DELIRIUM ARGENTUM

BEER REVIEW: 402

BREWER: Brouwerij Huyghe, East Flanders, Belgium

STYLE: Amber IPA

ABV: 7%

VESSEL: 330ml ceramic bottle

DATE OF POST: 20th June 2025

 

JYMI SAY’S…

With a Pink Elephant driving your brand it’s hard to go wrong. But somehow Huyghe have… this time at least. The Silver just does not work on the ceramic bottle here I’m afraid. I mean it doesn’t look terrible terrible but when you’ve got a Pink Elephant in your corner anything less than the best is a fail IMO.

Point two (f sake, I’m going negative again)… Argentum is an Amber IPA. This for me is a worry. Huyghe certainly know their way around a Belgian ale but to veer into the IPA world scares me. That said, I have tried Belgian style ales from British brewers, and they have been fine if not good even.

Quick positive note before we get into the inside of the bottle. Argentum means Silver. I suppose that helps the label out a little but presumably has nothing to do with the beer? Negative thoughts are looming again… right, let’s just crack her open FFS.

Ok, I dunno if this brew has just caught me on a bad day but for me our offering this weekend is neither here nor there… and why is it so dark?? I know it’s an amber IPA but flippin eck, it looks like a Best Bitter! Argentum starts off very Belgian. Predicable? Maybe. But not when the beer is an IPA. Further into the drinking the hoppy bitterness you expect from an IPA does rear it’s head however. I say rear, it’s more like a gentle glance around a fence post. Add in a foamy mouthfeel (not fizzy, foamy) due to an over carbonation and I conclude that this brew just misses the mark I’m afraid.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad but feels a little confused.

On another day I could have given Delirium Argentum the benefit of doubt for delivering a Belgium twang with an IPA tickle, but on this (as I said, possibly a bad day) I’m not.

Stick to what you know best Huyghe.

Jymi’s Rating: 51%

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Despite the glittering fanfare of a metallic label and the perennial charm of that bemused pink elephant, Delirium Argentum strolls into the room with the energy of someone who’s just remembered they left the oven on. Yes, it looks the part—eye-catching, confidently branded—but beyond the façade lies a brew that hums quietly rather than sings.
On the nose, there’s a bucolic summer meadow vibe: wildflowers, a dab of wheat, and a whisper of pine—as though the hops RSVP’d to the party but never actually showed up. The flavour opens with sweet, floral intentions, but they quickly get weighed down by a syrupy mouthfeel that overstays its welcome like clingy sunshine on a stuffy July train carriage. There’s some IPA bitterness lingering in the shadows, sure, but not enough to redeem it from its stylistic identity crisis.
It’s not bad. It’s just… fine. Like listening to someone else describe a great night out. The pink elephant might be dancing, but you’ll be nursing this one politely until the next act arrives.

Sammy’s Rating: 63%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 57%

MOB review next weekend: SINGHA by SINGHA CORP with SHEPHERD NEAME

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

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M O B 2025

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