Delirium Noël

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

75 cl bottle. Dark caramel colored. Small but persistant off white head. Big sweet smell of dark raisons, caramel and alcohol. Massive flavors of plums, raisons, and burnt caramel. Decent mouthfeel. Nice finish with a warming alcohol on the breath. My only detraction here is that the relatively light body of the brew doesn’t mesh very well with the huge flavors and big alcohol. Otherwise a great strong dark. 2002

Copper apricot color, small lingering head with sideburns. Half way thru this bottle are big amber chunks...major fishies!! Aroma varies with time opened, glass used, and age of brew...since 1654...I’ve been drinking fresh and aged Delerium beers for years, and I love this Noel. The glass rocks also, one of my favorites out of the hundreds I own...ayieeee!! Flavors of rich malts, powder sugar, honey, amber malt, bready, minerals, persimmon, raisins, slight funky fruit rind but really a smooth and rich brew IMHO. Faults could include a very slight bandaid and bitter fruit rind, but this bottle that I’m guessing is two or three years old, is really good. I’ve been drinking this for over 10 years and always look forward to it fresh, and better, a couple of years old. Smokin!!!

A medium looking brownish rusty red orangle color. Not much of the white head is visible in my slow pour. Sweet alcohol, fruity nut aroma. Sweet tasting with pepper, notes of some fruits, maybe plum or grapefruit (like in wine). Very warming, with a alc’y bitter sweet dry finish. Good, only problem for this one is there are so many great Belgian Ales!

12 oz shared w/ dpjuart. Pours amber-orange with a small head. Really potent nose of sour cherries, yeast, and vanilla with just a hint of alcohol. Has a VERY strong sour cherry flavor with some caramel maltiness that didn’t really cut the sour. A little yeast too. Not really any bitterness, and the alcohol is remarkably well-hidden. Had a decent body. This was unrecognizable from when I tried it on tap.

Bottle, 33 cl. (3.1.’08 @ home, bought Decaigny) Hazy red-brown color, with off-white creamy head. Aroma fruity, caramel malts, and high-alcohol. Medium body. Taste sweet, fruits, bit sour, caramel malts, alcoholic. Bitter dry finish. Good.

an interesting beer, sweet and tart with a very distinct belgian charavter, cherries and apple, brown sugar. nice enough.

11.2 oz. bottle split/courtesy of Naka. Pours orange with some haze/floaters. Fruity nose, cherry, orange, plus some bread and caramel malt. Taste is sour cherry, some apple, touch of cider vinegar with a good caramel malt background. No real hops. Alcohol is subdued, there is some warmth there. Good beer. Would definitely have a few more.

I drank this beer a couple days before Christmas, it just seemed appropriate. It was very good, and I had no idea it had 10% alcohol when I drank because it covered it up so well.