Delirium Nocturnum

Brewed by Brouwerij Huyghe
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Melle, Belgium

Draught sample at a beer festival in kibbutz Ma’abarot, May ’08. Dark brown color with a medium, rather stable, beige head. Aroma of malt, caramel, some pleasant roastiness, fruity notes and chocolate hints. Sweet flavor with roasted malt, notes of coffee and caramel and some fruitiness. More yeasty and drier towards the finish. Medium-bodied. Nice.

330ml bottle (Kaisla, Helsinki)
Rich red, thin off-white head. Initial aroma was sweet malts, and slightly alcoholic, but peppery hops take over. A little fizzy in the palate. Sweet burnt caramel malts, some peppery hops, and a little wafting of the flavours up the nose on a wave of alcohol. Quite subtle. Finish is at first hoppy and peppery, but softens to a gentle nutty graininess and some liquorice and burntness.

On-tap at the Thirsty Monk, Asheville Appearance: Dark ruby red, with a thick head. Enticing if a bit intimidating. Aroma: Sour cherry, brown sugar, faint mild hops. Taste: A carnival ride: sour water, raisins, cherry pits, white pepper, pears, a bitter hop finish. Palate: Perfect, really. Overall: Not quite as good as Tremens in my book, but still very solid! Great with chocolate.

25.6 oz bottle. Pours a deep ruby with massive head, off-white that is quickly diminishing. Aroma of malt, yeast, and dark fruits. Initial taste of bread and malt, switching to dark fruits, ending with a balance of all the flavors and aromas with a hint of spice on the tongue. Medium body, moderate carbonation, some lacing, and hints of alcohol noted as it warmed up. Drinkable and better than most Belgians in my opinion.

A great Belgian strong ale with a zingy palate. Flavors are citrusy and sweet but just short of overpowering. Pours yellow-tan with a nice creamy head.

Kaisla Helsinki. brown with large head diminishing slowly. strong delicious yeast citrus and sweet. alcohol gets in the head out of the blue.

Pours a very dark brown/amber with a large, tan, persistent head. Complex and potent nose of yeast, malt, fruit, and nuts. Taste is very complex as well with malt, fruit, nut, caramel, coffee and raisin notes. Finish is fruity, caramelly, bitter-sweet.

12 oz bottle. Pours a cloudy chestnut brown with a large tan head. Aroma is fruity, definitely a lot of yeast and some malt. Flavor is dominated by malt, with a nuttiness as well. Surprisingly little alcohol flavor. Finish is fruity, with some raisin tones as well. Not bad, not bad at all.