Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel

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

Bottle. First and foremost-thanks to Tchrome for sharing such a rare gem. Before I begin to tell what this beer “is”, I will describe what it is not. It is not complex or multi-layered. It is, however, simple, way, way overrated, and more one sided than a Mobius strip. This is not a beer-it is cold espresso with a shot of Vodka. For a beer to be complex, it needs to have more than one flavor profile. This one has one-coffee. The brewers were way too heavy handed with the coffee. If the coffee could have been used to compliment or accentuate the other flavors, this would be great. But, they don’t. Incredibly one sided. The most overrated beer on ratebeer. Once again, thanks to Tchrome for letting me experience this. Tad, it was interesting. :) Nose-smells like wet coffee grounds with potting soil in it. Taste-bitter coffee. Very simple.

One of my beer sources, Drew, made contact to let me know that he had just scored a shipment of the Dieu de Ciel Péché Mortel that I have wanted to get my hands on. Five bottles. Good enough for now. I placed them in my cellar, anxious to sample this alleged elixir but preferring to wait until it could be shared with a friend. The beer gods smiled and I got a call from good friend and beer buddy Gasspasser who was in town. He stopped by with his dog, Leo, and I pulled out a bottle. Marked November, 2004. Okay. Should be ready. Upon opening the cap, a fine mist escaped and soon my kitchen smelled like a Starbuck’s. Only better. A bit of mocha brown froth oozed out the opening and urged me to pour. However gently I slid the black potion down the side of the glass, the result was the same: a huge and frothy/creamy milk chocolate brown head. The black body was opaque. The lacing decorated the sides of the glass as the monster head slowly receded. No need to place one’s nose in the glass to get the aroma. Coffee. Oh, there are hints of chocolate and vanilla doing background vocals, but they are drowned out by the mega-decibels shouting COFFEE! Face first into the frothy head to sample a taste. If there is any flaw in this nectar, it is that it is just a wee, very wee bit thin. Smooth and creamy in the mouth but just ever so slightly thin. Again, excellent, but just a tad, just a miniscule bit and only relatively speaking to some more viscous potables. Otherwise the mouthfeel was wonderful. The flavor was rich, roasted coffee. Robust, intense, Kona-like coffee. Hints of bitter Belgian chocolate and some malt. An erotic taste experience. Sipping slowly with a good friend made it even better. This is an extraordinarily good stout. A feast for the taste buds. My thoughts then went to the upcoming distribution of my beloved Dark Lord in a few weeks and the prospect of blind tasting these two head-to-head. Péché Mortel. The mortal sin about this is that it is so difficult to come by. Thanks again, Drew, and thanks to Dieu de Ciel for making this treat.

Pours black into an English pint. Bitter coffee and malt aromas. Dark mocha colored head. Coffee and sweet malt. Crisp. Lasting espresso finish.

Bottle. Drank this with a few CU Beer Club members. I think Landseer brought this. Excellent aroma, that is all coffee. Strongest coffee aroma I have sensed in a beer. Pours jet black with nice off white head. Very nice mouthfeel, which is feathery and velvety, and not heavy at all. Like the aroma, the flavor is dominated by coffee, but its not bitter and burnt, just a pleasant medium roast that goes down easy. Some notes of chocolate and vanilla are in the background. Best Coffee stout to date for me. If you do not like coffee, stay away. This is probably one of the few $18 beers that is actually worth every penny

11.2oz bottle from franksnbeans - thanks! I’ve been sitting on this one for a while, and now that we’ve finally seen some bottles showing up in NC I figured it was time to crack this one. And holy molasses this is a goodern! Thick syrupy pour with a surprisingly lively fizzing body, a crisp carbonation that rises into a moderate head. Yeah, the aroma is just killer - brisk and bracing, with tons of roasts coming through to let you know that this is aggressive coffee, not the fruity, rounded, mellow stuff. Of course there’s a nice, balanced stout underlying it all, with a slightly sweet chocolate malt base and some spicy hops to balance. But man, that coffee is just killing me. Full bodied and deceptively easy drinking, this one rivals Beer Geek.

Nice and strong, lots of flavor of coffee and high caramel flavor, one of the better imperial stouts with great flavors. slightly smokey and lots of cocoa.

Pours dark brown with a big lasting brownish head with lacings. Very dry (in fact more bitter than sweet) with aromas of roasted coffee. Some dry fruits. Also notes of ashes. Dry long coffeeish finish. Full bodied. Medium to low carbonation. Very nice.

#600. I’m approaching this one with a bit of trepidation. It’s ratings have dropped quite a bit since the bottles were released. Lets see what I make of it.. Pours jet black with a mammoth (for the style) tan head. Nose has coffee, iodine, more coffee, bitter chocolate. The nose makes me think of of chewing on a chocolate covered coffee bean. That superb coffee carries over into the flavor. Tremendously dark molasses, slight cherry or woodiness and that glorious coffee. They do a superb job of hiding the alcohol. I should have bought that second bottle......