Delirium Tremens

After a long hiatus from my craft beer blog, I am back!!!! Reasons for my absence, LIFE. Or as I like to call it mother-fuckin life. Yeah work is a bitch, parents' a constant pain in the butt, friends' getting married left and right, vacation with the homies, that sort of shit. But back to why I have this blog, it is about the beer damn it! So this is my most recent discovery when I went to browse the high end grocery market in my hood. The bottle captured my attention and I didn't have my phone on me to look up the reveiws. Well to my surprise, this is an award winning Belgium strong ale according to Wikipedia: Delirium Tremens was named as "Best Beer in the World" in 2008 at the World Beer Championships in Chicago, Illinois, USA.^[1][2] Stuart Kallen gives it the number one spot in his The 50 Greatest Beers in the World.^[3]

So lets get on with the tasting shall we? The beer poured a beautiful golden yellow. Nice thick head that holds its retention with dancing heavy carbonation bubbling below.

The smell hit me with citrus, a bit of banana and a nice yeasty floral fragrance.

The first taste brings me back.  The mouth feel is creamy, which has the citrus and carbonation riding through,  then the yeasty mustiness comes in along with some sourness. The carbonation takes over and leaves a nice dry finish.  The taste is complex and gets better as you drink. Tasting different notes as it warms.

Wow. This beer is in every word, an extremely “drinkable” beer. Goes down easy and satisfies that deep “good beer quality” thirst you yearn for AND deserve.

Rate Beer: 96 overall score, 8.5% ABV, Brewed by Brouwerij Huyghe

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/delirium-tremens/1039/  

Chimay Tripel (White)

Chimay, Belgium: http://www.chimay.com/en/bieres-de-chimay.html?IDC=287

BA score 91: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/215/1346

Description from the brewery: The Chimay Triple, last-born of the Abbey, is labelled "Cinq Cents" on the 750 ml bottle. Of a golden colour, the Trappist beer combines sweet and bitter in a rare balance. The beer's aroma felt in the mouth comes from the hops' perfumes: above all, they are fruity touches of Muscat grapes and raisins, even ripe apples. This traditional Belgian beer is best savoured fresh at a temperature of from 6 to 8°C.

Breaking down the label: Chimay is famous in the state and stands out mainly for being a "Trappist" beer. For those of you who don't know, it simply means that it is brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery under the control and responsibility of the community of monks, and whose revenue is devoted to social service. There are only 6 active trappist brewery in Belgium so that's why we see so few beers with the "Trappist" label. Triple on the label means triple ale and is used by Belgian Trappist breweries to describe the strongest beer in their range. Typically 8 to 10% ABV.

My not so professional review: As you can see from the picture, Chimay Triple pours in a golden amber color with a nice size head of foam. As I bring the cup close to my nose, I can smell the Belgium yeast, sweet fruity notes and a hint of spice as well. Upon first sip, my immediate reaction is the heavy carbonation and crisp on the tongue then followed up with slightly citrus sweetness balanced with some spice in the middle. It rounds off with a not so subtle hop bitterness and is finished rather dry in the mouth. The fruity sweetness is balanced extremely well with the herbal spice, it doesn't overpower one another and since I like some hop in my beer, the hop bitterness in the end is a nice finish for me. It's light body though a little too much carbonation for my liking, but for a beer with an 8% ABV, it's a pretty refreshing beer and the spice and hop will definitely keep your attention.