Night Madness!

I recently reviewed a beer by Left Hand Brewing Company of Longmont Colorado. Founded in 1993 they’re older than half of the breweries you see on the shelf in an average American bottle shop. Sit for a second.

Now consider this. Tonight I enjoyed a bottle Delirium Nocturnum. This Belgian strong ale is brewed and bottled by Huyghe Brewery in Melle Belgium at the same site--and by the same family--that founded the brewery in 1654...
Did you get that? Sixteen-fifty-four! Do you realize how ridiculously amazing that fact alone is?

By comparison America’s oldest brewery (Yuengling) comes in at a mere 183-years-old (read: when Yeungling was founded in 1829, Delirium was ALREADY 174-years-old!)

Not only is the story great, but the packaging is also top-notch. Because I couldn’t have said it better myself, I’ll share Jessica Smith’s description of the name in her Hop Magazine article:

Delirium Nocturnum translates from Latin as “Night Madness”, emphasizing the ‘darkness’ of this Belgian Strong Ale. With such an impressive name wrapped in such whimsical packaging, it’s no surprise that the Delirium Nocturnum instantly piques most beer drinkers’ interest. In fact, both the Delirium Nocturnum and Delirium Tremens sparked interest and controversy when first imported into the United States, where for a while it was banned due to the provocative nature of its name, which refers to a medical term used to describe symptoms of alcohol abuse. It seems certain regulatory bodies thought the name to be too intriguing to beer drinkers, and would encourage them to over-imbibe.

It makes me laugh to consider that a country that once banned this wonderful beverage for fear that it would corrupt our men now has this on it's shelves.

A rare example of a beer glass that's beautiful empty--thanks for bring this back for me Ashley!

Okay, enough fawning over the brewery, and the history, and the tradition. The most important--the only important thing really--is what’s inside the bottle.

Nocturnum pours a beautiful dark mahogany color. It reminds me the Westmalle Dubbel but without any hint of red.) It has a nice thick head with some pronounced lacing against the glass.
The aroma is fantastic with dried fruits (cherries, and prunes), fresh fruit (plumbs), and spices dominating the palate.

One sip of this and I’m back at the Delirium Cafe in Brussels wishing I had an extra liver. Layers of honey and hard cider unfold on top of the fruit, and a ever present sourness round out the dark malt flavors.

The Keg Room at Delirium Cafe in Brussels. Give me a cot and a pint glass and I'd never leave!

I swirl it and sniff again and pick up on even deeper flavors of cigar box and cooked Earth. Balance and complexity... I couldn't ask for more, except maybe for one more glass!

Prost!
-D.Lux

PS If you’re still not grasping the time take a look at this map!