La Binchoise Brune Tradition / Cistercienne Bruna

Brewed by Brasserie La Binchoise
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Binche, Belgium

Bottled: Amber coloured. Unclear. Huge brownish head. Sweet, spiced and herbal nose. Flavour is quite dry. some fruits, light liqourice, caramel and spice. Is medium bodied. Ends on a dry and fruity note. Quite complex and easy to drink.

Pours a beautiful cloudy brown with a wonderful head. The aroma is muted but a little hoppy with a tinge of fruit and maybe caramel. Crisper on the palate than I had imagined with very little lingering flavors. Overall a good beer but better is out there.

bottle from chevy chase. extremely dark brown with a towering classic belgian tan head. at cooler temperatures, the aroma is mild, with fruity, caramelly malts and a slight metallic facet. as it warms, the malts come up, but the aroma is still clean and mild. body is creamy and silky, like chocolate milk. flavor is a delightful bouquet of malty complexity, with slight coffee and the perfect mild hop bitterness to balance this out. the extra carbonation really helps this beer. no sign of the 8%. very, very good, especially for a style i’m not usually fond of.

a bit nutty, a bit malty, a bit bitter and without being to hard...., a bit lacking in focus. chestnut color with light brown head, this brew is something i don’t really get.

Pours a dark hazy ruby-brown with a generous, durable off-white head. Pleasant, but faint aromas of spices, dark wheat bread, yeast, caramel and roasted malts. Nose was a bit too tame. Mouthfeel brought the usual spritzy Belgian Ale fizz, but seemed a tad too thin and watery. Seems more assertive in the flavor department as opposed to the aromas. Initially a subtle sourness which quickly transforms into a pleasing spiciness backed by a caramel/brown sugar, ripe fruity sweetness in the finish. A good, solid Belgian with no overt flaws, but not all that memorable.

A quite drinkable Belgian brown. Dark reddish brown, almost opaque, with a very small head. Nose of sour brown ale. Thin in the mouth, given the darkness and opacity. Sourness, with a little sweet malt, a little coffee, but none of the intensity or complexity of a great Belgian abbey ale.

Bottle Conditioned, 330ml. Dark brown with ruby hints, short lasting white head, slightly opaque. Acidic twang on the nose and initial flavour, a little sour and somewhat tinny. The beer warms to a sugary burnt malt with a slightly cherry like fruitiness. I get some coriander seed and a chocolatey, burnt body. I wasn’t over impressed, it was too much of a mixed lot for me.

Bottle (330ml). Poured deep almost opaque brown with a large tan foamy lasting head and nice lacing. MIld aroma of funky spices, light roast caramel/brown sugar malt, herbal pungency and a touch bottle metallic, although that diminished on warming. Taste is surprising - a lovely warming combination of almost burnt malt, bitter chocolate, red wine and that lovely almost sour spice and herb funkiness - gets even better when it approaches room temperature, and the alcohol increases almost imperceptably until you really feel the 8%+. Mouthfeel a little syrupy, decent thickness - I’m glad I enjoyed this on a cold winter’s evening.