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