Taste Test: Delirium Tremens

Just last week, my girlfriend Jen gave me a (slightly) belated Christmas present of 2 awesome Crystal Beer Glasses, a Beer Tasting Glass and a bottle of Delirium Tremens, a well renowned beer that was labelled as the "Best Beer in the World" at the 1998 World Beer Championships. Seeing this bold claim, I decided I HAD to taste it for myself, to decide whether it lived up to it's reputation.

Cool ceramic bottle, label in 8 million languages

The pour is cloudy and golden, with an abundance of frothy, white head, piled up in the glass like cappucino froth. The intial aromatics are bready yet spicy, with some subtle earthy and funky notes. Upon allowing the beer to warm a bit, a clear aroma of banana came through, along with a slightly 'hot' nose, likely caused by the 8.5% ABV

Awesome beer, and the glass to match!

The first thing you taste is an initial bitter, bready hit, likely a flavour from the yeast, before the sweet, fruit of the body comes through, mainly banana, with a hint of spicy clove. A lingering, bittersweet floral flavour will stay for quite a while, building over a few sips then slowly mellowing out.

A perfect pair

The body is fairly light, and the carbonation of the beer is made interesting by the way the froth mingles with each sip, adding texture and enhancing the bitter notes.

Overall, a great example of a Belgian Strong Ale, though I'm not quite sure it lives up to it's claim as the 'Best Beer in the World'. A solid 8.5/10

You can get Delirium Tremens from lots of bottle shops, but mine was bought along with the glasses from Beer Cartel in Artarmon, Sydney