La Binchoise Speciale Noel

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

Pours copper amber with large beige head. Aroma is fruity (passion fruit?) and spicy with a bit of earthiness. Lighter mouthfeel that the aroma let on or for a Belgium Strong Ale. Sharper carbonation than expected as well. Taste has passion fruit, grapes, berries adn light earthiness. Finish has more earthiness and some spicy hops - it also is a bit vineous. The alcohol becomes more apparent the further down you go. This was heralded to me by the guys at my beer shop and one of the top beers in the world - maybe some aging would help. It was a very nice beer, but didn’t meet the hype given to me.

Red amber with white head. (33cl. Bottle from 2002) Had to pour slow to avoid "bundfald". Aroma is very sweet from fruits and sugar. Full and nice body and texture. Very smooth.The finish is fantastic, long lasting, malty fruity and sweet!

Bottle. Rich reddish amber with a nice tlight tan head. Aroma is full of fruit - dates, rasins - and some yeasty spiceiness. A bit of a tart note to the aroma. Rich malty flavor (candy sugar, some toffee, but mostly malt), with lots of yeasty spiciness and some nice holiday fruit. Fuller bodied. Finish just makes you want to drink more. Nice earthy backdrop.

Bottle from Johns Grocery poured into 20oz tumbler - Pours hazy red/orange with a HUGE, lingering head head; Malt, fruit (I can pick out banana), and an array of other smells to the nose; Not a whole lot of carbonation, in fact it’s almost flat when looking at the glass; In the mouth is a different story; A very sweet, candy initial taste with apple, banana, alcohol, and malt showing through very well; Not too heavy, but heavy enough to make it feel like a belgian; The alcohol is well masked for the most part; A sweet backtaste that shows the alcohol if you chew on it a little; This is an excellent beer, though it’s not my favorite belg. It’s just a smidge too sweet at first. But really, it gets the job done quite well. It also gets even better as the beer goes by!

Poured a slightly hazy light amber. An off white fluffy head appears and slowly recedes. The aroma is very unique, a wonderful blend of fruits and spices explode out of the glass. The first sip is a wonderful melody of dark candi sugar, plum, apricot, peach, thyme, clove, and an earthiness reminiscent of a saison. Body is full and creamy, with a high level of residual sweetness that manages to not be cloying. Quite satisfying.

Bottle shared with tupalev. Labelled as "Reserve Speciale". Pours a slightly hazy reddish-orange with an average size lasting off-white head. Aroma of fruit, spice, yeast and malt -- smells different for a Belgian and quite nice! Sweet complex flavour’s also fruity and spicy with some caramel malt and some alcohol. Found the aftertaste a little "bottle-ey". Medium to full bodied. A nice surprise, I quite liked it, it’s unique and flavourful.

thanks to cramer, this pours a hazy pink orange with a monsterous off white head...very tight and moderate lacing. The aroma is surpisingly hoppy for a belgain...strpmg sweet yeast and sugar come through as well...hints of roasted malts, christmas spices, and fruit as well. Flavor is light sweet and spicey...not very big for 9%. Very pleasant...seroius spice...maybe cloves...a bit of warming alcohol at the end. Mouthfeel is also very light...and drying. Pretty good.

Bottle, as Reserve Speciale, shared with and courtesy of blankboy. Hazy dark orange, decent bubbly white head. Interesting aroma - fresh malt, yeast, lemon zest, orange peel, and some alcohol. Very nice and unique! Taste has more of the same: fresh malt, lots of spice, and complementing alcohol. Decent hops that are most prominent in the middle. Short finish, but there is some lingering alcohol. The only thing that detracted is that it actually seemed to become "bottly" as it warmed - weird, but it was likely an older bottle. A good beer!