Delirium Nocturnum

Last week I tried Delirium Tremens, so this week I decided to try another beer from the same brand: Delirium Nocturnum. Delirium is brewed by the Huyghe Brewery in the town of Melle in East Flanders, Belgium. The modern brewery was founded in 1906 by Leon Huyghe, but brewing on this site dates back to at least 1654, and since 1906 the brewery has expanded several times. In the 1990s the brewery acquired several other small breweries in the area, and now produces over 40 different beers under almost a dozen different brand names. Delirium, however, is the only brand from this brewery that I have seen for sale in the United States, and consists of Tremens, Nocturnum, Noel (now named Christmas) and Red.

Delirium Nocturnum is a Belgian Strong Dark ale. This style is malt focused and fairly sweet, especially compared to most stouts, and has very low hop character. Fruity aromas and tastes are common, serving to accentuate the malt in this rich, complex beer. This beer should be served in a tulip or snifter, although large wine glasses will work just as well, and warmer than American beer is usually served, around 50°F. This beer will pair well with strong tasting foods, which can make pairings for vegetarians somewhat difficult; I think falafel will pair well, or actually a stir fry, as long as its not to wild. Meats that pair well include red meats, dark poultry and just about anything grilled. Sharp and blue cheeses should also pair well, but I’d stick to sharper, less buttery cheeses.

Delirium Nocturnum poured a dark, clear mahogany red-brown. One finger of dark tan head formed with a very fine texture, but dissipated quickly. The lacing, however, was very good, lasting until I finished the beer. This is actually the best looking beer I have seen in quite a long time, and easily in the top 10 I’ve ever had. The aroma was quite complex, including both plum and lemon that contrasted with dark coffee and molasses notes; the molasses actually reminded me of Cruzan Black Strap rum. No hop aroma was evident, which is also normal with this style.

The carbonation was quite high and sharp, generating a sparkly sensation. The body was moderately heavy and long lasting; while not as bad as, say Dogfish Head’s World Wide Stout, the effect was slightly cloying. Overall the mouthfeel was quite smooth, with a nice, creamy texture. The taste initially had some sweetness, but that faded to the back fairly quickly to be replaced by plum and lemon. There was a significant molasses-like base to this taste profile which I’ve never encountered in a beer before, and while I like it, I also like naval style rum (which has molasses added to it). When first tasted, there was a hint of burnt malt towards the finish, but thankfully this disappeared as it warmed up, as it’s out of place in this style. I also noticed a very slight sourness to this beer, which I thought to be rather odd, but was quite pleasant.

Overall, I really enjoyed this beer, and I highly recommend giving it a try. Its sweet enough to be approachable by most people, and complex enough to interest microbrew fans. Personally, I’d try and pick up a bottle, as when I had this beer on tap it was actually fairly flat, which somewhat supisingly killed this beer.

Price: $9.50

Size: 22 oz

ABV:14%

Appearance: 3/5

Aroma: 3.5/5

Flavor: 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: 4/5

Delirium Tremens

The side effects of alcohol are fairly well known, if not completely understood, at this point. One of the side effects of alcohol withdraw can be an acute case of delirium, which was first described in modern medical literature in 1813 and named Delirium Tremens. One of the symptoms of Delirium Tremens can be hallucination, described by Jack London in his book John Barleycorn as seeing “blue mice and pink elephants”, among other things. This theme has been played upon by many over the years, including Disney in the movie Dumbo and this week’s beer, Delirium Tremens, the bottle for which is decorated with pink elephants.

Delirium Tremens is brewed by the Huyghe Brewery in the town of Melle in East Flanders, Belgium. The modern brewery was founded in 1906 by Leon Huyghe, but brewing on this site dates back to at least 1654, and since 1906 the brewery has expanded several times. In the 1990s the brewery acquired several other small breweries in the area, and now produces over 40 different beers under almost a dozen different brand names. Delirium, however, is the only brand from this brewery that I have seen for sale in the United States, and consists of Tremens, Nocturnum, Noel (now named Christmas) and Red.

Delirium Tremens poured with two fingers of coarse white head, which quickly dispersed down to half a finger of head with a much finer texture, but left little lacing as it was drunk. The color was a straw yellow, but very hazy. The aroma was surpringly yeasty, but quite complex with banana and apple mixed with lemon and other citrus scents. The body was medium heavy, even with the high carbonation, but lacked the really viscous texture I’ve encountered in some beers. The taste was fairly sweet, but surprisingly not cloying at all. There was a surprising level of spices in this beer such as cloves, coriander and cinnamon, enough to make me think of this, in conjunction with the yeast character, as a lightly spiced wheat beer instead of a Golden Strong Ale or Tripel like it is normally marketed.

This beer would pair well with just about everything, given its low bitterness and balance of yeast, spices and sweetness. Fruits and good breads will also pair well, as will most meats. Personally, though, I’d recommend a good sharp cheese like an aged Cheddar or Gloucester, as this is not a particularly cheap bottle of beer. This beer should be served in a tulip glass, or a large wine glass will do just fine as well.

Overall I enjoyed this beer, and one of the best things about it is its approachability. Really, though, I picked up this beer for its name so that I can add another interesting bottle to my collection. If you are looking for a more interesting beer, however, I would suggest grabbing a Duvel instead.

Price: $6.95

Size: 11.2 oz

ABV:8.5%

Appearance: 3.5/5

Aroma: 4/5

Flavor: 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: 4/5

Yards Brawler

As both my loyal readers may have noticed, I have a bit of a soft spot for obscure beer styles. One that many of you have experienced, although few knew that they were drinking at the time, is the English mild. This style, while largely extinct in Europe, has begun to crop up in America, with the local example being Yard’s Brawler.

Milds are the low alcohol session beer version of the brown ale family. These beers are typically very malt focused compared to bitters, utilizing only enough hops to offset the sweetness of the malt. This non-hop focus should not be mistaken for blandness, however, as they can exhibit a huge range in flavor from a lightly toasted character to deep caramel or chocolate notes. The mild style originally developed in the 1800’s as public demand moved from aged beer to a more fresh taste. By the time of the First World War, many breweries sold multiple strengths of mild ranging up to 7% ABV, but the rationing measures instituted by the government forced each brewery to reduce its average original gravity to 1.030, or approximately 3% alcohol. Most breweries reduced their most popular beers, such as milds and bitters, to even below 3% so that they could brew limited quantities of high gravity beer. Unfortunately, the rise of light lagers in the 1950s all but destroyed this style, although recently it has capitalized on the American microbrewery revolution.

Yards Brewing Company is a small craft brewery located right here in Philadelphia, in the Northern Liberties. The owners, Tome Kehoe and Jon Bovit, began brewing in college, and soon fell in love with the process. After working at a brewery in Western Maryland, they founded their first brewery in 1994 in a garage in Manayunk. As the demand for their brews increased they moved to a new facility Roxborough, after which Jon Bovit left to pursue other interests. New investors Bill and Nancy Barton moved the brewery again in 2001, this time to Kensington, but by 2007 they had again outgrown their facilities and moved to the Northern Liberties. At this location they now offer tours every Saturday, and their tasting room is open 7 days a week.

Brawler poured with one finger of off-white, medium fine head which dissipated in under a minute, leaving no lacing behind. The beer itself was a light brownish copper color, but with some red highlights when held up to the light. The aroma was nutty and malty, with virtually no hop aroma at all. Carbonation was fairly high, giving a sharp, sparkly sensation, and overall the body was moderately thin. The taste was very malt focused, with both an underlying sweetness and some hints of roasted character, but the finish had a slightly astringent quality. Overall, I thought it was a little bit thin, but this is to style, given that my base of comparison is mostly big American and Belgian beers.

I found this beer to be both flavorful and drinkable, and I recommend giving it a shot. The style itself isn’t very common anymore, which is unfortunate as it provides an excellent malt focused alternative to the ubiquitous IPAs and APAs that have flooded the market and mouth puckering hop bitterness often found in them.

Price: $1.99

Size: 12 oz

ABV:4.2%

Appearance: 4/5

Aroma: 4.25/5

Flavor: 4.25/5

Mouthfeel: 3.5/5

Olde English 800 (April Fools Edition)

As the weather gets progressively warmer, I have been moving away from the darker beers towards lighter, crisper offerings. One of the best of these styles is the malt liquor category; many might overlook this style simply because the name suggests a high alcohol content, but the subtle taste profile and refreshing qualities make this style stand out above its peers. My personal favorite among the diverse offerings in this category is Olde English 800.

Olde English is one of America’s oldest malt liquor brands, having been introduced in 1964. By 1989 Olde English was owned by Pabst Brewing Company, who soon began offering it in 40 ounce bottles. This was a fortunate marketing decision for beer drinkers as a 12 ounce can, or even a 22 ounce bomber, can never supply enough of this wonderful beer. By the early 90’s beer judges had begun to recognize the quality of this brew, awarding it five gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival, and the brand attracted the attention of one of the giants in the beer industry; SAB Miller now owns the brand. Few other breweries have the experience necessary to craft a beer of this quality in the vast quantities demanded by the general public, but fortunately SAB Miller is up to the task. Still, even with the massive capacity of Miller backing them, spring break put a heavy dent in the University City supply; the first three places I tried were all sold out.

Olde English 800 poured with 2 fingers of coarse, white, almost translucent head. This foam dissipates quickly, leaving no lacing behind as a clean, adjunct brewed beer should. The color is a nice, dead clear yellow, about the same as medium strength urine. The smell was the best part of this beer; nice and sweet, with some malt notes and a tinge of vomit, but no hop aroma to offend the nose. The carbonation was pretty low, as much of it probably came out of solution to form the head, but this only left room to enjoy the wonderful, medium thick body. The initial hit of the taste is slightly bitter, but this quickly dissipates into a sickly sweetness that lingers for quite some time. The finish for this beer is probably the most interesting I’ve found to date; on an exhale it was slightly dry and nutty, but cloyingly sweet on the inhale. I still have no idea how this finish was created, but it was fantastic.

Overall, this beer provides a wonderfully refreshing, beautifully brewed beverage, which just so happens to have a significant alcohol content. I highly recommend this beer, as I honestly can’t think of any beer that I would rather have taped to my hands on a Friday night.

Price: $1.39

Size: 16 oz

ABV:5.9%

Appearance: 5 /5

Aroma: 5/5

Flavor: 5/5

Mouthfeel: 5/5