La Binchoise Speciale Noel

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

huge head orange red color. smells like orange tea. taste orange some spice and a yeasty aftertaste. this beer is alright not great.

I had this as part of the beer/cheese paring at the Brick Store Pub on 04/03/06. It was paired with Piave del Vecchio. This was the 2nd pairing of 5. The beer was poured from a 11.2 ounce bottle into a mini-snifter glass. The beer was a cloudy reddish gold. It did not form much of a head and there was no lacing left in the glass. It had a spicy orange aroma. The taste was floral with hints of nuts

Poured a mostly clear golden amber color with a minimal head. Aroma of aged malt, light mint and some notes of citrus and lemon. Malty flavor of toffee, caramel and aged malt. Low carbonation...almost flat.

750 ml. Best by 3/06. Pours with tons of fizz maintaining a lasting off-white head. Attractive hazy orange-amber color. Fruity/spicy aromas of ripe pears, Granny Smith apples, tangerine and clove. Lots of fizz on the palate which seems a bit coarse and distracting, but doesn’t thin out the body of this ale. Found the combination of sweet and spicy flavors to be quite unique; with notable green raisin, orange, pear, caramel, cloves, grape and some woody undertones in the finish. The 9% alcohol adds a pleasant warming to the experience. A tasty, complex and somewhat unique Belgian Winter Ale.

Beautiful copper color with frothy head. Slight hint of green apple in first sip. Alcohol not well hidden, but that is ok for this warming beer.

Dutch Ratebeer Gathering. Bottled 09-1995, 0.7 liter. No carbonation whatsoever, hazy amber coloured. Port, sherry and wood in aroma. Flavour is quite sweet with raisins and obviously aged. Perhaps a bit too old (11 years of ageing might be too long), but still quite good. I’d like to compare this with a fresh one. On draft at De Paas, The Hague. Cloudy amber coloured, small head. Malts, berries and blackcurrant. Obvious feeling of carbonation. Some alcohol in finish. Surprisingly refreshing. Good brew!

6th Dutch Ratebeer Gathering. Red coloured from 1995. A bit sherry like flavour. Softens while standing for a while. Smooth taste. Enjoyable.

On tap at the Red Monk during the 2006 Crescent Moon Beer Bus Trip. Reddish brown in color with a white head. Bubble gum aroma. Outstanding aroma of lots of complex smells. Spices, pineapple, apricot. A remarkable spring-fresh clothes dryer sheet aroma. Ginger and cinnamon.