Dieu du Ciel Solstice d’hiver

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

Bottle from bhensonb. This dark brown ale poured into a snifter with a thin tan head. There is a delicious aroma of plum, raisin and caramel. The unusual flavor reminds one of a holiday cake with a variety of tastes such as rum, spice, raisin and caramel. This is a very tasty barleywine. Thanks Bill.

Gorgeous label, bottle notch says 1 and 0 so I assume batch 10? Pours an unclear deep dark red with a big thick beige frothy head. Strong fruity aroma, some alcohol, peach or apricot, some sort of dirty funky smell, like something rotten, maybe meat. Spicy and fruity first taste, berries and tropical fruits, peaches, apricots, floral botanical hops, toasted slightly burnt toffee, sweet condensed milk. Hot sweet and fruity, very floral and eventually lots of almond and walnuts, a chalky nuttiness. Long bitter aftertaste with a rum-cake like sugary warming burn. Medium light bodied, sugary mouthful, with soft larger sizzling carbonation that softens more as it warms. An interesting strongly hopped BW that may need some age.

11.5 ounce bottle, I cannot quite figure out the bottle date notches. Hazy brown-orange, sweet aroma. Viscous body, as usual for the style. It goes from a sort of fruit punch sweetness to a resiny hop finish, with some caramel and madeira in there as well. Nice winter sipper.

A personnal favorite, my favorite beer from Quebec (with Dieu Du Ciel’s ABT Rigor Mortis; I think God is helping this brewer because He likes the monotheistic reference). Aged a year, the one I had last week seemed slightly thicker than the 2009 brew I’m having while re-writing these lines. The very intense citrusy/spicy hopping seems to be striking even more aggressively when fresh but, in both, the caramelized heavily malted base confronts the bitterness to create a perfect divinely balanced harmony, like Ying and Yang. Many subtilties also shine out, some spices and fruits, traces of alchool, and the aftertaste is amazingly long. I remember having stomach aches or acid burns after drinking that but now that I’m doped up on Nexxium, it is much easier to drink... Really, a masterpiece of a beer...

Poured a clear, red amber color with a medium sized, light tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of dark fruits, citrus fruits, brown sugar, rum soaked raisins, vanilla, and a bit of floral hops. Taste of dried fruits, various holiday spices, caramel, nuts, citrus fruits, grapefruit hops, and finishing dry, with light alcohol.

11.5 oz bottle purchased at Capones given to me as a Christmas gift, nice gift! Pours a great looking deep mahogany reddish brown with a large frothy light beige head. Aroma of dark fruit, cherry..plum..prunes..raisin, sugar, chocolate, yeast, brown bread and slight citrus hops. Medium bodied with light to average carbonation and a soft silky smooth feel overall. Flavor isn’t quite as complex as the aroma but still has notes of dark fruit, chocolate, alcohol and brown sugar. This is yet another winner from DDC. When I think of DDC now I am confused of wether it is one kick ass brew pub or one kick ass brewery. I guess sometimes you can have/be the best of both worlds.

Bottle. Chestnut color with a thin light tan head. Malt and light spice aroma. Malty flavor with piney hops, light grapefruit, spice, and light caramel. Medium bodied. Decent bitterness. Caramel, grapefruit/pine and light spice lingers. Age would do wonders.

Wow une coche en haut de la competition La meilleur odeur de houblon in a lifetime On dirait une christ de bonne Double IPA Opaque presque comme un vrai jus de pomme non filtre Gout exquis leger carameliser final hoppy Si ten prends plus que 1 tu rotes les fruits Wow again TAKE THE TIME TO FIND OUT