Nonetheless, a seasonal always strikes my fancy, and it was recommended by a friend on twitter, so we decided to give it a go.

The Pour:

Mad Elf produces quite a beautiful pour.  Striking red and copper colors fill the glass.  The beer is inredibly clean and clear.  The head was small and lacked in retention; not quite what I would look forward to from a beer that is brewed in the Belgian style.

The Nose:

This beer releases a bold bouquet of awesome aroma.  It is so incredibly sweet smelling, it just reeks of an old fashioned candy store, while the subtle clove and herbal aroma remind a bit of the natural foods store.  There are aromas of hay, candy, cotton candy, maple syrup, mollases, caramel, and overwhelmingly; maraschino cherries.  Amidst the sweetness, a vodka like whiff of alcohol emerges.

The Taste:

I was bit unnerved, because I HATE maraschino cherries.  Putting one of those bane fruits on ice cream is no different than topping a Sundae with a Luden’s cough drop…but it is beer, so I’ll persevere.  To my delight, the while the cherry flavor is quite noticeable, it tastes very natural and lurks in the malty bacing rather than sucker punching me in the face.  The typical Belgian flavors are there (clove, banana, nutmeg) but they are masked by the rather sturdy malt sweetness and mouth feel.  The beer is fairly well balanced.  While it is not a hop bomb, there is enough bitterness to counteract the 11% sweetness and the  punch of the cherries to make this quite drinkable.  Mine went down smoothly, and left me wanting another.

Overall Thoughts:

This is the best I’ve tasted from Troegs and a great seasonal that I will go back too.  My only complaint is that it needed just a tad more Belgian qualities in appearance (head), flavor (a bit more spice would have been nice), and body (carbonation was lacking).  This beer wouldn’t work on a hot summer day but on a frigid evening, it does the trick.

Nate’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★¾☆ 

Among other Belgian Strong Ales: ★★★☆☆ 

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

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Troegs, based out of Harrisburg, PA is somewhat of a local favorite around here, but as far as I know, they distribute fairly widely.  Mad Elf is considered a strong Belgian ale, and should be a great winter warmer at 11%.  As we know, alcohol dilates blood vessels lending the illusion of warmth (though it really aids in heat loss).  It should be a nice illusion for us northwestern Ohioans who are currently experiencing sub zero temperatures.

Here are the details on this brew:

Tröegs Mad Elf Ale
Alcohol by Volume: 11%
Hop Bitterness (IBU’s): 15
Color: Ruby Red
Availability: Seasonal

If you can’t find this, pick a winter warmer of your choice and let us post you review for you.

Cheers!

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The Pour:

After pouring Delirium Noel into my tulip glass, I was astonished to see two Christmas bulbs, some green garland, and a donkey from the nativity scene in my glass!  Just kidding; but, the beer did pour a deep mahogany color with striking ruby red highlights that reminded me of the metallic red foil that had ensconced the rubber (surprised that real ‘cork’ material was not used) stopper.  The beer was crystal clear…not a hint of sediment or suspended protein.  A luscious white head left sticky lacing.

The Nose:

The aroma was moderately complex.  Typical for the style, notes of banana, clove, and nutmeg were present.  There was a sugary aroma that reminded me of dark spiced rum.  As far as fruit notes, strong un-fermented grape (as in grape juice, not wine)  aromas over shadowed all else.  All together, the aroma was candy like.

The Taste:

Delirium Noel pulled a fast one on me.  As it touched my lips, my mind was expecting a Belgian Strong ale, which it was…BUT there was a strong malty backbone that had the flavor of a Weizenbock, like Aventinus.  Perhaps it was the strong grape and Plum flavors that instantly took hold of my senses, or maybe it was the noticeable caramel flavor.  Either way, the beer was different.  At times, the beer was a bit too sweet.  In your face Belgian candy sugar flavors were, in my mind a bit out of balance.  The astringent flavor of alcohol was decently hidden, but at moments, in between sips, I did feel like I was swallowing down sips of rum.  As the beer finished, the bitter flavoring hops make their appearance, but at the same time don’t let you forget how sweet this brew is.

Overall Thoughts:

I enjoyed Delirium Noel and would buy it again, but it wasn’t as great as I was expecting, and was my least favorite when compared to Delirium Tremens, and my favorite of the the three, Delirium Nocturnum.  For the price ($9) I was hoping for more.  If you picked it up, what did you think?

Nate’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★☆☆ 

Among other Belgian Strong Ales: ★★★¼☆ 

Rating: ★★★¼☆ 

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What are you looking forward to?  What were your bad Christmas Ale experiences?  Tell us your mindset when it comes to the Christmas Ales.

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