Ale Asylum Ballistic IPA

Brewed by Ale Asylum
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Madison, Wisconsin USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Bottle - Man, I’m totally confused by this beer. It looks gorgeous - an inviting hazy amber pour with a big frothy head. It smells just about as good as it looks, as the Amarillos are at their grapefruity best. There’s mandarin oranges and flowers in there...I could smell this all day. The taste, however, was all over the place. First of all, it’s nowhere near as hoppy as I thought, with a heavy grain taste and some sweet malt overpowering the hops. And there was an unexpected alcoholic burn, which was odd for a 7.5% brew. The last few sips, however, tasted more balanced, as the hops came back and started to win the battle with the grain and malt. It’s real oily and carbonated on the tongue too. I don’t know--a near perfect beer on looks and smell, but the flavor didn’t follow through. I’m going to have to try again to see if the real flavor will raise its hand.

Bottle to snifter (thanks arkurzynski). Pours cloudy orange with a white tight soapy head that fades to a thin collar. Aroma is sweet malt and mild citrus hops with a noticeable orange peel. Taste is bitter grapefruit and orange rind with a malty backbone. Palate is medium and chalky with a gritty dry finish.

Bottle pours orange-amber with a white head. Aroma is orange, pineapple, bread, and light florals. Flavor shows the same with additional notes of peach and grass. Overall body is moderate with a moderately bitter finish.

Enjoyed on tap as part of a sampler at Ale Asylum in Madison, WI. Appearance a slight cloudy amber, light white head. Aroma of skunky hops, light citrus notes, pretty nice. Taste is definitely hoppy, strong bitterness, citrus comes out a little more, pretty good.

On tap at Ale Asylum. Pours dark, russet orange with small white head. Not much lacing to speak of. Straight-up citrus on the nose: oranges, marmalade, peach jam. Sugared fruit. More of a hop bite on the tongue, more sweet citrus, big caramel malt presence. Sticky, lasting mouthfeel. A touch on the sweet side, but quite good.

6oz sample. This is a solid ipa with an herbal earthy kick which screams west coast that has a caramel malt backdrop with some bread in the aroma. Could use a bit more citrus to srand out but is a stellar textbook example of the style.

Pours a caramel looking color, cloudy, with a trace of head and light lacing on the edge. Aroma was hoppy but not overpowering. Taste was hoppy, but missing something. Mouthfeel was OK. Just an average IPA for me!

(12oz bottle thanks to bu11zeye) rich opaque orange with a lasting creamy head. Nose of sweet orange, and the peel, grapefruit. Taste of orange pulp, candied fruits, a bit of cracker and a bit dank.

A decent IPA, a bit simple in the taste and nose profile. For the price its not a bad 6 pack to grab, but I wouldn’t go far out of my way to try it.

Pours a cloudy amber. Aroma is malt and sweet. Mouthfeel is pretty syrupy. Taste is bitter in the end with a strong malt presence. Not too hoppy in the finish. Overall just decent. Drinkable, but nothing exceptional in my opinion.

Sampled at an ESBLS tasting. Clear and copper colored with a small off white head. A very nice aroma is citrus and caramel. Flavor is also citrus and they are fairly complex. Malt is bready and sweet. Very nice.