Delirium Nocturnum

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Pours a deep brown with a decent head that dissipates quickly. Sweet nutty and dark fruit aroma. Taste is a prune and raisin confection in a light/medium mouthfeel and a refreshing carbonation on the tongue. I don’t detect any alcohol, but I’m drinking this at slightly less than cellar temperature. Bottled 14 months ago. Nice.

I bought this beer because my girlfriend thought the elephant was cute and I figured the alcohol % would be good enough to get her drunk and do things that would make that giant pink elephant blush. It poured much darker than I expected. two fingers of a white foamy head. It had an amazing aroma of prunes, figs, and alcohol. The taste is great, few spices i cant single out, sweet with dark fruits, balanced with belgian yeast and some obvious but not obtrusive alcohol.

On tap at Holeman & Finch. Pours a deep, reddish amber with an big off-white head that shows excellent lacing and retention. The aroma is very sweet with tons of dark fruit, mainly figs and raisin, and plenty of candi sugar on top of the generous caramel malt presence. There are some spices thrown in for good measure. The taste very much follows the aroma and is based on top of the big caramel sweetness. There is probably a tad less sweetness in the taste and a bit more musty spiciness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate, soft carbonation. This is a solid, if not spectacular, take on the style that’s very drinkable for the ABV.

Bottle @ Bukowki’s... Poured opaque, deep ruby with a thick, off-white head. Aroma of cloves and yeasty characters. Palate had a little sizzle on the tongue. A little alcohol sting accompanied the palate with other flavors of malty clove notes which balance some yeasty phenol and spiced notes. Other dark fruit characters like plums and figs.

After being impressed by Delirium Tremens, I was surprised by the relative lack of sweetness in the Nocturnum. That is not to say this isn’t a sweet beer, it’s quite far from dry. However, the sweetness is mild and a little corn syrupy. Flavor also has apple, plum and a hint of grass. Palate was delightful, smooth and silky but somewhat light. Overall, a solid beer, but probably won’t have many more of these.

Légère et très liquide pour une bière foncée. Très houblonnée, un peu trop aigre, mais qui gagne a se faire découvrir.

Humongous tan head that won’t fade. Dark copper pour with ruby tints. Loads of yeast chunks (and I haven’t even pours the whole bottle yet!) including some stuck in the head. Aroma is Belgian bready yeast, loads of spices, candy sugar sweetness, tang apples and some light roasted malt. Sort of lacking for a Belgian strong. Flavour is dominated by an almost sour tang, followed by a cidery taste often present in home-brews brewed too warm/too much simple sugar. Some toffee malt and lots of alcohol. Carbonic acidity from high carbonation present. Too much carbonation!

Pours brown with no head. Taste is sugar, a little cardboard, and fruits - maybe a little mandarin oranges. Slight roasted note in the finish. Decent mouthfeel, but the taste is not not really my thing. Drinkable, but not particularly enjoyable.