Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel

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

Well, first off, thanks be to Edward (Brooklynboy) for grabbing this thing before I could get my hands on it. Acutally, I have a point to make here. First, I dont really get to drink much anymore and it seems that Edward has pretty much given me a "scholarship" on fine beers recently by providing just about anything under the sun. So, when I found out that this bad boy was going to be in the Chicagoland area I quickly did everything I could to get on as many waiting lists as possible with the hopes that I would get this thing before Edward and share it with him for once. Well, It didnt really work out that way. He got to it first and was great enough to share it with me. So, thanks again. WOW.

So now onto the rating. First off there was quite a bit of carbonation in this thing but it was not noticable in the actual tasting. The bottle pretty much began to pour out onto the table before we could get it into the glass. Thick and foamy tan head. Immediately the nose was very present from quite a distance. The nose was very kinetic, much like one of the New Glarus fruit beers, and moved quickly around the room. Malts, chocolate, and oh yeah, did I mention coffee? Wow was there coffee in this thing. The body was black a night, no light got through this bad boy. THe Taste was full of coffee and wow, it really was just like a fresh espresso. Man was this stuff good. And trust me, one of the best beers I have ever had, not just for the flavour and such, but also because of the company.

Thanx to McBackus for sharing this.Wow what a beer.Huge espresso nose, nothing but.poured rich and black.Lots of coffee and chocolate flavor with the finish being slightly bitter with lot of coffee hanging out.

22 oz. bottle into tulip glass, The Friday imperial stout tasting (beer #35). This beer was one of the first "heavyweights" we pulled out toward the end of The Friday (so I guess, technically, it was The Saturday). One of my personal favorites of the night. First time I’d had it. Dope all around. Sticky lace was evident even in a smallish sample size, opaque black in the glass, light brown head. Fresh bag of coffee smell was the best of the night, and almost garnered a 10; it had some latent chocolate in there too. Flavor had a bit of chocolate too, was mostly roast and some acidity, with a straightforward coffee roast finish. If it would have been a bit fuller in the mouth and taste, it would have had a 5 palate. The coffee presence was awesome throughout, and I’d say this is the best coffee stout I’ve had (right up there with Speedway and Java Jacks). Outstanding.

As Black as it gets. Big sticky chocolate nitro head which sticks to the glass and laves marks after every sip. The nose is not so affirmative, but it smells coffee beans and not cheap ones at that. Full mouthfeel which is very smooth and easy, ultra-creamy, decadet in fact. Complex flavors which you can just admire as they develop in a complex fireworks: huge dessert malt, rich coffee flavors, burnt chocolate milk is invented. Nicely balanced if you love desert beers. I’d like to compare with Alesmith’s, but heaven is not that close. I’ve had the speedway stout approximately 2 months ago though and I’m convinced that péché mortel is superior, to my liking anyway. The balance is just tremendous, with the hoppy bitterness acting as a fine complement rather than a kick on the face. Definitely a transcendant example of the style to me.. I would not necessarily place this top 10 in the world, but I have yet to taste an imperial stout that deserves it more. Cheers JF Gravel.

On tap at Ebenezer’s, Lovell, Maine. Black pour, small and continually diminishing brown head. The aroma is amazing - unadulterated dark roast coffee, strong espresso, slight sweet molasses. I’ve never smelled something like this in a beer, much less in a cup of fresh coffee. The nose is simply stunning - everyone tries to do a coffee stout but I’ve never smelled anything that approximates this. Taste is much the same if only a bit of a letdown from the amazing aroma. Upfront chocolate and a nice interplay of roast and sweetness in the malt character. Nicely bitter finish (not hop bitter, but coffee bitter) which I remember describing at the time as ’morning coffee wrapped in a chocolate bar.’ Just a great taste, as much interesting in the absolute absence of dark fruits as it is with the amazing coffee and roast flavor. Smooth and thick on the palate, very slight carbonation, creamy. Long-lasting, pleasing aftertaste. Did not want this beer to end, ever.

So "Péché Mortel" means "Mortal Sin" in québécois, does it? As a good Catholic boy, I generally try to avoid mortal sin, but today I make an exception. Pours a dark black color, topped by half an inch of creamy brown suds. Good head retention and great lacing. Coffee and roasted grain in the aroma. Nice sugar-sweetened strong coffee flavor, with lots of bitter dark roasted grain and some toffee malt. Although the hops are not discernable, there is a good balance between sweet and bitter - with the coffee and grain contributing to this, no doubt. Medium to full body, lots of gentle prickly carbonation, and wicked coffee liquer in the aftertaste. Sinfully delightful beer.

Cask @ Volo. Tastes of Toffee, Chocolate, cinnamon, roasted malts and also slightly sweet. A extremely flavourful and thick beer. I loved it. Too bad it’s so hard to find in Ontario.

The aroma is a deep rich roasted coffee. The appearance is a deep black with a long lasting tan head. Mortel’s flavor is a rich and robust roasted coffee. The mouthfeel is full and deeply satisfying.