Péché Mortel (Imperial Stout Au Cafe) - Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel

whartontallboy

New York

4.83/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled August 2005.

Pours out jet black with brown edges that let just a tiny bit of light through. Generous tan head that fades extremely slowly and leaves a nice amount of lacing. Lively bubbles still dancing in it an hour or so after initial pour.

Smell is sharp, strong coffee of the French roast/espresso variety, with a light roasted malt and powdered cocoa scent underneath for good measure.

Flavor is completely unique and will make me think twice about assigning "coffee flavors" to any other stout. Yes, the coffee jumps right to the front of the tongue and runs around, but it's not at all like drinking a cup of coffee. Instead, it's like drinking, say, a mocha or a latte, but with beer instead of milk. The roasted malt notes stand up surprisingly well to the heft of the coffee, and a little bit of creamy vanilla even works its way in there. Intense, but well-rounded.

Mouthfeel is perfectly creamy and just right for this one.

Overall: A great, great stout that uses the coffee flavors creatively and daringly. Worth the 23 bucks I paid for it? Well, probably not, but it's an interesting taste to try once. I'd try it again at a reasonable price.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2005 03:56:24 | More by whartontallboy

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

4.7/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

thanks to Malto for this bottle

The beer pours dark brown/ black with a big tan head but what really stirs the senses is the strong nose of coffee followed by rich dark chocolate. The first taste follows the coffee/ chocolate theme with complexity and smoothness combined in a marriage parfait. Truly one of Canada's best beers and a benchmark for coffee stouts.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2005 07:35:10 | More by canucklehead

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a snifter)

A- This beer pours a dark inky opaque black body with a thick dark tan head of foam. There are lots of bubbles pooling under the foam at the edges of the glass.

S- The smell of cold coffee with a faint banana hint is strong in the nose. Notes of coffee beans and dark chocolate nibs come through in the finish. There is an earthiness in the coffee aroma aswell.

T- The initial coffee taste is that of cold coffee grounds with the finish of a light tangy note. The coffee taste has a slight plastic hint to it that is a bit off. As it warms the nice deep roasted coffee starts to come out in the finish.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a good bit of fizz on the tongue and a creamy texture. No astringency or alcohol warmth.

D- This is a unique beer it has many different coffee flavors some off and some very nice. I couldn't taste any of the grains and hops that would have really giving a nice compliment or balance to the coffee.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2005 02:33:45 | More by rhoadsrage

markman

Connecticut

4.58/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Péché Mortel (Mortal Sin): Bottled August 2005

OK, let me say from the get-go that I am not a coffee drinker. I don’t much care for the taste, and I’ve learned to tolerate it’s aroma…and even enjoy it on occasion. But, fear not…I will review this beer for what it is, an Imperial Coffee Stout. I just hope I can get some sleep tonight with a bomber-full of “Fair Trade Coffee” coursing through my veins.

The pour is just beautimus…everything an imperial stout should be: deep rich cocoa color, with a tight brown head that wants to hang around a while managing to stay out of the way. The aroma is dark roasted malt and coffee. Very nice and inviting…a coffee aroma I could wake up to every day. I prepared myself for an onslaught of sharp coffee flavor, but, much to my surprise, I got more of a velvety creamy mocha-malty burnt fullness up front with an edge of dark Belgian chocolate that is just damn good. Then, it hits me…the coffee finish is long and strong, adding to the drinkability in the sense that I want to another sip as a palate cleanser. But, as you can imagine, that creates a viscous cycle. Alcohol makes itself known, but not too much.

Damn, this must be a coffee-lovers’ wet dream of a beer. While I give the beer very high marks, it will not cross my lips again…though Dieu Du Ciel clearly nailed this one, it is just too much coffee for this reviewer. Maybe I’ll take the 2nd half of this bomber and mix it with some Rogue Chocolate Stout so see what shakes out…but then again, why ruin a perfectly good Rogue?

And by the freakin’ way, this beer just destroys the palate for the next beer.

<30 minutes later> In-fuckin’-tense coffee finish lingers on...

Cheers…

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2005 02:24:20 | More by markman

meathookjones

Virginia

4.7/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottled on date of 8/05. Pours out a thick opaque black with a nice sized velvety tan cap of foam. Some streaky lace was left around the glass as this was consumed. HUGE roasted coffee bean and espresso aroma more so than any other coffee beer I have had. Lingering underneath the giant coffee scent was some dark chocolate notes add a nice sweetness to all the coffee bitter. Taste follows suite with a big coffee punch with plenty of roasted malts and a good bit of bittersweet dark chocolate. This is definitely all about the coffee and while it may seem over the top it was never too much. Dry roasted espresso finish. Nice solid body that carries the big flavor very well and stays smooth. Pretty damn drinkable considering how powerful the coffee comes on. Great stuff especially if you like coffee.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2005 13:48:09 | More by meathookjones

Billolick

New York

4.53/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber bottle, cost me $15, high cost, but a fine brew. Pours the expected jet black , with a dark tan head, leaving moderate lacing. Its no suprise to announce that this is a rich, dense, flavorful, chewy brew. Loaded with roasted, burnt flavors. Also loaded with heaps of chocolate, coffee, smokey, and burnt flavors. Big and bold, coffee stout lovers rejoice, glad I got to try a bottle of this stunner.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2005 03:23:35 | More by Billolick

palma

New York

4.75/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Well, I couldn't hold off on cellaring the other bottle... This beer is that good.
My second review of this beer. This time around, the mouthfeel is not as surreal, and the drinkability seems to be a bit more demure. The nose is taken aback with a remarkable fresh roasted coffee aroma. Still, this is the best beer I’ve had in a very long time.

There is an aura surrounding this beer - the name, the rarity, the Picasso inspired label...

A slow-sipper for sure. This is not a beer to drink on an empty stomach.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2005 05:17:17 | More by palma

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.85/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

So, here we go, the unattainable maiden is at my command at last! I like the label art. If this is "mortal sin", then is the woman with the snake in the picture Eve after the fall? Is that why she not naked? And how could a coffee stout be sinful? Why, they're heaven on Earth to me!
But, I ramble...less thinking, more drinking, starting...now...

Decadent black sheathing, not a trace of light shining through....a solid crown of fluffy brown foam stands guard, like a mochaccino cap. Very nice.

Ahhh!!! Aroma reeks from the start withcocoa and espresso, riddled with earthy, bittersweet tones, redolent of richest chocolate, turning soft and creamy...very, very nice. I could smell this all day, etcetera, etcetera...

Over the lips and in the mouth, it's beauty, indeed. Fills the entire orifice, and seeps into all the cracks and corners, spilling this dark deliciousness far and wide, reverberating long after the liquid has slipped down the throat. All those flavors in the nose resound and rebound, roasty malts and tingly hops conspire to create an exquisite sensation on the tastebuds. Though fully flavored, it's never overbearing or unapproachable...though, clearly, enemies of stouts or coffee are urged to stay far away from the contents.

This is a sly and sophisticated thing, the 9% hiding well, the flavors resting happily, comfortably on the palate, long and wide. A beatiful beer, an excellent indulgence. And a rare one, as well.

Though, on reflection, the $16.59 I paid for this bomber could have got me a 6-pack of Bell's Batch 7K. The price, and rarity, remains the only drawback I can think of, but I remain glad to have tasted it at last!

and, happily, this is a sipper, which means I get to enjoy it longer than other beers that slip down the gullet with more ease. I just might be set for the night.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2005 02:43:33 | More by feloniousmonk

hero27

Iowa

4.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap @ The Map Room in Chicago, Illinois...

On my visit to the famous Chicago bar, they just recently got this in on-tap, so I had to try it. Pours very dark brown with a thin tan head. Smells exactly like espresso with an alcoholic twinge. The coffee-ish aromas are so abundant in this beer that it's very hard to pick up anything else..if there even is anything else.

Tastes are smooth and creamy coffee flavors with hints of nuts and maybe a bit of lingering hop bitterness (however, maybe it was just the bitter coffee flavors). The bartender said there was caffeine in it as well..which didn't surprise me a bit, considering it reminded me of coffee in pretty much every other way.

It was nice to try on-tap without having to drop $17+ on a bottle. A coffee lover's dream.. and would be a fantastic dessert beer as well.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2005 22:21:05 | More by hero27

IrishRedRock

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

My dessert pairing on this thanksgiving night. Pours straight black with a thick creamy tan head. Aroma is pure espresso and anise, and it's strooong. The alcohol doesn't hide either; present mildly in the nose and moreso in the taste, showing itself throughout, into the finish and warming in the aftertaste. Flavor shows off notes of dry roasted cocoa and a huge wallop of bitter Italian coffee beans. Blackened espresso. Yow. There's a lingering hop bitterness, but the coffee/espresso flavor brings all the bitterness you'll need. Sharp astringency on the tongue leads to a creamy smoothness that gradually thins out. This is very good; however now that I've had it I do think it is quite overhyped, and way too pricey.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2005 01:22:11 | More by IrishRedRock

Beaver13

Colorado

4/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle dated 8/05. Pours an opaque dark brown with a thin tan head that quickly goes to a thin collar that leaves a touch of lacing.

The aroma is mostly roasted coffee with a little chocolate and vanilla and lactose. Some slight sour notes pop up every once in a while.

The flavor is a whole lot of roasted coffee as well with some chocolatey malts and lactose in the background - kind of oakey. It's pretty sweet but the coffee helps balance it - not much bitterness though. The alcohol is very well hidden. As it warms, the sweet dessert notes blossom. The mouthfeel is full and very smooth with low carbonation.

Overall, an interesting coffee stout (my first). It seems pretty one dimensional to me (all coffee), but it is enjoyable and decadent.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2005 08:06:56 | More by Beaver13

bruachan

Rhode Island

4.43/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

from hudson wine & spirits. think i paid $16 per, like that last guy. i'll have to see how many more steve has. the ingredient list includes fair trade coffee

i don't like coffee so we'll see how this goes. my apartment smells like a coffee shop, which isn't entirely bad, and the beer smells more like coffee than beer

pitch black. with a thin creamy tan head that never really goes away and leaves some frosty lacing

there's a malty sweetness upfront, that quickly gives way to the coffee character. little to no hop presence to allow the cofffee and roasty mocha to come through, except for the nice bitterness at the end

incredibly smooth. oh man. a fantastic creamy mouthfeel; not thick, but i feel like i just took a sip of baby's butt. and the tactful bitterness prolongs the whole experience. until now i thought impy stouts (or double stouts or whatever) were oblivious to subtlety and balance

i might like coffee now

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2005 05:31:54 | More by bruachan

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.8/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle Batch #2, Sampled November 2005
Pours with a frothy, three-finger thick light brown head that sits atop a rich black hue. As I pour the beer I get a rich note of burnt fruit. Up front the burnt fruit notes of raisin and prune are evident, but quickly the nose is dominated by the a strong burnt roast character that is reminiscent of black coffee and roast barley. There is also quite a bit of burnt grain husks; sharp, slightly acidic, and a bit tannic.

The taste is immediately rich and full in the mouth, though not intensely so. The beer has a sweet malt character that coupled with the roast character makes me think of a sweetened black coffee, or even better a mocha that is heavy on the espresso. The finish is quite long, it loses its richness though, it is strong on a burnt acidity, almost with an acrid burnt note that lends a certain burnt bitterness to the finish. The finish definitely makes one want to take another sip of this beer. Up front and through to the middle, this beer is rich and well matched between the mouth coating sweet malt character, the over the top roast barley & coffee notes, and rich dark chocolate flavors. The finish though is a bit too acrid, and the malt notes die off way to fast, if it lingered a bit more this beer would have a much better finish.

Don't get me wrong this is quite an enjoyable beer, for the most part; The finish really is a bit too harsh, and the nose has a bit of the harsh notes as well. I wish that all of this beer had the balance and richness that is found up front in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2005 04:53:28 | More by Gueuzedude

mattcrill

Ohio

4.93/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Huge props go out to cmaruschak for securing this bottle. He was nice enough to split this with me in anticipation of our first born. What a way to celebrate.

Appearance: A dense brown/black pour with cola edging. A tighly carbonated off white head develops.

Smell: PURE coffee. One of the most pronounced coffee aromas I've ever noted. Like sniffing pure espresso grindings. I can't detect anything on the nose other than pure espresso.

Taste: Like drinking pure espresso. A touch of cream and a strong roasty finish (contrasts nicely with the bitterness of the initial tasting). Pure coffee goodness throughout. A long lingering and slight cocoa finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied to full with that long cocoa finish (wonderful).

Drinkability: One of the best stouts I've ever had. I have to qualify this...if you aren't a coffee lover, don't even bother with this one. I've loved my coffee a lot longer than my beer so for me, it was the perfect marriage. I could drink this all day, every day. But I would never offer this up to someone that didn't like coffee.

World Class in my book.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2005 13:47:44 | More by mattcrill

MABZ

Nebraska

4.8/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

I was surprised as hell to see this at my store. I had to pick it up even despite the steep price of $17 per bomber. This beer has definitely lived up to the hype.

Pours to a pitch black color that seems to absorb all light around it, topped by a huge chocolatey pillow of head that continues to grow for a while after the pour. Sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispees as it pours into the glass. Leaves curtains of thick stratafied lacing that looks like some type of hieroglyph afterwards.

The smell is very dark chocolatey with some bitter french roast and hazelnut aroma. Very bold coffee bouqet, along with some undertones of caramel, butterscotch, and toffee. Quite stunning. I would have hoped for maybe a little bit of hop undertones to further separate this beer from a cold cup of joe, but the brewers have absolutely nailed their mark.

The taste is very good. Has a nice semi-sweet chocolate malt flavor to it with a hugely bitter dry roast coffee flavor. Definitely french roast with hazelnut. It could just be wishful thinking, but I think I might even taste some hops far, far, far below the huge coffee flavor. Very smooth with some oaky vanilla flavors to it as well.

The body is a bit thinner than I was expecting, but the mouthfeel is still quite excellent. Very smooth and creamy, but not quite thick and chewy. Quite crisply carbonated as well.

Drinkability is good for this massive coffee imperial stout, but there is only so much of an assault my tastebuds can handle after a while. It even seems to give me a bit of a caffeine jolt. If you are a coffee lover, you absolutely must seek this beer out. If you don't like coffee, there is still hope. Hell, I can't stand the stuff [coffee], but for some reason I absolutely love coffee stouts. If only I could force carbonate coffee and serve it slightly chilled I might be on to something...

edit: after drinking more of this beer, it was an absolute must to increase my ratings. This is probably my favorite beer at the moment, but it's a shame that I bought and drank the last bottle in stock (and probably the last we'll see at John's Grocery for quite some time).

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2005 05:24:21 | More by MABZ

GnomeKing

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First off, I love coffee and always drink it black. That's good, because this beer was pitch black too.

I thought Peche Mortel was kick ass. The rich coffee and espresso flavors were complemented by hints of chocolate and nuts. The aftertaste was nicely sweet. Sure, it's a sipping beer, but it's still pretty drinkable. I didn't experience the overwhelming aftertaste or flavors of ashtrays and so on that others mentioned.

The mouthfeel was actually a little on the thin side. In many cases, that might detract from the beer, but in this case, I think it helped make the beer smoother and easier to drink.

NOTE: This was the batch released in October 2005. I'm not sure how the various batches relate and/or differ.

(Swigged with great joy at this batch's NY debut at Spuyten Duyvil)

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2005 18:52:20 | More by GnomeKing

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.78/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

22oz bottle from pentathlete, thanks for the opportunity! 11/04 bottling date notched in marker along side of label.

Poured into an imperial pint glass carefully, and still formed a 3 1/2" dark brown head over the totally opaque dark brown/black brew. Head fades oh-so slowly, with HEAVY foamy cappucino-type lacing. Aroma is deep, rich coffee. Taste begins with a sweet dark maltiness that is quickly overpowered by the same rich coffee flavors indicated by the nose. Closes with dry coffee grounds in the mouth, and not a bit of alcohol indications. Mouthfeel and drinkability are exemplary, especially for the style. Search this one out, if you needed to be told again...

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2005 01:51:20 | More by ppoitras

blitheringidiot

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Review # 666.

660 cL bottle (should be a 666 cL) demarcation: Brewed '04 stamp and no notch for a 1-12 month designation. Some 1/8" settled scrod in the bottom of the bottle that I gave the upheaval on the last pour. The cap had 21-5 inside a crown indention and "12" over "B4" inside the inside of the black cap???

What the Duece! Excorcised into a Lucifer tulip with an India ink buh-lack opaque pour giving up no ghosts of light against the heavenly light. An angelic obfuscous offering reverse cascading capped with a thick spumescent dark brown statuesque head cap resembling whipped cream and sugar that my Grandma makes. Thick spongy spotty lace left in the glass.

Earthy minerally coffee espresso scents that simply revolve around percolated java joe juice. Similar scents to Bell's Kalamazoo Stout. Some tobacco notes of cigar ash and BBQ charcoal.

First swigs: Like eating a chocolate covered coffee bean, dunked in an espresso that housed an ashtray. Not much more to add. Eternally lingering coffee grounds and cigar ash finish. A dirty ashtray aftertaste.

Feel is full bodied with a wicked bitter astringent mouth drying feel. Gentle rolling carbonation that leaves a tongue coating thick finish. To rate this drinkability:
1- The bottle kicked easily
2- I'd buy another tomorrow if I could
3- Enjoyable flavor that can't be found elsewhere

Last swigs: A cigar was extinguished into my double espresso. Not the most "coffee" aromas ever noticed, but the "most" coffee flavors. If this sinful beer is heaven to you, Weyerbacher Black Hole will get you into purgatory with the black strap molases flavor. After drinking an bottle, don't bother tasting anything else for a week to ten days. I feel so spoiled since last night we all split a FFF DL bottle. As my fellow BA GeoffFromSJ once said, complexity over intensity can be the most enjoyable beer experience. This is INTENSE!!! and since I am a coffee junky to the Nth degree, Péché Mortel is a dark delight. An adumbration celebration. If you can't get your mits on Péché Mortel, boil a quart of water with an entire 64 oz. can of Folgers and chill. Thanks to GeoffFromSJ for the chance to "kick over the traces, shatter the Decalogue" and check out this Mortal "Fish." ( <--- sorry PopeDX) Not to show-off my French, but how this is a deadly "ordinate of the endpoint of an arc of a unit circle centered at the origin of a Cartesian coordinate system, the arc being of length x and measured counterclockwise from the point (1, 0) if x is positive or clockwise if x is negative" is beyond me.

Beer is good - NO! EVIL!!! Happy EVIL sinful beering. (4.44/44) Moo-hoo-hoo-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2005 04:10:56 | More by blitheringidiot

goodbyeohio

Oregon

3.85/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

(putting on my body armor in preparation for this review)

thanks, hugely, to the moan and dove for tracking down a keg and hooking it up nice at proper temps with decent sized pours. served in a handled mug.

bottom is settled and some clarity can be seen in the top 10% of this beer.. something reddish black. still head is slight and creamy, off white-approaching beige. aroma is pure coffee grounds, like opening up the garbage when you get home from work, seeing the waste from the coffee pot and being struck with that odor. some nuttiness as well, leading to a sweeter nose. perhaps chicory. surprisingly leans more toward nescafe instant than starbucks sumatran. taste begins as the expected coffee bomb, in the form of a fancy coffee drink... like a dunkin donuts frappucino. for a coffee stout, this is a flawless example of what you would expect. the hype and quality dwells on the depth and richness of the coffee flavor and lack of inhibiting bitterness. milkstoutlike creamy sweetness reminds me more of nutrasweet in my coffee than malt in my beer.

g/f thinks this is too 'alcoholey,' but i dont get that at all, maybe im too conditioned to big beers. sure, its smooth and drinkable, but there's not much more to it. maybe the best of the coffee stouts (not the best if you count dark lord), but that would only really matter to a coffee stout head... which i am not. a perfectly quaffable and enjoyable beer. next time i have $8 to spend, and its between this and a chalice of st bernardus abt 12 or another staple big beer, ill skip by the peche mortel...

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2005 21:04:22 | More by goodbyeohio

egajdzis

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle 11/04... Explosive, poured opaque black color with a medium sized tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Great aroma of coffee, chocolate, brown sugar, vanilla, bourbon, and anise. More of the same in the taste, lots of coffee and light alcohol. High quality beer, I actually am excited to try this on nitro, because as others have said, the extra carbonation is the only drawback.
Nitro Draft 7/05... Creamy mouthfeel with a great balance of chocolate and roasted coffee malts. Faint alcohol in the background. Now I see what the big deal is.

Serving type: nitro-tap

08-05-2005 18:12:31 | More by egajdzis

mentor

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Bomber provided by PatYoda...thanks for the opportunity! Bottle date = 11/04. Pours a one finger walnut brown head over a stark black liquid. Dark even when held to light. Smells woody coffeeish (a little bit like french roast coffee) and vanilla. A hint of something...not quite terpentine, but in that line. In context with the other flavors, it's not a negative, it's interesting. Tastes rich coffee, but also a really rich chocolate. Like crunching on a couple coffee beans while holding a mouth full of sweet dark chocolate. There is a bitter from the coffee and/or roasted barley, but the wet sweet of the chocolate counters it to the point that the aftertaste leaves my mouth watering for more candy. Too bad my wife wasn't around when I cracked open this one...she would have loved it. I've only had one glass (I shared the bomber with absolutesites), but it's quite filling. Alcohol burn is barely noticable during the swallow, as it mixes with the coffee bitter that is covered by the chocolate. Very intense flavors, but only flavors of coffee and chocolate...not much else. Considering the intensity of the flavors, I would have expected the body to be more than medium. Also in the mouthfeel, I should note the aftertaste almost felt like there were tiny pulverized bits of roast floating around in the chocolatey nectar that hung on my tongue. Carbonation is moderate and the head has hung around until the very end. Both the smell and taste are very enticing and I kept putting the glass to my mouth immediately after drawing it away from the last sip. This could become a banned substance someday.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2005 22:21:03 | More by mentor

BrewMaster

California

4.78/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Price tag says $17.49 from Wine Warehouse. Poured from a 22 oz bomber in to a 25 oz crystal sniffer glass. The beer is intensely black in color and looks like a helping of thick soy sauce. Yum. The first thing I really notice is the big, fluffy, brown head. It is creamy and thick and dark. It looks like it has a skin on top as the head settles and just sits there like a rock. The head leaves a thick, grainy lacing on the side of the glass. The head is damn near frightening. It is menacing and it would probably kick your ass if you look at it cross-eyed. Good thing I didn't.

Smell: The nose is strong coffee of espresso-like potency. There is a light scent of dark chocolate too.

Taste: Sweet and creamy with lots of coffee flavor. There is brown sugar, dark chocolate and a dry roastiness that borders on burnt. Light hop bitterness sits near the end with some fruitiness that resembles black cherries.

Mouthfeel: Dry and sandy but still smooth and thick. Very full bodied creamy.

Drinkability: This is an all around great beer. Of course, if you like coffee, this is indeed your beer. On the flip side if you hate the taste of coffee, stay away. This beer combines dark chocolate and espresso flavors wonderfully. Very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2005 18:45:30 | More by BrewMaster

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Inky black beer topped by a thick, fluffy, chocolate coloured head. Superb head retention that resulted in thick clumps of foam sticking to the sides of the glass. Absolutely gorgeous. The aroma can be summed up as espresso with some other stuff thrown in, like bitter chocolate, rich malty sweetness, and a bit of ripe, dark fruits. But it's mostly about the espresso, just like the flavour. Espresso and roasted grains dominate, with bitter chocolate and hop bitterness providing balance, along with sweet maltiness. The finish is dry and roasty with some alcohol warmth that lingers and is a bit peppery to start. The moderate carbonation melded perfectly with the rich, full body, creating a creamy texture that provides a nice contrast to the roasted dryness. As bold as the flavours and aromas are, it is remarkably well-balanced and highly drinkable. The surprising part for me is that I'm not a coffee drinker at all, but I really enjoyed this beer. If Dieu du Ciel only offered this one beer, it would be well worth a trip to the brewpub (even from Toronto).

Enjoyed at the brewpub after an afternoon at the Mondial. Aged for one year, labeled as #42 from Avril, 2004.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2005 03:23:54 | More by DrJay

clvand0

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very dark color with a tall, creamy head that has good retention and leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma makes me think oatmeal coffee stout. The flavor has a lot of coffee and a lot of dark malts, but the alcohol is very apparent. It's a nice big, malty coffee stout, but it has too much alcohol in the flavor, makes it slightly burny. The mouthfeel is a little more thin than I would like it, but still moderate to thick. Drinkability is ok. Don't think I could do a whole bottle of this.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2005 14:17:47 | More by clvand0

kmpitz2

Tennessee

4.8/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

SHIT. We have a gusher. Insane exploding that was only kept from a steady flow out of the top by the bottlecap still slightly over the top. I have not had this problem with many beers in the past.

After diverting the overflow, the beer pours a jet black color with a 2 finger tan head taht subsides to a quarter inch over the liquid. Very intense black color.

The nose is intense. Big blast of coffee grounds mingle with figs and a nice puff of alcohol. Big big aromas here.

The flavor is right there with the aroma. Big coffee bitter from start to finish with a small sweet figgyness just popping out right after swallowing the beer. The aftertaste is slightly chocolate sweet, but mostly dark roasted coffee.

The feel is the only let-down. Its moderate, not big and thick. I want this beer to be just big and chewy. It needs more body.

Drinkability is very good for a 9% ABV. There is only a light warming in my stomach, and a light puff in nose. Very good beer. The flavor is intense but not offensive. Too bad this was my only bottle. I won't hold the gushing against this beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2005 23:44:19 | More by kmpitz2