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Ale Asylum

Breweriana, Collectibles, Ephemera and Memories

I have visited Ale Asylum,
in Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin, USA.

Brewery/Brewpub Location

Reason for Visit: Ale Asylum was one of the latest breweries I've visited in Madison, Wisconsin. This is a seriously good beer town, and Ale Asylum is a seriously good microbrewry. It's definitely worth a stop.

Ale Asylum Coaster and Logo Coaster: I collected an Ale Asylum coaster during the visit, featuring its logo and slogan in burnt orange on a black field. It represents the quirky nature of the brewers fairly accurately. I'm not quite sure what to make of it and that's probably the point. Maybe it's a crown or maybe it's a jester's hat. I'd like to think perhaps its the latter in keeping with the Asylum and Insanity theme. And about the insanity, the slogan is actually "Fermented In Sanity," (with a space between "in" and "sanity", i.e., two words) seeming to say that they know exactly what they're up to even if the masses have their doubts. These are not brewers who sit back on their haunches timidly; they're out there pushing boundaries and trying to make great beer with high quality ingredients and their own ingenuity. That's much admired and appreciated.
Ale Asylum T-Shirt Shirt: I got a T-shirt while I was there, for Ale Asylum's Madtown Nut Brown. It's a pretty macabre design which is actually one of the reasons I was attracted to it. I don't have anything else in the collection quite like it. Madtown in this instance refers to Madison, the location of the brewery. Two ghoulish figures dig a grave by the light of the full moon, digging into the letter "T" in Madtown which also forms the shape of a cross. There are some suitably scraggly, barren trees framing the image and it's all set on a brown background. Creepy. In a good way. I'm sure it's making all kinds of symbolic points that I'm unaware of as well.
Ale Asylum Bar Bar with Pint Glass: Ale Asylum is primarily a microbrewery, which is why it's located in a light industrial park area next to the Madison airport. It just so happens to also have one great bar within its public area. They serve a small amount of bar foods but don't go there expecting a full-service brewpub. Not to worry though, the beer and the atmosphere more than make up for the difference. Fill up on the snacks and enjoy the beer.

The logo appears here on their pint glass (mostly drunk by yours truly) as well as on the cash register at the back of the bar. Notice the reflective brushed metal bar surface. Also you can catch a corner of the beer list at the top, right corner of the image. They've got liquor here too, although the beer is the star of the show and that's the way it should be.

Ale Asylum Taps Tap Handles: Ale Asylum makes a bunch of beers and if it's in stock they've got a tap handle for it primed and ready to go. Notice the artwork above the row of taps, though. Each photograph captures the image of an everyday object that resembles a letter of the alphabet. String them together and... it spells the name of the brewery.
Sample list of beers produced by Ale Asylum

Items featured on these breweriana pages are personal souvenirs of my visits to these locations, and an expression of the events and travels leading to their collection. They are not for sale or for trade.

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