Christmas Beer – Delirium Noel
December 21, 2009
I’ll admit to a little slacking when it comes to the Christmas Beers this year. Compared to all of the Oktoberfest Beers and Pumpkin Ales we’ve tried over the recent Fall season, The Brew Club’s Christmas beer review list is pretty lame in comparison!
Still, there is some hope and some time to get a few good Christmas beers under the belt for 2009, and so I thought it would be cool to check out Delirium Noel from the Brouwerij Huyghe in Belgium.
Delirium Noel is my first beer from these guys, so why did I pick it over other Christmas beers? Well, for one thing their funky packaging is hard to miss on the shelves. Complete with pink elephants in Santa hats, the black-speckled white bottles certainly stand out as different! I’ve also read many good thing about their other popular beers, Delirium Tremens and Delirium Nocturnum, so it seemed like a safe bet.
Delirium Noel pours into the glass a bit darker than I had expected for some reason. It was more of a brownish color and it seemed to be just slightly less-than-clear. It created a slight foamy head that didn’t last too long.
This interesting looking beer had an even more interesting smell. I’m not well versed in Belgian ales, so to me there was a lot going on here! Considering this is a 10%ABV beer, I have to say one of the things I had a hard time picking up on was the smell of alcohol! I did get a sense of mellowed candy-like sweetness, and perhaps some fruit scents like banana and strangely prune!
With great anticipation, my first sip really brought a smile to my face! Delirium Noel seemed to be very complex, yet at the same time I found the overall taste to come together quite nicely in well balanced, spicy way!
The taste does follow the aroma, you get a mellow sweetness that reminded me of apple, caramel, that plum (and cherry?) which blended nicely with a touch of spicy bite! Again, for a 10%ABV, there isn’t much of a dominant alcohol flavor which to me is a good thing. You definitely get some of that ‘warming’ sensation when it goes down, but it’s well done in the flavor. The beer does come off as a little flat, and the mouthfeel is on the thin side and the mouth is left feeling a little sticky, but these things didn’t bother me in the least.
So, what’s my overall impression of Delirium Noel? Is it my favorite 
Christmas beer? Perhaps for 2009, I’d say its my favorite Christmas beer, but as I mentioned I’ve been running a little behind on my Christmas beers this year! (We’ve only checked out Southern Tier’s Krampus so far!) Still, I thought this was a very good Christmas beer that I would definitely buy again! The flavors, as I mentioned, seemed to be rather complex, but I found that overall it came together wonderfully and so I’m giving Delirium Noel a rare-for-me 4 stars!
Rating: 
I’m looking forward to trying their other beers!
Have you tried Delirium Noel, or any of the other beers from Brouwerij Huyghe? What did you think?
Posted in 4 Star Reviews, Ales, Belgian Beers, Seasonal Beers
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December 21st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Sounds Good Scott. I could have picked this one up, but wasn’t sure I’d like it. Based on your review I will get if not this year next. I’m getting a little backed up with Christmas beers that need reviewing! Something about the ceramic bottle turned me off. I couldn’t see what I was getting into, and that makes me shy away, especially when it is a belgian. The make me nervous still. I don’t feel like enough of a beer guy to be drinking belgians consistently yet. But this review has put my mind at ease, and I will pick one up.
Thanks
-Don
Don´s last blog ..WOO HOO I’m Back BABY!
December 21st, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Thanks Don. I’m no Belgian beer pro, but this was a real treat for me. I know Nate actually liked Noel the least compared to their Nocturnum and Tremens brews, so I’m psyched to give those two a try! Glad you’re feeling better too!
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Home Brew Kits – The Final Review
December 21st, 2009 at 2:21 pm
I think you’re absolutely right…the alcohol is well hidden in this brew. I def. picked up on cherry notes. My wife caught whiffs of apple.
You’ll have to give their Delirium Nocturnum a try now!
nate´s last blog ..Go To Beers
December 22nd, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I like the Nocturnum from these guys, so it makes sense that this one is good, too. I tried the St. Bernardus Noel brew recently (another holiday Belgian) and had an experience similar to yours, Scott. A very good beer that was a lot like their other offerings. Tasty, but Christmasy? Not really. But what the hell, right?
Jim´s last blog ..Like a Peddler Just Opening His Pack
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
It’s interesting that you picked up the candy sugar, Scott, that’s quite a common technique in the Belgian breweries to bump up the ABV.
I had a couple of bottles of their ‘regular’ Delirium Tremens when I was in Brussels last year, the same guys run the Cafe Delrium in Brussels which boasts over 200 beers on its list (and 20 on draught) at any time.
Bob the Brit´s last blog ..The Lord Mayor’s Show
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:31 pm
@Jim – Yeah, any excuse will do! Very different beer than what I usually have. I just thought this beer was great – I might even grab another bottle or 2 while its still available!
@Bob – I remember your trip, and I was wondering if it was the same people who ran the cafe as make this beer! Its really hard for me to describe the sweetness, but its interesting that you mentioned that about the candy sugar. It had a candy-like sweetness (mellowed though) and now I know why! I think I’m going to go on a Belgian beer kick this winter and try some of the beers you reviewed last year.
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Southern Tier Krampus