Delirium Noel

Review Date 1/1/2007 Last Updated 1/11/2026 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Belgian Strong Ale   Brewery: Huyghes   Country: Belgium   State: N/A   $ Per OZ: $.56 (B), $.91 (D)   ABV: 10%

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.

Update 1/11/2026: Have I mentioned that Delirium Noel ages well in the bottle? This holiday season I enjoyed a 2019 edition, so about 6 years old, and it was delightful. My bottle poured to a murky ruby color with a thick fluffy tan head and a nose of fruity banana, cherry, and spice. Taking a sip, the beer is full in body, creamy and rich. It pops with Belgian funky yeast notes, bananas, cherries, and spice. It finishes warming with alcohol and phenols poke through. Have I mentioned that Delirium Noel is delightful fresh on tap? I enjoyed a glass, the first time I have had it on draft that I can recall, at Taco Mac on January 11th of 2026. It was the highlight of the night, and I did drink some lovely beers that night. I paid $10 for my 11-ounce draft glass, and the beer will run you $24.99 for a 4-pack of 11.2 ounce bottles at Total Wine these days. In the past, I have rated this beer at 4.5, but

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