Dieu du Ciel Solstice d’hiver

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

Bottle at my 1000 Rates Celebratory tasting, courtesy of Mes. Mid brown, nice white head. Smooth, alcoholic. Rich treacle malt flavour, with some stewed fruit and some nice hazelnut notes. Lasts nicely, but the alcohol comes through a tad too harshly.

Pours dark ruby with frothy cream colored head. Aroma is surprisingly light, with alcohol, malt, and caramel. Flavor starts slow, then gts very robust, with alcohol, dark fruit, cane sugar, and some nuttiness. Very nice barleywine. 6/16/09: Had an ’07 bottle with oteyj. Similar to my previous rating, though it seemed more refined and mellow certainly, and the dark fruit character was more complex, with plum, molasses, and fig.

Pours a nice amber with a small white head. Aroma of hops, malt, caramel and spices. Flavor is subdued yet bitter hops, malt caramel. 9.5% alcohol is very well hidden. NIce barleywine.

Bottle at The Headkeeper, Greensburg, PA. Pours a dark amber, touch of red, full off-white head. Aroma is burnt malt and caramel, maybe some spices. Flavor is malt, caramel, spices and faint fruit hiding in the background. Finishs with a slight bitterness.

Murky dark brown. Full and smooth, with only a soft carbonation. Wow, aromas are really bright and dynamic. Interesting things going on. Faint vanilla. Sugar-coated alcohol. Rock-candy caramel. Hints of fruit, such as apple and pear. Dare I say a hint of Jägermeister? Or at least some other odd infusion of some sort. Overall, I found it very interesting (even though it deviates from your typical American- or English-style barley wine), and I thought it was a great beer to celebrate the largest full moon of 2009.

Bottle poured into my Sam Adams glass produced a good finger worth of tan head that trailed off to a thick lace. The body was a dark brown in color with lighter reddish highlights at the edges Aromas of caramel malts and grains are present with a light alcohol aroma as well. The flavors are some what the same sweet grains and such but with a nice bitterness as well from the hops it is a little different take on a Barleywine but quite refreshing of a change I will grab another bottle to see if the alcohol tames down a bit because right now it is a little warm in that department .It is nice and smooth in the mouth more of a medium feel with a light carbonation on the tongue as well This is a great winter sipper sitting here up north while it below zero out side. Nice brew like I said I will grab another one to age for next year

A Mes rate. Bottle thanks very kindly to Alex. Rich dark amber, slightly hazy and with a really good beige head. Slight cheese on the nose with a shed load of malt and hop complexity. An awesome blend of nuts, winter fruits, slight sugary alcohol and bags of other stuff my nose is too crap to pick out. The flavour is more of the same but the alcohol becomes a little raw and holds it back from true awesomeness. All the same this is a lovely brew. Rich and warming. Fantastic body and the carbonation is absolutely perfect for the style and the all round delivery is just hugely enjoyable. Thanks a lot Alex, much appreciated mate.

Bottle from Liquid Solutions. I read the bottle notches as 01. Ruby color with a multifinger fine tan head. Aromas of dark fruits and caramel. Medium plus body with creamy carbonation. The flavor is multiple - dark fruit, caramel, Captain Morgan or a touch of heavy port? Something heavy anyway. Finishes very smooth with a hint of hop. It’s really a standout. Belched a hint of coffee!