I'm Seeing Pink Elephants!

Not far from the beautiful city of Ghent, in the town of Melle, a fourth-generation brewery is adorned with pink elephants. Brewery Huyghe is located in the Appelhoek (Apple Corner) a site where brewing has occurred since 1654. Huyghe’s most famous offering is Delirium Tremens, a Golden Strong ale that lives up to its trademark pink elephants. I have to admit that I didn’t taste the beer for many years because I thought of it as a “gimmick” beer. Once I gave it a chance, I changed my tune, as it is one of the best examples of a Golden Strong ale (think Duvel or Piraat) in Belgium.

History

In 1902, Leon Huyghe moved to Melle and began working in the brewery located at the Appelhoek; he ended up buying the brewery in 1906. The First World War saw the destruction of the brewery by invading armies, so construction on a new brewery started in 1936 and it was operational by 1939. On December 26th, 1988 a new beer brewed with three different yeast strains – Delirium Tremens – was introduced along with the pink elephant trademark. In subsequent years, a number of new beers were introduced and several other breweries were acquired. Brewery Huyghe aspires to be the greenest brewery in Belgium, and in 2012 a new sustainable brewing hall was introduced.

Beers

Brewery Huyghe, in addition to the Delirium line, brews a number of other beers, mostly from acquired breweries.

  • Delirium Tremens is the flagship beer – a Golden Strong ale that is 8.5% ABV. It is malty and spicy with a pleasant shot of alcohol and a long, dry, bitter finish.

  • Delirium Nocturnum is a dark beer with notes of caramel, chocolate and roasted malt. It also comes in at 8.5%.

  • Delirium Red is a strong (8.0%) fruity beer, deep red in color with a pink head. It is nicely balanced between sweet and sour.

  • Delirium Christmas is an amber-colored seasonal offering with a nice shot of alcohol (10% ABV) and a pleasant balance of caramel, fruit and spices.

  • Delirium Argentum is another Amber ale (7% ABV) with a hint of caramel and a spicy, citrusy bitterness.

  • Delirium Deliria was designed by women and is brewed once a year to commemorate International Women’s Day. It is an 8.5% beer with notes of apple and chardonnay grapes and a rounded fullness.

  • Delirium Black is the strongest beer in the lineup, coming in at 11.8% alcohol. It is a blend of Delirium Nocturnum and Delirium Christmas that is then aged for nine months in oak bourbon barrels. Its complex flavors of vanilla, caramel, and bourbon are beautifully balanced.

  • Averbode is a 7.5% Blond ale with a sweet maltiness, floral hops and a refreshingly bitter aftertaste.

  • The St. Idesbald brand includes four beers – a 6.5% Blond ale, a 9% Tripel, an 8% Dubbel and Rousse, a malty and fruity red-amber ale with nice complexity and 7% alcohol.

  • The five beers in the Mongozo line include a Pilsner, a Buckwheat White, and three fruit beers – Banana, Coconut and Mango.

  • Blanche des Neiges is a Witbier with a good percentage of wheat, along with curacao orange and coriander. 

  • Campus Premium is a 5% premium lager with a rich flavor and pleasant bitterness.

  • The Villers brand consists of two beers. The Oud Vieille (7%) is a reddish-brown beer with roasted malt, caramel, date and coffee notes. The Trippel is an 8.5% ABV golden beer with complex flavors of malt, fruit, spice, honey and bananas.

  • Floris is a line of seven fruit beers, including apple, strawberry, cherry, raspberry, peach, passion fruit and chocolate. The chocolate beer is 4.2% ABV, while the other six are all 3.6%.

  • Artevelde is a 5.7% easy drinking amber ale and Artevelde Grand Cru is a rich 7.2% beer with complex flavors of caramel, roasted grains, dates, toffee, spice and a sweet fruitiness.

  • La Guillotine is an 8.5% alcohol Golden Strong multigrain ale with a hoppy nose and pronounced bitterness in the flavor profile.

  • Biere du Corsaire is a Golden Strong ale with 9.4% alcohol. It is strong and bitter with a dry hoppy finish.

  • Export is a very drinkable blonde lager with 4.5% ABV.

  • Früli is a cloudy (from wheat) deep red strawberry ale with 4.1% alcohol, pronounced strawberry aroma and flavor and a good balance between sweet and sour on the palate.

  • Paranoia is an unfiltered hazy blond lager dry hopped with Citra and Mosaic hops. At 5.6% ABV, it is hoppy, refreshing and very drinkable.

While Brewery Huyghe brews a number of different brands of beer, Delerium remains its flagship brand and Delirium Tremens its star product. Pick up a pink elephant soon and enjoy one of Belgium’s great brews. Cheers!

Charlie GottenkienyComment