La Binchoise Speciale Noel

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

A good surprise here. The aroma has sweet malt, Belgian monastery yeast, and dried fruit. Impressive appearance, tall, thick head, and cloudy brown. A little salty in the flavor with moderate malt sweetness and more fruit. Full bodied.

Draft. Body-beautiful dark red with a foamy lasting half inch head. Absolutely beautiful looking beer. Nose-tobacco, oak, light cherry, dusty, pipe smoke, wood. Taste-cherry, musty and dusty, light wood tannins, sour apple, very light almost non-existent funk, must dominates, light unsweet Tootsie Roll, mildly spicy, medium sweetness.

Aroma is sweet and fruity with nice yeast tones. Color is a hazy toasted orange with a thin tight head and fizzy carbonation. Taste is light and fruity. Starting with a light/medium body it goes down with a crisp feel. Finish starts with a light malt sweetness that turns to a fruity Belgian yeast flavor and ends with a faint bitterness. After taste is clean with a slight dry feel. This is a good Belgian ale, its light for a winter brew but still tasty.

Bottle @ RBNAG-07. Amber body with some floaters and a nice dense off-white head. Aroma is floral hoppy and spicy (ginger). Flavor is sweet fruity, spicy, bitter and some kind of soapy hop flavor. Medium body. A bit substantial for my like, but interesting.

Pours a dark amber color with a frothy head. I like this beer. Nose: spice, honey. Malty flavoring and a bitter finish. I will buy this again.

Draft @ BSP, under Reserve Special. Pours hazy orange-amber with dense but small creamy offwhite head. Nose of vanilla, clove spiciness, wild floral honey, chalky yeast. Very smooth and quite full on the palate, restrained honey malt sweetness with a bitter orange peel zest, finishes slightly dry and warming but with very well controlled alcohol. Easily drinkable, just somewhat undistinguished.

(Bottle, Monk’s Café, Stockholm) Dark amber colour, slightly hazy, with frothy beige head. Fruity, yeasty nose with notes of dried fruit, cellar and earthy hops. Malty, nutty taste with chocolate, toffee, dark fruit and a spicy, fairly dry, medium bitter finish. Medium body, soft mouthfeel. Nice and mellow beer with an earthy spiciness.

Hazy amber body with a large, beige head that fades into a lasting cover, some lace. Sweet, candied fruit nose with peaches, banana, some apple, moderate spice and cotton candy. Taste is lightly sweet, lightly bitter with raw sugar and cracker, golden raisins, apricots, pepper and clove. Medium body is a bit rough with moderate carbonation. Finish is long with a lasting yeasty spiciness.