After the tour at Cantillon it was time to get down to some real drinking. We headed to Delirium Café, which guarantees 2,004 different beers in stock. The bar is located on Impasse De La Fidélité, a small dead end off of Rue des Bouchers, which is itself a narrow winding cobbled alleyway lined on either side by restaurants whose tables make the entire street nearly unwalkable when crowded. The bar is marked by small signs with the Delirium Tremens logo on them. There are tables upstairs, but the bar is located below ground.
The bar is roughly L shaped, with around 12 or 14 taps that face the back. There are large barrels with chairs around them near the bar, and regular tables farther back. We sat at the bar on this visit.
The menu is the size of a small town's phone book, and can be quite overwhelming. There are featured beers, which each get a pretty good description. The rest are organized alphabetically by country. Surprisingly there were two Goose Island beers available.
If the bottles were 33 or 37 cL David and I ordered one each per round and switched halfway through. If the bottle was 75 cL we split it. For these reviews and most of the rest I don't have notes for "Overall", so I'll just put the score.
496. Kasteelbier Bruin-Brune
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a very dark brown with a thick foamy head that fades into a sudsy film.
Smell (3.5): Caramel, dark fruit, and a hint of roastiness.
Taste (3.5): Malty and sweet throughout. There are strong flavors of raisins that dominate. The finish is spicy with noticable alcohol, residual sweetness and a light roastiness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): A little sweet, but otherwise drinkable.
Overall (3.75)
497. Kasteelbier Blond
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thin white head that quickly fades to a patchy layer.
Smell (4.0): Strong aromas of banana and clove, with peppery spice that emerges on swirling.
Taste (4.0): Banana fruitiness upfront, cloves and peppery spice with light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Very high carbonation, light-bodied with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Crisp and pretty refreshing.
Overall (3.9)
498. Artevelde Grand Cru 1993
At the end of the menu several aged beers were listed. One of these was Artevelde from 1993. The bottle said "Imported by Best Brands, Fairfield, NJ." Apparently this one has made the transatlantic voyage at least twice.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Huyghe
Year: 1993
Alcohol: 7.30%
Serving: Bottle,
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber brown with a beige head that thins to a film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Notes of cherry, caramel and medicinal phenols.
Taste (4.0): Very mellow. Light cherry and medicinal phenols, with graininess and bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.5): High carbonation, light-bodied, with a crisp, dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Easily drinkable, definitely mellowed.
Overall (4.05)
499. Guinness Special Export Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Guinness Ltd.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Pitch black, topped by a very thick brown head that fades leaving heavy lace on the glass.
Smell (4.0): Lightly sweet chocolate, and some roasted coffee notes.
Taste (4.5): Sweet chocolate upfront, moving into light tartness, with heavy coffee roasted flavors in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Full-bodied, moderate carbonation, creamy.
Drinkability (4.5): Very nice, full-flavored, sweet but well balanced by roasted bitterness.
Overall (4.5): Text
500. Ename Dubbel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Roman N.V.
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear ruby-brown with afoamy beige head that persists as a film leaving nice lace.
Smell (2.0): Lightly sweet, with faint hints of caramel and light fruit.
Taste (3.5): Very attenuated. Lightly sweet upfront with notes of dark fruit. The finish is lightly bitter with a very light residual sweetness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light-bodied, with a dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): Not too sweet.
Overall (3.35)
501. Saxo
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Caracole
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thick, fluffy, bright white head that leaves heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Very peppery, with banana fruitiness, and light graininess.
Taste (4.5): Lightly sweet fruit upfront, with a significant peppery bite in the finish with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light-bodied, dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Very crisp and refreshing, with a nice dry finish.
Overall (4.35)
I'll post a summary of my thoughts on Delirium Café after I blog all of the other visits.
The bar is roughly L shaped, with around 12 or 14 taps that face the back. There are large barrels with chairs around them near the bar, and regular tables farther back. We sat at the bar on this visit.
The menu is the size of a small town's phone book, and can be quite overwhelming. There are featured beers, which each get a pretty good description. The rest are organized alphabetically by country. Surprisingly there were two Goose Island beers available.
If the bottles were 33 or 37 cL David and I ordered one each per round and switched halfway through. If the bottle was 75 cL we split it. For these reviews and most of the rest I don't have notes for "Overall", so I'll just put the score.
496. Kasteelbier Bruin-Brune
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a very dark brown with a thick foamy head that fades into a sudsy film.
Smell (3.5): Caramel, dark fruit, and a hint of roastiness.
Taste (3.5): Malty and sweet throughout. There are strong flavors of raisins that dominate. The finish is spicy with noticable alcohol, residual sweetness and a light roastiness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): A little sweet, but otherwise drinkable.
Overall (3.75)
497. Kasteelbier Blond
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thin white head that quickly fades to a patchy layer.
Smell (4.0): Strong aromas of banana and clove, with peppery spice that emerges on swirling.
Taste (4.0): Banana fruitiness upfront, cloves and peppery spice with light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Very high carbonation, light-bodied with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Crisp and pretty refreshing.
Overall (3.9)
498. Artevelde Grand Cru 1993
At the end of the menu several aged beers were listed. One of these was Artevelde from 1993. The bottle said "Imported by Best Brands, Fairfield, NJ." Apparently this one has made the transatlantic voyage at least twice.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Huyghe
Year: 1993
Alcohol: 7.30%
Serving: Bottle,
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber brown with a beige head that thins to a film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Notes of cherry, caramel and medicinal phenols.
Taste (4.0): Very mellow. Light cherry and medicinal phenols, with graininess and bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.5): High carbonation, light-bodied, with a crisp, dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Easily drinkable, definitely mellowed.
Overall (4.05)
499. Guinness Special Export Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Guinness Ltd.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Pitch black, topped by a very thick brown head that fades leaving heavy lace on the glass.
Smell (4.0): Lightly sweet chocolate, and some roasted coffee notes.
Taste (4.5): Sweet chocolate upfront, moving into light tartness, with heavy coffee roasted flavors in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Full-bodied, moderate carbonation, creamy.
Drinkability (4.5): Very nice, full-flavored, sweet but well balanced by roasted bitterness.
Overall (4.5): Text
500. Ename Dubbel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Roman N.V.
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear ruby-brown with afoamy beige head that persists as a film leaving nice lace.
Smell (2.0): Lightly sweet, with faint hints of caramel and light fruit.
Taste (3.5): Very attenuated. Lightly sweet upfront with notes of dark fruit. The finish is lightly bitter with a very light residual sweetness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light-bodied, with a dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): Not too sweet.
Overall (3.35)
501. Saxo
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Caracole
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thick, fluffy, bright white head that leaves heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Very peppery, with banana fruitiness, and light graininess.
Taste (4.5): Lightly sweet fruit upfront, with a significant peppery bite in the finish with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light-bodied, dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Very crisp and refreshing, with a nice dry finish.
Overall (4.35)
I'll post a summary of my thoughts on Delirium Café after I blog all of the other visits.
Labels: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Delerium Café, Dubbel, Export Stout, Quadrupel, Travel, Tripel
