Delirium Noël

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

2005 vintage. Pours a dirty orange reddish color. Particalia floating throughout (which by the way does not normally bother me). Banana/clove, but a high spice presence (cinnamon, nutmeg) makes its way to the nose. Great nose here. Nice flavors which are pretty balanced. The negative here is that the beer becomes slightly cloying. I like this better than Pawal Kwak though. Has some of the same characteristics as that beer, but the flavor is better. Kwak was a drain pour, this is drinkable. Okay beer, but I don’t plan on spending close to $10 for one of these in the future.

A bottle from Alko shop. Pale thin head. Reddish copper brown colour.. Mild slightly sour taste. Fruity. Warming. Some prunes in the taste.

Bottle. A somehow creamy aroma - some spices, vanilla, a little bit of yeast and sparkling wine, also some fruits. The head is medium strong, creamy-foamy and light brown-grey, medium duration. The body is in a dark red to brown. The taste is quite bitter, later on it gets a little bit sweeter. A long duration. Tasted a little bit like champagne with some fruits. The body is creamy and sparkling with a lot of carbonation, medium strong.

This beer wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to drink, due to its spirit-like nature, but it was still pretty good. I’d have it again. This beer poured a brilliant tan color with a medium amount of head. Aroma was ethyl butyrate (cotton candy/bubble gum) and a surprising oak flavor. Flavor was pretty complex. At first I thought it was cognac-like with lots of alcohol. Later I got a smokey, leathery, peatiness that I’ve gotten from some single-malt scotches (my dad’s into scotch; I’m into beer). Mouthfeel was astringent and drying, most likely due to the pronounced alcohol presence. I felt warm when drinking it, but at the same time I felt it a bit challenging to drink...much like I feel about the scotch my dad is always trying to get me excited about. I’d recommend this beer, despite its challenges.

Poured a opaque nut brown color with a foamy medium bodied slightly off white head. Strong aroma of apples and alcohol. You can just tell this is gonna burn the palate. Flavor is similar, warm and tingly on the tongue with a bitter sweet bite to it. Main flavor is apple but with a nutty finish. I can never tell the Belgians apart but this was drinkable.

330 ml bottle. Dated March 2006. Pours a hazy copper color with full foam off white head. Aroma of yeast and spices. Taste of yeast and with a dry finish.

Strong green apple nose, and similar taste. Weak, sweet body that fails to adequately compensate for the very strong alcohol notes. I’d expected something more robust like the Tremens for Huyghe’s winter brew, and was disappointed.

Poured from an 11.2oz bottle and served in a tulip. This beer poured a murky brown with a thick head of lasting tan foam. Bubbly lacing covered the inside of the glass. The aroma of the beer was made up of sweet dark fruits, candi sugar, toasted caramel, earthy yeast, and some mild alcohol. The flavor consisted of cherries, red apples, figs, candi sugar, caramel, followed up by a strong, warming alcoholic finish. The mouthfeel was full-bodied and crisp with an adequate amount of lively carbonation. Not mind blowing or terribly complex, but still very tasty.