Delirium Noël

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

750 ml painted (mock stoneware) corked bottle, now available in Norway (despite some objections by the humour & morality police). Amber to brown colour, large off-white head with an orangey hue. Malty sweetish aroma with strong notes of caramel, treacle and Christmas spices, also notes of yeast and oak. Flavour is very spicy and sweet (candy sugar) with a pleasant warming mouthfeel. There’s a hoppy and spicy (and slightly alcoholic) bite in the finish. A demanding beer, but not bad.

Dense aromas of yeast, orange peel, dark fruit and candy sugar. Deep copper in color with a large bead head that eventually disappears entirely. Palate is wet, with some malt darkening the finish. Caramel, cedar, and candy sugar flavors dampen the alcohol. A tough beer to get a grip on, it changes substantially from first opening to the last warm sip.

2005 Cork. The aroma was better as it warmed, with dried plum and grapes standing out. Mine was clear with zero sediment and a tan head that laste for quite awhile. Wine like front, a little too sweet for my taste with the caramel body flavor dominating.

Had thi BJ’s Winter Ale Fest. Beer poured a clear, medium-amber color with a small, creamy, light brown, mostly diminishing head. As an extra bonus ... protein sea monkeys! It’s a beer ... no it’s a misplaced sperm donation! The aroma was less-than-moderately interesting and faint with light malty a note of roasted grain, moderate yeast notes of cellar and horseblanket and miscellaneous aromas of vanilla, candy sugar, prnue and a trace of mint. The flavor is heavily sweet and lightly bitter with a long, lightly sweet, lightly bitter finish full of dried stone fruit retronasal notes. The body was medium-to-full, the texture was watery, the carbonation was soft and the high ABV took a short bow at the end of the finish.

This is actualy a pretty tasty beer...better than I expected from the delirium folks. Lots of fruity sweetness balanced with hot alcohol taste. Poured a thin gummy head.

Draught: Dark Mahogany, some floaters, thin head that faded quickly. Pretty sweet and a nice alcohol kick that tasted very good. Dark fruits, candi sugar, lots of sweetness. Belgian yeast spiciness with sugar sweetness.

Draught at Akkurat, Stockholm. Hazy reddsih brown with a firm tan head. Black cherries, fudge, dates, figs, vanilla, white pepper and alcohol in the aroma. Figs, sweet cherries and toffee in the firm flavour, hints of pepper and apple-skins. Red fruit, pepper and alcohol in the aftertaste. Finally, a beer from Huyghe that I can enjoy.

2004 Vintage, 750mL bottle. Pours amber with a head that fades quickly. Aroma of yeast and sweet fruits like bannana, apples, and bubblegum. Flavor is a bit sour. While there were bubbles in the glass, palate feels flat and a bit watery. The price of $10 also hurts the overall score. First impression: 7/3/5/3/9=2.7<P>Looking below at other raters, xproudfoot suggests letting it ’warm up’. OK, after 1/2 glass with the above rating, I did that. Let it sit for a while. Aroma now has a cherry aspect. Palate a bit more lively, flavor still a bit sour with a bitter finish. Was really hoping for more out of this one. Bumping overall to a 12, but still won’t be drinking this ’un again.