Delirium Noël

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

Re-rate, Bottled: Aroma of sweet apple and orange. Red color, beige head, good lace. Very sweet, sourness underneath, light bitter, orange, light spices. Pretty full and warming. Nicely balanced. Jan 2005, 2.7, Tap: On tap at ’t Tribunaal in Tilburg. Very spicy, malty aroma. Dark brown color, off-white head that diminishes fast, fair lace. Sweet, overwhelming spices, malty, full, little sticky, warming. Too much of it all for me. Couldn’t finish a whole glass.

Head is initially large, fizzy, off-white, fair lacing, mostly diminishing. Body is murky medium amber, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (cookie, caramel), lightly hoppy (flowers), lightly yeasty (mold/dishrag), with notes of sugar/bubblegum, peach, orange, and apricot. Flavor is heavily sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, creamy and syrupy texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Less than enticing Huyghe house character, but the aroma is fairly pleasant otherwise (fruity). Sugary sweet, but with enough tart and bitter qualities to keep it drinkable. Not bad for this brewer.

Got a chance to sample this brew at my regular shop. They had just recieved it as a sample form the distributor and a couple of us got a chance to share. I enjoyed this BSA and hop to see it more often.

Nice strong ale. Cork was hell to remove , no sound either, but the beer was lightly carbonated with a small , diminishing, creamy head. Color like a banana peel, fruity, some corky flavor, earthy. Sweet, average finish for the style. Reminded me a little of Trois Pistoles at times - a kind of cola-like taste. I enjoyed it.

Strong, balanced, and tasty. Nothing amazing though. This is one of those Belgian ales with a smorgasboard of somewhat discordant flavors and an alcohol burn. The strongest aromas and flavors are apples, pears, and spice, but surely a more experienced palate could isolate dozens of flavors. Certainly this beer isn’t for regular drinking.

750ml bottle, 2004. 2 years old. Orange/amber pour with floaties and a white creamy head. Aroma is fruity and slightly sour. First taste reveals the nutty, spicy character. The alcohol is noticeable but hardly dominant. A very nice spiced up Christmas sipper.

Chestnut colour with profuse loose head. Big sweet cherry, spicy and slightly alcoholic aroma. Flavour is also very sweet and malty, also slightly spiced and very alcoholic. It lacks subtlety but for a Huyghe product it's quite good. I actually like it.

Apple & pear in the nose, mixed with malt. Very nice aroma. Dark amber color. Raisiny taste with malty sweetness and alcohol.