Delirium Noël

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Cork popped on its own after I removed the cage. Poured from bottle into Maudite glass. Head about 1", foamy shaving cream type, and pretty pure white; sinks down to a thinnish but persistent layer. Liquid is dark brown with a little bit of red hue in the light. Aroma has a lot of metal in addition to the expected dark fruit, brown sugar, and candy. Flavor is rich and sweet, with a sharp note of bitterness. Spicy, even. Mouthfeel is extremely light and dry for a beer of this strength. No alcohol detected anywhere. Interesting in some ways, but overall a bit harsh.

From the tin-foiled, caged, corked 2011 batch 25 oz. bottle. That glued on tinfoil was a bit of a pain. However after struggling with that for about five minutes it poured a handome looking dark brown...aka mahogany with a moderate head that slowly fades to a ring. The aromas are powerful with a solid sweet malted character, yeast, and a bit of booze. The body is around medium. The taste starts sweet but is overwhelmed by the potent, boozey hoppy character that leans to the dry side. Not much spice but still a well done Strong Ale.

One of the best Christmas beer. Very balanced taste with great aromas. I really enjoy drinking this beer every year.

UPDATED: DEC 25, 2011 Into Duvel Tulip. 2011 edition. May adjust when I try the 07 that I have in my cellar. Pours dark mahogany with three to four fingers white head. Mellow citrus. Sort of like Tremens, but more mellow. Spicier than Tremens, stronger flavor, richer and fuller bodied. Nice lacing. Less sweet. Crisper and heavier. Decent. Still prefer Tremens. Edit* Decided to pop my Noel from 07, bought at Bottleworks earlier this year. Impressive pop from the cork when opening. Color is roughly the same, but there was almost no head. Combination of age and a much gentler pour, I would imagine. Aroma on this one is much stronger. Much more fruity character comes out. Solid carbonation still left on this one. More more focus on red fruits, but still plenty of the spicy profile. Mellowing it out does good to this.

Bottle - Cork marked 2010 - This one poured very mediocre into this delirium glass. I had to put a lot of effort to get much head out of it - It came back to life a little bit - I doubt this is normal carbonation for this beer. Which makes this an annoying experience immediately, honestly. This one pours murky golden with a mild mannered off white head - mild retention, I suppose. The nose is slightly astringent, apple rinds, baked breads, and cinnamon. The flavor profile has an obvious belgian yeast note out of the gate, with some bready malts, apple skins, sweet caramel and cinnamon - but a mild mannered body as well. A little odd, honestly. Alcohol isn’t present here - this one is a decent drinker, with some interesting sweet and spicy notes, but..... you can do better.

Draft. Have to give this one at least a 4. Very complex aroma ringing out subtle spices, dark fruit, and everything I expect from a Belgian strong ale. Pretty impressive.

Maybe I shouldn’t have tried this directly after a barley wine...but it seems a bit thin to me. Compared to their Nocturnum, it feels lighter and less complex. Good Belgian yeastiness, but mostly overshadowed by a musty cherry flavor. Still a good holiday offering - just not my favorite.

This beer definitely was not for me. Thank goodness I only picked up a single bottle to try. The beer poured a murky brown color. The tan head was soft and bubby at first, but then disappeared almost altogether in a just a few seconds. The nose contains toffee, dark fruit, sour grapes, nutmeg, cinnamon and stale vegetables. The body is rather light and the flavor doesn’t agree with my palate at all. I get an overwelming taste of sour and stale vegetables and tart fruit. I also get some flavors of out-dated herbs and spices. I can’t say this beer is bad or awful or anything like that. The majority of the reviews, which were good, obviously tell that story. It’s just the simple fact that this beer just wasn’t for me.