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!