As I tap the
keys, it is New Years Day morning, and I must confess that last night, I saw
pink elephants. Yes I did. Pink elephants, wearing Christmas caps no less.
And pulling Santa’s sleigh, too. Yes they were. OK, you say, it was New Year
’s Eve, and Bruguru had a bit too much to drink, and he saw pink elephants
because of it.
Actually, no. I saw pink elephants wearing Christmas caps and pulling
Santa’s sleigh because that’s what appears on the label of a bottle of
Delirium Noel, the holiday offering from Belgium’s historic Huyghe’s
brewery, which claims to date back to 1654.
Huyghe’s puts out a number of interesting beers, but the most familiar to
American brew connoisseurs is probably the “Delirium” line of three beers,
and the most famous among those is Delirium Tremens. If you aren’t
familiar with the term, the “DT’s” is a condition brought on by withdrawal
from long term and habitual alcohol consumption. It’s not something you can
get from recovering from a one night bender, mind you, but usually only
occurs in genuine cases of alcoholism. One of the many symptoms is
hallucination, hence the reference to the pink elephants.
I have never been comfortable with the allusion to the condition of Delirium
Tremens in any of Huyghes beers. Alcoholism is a serious problem for those
afflicted, and beer lovers such as me who enjoy the good stuff always stress
moderation over excess indulgence. At any rate, it is the strength of the
Delirium beers that no doubt sparks the name, since they range from 8.5% by
volume to 10% for the Delirium Noel.
Delirium Noel is available in four-packs of 11 ounce bottles, but I bought a
750ML bottle a few years ago and have been aging it ever since. Because of
the strength of the beer, its complexity, and the fact that it is
bottle-conditioned with yeast, it should age nicely and smooth out a little
over time.
The packaging on the 750ML bottle is quite striking indeed, with a festive
scene of the yuletide bedecked elephants pulling Santa’s sleigh against a
backdrop of the Earth and falling snow. The brown glass bottle is painted
flat white to impart a ceramic effect, and the cork is wrapped in festive
red foil.
Uncorking the bottle produced a soft “pop”, and I quickly filled a tulip
shaped glass with a fair amount of Delirium Noel. The liquid was rosy
red to dark pinkish in color, not unlike the famous elephants that adorn the
label. A thick creamy head formed atop the liquid in my glass, and a sniff
revealed a slightly vinous nose with hints of fruit and spice. The first sip
reveals a surprisingly smooth body, with rich, slightly sweet malt at first
and notes of cotton and rock candy. A touch of fruit is present, too, along
with just a hint of caramel and yeasty flavors typical of Belgian ales.
The beer finishes with just a bit of that vinous character, a faint
suggestion of bittering hops (which should be more prominent on a younger
sample, but not by much). A hint of spicy licorice and a yeasty earthiness
dance a bit on the tongue, too. The alcohol is deceptive here; there’s a bit
of warmth in the finish but you might not think it to be as strong as it is
(about twice as strong as a standard mass market lager). That makes this a
natural as a before or after dinner drink.
My bottle was full of thick chunky yeast, too, which seemed to horrify my
kids when they saw it swirling in the glass. “You’re going to drink that?”
they demanded incredulously. To which I simply smiled with a grin that would
have done the Grinch proud and replied, “Of course.” Yeast, after all, is
rich in B-Vitamins and may in fact help to prevent hangovers.
This is a very complex and tasty beer, though I couldn’t help thinking as I
was drinking that it is missing just a nudge of “ooompph” to put it over the
top. I prefer
Stille Nacht over Delirium Noel as Belgian Christmas ales go, but this
one is a real treat all the same. A perfect companion to my New Year’s Eve
ritual of Chinese cuisine, a Three Stooges marathon, and of course beer.
Update 7/2/2018: Christmas in July! And what
better way to start it off than with a bottle of Delirium Noel with a few
years of age on it? My bottle of Delirium Noel pours to a dark amber
color with a thick fluffy head of white foam and an irresistible nose of
banana, phenols and funk. Taking a sip, the beer is rich and malty with
banana, yeasty funk, toasted nuts, chocolate and a warming alcohol finish.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For
reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler