Delirium Red Strong Fruit Beer Review

Delirium Red is a strong fruit beer, which is a bit worrying as I am not keen on fruit beers. But it came in a mix box of beers that I got from Beer Merchants, so I am stuck with it. So what is it like?

Delirium Red is not good unless you like cherries more than beer. It pours a deep ruby red with a light pink head. On the nose there is only one thing, cherries. The taste is cherries, it reminds me of medicine, like a cherry cough mixture. It is sweet up front, then it turns sour, it’s not for me and gets a score of 0.5 out of 5.0.

Sorry Huyghe Brewery, but I just don’t like it, unlike your Delirium Tremens Strong Beer which I loved.

Table Of Contents

Delirium Red Beer Review

As I said I am not keen on fruit or sour beers, but I always like to keep an open mind, and I am hoping one day to try a fruit beer that surprises me.

Delirium Red from The Huyghe Brewery in Melle, Belgium sits in a 330ml grey ceramic like bottle with a cherry red label and the famous pink elephant on the front.

It says strong fruit beer on the front and it is strong coming in at 8.0% ABV.

I want it to be good, but will it be?

Drinking Delirium Red Beer

As I cracked the beer open Lou wondered if it was going to be red, I am pretty sure it will be. And I wasn’t wrong, it is a deep ruby red with a generous light pink head that does fade to a thin cover.

On the nose it is all cherry, a really strong cherry aroma, I tried my best to find other things, but the cherry smell is just too overpowering.

The description says “Soft fruity aroma, with hints of almonds and mildly sour cherries” but for me it is all cherries.

The taste follows the nose, yes it is all cherries, sweet up front turning a little sour on the end. One positive I will say is that it is pretty well balanced between sweet and sour.

However, I can only liken it to medicine, almost like a cherry cough mixture with an 8.0% ABV. Unfortunately this is not the fruit beer that has turned me, I don’t like it at all. It has no resemblance to a beer what so ever.

For me it gets 0.5 out of 5.0, which I know is low, but I couldn’t finish it, this could be the first beer I have not finished.

M’Lady is not keen either, saying “It is one of the worst beers I have tasted, I don’t like it, sorry Huyghe.” I thought Lou would like it because she does like a sour fruit beer, be she scores it a slightly higher 1.0 out of 5.0.

Huyghe Brewery

Huyghe Brewery is a family brewery in Melle, Belgium and has been around for a long time. Although the brewery has been brewing beer since 1654. It wasn’t until 1906 that Leon Huyghe purchased it, so the Huyghe name wasn’t connected to the brewery until then.

Also the name Huyghe was not used until the 1930’s, so it still has a lot of history under the Huyghe family.

The brewery has grown over those years seeing several expansions, as well as acquiring some other smaller Belgian breweries.

The Delirium range of beers are very popular, and some people think the brewery is called Delirium. They are also well known for the pink elephant that is on the front of the Delirium range.

There are about eight beers in the Delirium range of beers, but they also produce some other lower ABV beers too.

Huyghe Beers

Huyghe Brewery produces a lot of beers, there are plenty to choose from. Apart from the Delirium range, there is also other ranges, Averbode, St.Idesbald, Mongozo, Blanche Des Neiges, Campus, Villers, Floris, Artevelde, Biere Du Corsaire, Export, Fruli and Paranoia.

There are eight beers in the Delirium range, and the other ranges differ on the amount of beers in each one. But it is a lot of beers, so here are few to consider.

Paranoia

Paranoia is a hazy hoppy blond beer which is unfiltered and features a pink Hippo with yellow spots on the bottle. It is dry hopped with Citra and Mosaic hops during cold lagering, so should have a decent hoppy aroma.

However there are three other hops used in the brewing of Paranoia, and it is said to be a hoppy clean crisp beer certain to quench any thirst.

At 5.6% ABV it is out of the session bracket, but not by a lot, so it is probably okay to have a couple. It sounds more up my street than Delirium Red, so I would like to test drive Paranoia.

There is also an alcohol free version of Paranoia too.

Fruli

Fruli is a Premium Strawberry Beer, I know what am I thinking featuring another Fruit beer when I clearly don’t like them. Two reasons, you might like fruit beers, and the other is I have a bottle sitting in my cooler.

So why have I bought another fruit beer, it came in the same mixed box of beers that the Delirium red did. So it will feature soon, but I,m optimistic that Fruli will change my mind on fruit beers 🙂

Fruli is actually a white beer brewed as normal with malt, wheat and hops, as well as coriander and orange peel, and of course yeast. After fermentation real strawberry juice is added, then a second fermentation takes place.

It is said to be a deep stone red with a hazy appearance and the strong presence of strawberries, eek!

A very mild fruity beer that comes in at 4.1% ABV, I can’t wait to try it 🙂

Campus

Campus is a premium pilsner, if anyone can produce a pilsner, then it is the Belgians, so I am looking forward to taking this for a test drive.

It is a light golden colour said to have clear lager smell with a little light sulphur and hoppy too. The taste is a sweet malt with a rich flavour, followed by a nice bitter aftertaste, sounds good to me.

Campus comes it at a straight 5.0% ABV, so sitting on the fence of session, it is definitely a beer I would like to try.

Final Thoughts

Huyghe brewery have got some interesting beers, it seems a fair few of them are fruit style beers. But they have others too, and some I would love to try.

I may not like Delirium Red, but I do like their Delirium Tremens, and I like the sound of Paranoia and Campus.

If you have tried Delirium Red, or any other Huyghe beers, then do share your thoughts below and let me know what you think.

Look out for the Fruli premium strawberry beer review, I have also got a bottle of their Mongozo beer infused with Coconut, oh dear!