Bière des ours is an artisanal beer brewed by Brasserie La Binchoise, characterised by adding the honey before the main fermentation. Cloudy orange/yellow colour with nice white head. Aroma is orange, honey, yeasty, bubblegum and coriander. Taste doesn’t disappoint, with the same elements; nice dry finish, and the alcohol is well hid. Moderate carbonation; crisp and drinkable. Very nice.

The XO (12% alc.), the strongest beer in the La Binchoise range, has a complex taste of beer and fruit from the Armagnac – it is a bit of an outsider. The XO ferments and matures in horizontal armagnac barrels, is then subjected to cold storage and a slight dry hopping with fresh hops before re-fermenting in the bottle. The taste is predominantly determined by the long maturation in the barrel, creating a degustation beer that preserves its ‘beery’ character but is, at the same time, permeated with the full aromas and rich taste of an Armagnac. XO stands for Exceptionally Old; meaning aged for a minimum of six years.

	La Binchoise Triple a Abbey Tripel beer brewed by Brasserie La Binchoise, a brewery in Binche. Pours hazy yellow with a small white head. Aroma is slight phenolic and slight caramelish. Sweet caramelish, slight phenolic and light toasted malty.

	Lager, golden blond, soft and round, slightly spicy, bottle-fermentedwith top-fermenting yeast. slightly bitter aftertaste.