Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel

Brewed by Dieu du Ciel
Style: Imperial Stout
Montreal, Canada

#300 - 650 ml bottle bottled 11/04 - acquired via trade from hopdog - Thanks Steve!! The bottle foamed over the top when I popped the cap. That impressed me right away.. Pours black as night with an enormous milkshake like brown head that leaves a beautiful spiderweb lacing all the way down the glass. Aroma is burnt malts, some cigar smoke, and delicious coffee. A touch of chocolate, and a bit of vanilla can also be found in the nose. Flavor is amazingly complex and beautiful. First sip was mostly roasted malts, some smoke, and coffee with a good bitter edge and a nice warm alcohol feel afterwards. As I got deeper into the bottle it seemed more sweet mocha, vanilla, some molasses and a touch of raisin came through the coffee background but still it left you with mostly coffee flavor on the finish. On the palate this is smooth creamy and mouth coating.. I think it even coated my throat all the way down. Thick, almost like syrup. The alcohol can only be detected by the warmth at the back of each sip. If this is truly a mortal sin I’m glad to be going to hell! Terriffic brew!

Bottle: Black with ruby edges and a tan head that quicky disappears. Huge coffee and chocolate nose with some alcohol. Coffee taste and ending with a long aftertaste, kinda like drinking coffee with some booze in it. I love coffee, but this didn’t do it for me. Maybe this is better on tap?

Bottle Batch #2, Sampled November 2005
Pours with a frothy, three-finger thick light brown head that sits atop a rich black hue. As I pour the beer I get a rich note of burnt fruit. Up front the burnt fruit notes of raisin and prune are evident, but quickly the nose is dominated by the a strong burnt roast character that is reminiscent of black coffee and roast barley. There is also quite a bit of burnt grain husks; sharp, slightly acidic, and a bit tannic.

The taste is immediately rich and full in the mouth, though not intensely so. The beer has a sweet malt character that coupled with the roast character makes me think of a sweetened black coffee, or even better a mocha that is heavy on the espresso. The finish is quite long, it loses its richness though, it is strong on a burnt acidity, almost with an acrid burnt note that lends a certain burnt bitterness to the finish. The finish definitely makes one want to take another sip of this beer. Up front and through to the middle, this beer is rich and well matched between the mouth coating sweet malt character, the over the top roast barley & coffee notes, and rich dark chocolate flavors. The finish though is a bit too acrid, and the malt notes die off way to fast, if it lingered a bit more this beer would have a much better finish.

Don’t get me wrong this is quite an enjoyable beer, for the most part; The finish really is a bit too harsh, and the nose has a bit of the harsh notes as well. I wish that all of this beer had the balance and richness that is found up front in the taste.

TITW Part Deux - 22oz bottle, courtesy of jeffin7 (who knocked a couple of great things of my wantlist). Thanks, Jeff! Pours a dark brown body; dark tan head with good retention. Generous aroma: plenty of roasted coffee, hints of milk chocolate and vanilla. Nice, balanced mouthfeel: good levels of bitter coffee, roasted and charred malts; the coffee aspect (lightly roasted) is well-integrated into the imperial stout profile. Lengthy, milk chocolate finish with hints of coffee.

Bottle.
Pours with a no-light dark body with an olive green head and a straight-up, no foolin’ unground coffee bean nose. Flavor is deep, unfiltered black coffee with a chocolate malt backbone. Superb mouthfee; thick, coating and unforgettable. This isn’t a beer; it’s an alcoholic chocolate milkshake.

22 oz bottle, via SecretSanta pdee. Pours pitch black with a fluffy light brown 2 finger head that left tons of lacing. Rich espresso aroma is just over the top! Dark roasted malt with some vanilla, cocoa, and bourbon as well. Chocolate and coffee flavor up front with vanilla and alcohol. Finish is very warming but slightly astringent as well. Very nice mouthfeel, full bodied and chewy with very light carbonation that prevents an overly cloying feel. Pretty awesome stuff. I was actually expecting a little more coffee but it actually tastes a little subtle. Alot more emphasis on the roast.

Bottle (34 cl) from Ölbutikken, Copenhagen, Denmark. Black, medium beige head. Dark chocolate aroma with soft coffee notes and citric hops. Medium bodied and smooth. Dry and bitter.

Now we gonna party like it’s 1999 - yeah man - still in my ears ;.-) Thanks a lot Pivo for bringing this over just for me - youdaman! Love the lable - great piece of art. Great huge spongey light brown head that sticks forever on this opaque colored brew. The most intense grounded roasted coffee beans nose I have ever smelled. In intervalls a bit of cardamon gets released too. Well this is the aroma I love to wake up to - I am a coffee addict - so no doubt I love this. Taste - well, Shitloads of coffee with an incredable, very interesting smokey aftertaste. Some nutty bitterness of course and licorice. Also cardamon and port. Long lasting aftertaste. I like it a lot though it is a bit one dimensional.