Delirium Noël

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Some funky Belgian aromas. Golden liquer coloration. Nice viscous mouthfeel. Very smooth. Alcohol is masked. Warms you up very nicely.

Bottle purchased at Zyn in Calgary Alberta. Pours a dark mahogany colour with a dark khaki head and loads of lacing. Smells of sweet caramel, toffee malt, candied sugar. Tastes super sweet, malt, a little bitter, spice, candied sugar again. Really nice.

(From notes) On draft at the Hungry Monk. A clean, rich amber pour with a frothy eggshell-white head. Spotty lacing. Pleasant creamy mouthfeel. A great  caramel tone dominates the taste with malty raisin hints and a slightly tropical fruit finish.

Full head, nice amber to red color. Aroma is very malty and resembles tripels (delirium tremens) to me. Taste is sweet, slightly roasty with malt, fruits, yeast and alcohol. Very nice beer.

Wow, thanks Vyvvy! He generously shared a 2002 vintage 330ml corked bottle. My high rating is certainly inflated by 10 years of beneficial cellaring. Tasted in a Trappist tulip glass. It poured a cloudy, deep reddish copper color with spritzy off-white foam and excellent Belgian legs and lace. Great bottle conditioning characteristics. Perfumey aromas of smooth alcohol, caramelized grains and candy sugars, very fruity ale yeast esters, some slightly spicy phenols: pepper, clove, nutmeg, even a little bubble gum as it warmed. Rich malty sweet flavor with mildly tangy hops balance, toffee, caramelized brown sugar, brown bread, melanoidins suggested plums, raisins, dried apricots. Tannins reminiscent of nuts and hardwood. Warming booziness but not hot or harsh, like a fine port, brandy, or most of all slivovitz. Medium body, high carbonation from extended fermentation, long-lasting flowery fruit wine aftertaste. Harmonious and delicious, likely a once-in-a-lifetime tasting.

Bottle poured into tulip. Nice amber color, clear, pretty substantial 2-finger head, eggshell color. Very nice aroma, yeast, spice, dark fruits, hint of hops and champagne. Very reminiscent of one of my all time favs, Corsendonk Xmas. Taste starts out nicely with more of those raisin/fig/dark cherry notes before a slightly sour middle that gives way to spicy, sticky finish flanked by warming alcohol. Unfortunately, there’s a good bit of metallic taste towards the end. Very fizzy and lively going down, too much. Very nice base beer but suffers from over-carbonation and the metallic notes. Aroma is highlight.

Pours hazy brown with a very small head. Nose shows soft caramel and candi sugar, Belgian phenols and sultanas. Very sweet flavours, with sugary figs and prunes. Almost cloying. A fair bit of sharp alcohol is present. Carbonation is ridiculously high.

In my opinion, the best of the Delirium Belgian Strong Ales. Not as dark as Nocturnum, it still has a deep reddish brown color with a spicy sweetness that glides down your throat. The flavor and aroma are both easy on the senses, disguising the high alcohol content of this wonderful beer.

Bottle. Pours clear red with tons of tan head, and plenty of lacing. Aroma is full if dark fruits including figs and black cherry. This resembles a quad. The taste is fairly sweet with some plum and cherry. There is a little alcohol on the finish. Really good.

355 ml, found in Pipiolo store, Santiago, as Delirium Christmas In the glass this beer appears clear mahogany with a big beige head that lasts long. Aroma is malty, yeasty and spicy but less so than other belgian christmas beers. Notes of caramel, nutmeg, clove, molasses, coriander, licorice and candy. Taste is sweet and spicy. It reminds me of the Unibroue classic line. I found hints of coriander too and other spices. Medium to big body and strong with warming alcohol. A fine belgian dark ale with reasonable complexity.

750 ml C&C bottle with red foil into tulip glass, bottled September 2011. Pours a fairly clear red orange color with a nice 2 finger dense cream colored head with fantastic retention that reduces to a thick cap that lasts. Some spotty lacing on the glass, with plenty of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of cherry, apple, clove, pepper, banana, candi sugar, raisin, coriander, and yeast spices. Nice and well balanced aromas with good complexity. Taste of cherry, raisin, apple, candi sugar, banana, clove, pepper, cinnamon, molasses, bread, and yeast spices. Lingering notes of cherry, raisin, banana, pepper, candi sugar, molasses, and yeast spices on the finish for a good bit. Amazing flavor balance and complexity; with no cloying sweetness as expected. Medium-high carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a nice creamy and fairly slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is extremely well hidden for 10%, with hardly any warming noticed at all after the finish. Very smooth to drink, but is still definitely a sipper. Overall this is a fantastic Belgian Christmas ale. Tons of extremely well balanced and complex flavors; and highly enjoyable to sip on.