Madhouse Pastime Pale Ale

Brewed by Madhouse Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Newton, Iowa USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker

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12oz bottle in Des Moines. Pretty easy drinking APA that has a nice malt profile with just enough hop punch in the middle to make it interesting. Did not get any of the chlorine notes earlier raters talked about so maybe their QA has improved...or I got lucky...or don’t have a discerning enough palate.

Malty taste. Hoppy smell. Not that great or remarkable. Like a higher alcohol home brew. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

pours dark amber. scents of citrus and caramel... good smooth taste, sort of a creamy raisen taste with soft finish... i like it

Pours a cloudy honey brown color with a light head that dissipate’s quickly. Mine had a tiny flecks of something that stuck around after pouring and leaving a small layer at the bottom of the glass. Not sure if this was supposed to happen. Taste is smooth with a light aftertaste. One of the better IPA’s I have ever had.

12 oz bottle. Pours an orange, somewhere between copper and rust, with off-white head. The aroma is fruity hops and a bit of a rubbery autolysis note, a bit of a harsh chemical tone (also associated with autolysis, I think), and maybe a touch of burnt caramel. The flavor is sharp fruity hops, grapefruit and apricot mostly, with maybe a bit of pine. The malt behind it is distant but caramelly. I don’t get as much of the autolyzed notes in the taste, and I think the little bit I do is residual aroma. Just enough to give it a little bit of a melted plastic suggestion. would be decent if not for that.

12oz bottle from John’s Grocery in Iowa City, IA. Pours a crystal clear, copper, gold tinted colored body with a finger-width, frothy, off-white head that dissipates slowly and leaves a moderate lacing. Aroma is solid with a mix of hops and crisp, bready malts. Some grapefruits and herbal grasses with a nice floral hoppiness as well. Caramel and bread in the malts offering a nice balance. Flavor is similar. Fairly well hopped with a crisp, malt balance. Herbal, grassy, floral, and somewhat piney grapefruits up front before a slightly toasted, bready, touch of caramel maltiness comes in to balance. Gets a bit spicy towards the end with a slight increase in bready toast before this finishes dry with a moderate bitterness. A nice herbal, somewhat piney hoppiness leaves a lengthy aftertaste following a light, clean, smooth body and moderate, crisp carbonation. Overall, a really nice pale ale. Very easy drinking and crisp with a solid hopping. Nice, light caramel and slightly toasted breadiness to the malts that still allow the grapefruit-citrus hops to take the forefront. Another solid offering from Madhouse.

Appearance is medium amber and very clear while the aroma almost piney, most likely due to dry hopping. The flavor is citrus-based with hints of pine and grapefruit. A little thin for an APA, but this is better than the other beers I’ve had from this brewery.

12 ounce bottle. Pours a medium copper with a nice foamy white head. Aroma of malt, citrus and hops. Taste is pine and malt. Interesting balance. Nice.

Pours amber with light citrus notes. Deeper hints of spice hops that drive with a decent malt backbone.

Bottle from Secret Santa. Amber-copper color with a decent fluffy head. Spotty lacing. Grapefruit and citrus hop aroma with herbal and floral notes. I pick up much more malt flavor than expected from the aroma. It’s doughy with a strong dose of caramel. The hops are citrusy but tame, and have a hard time being much of a factor. There’s also an odd corn flavor that seems out of place. The finish is weak, suggesting perhaps the need for more bitterness. Didn’t really dig this one.

UPDATED: DEC 18, 2010 Bottle. A - Crisp copper color with an average sized, thick, creamy, frothy, white head. Very good retention with a nice creamy layer of lace left. S - Strong grapefruit citrus and floral hops aroma. Juicy aroma with just a reduced malt aroma. T - Pretty hoppy for the style. Plenty of citrus (particularly grapefruit) and floral hop flavors. Some pine resin flavors as well. Caramel malt provides a base in the background. Slightly bitter finish. M - Light body with a lot of carbonation. A little thin with a zesty, crisp feel. D - Easy to drink with plenty of hoppy bitterness, although not too much, and without a sweet syrupy taste. Light and refreshing. Notes: I guess that they changed the recipe for this a bit ago and cut the amount of malt by 25% to up the hoppy flavors. Definitely worked as this is a hoppy Pale Ale. Crisp refreshing, and while it isn’t overly bitter, it lacks a syrupy sweetness that can get cloying. Nice beer that is crisp and refreshing.