Katy and Sasha are the contributors for Ottawa Beer Events! They have distinctly different palates and in this segment they go head-to-head tasting Ottawa beer. This week they sample Delirium Tremens from Brouwerij Huyghe.



This is a controversial beer, not for the ingredients or the reputation of the brewery that brews it, but for the name and pink elephant imagery associated with it. What's in a name? Delerium Tremens., Latin for shaking frenzy, refers to the delirium caused by alcohol withdrawal.

Delerium Tremens isn't exactly new to the Ottawa-market, it has been available on draught at Pub Italia for years, but now beer connoisseurs can buy it one bottle at a time at The Beer Store.

This treat pours a bright gold with generous white cap and too-perfect lacing. The aroma is sweet, spiked with clove-like phenols and fruity esthers. The crisp carbonation leads you to more sweet esthers and phenols (orange, green apple, white pepper, clove) before finishing dry with a slight medicinal burn.

One 330ml ceramic bottle may not be enough to truly appreciate all the nuances of this award winning beer. I recommend picking up a few, but try to avoid the pink elephants on parade.

I was really excited this week to be able to review Delirium Tremens, a Belgian Golden Ale that was absent from the Ontario market until just recently, due to controversy over the meaning of it's name, which refers to a well known disease caused by withdrawal from alcohol. Regardless of the name, I can see why this beer won "Best Beer in the World" in 2008.

When poured, the crystal clear golden color is topped with a thick white head, which, as the glass emptied, left significant lacing behind.

The 3 varieties of yeast used in brewing this beer led to a very yeast laden, fruity nose, followed by a honey sweet taste with notes of pear and a candy-like banana flavour, almost like the bananas in a package of Runts, one of my favorites as a child. Pepper notes were also present in the taste.

As a 3rd round of fermentation is done in the bottle for this beer, there is a lively carbonation that is apparent from when you first pour it. The bubbles continue to activate and tickle your tongue on each sip. For me I could definitely have done with a little less carbonation, but it made the 8.7% ABV less noticeable to me.