Delirium Noël

Brewed by Brouwerij Huyghe
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Melle, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

A very nice Belgian with great Brown sugar sweetness and earthy dark stone fruits. The beers pours a translucent deep red with good lacing. The aroma is a tad sweet but still very good with bursts of raisins, brown sugar and vanilla. The flavor is similar, caramelized brown sugar and dark sweet dried fruits. The feel is wonderful, particularly as it loses carbonation over time. It’s a bit too decadent for me to want one every night, but I’d certainly enjoy one during the holiday season. I cellared this bottle for about 6-9 months, so it was fairly fresh.

Had from bottle, 2008 vintage, from storage. Pours golden brown with flecks of yeast throughout. Good head, white in color, retains well. Lacing minimal, but adequate. Aroma of sweetness - fruits, sugars - malts, and yeast. Tastes sweet, a great example of a belgian-style ale, this winter ale warms well and is a perfect balance of malts and sugars. The alcohol hides well underneath the sweetness and the yeasty undertones complement the creamy texture well. Finishes very nicely with lingering sugars and the ever-so-slight hint of alcohol. Wonderful beer. Even better when aged.

My wife’s current favorite. Very sweet, malty caramel flavor. Notes of dark cherry. I still like normal Delirium Tremens the best.

Pours dark brown with orange. Thin, quickly dissipating white head. Nose is a panopoly of aromas - sour fruit candies, passion fruits, yeasty esters and cinnamon gum. Palate is fruity (passion fruit), malty sweet, somewhat candied, balanced with hops and has a lingering malty sweentess on the finish. Alcohol is completely hidden. This one is a true gem.

11.2 oz. bottle from Ludlow Wines. I let it sit for a couple months after Christmas, but I’m sure that doesn’t make much of a difference. Pours a cloudy brown color with a small but resilient eggshell white head. Aroma of fig, plum, raisin, brown sugar, caramel malts, earthy hops, and a pinch of nutmeg. Very nice. Flavor is not quite as inviting because of the boozy presence that pervades the other notes. Sweet, alcoholic, and just a little bitter, with notes of dates, figs, raisins, brown sugar, metallic notes, cherries, and earthy hops. Medium-bodied, with slightly below average carbonation. Very drinkable for 10% ABV. Not too spicy or sweet for a Christmas beer, which is refreshing after trying some truly cloying ones.

Bottle shared with my lovely girlfriend. This pours brown with a nice tan head. Nose is of bread and spices. Taste is of spice and veggies. Mouthfeel is creamy and carbonated with some alcohol noticeable. Pretty good.

Bottle from brother into snifter. Dark amber clear pour with some heavy sediment towards the end and a big fluffy off-white head. Boozy aroma and dark/sour cherry taste that really turned me off, almost skunked flavor. For some reason the Delirium’s I’ve had just do not agree with me.

Thick pebbly head over a clear ruby/brown body. Sweet dark fruits, heavy on the figs, with plenty of spices and yeast. Sweetness also dominates the taste, with dark cherries, figs, raisins and brown sugar detected. Medium to full body, lively carbonation, and a lingering sweetness that borders on tartness. Noce, but just too sweet for me.