---
title: "Delirium Tremens: Tasting notes and recommended pairings by a beer sommelier"
description: "Delirium Tremens is a Golden Belgian Strong Ale style beer originating from Melle, Belgium, brewed by Brouwerij Huyghe, with 8.5% ABV, 200 calories, and 26 IBU."
url: https://www.thebeertimes.com/en/delirium-tremens-tasting-notes-and-recommended-pairings-by-a-beer-sommelier/
date: 2021-06-16
modified: 2026-08-02
author: "Carlos Uhart M."
image: https://www.thebeertimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Delirium-Tremens-1.jpg
categories: ["Opinion"]
tags: ["Bélgica", "Tasting Notes"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# Delirium Tremens: Tasting notes and recommended pairings by a beer sommelier

Delirium Tremens is a beer fermented with three types of yeast, blonde in color, with abundant, very thick white foam.

![Delirium Tremens](https://www.thebeertimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Delirium-Tremens-1.jpg)*Delirium Tremens*

## General information

**Name: **Delirium Tremens

**Brewery: **[Brouwerij Huyghe](https://www.delirium.be/en/world-of-delirium?ageform=1)

**Origin:** Melle, Belgium

**Style: **Golden Belgian Strong Ale

**ABV:** 8.5%

**IBU:** 26

**Calories:** 200 kcal

**Glass: **[Goblet](https://www.thebeertimes.com/la-cerveza-vaso-a-vaso-caliz/), [Tulip](https://www.thebeertimes.com/la-cerveza-vaso-a-vaso-tulipa/), [Tumbler](https://www.thebeertimes.com/la-cerveza-vaso-a-vaso-jelly-frances/)

## Tasting notes and impressions

Bottle-conditioned, you can feel the malt, fruit, and spice flavors, with underlying hops that stand out through a firm body. It highlights the exceptional qualities of the hops and the different types of pale malt.

### 1. Appearance

Golden in color with amber tones, medium clarity and slight opalescence, it manages to generate a constant flow of heterogeneous carbonation, as a firm support for a tall, white, light foam with good retention and lacing.

### 2. Aroma

Its entry is broad and diverse, a succession of cereal, honey, and fruit aromas—red apple and pear—with peach notes, aromatic herbs, and spices in the mid-nose, aromas that are then accentuated with additional phenolic attributes, clove, pepper, and traces of wood in the upper register, ultimately framed as an integrated whole under a perfumed, clean alcohol blanket.

### 3. Flavor

It starts with a soft fruity character, sweet grain, with traces of honey and brown sugar, which in a second instance evolve toward marked attributes of spices and aromatic herbs, rising to overlap as a refuge under which a finish of bitterness accentuated by a balancing dryness unfolds, adding peppery notes and reserving a firm alcoholic character for the close, which lingers even in the aftertaste, ultimately balanced by a light malty quality.

### 4. Mouthfeel

Medium body, amplified in the mouth by a soft creaminess and lively carbonation that refreshes a firm, structured transition, leading to a controlled warm finish without astringency.

### 5. Overall impression

Delirium Tremens is a clear and unmistakable example of the character of Belgian beers, where the product is also a global concept in which all factors have been carefully addressed: content, presentation, and service. A beer that, despite its alcohol volume, manages to drink lightly, needing a fresh serving temperature that allows its powerful expression and consequent evolution to connect and round out, a range of complexities that manage to find their place in the same service space and allow Delirium Tremens to remain a classic among widely available Belgian beers. The recommendation is undoubtedly to explore some other examples of the style.

## Suggested pairings

Delirium Tremens, with its complex profile of fruity, spicy flavors and a sweet alcoholic touch, is a versatile beer for culinary combinations.

### 1. Main courses

Grilled chicken with Provençal herbs or confit duck with apple compote will perfectly complement the malty sweetness of Delirium Tremens, balancing the fat of the poultry, while the spicy notes enhance the meat’s aromatic profiles.

### 2. Cheeses

Delirium Tremens works especially well with blue cheeses like Roquefort or Gorgonzola, thanks to its firm structure and alcohol content that support the intensity of the dairy background. It is also recommended to pair with semi-soft varieties like Brie or Camembert.

### 3. Vegetarian dishes

Recipes like zucchini stuffed with fresh herbs or a warm mushroom and buckwheat salad perfectly complement the sweet malty notes of Delirium Tremens, standing out over the earthy flavors, while its bitterness and dry finish help lighten its passage across the palate.

### 4. Desserts

You can opt, for example, for an almond and orange tart, a bread pudding with vanilla, or even white chocolate truffles filled or infused to complement its natural sweetness and warm aftertaste, highlighting the delicate perfumes of the desserts without competing for prominence.

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

### Why does Delirium Tremens refer to a pink elephant?

The term Delirium Tremens is a medical reference to severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome that can cause hallucinations. Brouwerij Huyghe adopted the name and the iconic pink elephant in the late 1980s in a humorous and ironic way to illustrate the supposed stages of hallucination after consumption, becoming the brand’s distinctive global symbol.

### Why does the Delirium Tremens bottle look like ceramic?

Although it appears to be made of ceramic or clay, the Delirium Tremens bottle is conventional glass covered with a layer of opaque paint that mimics artisanal pottery. This design protects the liquid from ultraviolet light exposure, preserving hop and yeast stability within the package.

### At what temperature should it be served to best appreciate its complexity?

The ideal serving temperature is between 8.5 °C and 10 °C. Serving it too cold numbs the fruity esters and spicy phenols of the Belgian yeast, while serving it at room temperature can excessively accentuate the alcohol perception.

### Is it necessary to pour the entire contents into the glass when serving?

Because it is a bottle-conditioned beer, it contains natural yeast sediment at the bottom. It is recommended to pour gently, leaving a small amount of liquid in the bottle if you prefer a clearer appearance and cleaner flavor, or gently swirl the bottom and include it at the end if you seek more body, cloudiness, and yeast character.

### How long can a bottle of Delirium Tremens be stored?

Thanks to its high alcohol content and bottle conditioning, Delirium Tremens has excellent aging potential. Stored in a dark, cool place (12 °C – 15 °C) in an upright position, it evolves favorably for 2 to 3 years, softening its alcoholic notes and developing more mature and complex nuances.

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