Saturday, September 6, 2008

Days of the Beer, September 6

The beer for today is Ale Asylum Hopalicious Pale Ale.

On September 6, 1976, Soviet Air Force pilot Lt. Viktor Belenko landed his MiG-25 in Hakodate, Japan. U.S. president Gerald Ford offered Belenko asylum, and a trust fund was set up for him. The U.S. interrogated him for 5 months, and then employed him as a consultant for years after.

His plane was disassembled, and examined then returned to the U.S.S.R. in thirty crates. Belenko did bring a manual, however the Japanese government didn't allow the U.S. to keep the plane, or fly it. They only allowed ground tests of the radar and engines.

As for the beer:

Eleven separate additions of cascade hops give this American pale ale its lush citrus aroma and bold hop flavor without crazy bitterness.


Ale Asylum is a brewery in Madison, Wisconsin. I've been there twice, the first on our May Beer Crawl, the second we parked there and rode the bus to the Great Taste of the Midwest. Kriddy and I split a pint of this beer before we got on the bus. The beer is available in 6 packs around Madison and Milwaukee, and it is on draft in many places around there also.

So, if you are like Lt. Viktor Belenko, and are seeking Ale Asylum, you'll have to go to Madison or Milwaukee.

Ale Asylum does not have a Russian Imperial Stout in their lineup, so you will be able to escape Russian Tyranny there.

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