Delirium Noël

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

750mL bottle, no date--though I did purchase it late 2005 or early 2006. Pours a lightly hazy orange with reddish highlights and a two finger light yellowish head. Aroma is very fruity with peaches, figs, powdered sugar, toasty caramel malts, spicy estery yeast, light leather. Taste is bigger leather and a little char/peated malt--kinda strange, but not bad. Still quite fruity, alcohol is noticeable and warming, though not really distracting. As it warms I also got a little nose of freshly baked sugar cookies, didn’t really get it in taste. Full bodied, highly carbonated. This is definitely better than Nocturnum, but can’t remember if I like it more than Tremens.

Cloudy reddish pour, moderate head formation. Aroma is malty with caramel, sweet banana and pear candy, and licorice spice. Pretty hoppy palate for a Belgian ale offering some citric bitterness as well as a marked alcohol presence. Well spiced with woody notes towards the end. Shows mild chocolaty undertones in the aftertaste.

Draft, at the Map Room, Chicago. Dark body that “glows” with brown highlights around the edges. Slightly minty taste like a root beer, then a little bit of fruitiness. Finally resolves to a winey taste at the end. Complex brew that you don’t realize is overpowering you until it’s too late.

Bottle from Jim’s Foodmart - Houghton, MI Pours a rusty golden, with a silky lacing head of ivory and amber. Aroma is wicking spicy fig and pear, with heavy vinous tart grape skins and light floral cognac. Flavor is an intense heavy malt, mulled with a touch of spice and blended with a biting yeasty bread crust and a touch of wheat. Complex and fulfulling with a real glowing character. Unfortunately the alcohol comes on a little hot. Back end runs with light floral fruits and light colored fruits like pears, apricots, and apples. A hint of white chocolate. Finishes with a good smack in the face from the alcohol. Deliciously warming though.

Pours a nice copper with hints of ruby when held up to the light. A nice frothy foamy white head erupts when poured and loads of lacing spider web down the side of the glass. The typical Belgian. Aromas of dark fruits, tons of malts, some chocolate, hints of spices and lots of alcohol. Many deep flavors that adapted more than usual as this beer warmed to about 65 degrees. Raisins, Plums, Apricots, Figs...Yummy!!!! Very malty as well and the alcohol was well hidden in this beer. Extreamly drinkable too, especially at 10%.

***Rerate*** This is a great Belgian beer. After reading my previous ratings, my how a palate can change. Aroma of dill and possibly vinegar. Pour was a murky orange with a thin 1 finger off white ring for a head. Taste was very tart. So much so that I thought it may be a sour ale. Yeast and sour fruit mostly with nice carbonation and a sour aftertaste. Very good! ******* Original rating: A-6 AP-3 F-5 P-2 OI-9 Total 2.5 I typically like Belgians (the beer, of course..don’t know any personally) but I can’t put this on that list. The best way I could describe this is carbonated cough syrup. I had it on draft, though, and after seeing all the positive reviews am going to purchase a bottle. The aroma smells like sweet fruit, but the taste after the sweetness is gone goes to alcohol and sours. I will re-rate if needed after a bottle

750 ml bottle. Golden red body with a medium beige head. Sweet malty, spicy and some yeast in aroma. Sweet flavor, some alcohol, malt and fruit. Nice, complex but somehow not the most balanced beer around. Nevermind, it gave me some Christmas feeling.

Pours mahogany with a thin white foamy head with some spotty. Doughy nose, some malts, a bit of yeast blend together nicely. Some hints of fruit in there, a bit of coriander. Lots of spice in the flavor, coriander mostly, a hint of the yeast/dough in there as well. Full bodied, finishing off with a bit of hops. Nice seasonal Belgian.