La Binchoise Speciale Noel

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

I think it says it was bottled on 06-06. For lack of better words, it pours amber with decent clarity and a nearly full, off-white, fizzy; settles quickly to a mostly diminishing bit and leaves no lace. The second glass has plenty of yeast floaties. Intriguing nose with date and clove to go with whisps of alcohol and a spicy/earthy, alomst vinous tone. Wow, the flavor is has lots of notes that are unexpected; starts with a raisin/date note then you taste some roast, almost cedar-like with anise maybe. A decent bitterness goes with the roast. Palate is medium, lively, and a bit watery. Finishes mostly sweet with yeasty notes, lemon zest, and some bubblegum before earthy bitter notes finalize it. Certainly a beer that gets your palate thinking one thing and then something totally unexpected happens. Kind of difficult to pin down what I just drank, but it certainly was nice to be pleasantly surprised with this Belgian. Not spectacular but something that I will take the time to rate again.

Cask from the Rake. Honey orange in colour with no head. Nose to match with a touch of cloves. Tastes exactly like lemon ice tea! Bitter orange zest finish. Medium bodied. Not bad.

Bottle from Whole Foods. Pours a medium amber color with quite a bit of orange. Sweetaroma. Some yeastiness. Some vinous notes as well. Almost a little bit of a meadish scent to it. Flavor is a little sweet an fruity. Almost some cherry-like lambic qualities going on. Some yeast and grains. Somewhat spicy as well with some bitterness in the finish. Full bodied and fairly complex. Alcohol seems to be well hidden.

33 cl bottle. A cloudy amber beer with a big and medium persistent head. The aroma is very good: very spicy, with very light herbal notes from the hops and more present oranges and cloves. The flavour is spicy, yeasty and fruity, with a warming alcohol presence. Good body and carbonated. Not much bitterness, however is well balanced and very drinkable. Overall a very nice and warming beer.

On tap at White Horse, Parson’s Green. Ruby colour with thin beige head. Fruits are to the fore with Belgian yeast aroma and flavours. It’s got a sweetness of candy sugar that is not unattractive. But would I have it again? No.

Bottle. Pours hazy dark copper red brown, nice thick head. Aroma is sweet, a little fruit and spice as well, but very restrained. Flavor is a complex and full. Very sweet at first, immediately followed by a very nice fruity spicy yeast dance followed again by a lingering sweet finish.

11.2oz. bottle. Classic Belgian ale. Reddish-brown with orange tinge and a velvety smooth & creamy head. Great looking beer with absolutely no lacing whatsoever. Lightly subtle, fresh, sweet and yeasty aroma. Taste is sweet caramel and spices with a very soft and pleasantly surprising light palate. This beer has a lovely sort of unassuming and quaint feel about it that I find pleasing. Very drinkable and enjoyable.

Sweet aroma, with some fruitiness that i can’t place. Very sweet, melon, sugar cane, alcohol.