Ale Asylum kicked off this year’s Madison Craft Beer Week with the release of a new hop-forward beer, a bigger, bolder version of the brewery’s popular Velveteen Habit. At its debut on Friday night at the Waypoint Public House in Monona, it sold out in just hours.
What is it? Napalm Bunny from Ale Asylum Brewing of Madison.
Style: The imperial India pale ale (IIPA), also called a double IPA, has deep golden to reddish-amber color and is medium- to full-bodied. Expect a strong hop profile with resiny, piney and/or citrus tones depending upon the type of hops used by the brewer. Imperial IPAs should have some malty balance, often shown in spicy warm complexity and alcoholic strength. They commonly finish around 7.6-10.6 percent ABV.
Background: Whenever I hear that Ale Asylum is offering a new hoppy beer, I (like a lot of the brewery’s fans) get excited. The work on Napalm Bunny hasn’t been a secret; however, the brewery tried its best to keep the details of this beer under wraps until Craft Beer Week. It’s just now hitting local taps, with 12-ounce bottles and six-packs due later this month.
Napalm Bunny is the bigger brother to Velveteen Habit IPA. “We turned up the volume in every way: gravity, alcohol and IBUs,” says brewmaster Dean Coffey. The beer has an assertive tropical personality from Citra and Cascade hops. Napalm Bunny has nearly four times the amount of hops as Ale Asylum’s other hop-centric beers. Because of that, it’s the most expensive beer that Ale Asylum makes, says co-owner Otto Dilba.
The interplay between hops and malts are what defines the imperial IPA style. These beers are indeed hop forward; however, a robust malt background keeps up and offers balance, often with spicy alcoholic warmth that complements the aroma and flavor of the hops. “There are a lot of big beers out there that are about how much hops you can put into a pint glass. We were more interested in achieving that balance,” says Dilba. Napalm Bunny finishes at 9.2 percent ABV. It’s currently on tap at the Ale Asylum taproom for $7/glass and $35/growler (refill). Twelve-ounce bottles in six-packs should start appearing on Madison shelves by mid-May, and are expected to sell for $10-$12.
Tasting notes:
Aroma: Citrus with hints of orange.
Appearance: Hazy reddish amber-copper color. A modest, bubbly, tan head.
Texture: Medium- to full-bodied with roundness.
Taste: Tropical-citrus and orange hoppiness is up front. There’s a solid malt background that lends balance and spicy complexity.
Finish/Aftertaste: That spicy interplay of the citra hops and the malts continues and eventually lends a lingering dryness with alcoholic warmth.
Glassware: Go with a modest-sized glass to encourage sipping, and one with an inward flare to the lip that will focus the citrus orange nose. I like it served cool, between 40 and 50 degrees, to help the hops and malt to find a balance in the glass.
Pairs well with: entrées that have some spicy heat and a lot of flavor. It’s suited to Thai dishes and rich Italian cuisine with lots of tomato sauce. It’s also a nice match for sharp blue and pepper jack cheeses.
The Verdict: This is an IIPA with a lot of flavor. It’s not bitter, just solid citrus and tropical hoppiness with a rich malty backbone. It initially seems lighter, thanks to the hop-forward hints of orange and grapefruit. However, that big malty undertone lends alcoholic strength. It doesn’t come off like a big-bodied, in-your-face 9.2 percent beer, but it will catch up to you. This is a beer to respect, especially as the hops draw you in and the malt balance rounds things out. It lives up to the hop hype and is another example of great beer with depth and complexity from Ale Asylum.
