Showing posts with label Melle Belgium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Melle Belgium. Show all posts

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Beer – #307 – Brouwerij Huyghe – Delirium Tremens

The night clearly is drawing in - next up is from the Brouwerij Huyghe – Delirium Tremens.

Brewed by Brouwerij Huyghe this is the Belgian Strong Ale and they make this in Melle, Belgium

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The allusion to pink elephants and the choice of names is not due to chance. With a particular character, the unique taste of results from the use of three different kinds of yeast. The result is a finish of peppery bitterness without aggression. The gray bottle hides a mystery awaiting discovery by the none faint of heart.

Launched on December 26th 1989 @ 9% abv. Abv reduced from 9% to 8.5% in 2003.
The particular character and the unique taste of "Delirium Tremens" result from the use of three different kinds of yeast. Its very original packing, which resembles cologne ceramics, and the colourful label contribute to its success. 
In 1997, Stuart A. Kallen nominated Delirium Tremens as "best beer in the world". A gold medal during the "world beer championships" in Chicago (1998) confirmed that worldwide recognition.

Clearly not the best beer in the world.

The small 330ml bottle, contains only 8.55% ABV of a beer that is 255 calories a serve. making this 2.21 standard drinks.

Similarly presented in the painted bottle, to look like pottery, and with the blue foil. It looks great.  Pink elephant in attendance.

Sweet sour aroma on opening, lively carbonation as this gets all excited in the bottle. It has been sitting warming for a while, it should be ok though.

Wildly fluffy head on the pour, and it surprised me with how pale it was, but all that subsides to a more normal light fluff, and leaves some decent lacing.

Aroma is more settled and remains towards the sour, but not without a sweet undertone.

Its lovely and sweet to drink, with a bitterness that carried with a  lovely mouthfeel of fluffiness, all of which sounded like poetic nonsense.

I'd finished writing about this before I'd finished the beer. It really is a very full beer. I like the word full, it gives you the idea that when you sip you get a cheeks full of action. This is a very robust beer, and the flavours are not diminished by time or warmth.

The pdubyah-o-meter, which I may have overlooked in previous published versions, mostly due to beer, for this, then, is an 8. How would I be able to rate this higher and 8 is as low as I think I'd go based on the units of beer consumed on empty tummy.

In a scenario where you're  a quaffing away on things, and then this is plied before you, and then you stop to thin about it, and frankly this is a bit of a finisher. Despite is nice balance and delivery of the flavours and profile this really is a beer that made me feel 'full" both of tummy and in the buzz.

Not a bad way to be, but to much to soon. said MrsPdubyah scornfully.

 

BELGIAN STRONG ALE



Belgian Strong Ales can vary from pale to dark brown in color, darker ales may be colored with dark candy sugar. Hop flavor can range from low to high, while hop aroma is low. The beers are medium to full-bodied and have a high alcoholic character. Types of beers included here include tripels, dubbels and ultra-strong abbey ales.





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Beer - #306 - Brouwerij Huyghe - Delirium Nocturnum

yes indeed, following the Belgium beer thing this is the  Brouwerij Huyghe - Delirium Nocturnum

Brewed by Brouwerij Huyghe as a Belgian Strong Ale and they're in Melle, Belgium

Can sized 330ml bottle of beer, Triple Fermented, A Strong Beer, of 8.5% ABV, and of 255 calories, making this 2.21 standard drink units.

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Colour and sight: Dark brown-red. A compact white-yellow, stable and lacing head. Scent: Touches of caramel, mocha and chocolate. Spices such as liquorice and coriander are also present. Flavour: Initially, a very good mouthfeel of alcohol and softness. This is followed by an increasing bitterness, partially from the hop, but also from the roasted malt and chocolate malt. Towards the end a nice balance between bitterness, sour and sweet.

Nice presentation, the bottle is painted to look like clay or pottery, and this has the purple foil, with the pink elephant label.

Delirium Nocturnum copyThis is listed as being a "Dark" ale.

Familiar bitter yet smooth aroma on opening, Pours a darker shade of brown than you could expect, and it seems to pour "thick" and delivered a great white creamy looking and persistent head.

Aroma in the glass is fruity.

Well I nearly used a sweary word. That's a a really attacking taste on the palate. I really wasn't expecting something so tart, abrupt and frankly as full as that. Shows you that the pretenders to the Belgium style might have a ways to go.

Consider myself told.

This is really a full mouthfeel beer, and for me the amount of carbonation has two effects. One is that I'm distracted by the soda mouthfeel, and the other is that I'm aware that the fizz is carrying the taste.

The taste is, again, 'full', with a whole range of tastes and flavours clamouring to be heard. Aroma remains persistent of fruits and sweets.

The legend that tis the Pdubyah-o-meter ranks this as 8, very goodly good, on the arbitrary scale of things.  The aroma persists, the strong mouthfeel persists and doesn't waver, the range of flavours offered up stays the same beginning to end.

After a bunch of "Belgium Style" beers it is a bit nice to get back to the benchmark. But I'm easily impressed, as you know.

I'm also trying to be again, harsher on the scale of things. It's way to easy to mark everything as great, particularly when you've put your own dollars down.

I finished this beer before I finished thinking about writing about it, which makes this a beer that is easy to drink, enjoyable and worth your coins as much as it was worth mine.

Disappointingly not a music night, if it was it might be a bit of Sweet Billy Pilgrim.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuGjK6cJ8Dc&w=420&h=315]

BELGIAN STRONG ALE

Belgian Strong Ales can vary from pale to dark brown in color, darker ales may be colored with dark candy sugar. Hop flavor can range from low to high, while hop aroma is low. The beers are medium to full-bodied and have a high alcoholic character. Types of beers included here include tripels, dubbels and ultra-strong abbey ales.





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