La Binchoise Speciale Noel

Brewed by Brasserie La Binchoise
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Binche, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Pours with a medium white head and a bright orange color, the beer is very hazy. The aroma is on the sweeter side and has hints of raw barley and plenty of floral and fruity notes. The flavor is a bit sweet with some fruitiness, some herbal notes and a bit of floral almost rosewater notes. There is a mild alcohol presence with some mild hops.

750 mL bottle, purchased June 2008, opened 22 Feb 2009. Divine. These artisanal Belgian brewers continue to impress -- nay, wow -- me. Just when I think I’ve got the corner on the style potential and profile, I unturn another stone and discover another winner with something new to say. Appearance: Unassumingly beautiful -- like a shimmering pumpkin in an evening glow. The color of Earl Gray tea, with lots of unflitered goodness swimming through the glass. Aroma: Rich, mellow malt up front, with generous doses of wildflower honey, bergamot, and a faint twist of piquant hops. Smells like it might be overly sweet. Taste: A joyride of rich malty warmth, with a twist of apricot, nectarine, and bergamot. Not too sweet at all, it is a garden of malted delights laced with a hint of well-placed subtle hops on the edge. Palate: A tad bit sticky on the way down, but it tastes so damn delicious that I never want the bottle to end (which, at 9%, is a dangerous proposition!). It warms as it traverses the gullet. Overall: I must replace this bottle twelvefold. I don’t know what the 9 months in the cellar did for this one, not having tried it fresh, but my God this is an amazing beer. A keeper for sure! Oddly, I’m thinking good, rich Mexican/Latino cuisine with this one -- not your generic bean burrito, mind you, but the real authentic stuff, like homemade Mole sauce over wood-baked chicken, or those fried-and-baked taquitos that my Costa Rican nanny used to make. (Drooling on keyboard....) An artisanal cheese plate would be splendid here as well -- or baked brie.

I had a couple extra dollars from a poker game so that means bottle poppin’ time. The color is reddish orange with a very small yet tenacious head. The smell is yeasty and makes me think of candied, caramelized sugar. Also a slight musty, earthy smell that I find in a lot of Belgians (maybe its me?). The carbonation is prickly on my mouth and the finish is sugary with some dryness. This reminds me of the Caracole amber I had some time ago but this is less cloying and more enjoyable. I thought this beer had a nice smell, good flavors but I am still unsure whether or not I care for this style. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 11-13-2007 16:14:30

Bottled 0,33L.
Orange fraught color with orange glares, discreet bubbly, good and persistent head. Elegant aspect and rich sediments present. Fraught, alcoholic aroma with flowery rumors and yeast. Sweet honey taste, caramel, must and resin.

A beer that I’d laid in to enjoy over the Christmas season and enjoy it I did! Pouring 1.5 fingers (precisely!) of a short-lived foamy white head, this capped a cloudy body of dark orange. The aroma was mega-spiced, along perhaps some notes of bread. Taste was made most pleasurable by the generous spicing, and mouthfeel was just bloody excellent. Finish was sweet n’ good.

Dark amber-brown hazy pour. Apple and other sweet fruit aroma. Same taste ,peach is dominant. Smooth and sweet but also has enough roast malt to balance well.

(33cl bottle) Hazy, deep golden colour with a big off-white foamy head. Sweet cara-malty and bready aroma with light fruity (peaches) and dusty spicy notes. Sweet flavour with a balanced level of bitterness, full bodied with a pleasantly smooth carbonation. Cara-malty and bready taste with light fruity notes and an obvious presence of alcohol. Sweet-bitter malt-accented finish with notes of alcohol and herbal hops (31.V.09).

Cloudy amber pour with off white head. Aroma of smells of candy cane, apple, spice, malt and yeast. SImilar taste. Nice, sweet holiday beer!

Bottle. Hazy amber pour with short-lived thick off-white head. Very fruity aroma with a distinct Belgian yeast background. Taste is sweetish up front, but yields to fruity and yeasty notes on the finish. Not cloying at all, simply a well-done drinkable Belgian. Very nice.

Sampled at the Impromptu Butter’s 6th cellar clearance. Near clear brownish pour with rose highlights and small white head and small lacing. Sweet brown sugar fake apple aroma. Flavor has a peachy note but mainly apple. Overpriced.