Delirium Noël

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

330ml bottle used by September 2006, whoops, although a beer this strong should be able to stand the test of time. Rich yeast aroma, Vegemite-like, plenty of spice and roasted malts, liqueur-like, some citrusy fruit in there too and a tad of alcohol. Palate is very lengthy with the abv showing its full colours. Rich liqueur-like texture with flavours to match, dark chocolate, roasted and raisin-like malt flavours, balanced with a bit of Cointreau-esque bitter orange flavour, dark grape and plum fruit flavours, slight oakiness too, plenty of spice in there, cinamon comes to mind. Finish is lengthy and dry, a fair hit of lingering bitterness, alcohol makes it presence but only as a mere reminder. Definately a sipper, a winter warmer as some call it, rich and flavoursome and overall enjoyable.

330ml bottle. Pours a very dark caramel with no head. Aroma is raisin, burnt caramel, with a little sugar and alcohol. Taste has boozy raisin to start. Lots of carbonation. Sweet raisin finish with more booze.

Hazy deep amber pour. Huge fluffy head. Aroma is red grape juice, candy sugar, raisins. The flavor is strong yeast and very fruity, with notes of oranges, grapes, and dates. Also some cinnamon and almond. Very sweet, but kept in check by a generous hopping, especially on the finish. The alcohol is surprisingly subdued, only slightly felt on the finish, where it provides a welcome warming. A great Belgian seasonal.

11-dec-2010 33cl bottle at home, beer tasting night. Amber orange beer, a bit hazy, with average creamy head. Aroma is caramel. Medium bodied, creamy texture. Moderate sweetness, well balanced.

Dark ruby liquid, medium off-white head. Aroma of alcohol, caramel, ginger, some coriander and other spices. Taste is alcoholic, a bit harsh, malty, sweet. Finish is more spicy. Very complex and strong, well brewed beer.

Hazy red brown with a beige head. Aroma is sweet, dried fruit, yeasty and spicy. Flavor is medium sweet. Full bodied with a soft and pleasant finish where the alcohol warms the throat. Lovely Belgian christmas ale. 301210

Pours a clear caramel color with a finger of light brown head. Aroma is strong spicy yeast esters. Taste is much more malty than the aroma but the spice is still present. Nice caramel bananabread-like aftertaste with some gingerbread spiciness to round it of. Great holiday beer.

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.