Thirsting For: La Binchoise OX

Brasserie La Binchoise 

is slowly becoming one of my, "all around go for it, if nothing else looks exciting," selections. Each beer I pull from their collections is true to it's genre and pushes the pace just enough to make me giggle. Done well each time and served at a variety of locations around France.

French people aren't beer whores like us. The only information I could pull up on the brewery, past the orphaned wiki link, was this snubbed, rather out dated chunk of gossip:

Binchoise Brewery - The 14th century town of Binche is known to connoisseurs for its pre-Lent carnival with its own traditional masks for the occasion, and a museum that explores these themes. It is situated on the plains between Mons and Charleroi. Opposite the medieval ramparts a maltings and brewery operated for two or three century.The brewery closed in the 1920s, but the maltings continued until the World War II. In the late 1980s the buildings were given the new life by Andre Graux and his wife Francoise Jauson.Their portfolio consists of three stock ales: Binchoise Blonde 6.5% abv, Binchoise Brune 8.2% abv, Binchoise Reserve 9% abv All beers are presented in  750ml champagne bottles with cork and metal cage and 330ml. All styles are bottle conditioned (second fermentation with yeast in the bottle), unfiltered and unpasteurized.

-http://www.beermerchants.com/

All that being well and nice, fact or fiction, they have this interesting number hiding in the back whom I'm looking forward to disrobing:

Binchoise OX

Story goes that early 2008, brewer Andrew Graux was looking to add another dimension to his craft brewing love, as we brewers often do, with our continued dedication to self development. During a trip to Italy in May 2008 Graux realized that brewing is as noble an art form as wine making, that in fact, the two were babies born of the same mother and were looking to make a reconnection. Luckily Graux had a friend who was a four generation independent producer of brandy and was able to snatch up barrels of Armagnac.

"During the history of the brewery, we have always focused on beer rather than its envelope or advertising." He states as the foundation of the company and pours the majority of the finical plans into the liquid and not the outside of the bottle.

What does it taste like?

Surprising since the attack, XO quickly tame your taste buds. Are we still in the beer world? The strength, complex flavor combining beer and fruit flavors are specific to Armagnac forget habits tasting beer. This is at room temperature it best expresses aromas. Then the angel's share intoxicates you just nose. You fell in love. We will make an appetizer or a dessert beer. It is served in a glass with alcohol or wine glass. It is frankly without tilting the glass. Its foam is more or less abundant according to the shape of the glass but still compact. Its shelf life is promising, but it takes a lot of courage to resist the temptation to drink. Are we still in the beer world? ...

Oh silly French translations!

The Brussel's Tourist office pumps out some information on guided tours and hours of operation, while the Restaurant web site is a sweet morsel of flashing pictures and menu items. 

I'll let you know when I get my lips on the bottle and my hands on the beer. Wait. Scratch that, reverse it.