La Binchoise Speciale Noël

Speciale Noël could only be a Christmas beer. It is a classic, warming winter ale with plenty of depth and a roasted, fruity malt character.
A.K.A. Reserve Speciale

3.6

462 reviews

Binche, Belgium

Community reviews

3.4 Bottle from Les Fleurs. Cloudy amber with a full head. Aroma of caramel malt and spice. Flavour is spicy malt, a little honey, tangy lively finish.

3.8 Bottle from de Caigny Dranken in Essen, Belgium. The beer is hazy orange to amber colored and has a large and stable creamy head, with good carbonation. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel and roasted malts, yeast, bread, dried-ripe fruits, licquorice and spices. The taste is medium to full bodied and sweet with roasted malts, caramel, honey and other notes from the aroma and goes a light dry and bitterness from the used sugar with notes of yeast, spices and a little alcohol. The finish is light bitter, dry and has some warming alcohol.

3.7 F: huge, bit tan, good retention. C: amber, hazy. A: malty, mellow fruity, dough, yeast, caramel, spicy. T: malty, fruity, bit bread, bit caramel, spicy, biscuits, herbal, medium to full body, medium to high carbonation, good balanced not too sweet spicy Christmas beer, very nice, 75cl bottle from Cora Woluwe-Saint-Lambert in Brussels.

3.9 De geur is lekker, een beetje fruitig. De kleur is redelijk licht. De smaak is heel goed, lekker fris.

3.7 Bottle from The Party Source from backlog notes. Pours a hazy orange amber color with a medium sized off white head. The aroma and flavor have sweet malts, caramel, honey, floral notes, light spice, dried fruit, good.

3.9 Review from late 2014. Bottle at beerbistro. Spicy nutmeg, orange nose. Orangey brown with finely bubbled white head. Similar flavours. Quite lovely. Effervescent.

3.3 33cl Bottle @ Cerveceria Internacional, Seville, Spain. Amber colour with a thick tan head. Aroma is malt, caramel, yeast, ripe fruits. Taste follows the aroma with hints of prune and alcohol. Medium to full body, average carbonation.

2.8 Les 2 chérubins présents sur l’étiquette seraient ils moqueurs? De Noël cette binchoise n’en a que le nom ou la prétention. Elle nous fait perdre le fil des saisons....nous sommes plus proche de l’automne, et Halloween n’est pas loin! En verre notre binchosie est ambrée, avec une effervescence marquée lui conférant une mousse blanc cassée abondante initialement mais déclinant pour disparaître complètement en milieu de dégustation. Le nez est agréable sur les céréales, le caramel, la cannelle, la poire et la coriandre, arômes plutôt automnaux. L’attaque est de façon surprenant fraîche sur les céréales, le citron et la poire. En seconde bouche, l’amertume est également sur la fraîcheur avec des arômes d’orange laissant ensuite place à la poire et la banane plus suave. L’arrière bouche est très peu présente avec au loin, le caramel qui se fait ressentir. La corpulence est bien trop limitée pour une bière de Noël, mais jusqu’à cet instant l’alcool est bien intégré. Le final verra cependant l’ensemble se déséquilibrer complètement, l’alcool prenant le pas sur des notes épicées (notamment de cannelle) et une sensation d’aigreur peu agréable apparaissant. Conclusion : s’il s’agit d’une bière de Noël, c’est de l’étrange Noël de Mr Jack! Dommage avec une corpulence plus importante et un final équilibré, cette binchoise aurait pu être une bonne bière aux saveurs automnales. Nos chérubins sont taquins.

3.6 Off white cream like head with a centred brown blob stayed on a murky auburn coloured body. Rich fruits, malt, christmas, raisins, christmas pudding aroma. - smells delightful! Medium body, prickly on the palate, smooth on the back. Raisin, plum, christmas pudding, malt, demerara sugar, caramel, chocolate - this is a full on Christmas Beer!

3.4 Dimmig brunorange öl med beige skum. Doften är maltig med karamell och mycket julkryddor. I smaken tillkommer viss jästighet och fruktighet.

3.2 Bottle. Reddish brown color with large creamy white mostly lasting head. Malty aroma. Sweet flavor. Oily palate.

3.9 Color ambra tendente al marroncino, molto torbida e con lievito in sospensione. La schiuma è biancastra, compatta e persistente. al naso caramello, spezie intense dark fruits. Birra molto scorrevole nonostante la gradazione elevata, alcol nascosto. Ingresso secco, speziato, malto con retrogusto leggermente amaro, non è troppo dolce. Carbonazione medio alta. Una natalizia con tutte le carte in regola.

3.9 330ml bottle from BeersOfEurope website (£2.49): Great stuff with nice floral flavours, touches of fruits & a few bread malts. Nothing was overly pronounced giving the beer a nice balance with strong carbonation & a dry, fresh feel. It falls just short of some of the best Belgian ales but it’s still a nice one & well worth looking out for.

3.5 Pours a thick and dense beige head. Malt and light candy aromas. Slightly hazy and amber colored body. Pleasant in mouth with managed alcohol and carbonation. Notes of toasted spice bread and nuts.

3.1 Bottle bbe ? Aroma mild, yeast, veggie casserole(!). Taste dry, anise. Finishes dry with spicy soft bitterness.

3.1 At Home amber coloured body with a white head and a dark fruit sweet hops aroma a spicy sweet herby hops alcholic dry bitter taste with a alcholic bitter finish

3.8 15/V/15 - 33cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker) @ the Abeels (NL) - BB: X/14 (2015-622) Gusher alert! Clear red amber beer, big aery off-white head, dissipates quickly, non adhesive, chunks floating in the beer. Aroma: lots of caramel, raisins, some banana, dried fruits. MF: soft carbon, medium to full body. Taste: little sourish, caramel, bit sugary, raisins, alcohol, little bitter. Aftertaste: caramel, some milk chocolate, little bitter, banana, mocha.

2.9 Bottle, 33cL. Home. A brown orange opaque beer ; some yeast sediments ; big creamy white head ; average retention. Caramel aroma, herbs, biscuit. Medium sweet, acid note, light bitter, a bit dry. Medium body, thin to medium texture, high carbonation, sweet finish, refreshing and yeasty note. Overall, average christmas beer ; lack of depth.

3.6 Bottle . Bit astonished by the high ratings this one appears to have . Had no expectations at all , which has changed just now . Pours clear amber, good white head . Smell is sweet, touch of herbal spices . On the bitter side as well . Taste is very sharp bitter, with earthy amber malts . Not as sweet as expected . Full, kinda bread-like character . Not very spiced in the taste at all . Good mouthfeel , yet as in most Belgian beers overcarbonated to me ... Nice one, yes . Not sure why it has a 90+ score though ...

3.2 330 ml bottle. BB? From saveur-biere.com. Lively cloudy bright orangey golden colour with huge foamy off-white head. Grainy malt, yeast and mild hops in the aroma. The flavour is yeast, mild hops, mild bitterness, mild spices and malt. Quite indifferent beer.

2.3 Cuando probé eata cerveza por primera vez, me atrajo su aroma ligero. Pensé, seguro que me ofrece algo. Nada más lejos de la verdad, un gusto insípido y volátil que no deja mas que un regusto a flores pasadas.

3.8 Bottle. Archer Road Beer Stop, Sheffield. Hazy, lumpy, reddy amber. Thin, fairly dense, lasting, white head. Soft, fruity, caramel malts. Banana and toffee ice cream. Some cherry, too. Beyond the sweet, there are elements of raisin, granary bread, and nuts. Taste is light sweet, and fruity dry. Soft, smooth, luscious palate. Finishes chewy, soft, and fruity dry. Goes really well with Stichelton cheese. I’m about to go overboard on both...

3.3 330ml bottle from Beers of Europe. Pours clear golden amber, thick off-white head. Aromas of Belgian yeast, spice, grainy notes, light citrus fruit. Taste is more of the same, light boozy note at the end. Prickly carbonation. OK.

3.6 Sampled @ O.B.E.R. Kerstbierfestival 2014, Essen. Trübes rötlichbraunes Bier mit geringer beiger Schaumkrone. Geruch sehr süß, fruchtig, malzig, reifes Obst. Geschmack würzg malzig, reife Früchte, leicht alkoholisch.

4.2 33cl bottle shared in a tasting glass. Pours a nice orangey colour with a generously voluminous (slightly) off white head. Aroma is spicy, estery notes with some nice fruitiness in the background. Taste is more of the same with a lovely mouthfeel which complements the luxurious flavours very well. Overall a sterling example of a Belgian Christmas ale.

3.9 15 cl. Sampled from 330 cl. bottle @ O.B.E.R. Kestbierfestival 2014. Very hazy reddish amber. Nose is warming sweet dark fruits & spices. Taste is sweet syrup, malts, light herbs, dark fruits, lightly warming sweetness, little to no complexity, slightly fizzy. Pretty nice still.

3.4 Aroma: caramel, straw, hay, bread and cereal malts. Appearance: hazy amber, massive, frothy, white head. Taste: medium sweet. Palate: grain, cereals, caramel malts, lively carbonation. Overall: decent Belgian Strong Ale, yet not quite playing in the top league. Bottle from Beers of Europe, Kings Lynn.

3.1 Donker amberkleurig bier met veel gistpartikels en snelzakkende gelige schuimkraag. Zeer fruitig in de neus met serieuze pruimen- en rozijnentoets samen met karamelmout. In de mond zeer moutig en fruitig. Pittige afdronk met bitterzoet einde. Goed kerstbier!

4.0 330ml bottle served in a Duvel tulip glass. Best before 09/2013 in the bottle. Perfectly conserved. A: Pours a dark and cloudy amber color which is also dirty with many particles floating inside the glass. Forms a huge and bubbled light yellow head leaving some lingering and molasses lacings in the glass S: Very fruity in the nose. Strong notes of plums and raisins. Toffee, caramel malts, crystal malts. Belgian-style bready yeasts. A bit spicy. Some alcohol can be felt in the very end T: Follows the nose. Sweet upfront: Very malty and fruity. Strong notes of plums, raisins, caramel malts, crystal malts and bready yeasts. A bit spicy. Mild hoppy bitter end. In overall, a sweet beer with a Belgian bittersweet profile. A bit of alcohol can be felt in the end M: Heavy and bit molasses body. Medium carbonation. Bittersweet aftertaste: Mainly fruity and malty O: Good drinkability. Solid Belgian Strong Ale [ BA Review @ 8/17/2013 ]

3.8 Mmmmmmmmm this beer smells amazing. Strong aromas of dark fruit, caramel and yeast. Looks good too. Pours a very dark amber color with a small white head. Flavors are not nearly as pronounced as the aromas but are good nonetheless and consist of apple, plums, figs, caramel and spices. Body is too thin. Dry finish. Good beer for sure.