Ale Asylum Diablo Belgian Dubbel

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

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.

This dubbel pours red/brown and shows notes of sweet ness on the original nose and then this sweetnes belnds into a spicy citrus/tree fruit flavor. It has great texture and is excellent.

On draught at the Ale Asylum brewpub in Northern Madison, Wisconsin. Pours a semi-clear dark amber brew with a fast dissolving, creamy off-white head that leaves behind a light film and ring. Aroma of caramel malt, a slight banana, brown sugar and a touch of alcohol. Taste is medium bodied, very slight carbonation, semi-sweet character with a dry roasted malt flavor with some roasted nut, brownsugar and caramel. Finish has a slight brown sugar aftertaste with a lingering malty flavor and even a little alcohol warmth.

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.

On tap at the brewpub on 6/22/07: Pours a transparent deep copper with a thin ring of wispy white head. Aroma of doughy bready sweet dark caramel Belgian malt and yeast. Flavor of sweet biscuity caramel and toffee with good authentic yeasty complexity and mouthfeel toward a slightly drier finish with a touch of clove spice. A nice Belgian Dubbel.

On tap at the brewpub. The body was dark copper with with a creamy off white head. The aroma was banana with some dry hay and a little bit of sweet caramel. The taste was sweet with some funky grass and toffee. There is the obvious presence of candi sugar with some cinnamon in the finish. This is big, but not annoying.

Name: Diablo
Date: 06/22/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

clear dark red, scant head, sweet fruity aroma with a touch of alcohol, rich fruity flavor, nice caramel sweetness blends well with the fruity character, no alcohol apparent in the flavor

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.9/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

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.