll have it again for sure.