It wouldn’t be a December 6-pack without including one of Belgium’s famous Christmas beers, and Delirium Noel is possibly the most famous of them all..
The Delirium beers are iconic, from the ceramic-looking bottles to the risqué beer name itself and fabled pink elephant, complete with three different winter sport images for the Delirium Noel labels. It is the first Christmas beer that comes to mind.
If you haven’t enjoyed a Belgian Christmas beer before, what should you expect? The simplest answer is Christmas pudding in a glass, but these beers are anything but simple. Layers of flavours, rich and smooth and oh-so easy to drink.
It pours a lovely rich dark amber, with a dirty white foam through which to take in the Belgian yeast aromas, dark stone fruits, banana and gentle spice.
Invitingly sweet at the front of the tongue, the flavours unwrap to reveal toasted malts, Belgian candi, raisins and plums and just light hints of Christmas pudding spice and nuts without overdoing things. As all good beers do, it dries out nicely for a slightly bitter, satisfyingly rich aftertaste.
And what could say ‘European Christmas more than a faux-ceramic bottle, with a pink elephant skating across a frozen lake or guiding a toboggan down the slopes?!!
A rich and boozy Christmas beer to 'add lustre' to your festive celebrations
The 2016 annual vintage Christmas beer from Brasserie Dubuisson
by Brouwerij Corsendonk (at Brasserie Du Bocq)
To help celebrate Christmas in July we have this festive treat from Corsendonk
by Brouwerij Corsendonk (at Brasserie Du Bocq)
The Christmas ale from this well-regarded abbey label
A wonderful winter seasonal offering from the Delirium label - one we look forward to each year
by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
The winter seasonal offering from the Chouffe Brewery - a dark beer brewed with thyme and bitter orange
A decidedly different and very interesting Kerstbier
A lovely spiced fruit cup of Christmas pudding in a 10% strong dark ale
The Struise Tsjeeses is their blond-amber Christmas seasonal beer, with this 2014 vintage being aged in Bourbon barrels
Tongerlo's Christmas beer is a little different to most of the Belgian Kerstbiers
Struise's winter seasonal offering - a 10% strong blond spiced ale
A dark seasonal offering, capturing all the rich flavours of the festive season.
A Christmas beer that is lighter, drier and hoppier than a standard winter seasonal
A wonderful winter seasonal offering from the Delirium label - one we look forward to each year
The iconic pink elephants adorn this delicious tripel which utilises three different years in a triple fermentation process
