Dieu du Ciel Solstice d’hiver

Brewed by Dieu du Ciel
Style: Barley Wine
Montreal, Canada

Bottle. Thank you Andersand. Pours dark amber with a small white head and lacings. Lots of dark matls. Sweet, a bit roast, vinous, fruits, smooth, caramel, toffee and a bit of alcohol. Very fine.

Bottle = 9.8%abv. – A crimson amber body, short off white head. The aroma is massively malty, a bit hit with alcohol, plums, dates, bing cherries, blackberry. Flavor accentuates light edges of smoke, molasses, and toffee sweetness. Palate is sticky, and that full-size abv does not try to hide from the senses. Nice Barleywine… I need this just before bed!

Bottled. Poured rich, plummy amber with a short, but well-retained cap of off-white head. The aroma was much brighter than expected with juniper berries, lighter fruit, and definite warmth over aged caramel, biscuits, brown sugar, and burnt molasses.. the hops and spices (?) kept it very interesting. The flavor opened with tangy floral bitterness and a hint of red apple, opening into rich dark fruits (including raisins), blackstrap molasses, and caramel at the core.. finished with more floral and some earthy bitterness and juniper over aged maltage.. alcohol warmed it up nicely. Heavier-bodied with moderate rolling carbonation on the palate, balanced well against the brighter notes.. stuck well on the long, enjoyable finish. Excellent brew!

Bottle. Pours a dark cherry color with a some fizzy khaki head. Fruity nose with a bit of biscuit malt nose. There’s some earthy hops there as well. The flavor is warm burnt candy with a lingering bitterness and earthy finish. Warm alcohol. Substantial body. Fair.

Bottle from the Sam’s in Downers Grove, Illinois: This pours a deep chestnut body with a very short-lived beige head. No lace. It has an alcohol sharpened malty aroma supported by dark cherries, ripe red apples, and a light floral scent. Very smooth and creamy in the mouth. The flavor pretty well reflects what the nose invites, except that the alcohol is somewhat stronger. The finish is both sticky sweet and dry with a pronounced alcohol burn. Not real complex, but for some reason this one appeals to me.

Bottle. Hazy dark brown with a thin beige foamy head with good retention and average lacing. Aroma is yeast, apples, raisins, hops and caramel, alcohol and a touch of cloves. Flavor is sweet malt, hops, caramel, alcohol and spices. Medium to full body with a slightly liquorous mouthfeel. Very good.

Picked up at Greens on Ponce De Leon. I have been wanting to try this for quite some time, but just never got around to it. Darker caramel brown apperance without any head. Fairly pungent malt aroma. Some dark fruits are in the aroma as well. Fairly nice nuanced aroma. A dry/bitter fruit and malt taste. Too dry for me. Malt/fruit at first then that friggin dry flavor. Not my favorite barley wine, but for Canada good deal. Nice smooth palate.

Poured dark amber brown, dark fruits, molasses, spicey, caramel, hoppy, alcohol, little roasted malts.