Solstice D'hiver - Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel

wvsabbath

West Virginia

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving Type - Bottle

Appearance - Dark burnt tan. Not much of a head, some sticky lacing.

Smell - Caramel, rasin, plum, fig, molasses, brown sugar, roasted malts, cherry, apple, grapes.

Taste - Malty smokey note up front with some dark fruit, sugars and plenty of alcohol. Sweetness of sugars at first, then bitter sour grapes mixed with warm alcohol comes in. A decent wood/smoked flavor is present.

Mouthfeel - Tounge gets malts, dark fruits and sugars. Palate gets more smokey malts, caramel, bitter fruits and booze. Aftertaste is alcohol, bitter fruits and smokey malts.

Overall - Not bad, plenty of flavor, a big warm and a real bitter finish. I enjoy the wood/smoked flavor this has. Would like to age for a year to see the alcohol die down and let some more malts come out. Would be a great barrel aged beer. Worth a drink but way, way overpriced.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 02:55:46 | More by wvsabbath

PicoPapa

Connecticut

4.01/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

11.5oz bottle. Note-bottle says this is 9.8% not 10.2%. Pours a dark, dark brown color with ruby hues and no head. Almost no lacing. The aroma is boozey and sweet with some brown sugar, earth, bread, dark fruits and some spicy hop presence. Hints of orange. The taste is boozey caramel upfront with some spicy hops and dark fruits. Earthy and maybe a bit nutty. Burnt caramel and brown sugar towards the end. Slick mouthfeel. I wish I had a chance to try this on tap at the Brewpub when I was there. Overall, solid barleywine I hope I get to have again.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 23:27:44 | More by PicoPapa

IMSPEAKNOENGLISH

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.8%

05-14-2013 03:18:49 | More by IMSPEAKNOENGLISH

bump8628

Oklahoma

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

05-13-2013 22:41:21 | More by bump8628

shehateme

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

05-11-2013 01:18:00 | More by shehateme

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -10.9%

05-10-2013 15:27:29 | More by twenty5

bigbluebeerguy

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

05-10-2013 03:27:44 | More by bigbluebeerguy

largadeer

California

4/5  rDev +1.8%

05-09-2013 19:10:24 | More by largadeer

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep ruby chestnut body light caramel tan head, nose is filled with equally impressive big fruit and caramel malts...it's a Canadian hop bomb of a barleywine. Sharp acidic notes with leafy herbal hops playing a big role in it, roasted nuts and caramelized sugars collide to equate to the aromatics of the beer. Flavor is harsh bitterness all day, bitingly bitter big and bad with warming alcohol...it's a rough sultry barleywine meant for the cooler months, don't ask me why I chose to crack the bottle in the warm rainy spring weather that we are having today. Big fruit ride the wave of harsh bitterness, yeast nuttiness, plum soaked in brandy, this is a big beer all day with lingering waves of earthy bitterness. Mouthfeel is full bodied with a warming alcohol effect taking over in the first few sips, if this is their winter beer it's meant to be this way for a reason to keep you warm when you are walking from pub to pub in the dead of winter up in the Quebec province of Canada. Overall very pleased it's like an exotic version of Bigfoot and I'm sure it's appreciated and held on to every year during it's release to experience something like this so big yet so quaffable.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 17:44:54 | More by WVbeergeek

JohnW58

New York

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

05-05-2013 19:49:48 | More by JohnW58

Jparker37

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

11.5oz bottle poured into a snifter glass.

A - Dark brown with good clarity. Small tan head from a strong pour holds a cap. Little lacing.

S - Rich caramel profile with some sweetness. Strong ripe red fruit mixes with some spicy alcohol. Mild smoky phenolics.

T - Smooth caramel turns to some dark chocolate flavors. Moderate sweetness comes into big red fruit flavors midway. Hops are earthy and give a quick snap of bitterness right at the finish to balance. Some bitterness after the finish along with those nice dark caramel malts.

M - Medium-full bodied, light to medium-light carbonation, semi-sweet.

O - Aroma popped from the glass very well and the flavor was bursting but the red fruit flavors were a little over the top. Not what I would consider to be a traditional American Barleywine as the hops were overshadowed by the big malt emphasis. Again, this beer was complex and shined in many aspects.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 00:59:16 | More by Jparker37

mbs11

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +1.8%

05-01-2013 16:38:07 | More by mbs11

mportnoy

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

04-27-2013 07:05:41 | More by mportnoy

inspektor

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

04-26-2013 16:54:11 | More by inspektor

MarkyMOD

Colorado

4/5  rDev +1.8%

04-22-2013 00:29:07 | More by MarkyMOD

jreindl

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

04-20-2013 06:05:19 | More by jreindl

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

04-20-2013 04:28:48 | More by Jason1337

jmendels

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This was my first craft beer from Canada - what an introduction! I've taken a liking to this style of beer and this one is no exception. It's a dark red pour, with a decent amount of head. The taste is worth savoring. There are flavors of toffee, caramel, and a touch of roasted bitterness. Certainly an exemplar of Barleywines and something worth trying and seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 02:16:01 | More by jmendels

AndrewIronfist

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.8%

04-20-2013 00:10:07 | More by AndrewIronfist

Whatup14

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev +1.8%

04-17-2013 14:12:52 | More by Whatup14

bigsquirrel

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%

04-15-2013 20:01:01 | More by bigsquirrel

jmdr

Alberta (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -17.3%

04-14-2013 02:47:49 | More by jmdr

Bromine

Florida

4/5  rDev +1.8%

04-11-2013 11:36:57 | More by Bromine

rale

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev +1.8%

04-11-2013 03:48:42 | More by rale

SaCkErZ9

Florida

4.24/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours from the less than 12oz bottle into a La FinDu Monde oversized snifter. The beer looks beautiful; ruddy brown with purple and amber highlights. Topped with a creamy and dense, light caramel colored head of about one finger in size, and the foam sticks around for quite a while leaving specks of lacing.

Aroma is of pineapple, deep caramel malts, brown sugar, alcohol, and subtle hoppiness.

Very gentle flavor profile that is creamy and soothing. Alcohol, herbal and earthy hops, low-ish bitterness, dried figs and raisins. The earthy hops seem to leave a lingering flavor in the mouth. I once made a tea with some Kent Goldings and this tastes like that, with alcohol and caramel, breadiness mixed in.

A nice beer for sure. The alcohol provides a warming effect and makes this one a sure sipper. Very well balanced, chewy, hot at times, but still a very nice beer. Alcohol is certainly noticeable, which provides about the only drawback. Nowhere near an American Barleywine, but spot on for English version.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 21:15:36 | More by SaCkErZ9