After a conversation with one of our local beer club members, it emerged that we’ve never had Delirium Tremens in our packs. We have had the Nocturnum, the festive Noel, and the celebratory Argentum. But not the beer where the legendary pink elephants started.
The brewery was founded by Leon Huyghe in 1906, but there had been an operating brewery on the site since 1654. So there is a fair bit of heritage to this brewery.
It wasn’t until December 26th 1988 that the Delirium label was introduced to the world. The Tremens was a blonde tripel, utilizing three different yeasts in a tripel fermentation process.
The beer immediately gathered a strong international fan base. Ten years later it was acclaimed as the ‘Best Beer in the World’ at the 1998 World Beer Championships in Chicago.
But it wasn’t always plain sailing. When it was first exported to the US, it was recalled from shelves, falling foul of the legislation banning products which ‘encouraged excess drinking’. For a while, they renamed the beer ‘Mateen Tripel’ just for the US!
Tasting notes: it’s delicious! Go on, see for yourself.
by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs
A tasty Belgian style blond ale from the always reliable Abbaye des Rocs
by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs
A dark tripel, full of fruit and malt sweetness, and enough hop bitterness to match
by Brouwerij der Trappistenabdij de Achelse Kluis
A smooth, full-flavoured classic triple style beer from the Achel Trappist monastery
A brewery label which has done the rounds of Belgium, this is their classic Belgian Tripel
A Farmhouse Tripel is one of the new offerings from Alvinne, but it isn't exactly traditional
A little sweet, a little sour, lots of body and complexity
A very drinkable tripel style Grand Cru from Van Steenberge
The spring seasonal beer from Kerkom, a lot like a sweet saison/tripel mash-up featuring honey and pear
A tripel known as 'The Beer of Bruges'; though no longer brewed within the city walls.
An organic tripel, which also is gluten free thanks to an enzyme which removes the gluten during the brewing process
A big and boozy Belgian tripel style beer from Brasserie Dubuisson
This beer screams Belgium - from the squat bottle to the monastic label, and the quintessential Belgian tripel style ale inside
by Brouwerij Corsendonk (at Brasserie Du Bocq)
A full-bodied blonde tripel, a lively beer with a herbal bouquet and hoppy aftertaste.
This beer is the Petrus Tripel, with Amarillo and Cascade added, plus 15% foederbier
The 'Mad Bitch' is an insanely good tripel from De Dolle Brouwers
A beer slightly out of the box, somwehere between a big Belgian blond and a tripel style. And it's sugar free!
This beer is known as the most bitter Tripel style beer in all of Belgium!
An old-style Belgian tripel with early fruit and malt sweetness, giving way to a sustained dry, herbal bitterness
De Molen's take on a Belgian Tripel style - lots of sweet malt and generous hop bitterness
A fantastic rich and creamy triple style ale, made from three grains - wheat, barley and rye
A brilliant variation to the normal tripel style; a crisp, dry delicious ale with a strong hop aroma and flavour.
A big strong tripel style ale, with a sweet malt body, peppery spice and a big alcohol kick
by Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven
Traditional tripel style beer from the famous La Trappe Trappist Monastery in The Netherlands
The biggest and best beer of the Leffe range - a 9% tripel style ale.
The Postel Tripel is a stock-standard Belgian style Tripel brewed at the Affligem Brewery, for the Heineken-owned Alken-Maes group
The Hobby Brewers have taken their successful Tripel recipe and upsized it for this Grand Cru...then left it lying about in some Cognac barrels for a while
A classic tripel from one of our favourite little breweries in Belgium
An Abbey Ale in the classic Trappist tripel style - a perfect balance between bitter and sweet.
An abbey style Belgian Tripel from Bruges De Halve Maan brewery
The Strafe Hendrik Tripel is refermented with a wild Brettanomyces yeast
The Straffe Hendrik Tripel which has been refermented with a wild Brettanomyces yeast strain
The world-renowned three-grain tripel, still brewed to a centuries-old recipe.
A tasty beer that is somewhere between a Belgian Tripel and Strong Pale Ale
An uncomplicated but delicious tripel using only two hops and one malt
by Abdij Der Trappisten Van Westmalle
Known as the 'Mother of All Tripels' - this is the benchmark for all tripels.
by Trappistenbrouwerij De Kievit
A tripel style beer from the 9th official Trappist Monastery
A wonderful winter seasonal offering from the Delirium label - one we look forward to each year
