Rigor Mortis ABT - Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel

impending

California

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The Trappist. Poured a deep dark reddish brown, served with little head, low carbonation.

Aroma of a quad / stout mix with the figs, plums and spices plus a hint of grape Hi-C infused vanilla.

Full bodied, viscous without being cloying, chewy. Taste also is a mix of a quad and a stout in a fine fashion. Nearly zero bitter in the finish which lingers nicely. The alcohol is amazingly restrained, not even the inherent warmth you'd expect at this abv level. Blindfolded I'd say this was barrel aged.

an excellent sipper
cheers
jd

Serving type: on-tap

10-28-2010 21:35:18 | More by impending

eric5bellies

Australia

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Drank from my St Sixtus vintage chalice

A - Pours a very dark Mahogany colour with a tanned head that retains well.

S - Has a very chocolay aroma from the bottle. Once poured takes on some sweeter notes and some earty malts.

T - Up front there are some strong spices followed by some vanilla and chocolate finishing with a nutmeg boozyness.

M - Medium to full body with medium carbonation

D - Top draw Quad this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 16:26:31 | More by eric5bellies

Mitchster

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

$5.49 for an 11.5oz bottle @ Merchants. 10.5% ABV per the bottle. Modeled after Belgian Quads. Very thin layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Pours out to a murky deep brown, forming a light tan creamy head with average retention and nice sheets of lace and moderately carbonated. Nose opens with mild dark fruits (figs and prunes), tobacco, cloves, spicy fruit cake, caramel, mild vanilla and black walnut, and a whiff of alcohol. The mouthfeel is lightly tart, syrupy, with a woody finish and dense body. The taste is a recap of the aroma. I am guessing Westmalle yeast by the phenolics. An earthy interpretation of the style with a mild bitterness, with lots of tobacco and leather in the aftertaste. Alcohol adds a spicy touch of white pepper in the aftertaste as well.

I wish I lived in Montreal. These guys make some solid beers, and this is another winner. It's a bit different than most quads, but it's still tasty and ephemeral. I wish the price here in Michigan was better so I could enjoy their beers all the time, but as it is, it makes a special treat.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 08:26:08 | More by Mitchster

CrazyDavros

Australia

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours dark brown with a lasting creamy head and lacing.
Nose shows chocolate, liquorice, caramel, roasted malt and some Belgian phenols. A little fruit shows through, mainly raisins. The rich and diverse malt profile is a delight.
Flavours are syrupy sweet but there's nice amount of roasted malt to counter it. Alcohol is quite noticeable but not over the top. Similar malt profile and spicy character as in the aroma.
Carbonation is pretty high, but helps cut through the sweetness.
Dangerously drinkable stuff.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 10:24:59 | More by CrazyDavros

elgiacomo

Georgia

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle, Batch 0 notched on the label. Definitely has some age on it of 1 year at the least, probably a fair bit more. Served at cellar temperature.

Pours murky brown with a good light beige head that holds a foamy island and ring and leaves some nice sheets of lacing behind.

Aroma is dark fruits, particularly strong on the raisins along with some prunes, figs and black currants, yeast & bread, some caramel, toffee, brown sugar, and a touch of oxidation probably due to the fact that Dieu du Ciel is using screw-tops on their beers. Very good to excellent strength.

Flavor is rich dark fruits, plums, figs, raisins, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, minimal to no hop presence, moderate to fair sweetness, lingering finish, alcohol is virtually absent.

Mouthfeel is medium to full, very creamy, low to medium carbonation.

This may very well be the best non-Belgian brewed Quad I've ever had. Wow. Dieu du Ciel never ceases to amaze...just wish the price was better and they would stop using screw-top bottles!!!

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 21:26:26 | More by elgiacomo

rtepiak

Poland

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

a beer i have been itching for but was waiting for the right mood. Luckily i came across this one when i did. Winter release. Recommend 6 months of storage in the bottle...and the result is something that isn't north american. This is quebec... The island somewhere in the atlantic. Pour is a murky dubbel orange but with more to offer. Nose of bit o honey and apple pie. As it gets warmer some goat cheese. Palate is a meaty thanksgiving dinner. Squash, apple, corn, pepper, brown sugar and honey all contract to a bitterness that dries. Prunes and those preserve quality fruits. A tad leather smokey. Doesn't open up til 20 minutes after opening. Ceiler temp is best because the carbonation is ever lasting as it expands.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2011 23:25:38 | More by rtepiak

unibrew

New Hampshire

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Beerradvocate calls this a Quad, but, on the bottle, it says Abbey-Style Brown Ale, so, I 'll review it as an Abbey-Style Brown Ale. Not fair to them otherwise. As such, it's not a style I've run across before, so, I don't really have a great reference point, however, I am enjoying the beer. The alcohol is well hidden, and I think the intended flavors come through. I get a nice amount of malt...not much in hops...not much in anything Belgiany either, but if you look deep, it is there. Really nice..one of there better brews..seek it out if you can! It's a rare style. If you want something different, you should try it!

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 20:50:48 | More by unibrew

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.4/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled October 2009
A solid pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet glass produces a three finger thick, lightly amber tinged, tan colored head. The beer is a concentrated, burnt amber color that shows a lightly hazed, deep plum red color when held up to the light. The aroma is not anywhere near the sweetness I was expecting. My second smell of this though has me noticing lots of rich fruit aromatics that definitely have some sweetness to them. Notes of raisins and figs are quite prominent and there is a touch of hot alcohol towards the finish. A rich maltiness mixes with the dark fruit, contributing a deeply caramelized malt sugar note as well as some subtle toasted grain character towards the end. A touch of aromatics that make me think of freshly fermenting plums. Further inspection yields ample spicy clove notes, a touch of white pepper, some woody allspice, . At times the beer comes off as being savory, despite the fruity and sweet spice notes. This definitely has a complex, well integrated nose; one that is clearly world class.

Somewhat sweet tasting, though not overly so, the palate is immediately engulfed by a rich fruitiness that is only slightly wiped clean in the finish by some hot alcohol spiciness. Fruity, with a rich sweetness and even a savory malt backbone, this beer has a lot of things going on. There is quite a bit of spice character here, though it is not more than soft and is definitely well integrated; some lightly tongue numbing clove, an allspice note, some woody black pepper and an almost oaky spiciness (it has a definite woodiness to it somehow). For some reason the flavor isn't as impressive as the aroma, though this is still quite good. While this is rich and somewhat thick, the beer is not overly heavy; despite its strength it has a certain drinkability that is requisite of the style.

This is a pretty nice beer, the biggest flaw is that the alcohol can be a bit too noticeable at times; it doesn't ruin the beer for me though. Interesting, this might be quite phenomenal if not for the hot alcohol; I wish I had bought a second bottle to age a bit longer.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2010 16:19:06 | More by Gueuzedude

abcentfishing

California

4.4/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This was an excellent beer that I enjoyed from beginning to end. The flavor was smooth and balanced. The nose was full bodied and a bit on the sweet side. The beer was just what you want out of a Quad. Even at 10 1/2 % it wasn't to much although I think one is enough. It is a sipping beer and needs to be enjoyed slow and discerningly .

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2011 06:41:36 | More by abcentfishing

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.43/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Antique bronze with a great deal of russet and orange and a slight blurriness when the final ounce was added to the snifter on the one and only pour. A thinnish slice of khaki colored cream persists and is beginning to lay down a smeary collar of lace.

The nose is just as much BSDA as quadrupel. Maybe more. Then again, those two styles overlap to some extent. It's brown malty, medium-dark fruity and pleasantly spicy. Good use of Belgian yeast, which comes to the fore even more with time and warming.

The brewery calls Rigor Mortis ABT an Abbey-style brown ale, but it tastes like a Belgian strong dark ale. Enough about the style, what about the beer? It's good... maybe even damn good. It's impossible to know how old this bottle is, but I'm guessing it's at least 18 months of age (released every April). If so, it has held up very well.

There's a beautiful interplay between sweet and spicy, with neither getting the upper hand at any point along the way. Flavors include black licorice, dark caramel, ripe figs, hints of blackstrap molasses, and an absolutely perfect amount of clove-like spiciness. This beer is both complex and tasty as all get out.

The mouthfeel is not massive, which is probably a good thing, but it has a plush quality that is slightly marred by slightly too buzzy bubbles. About ten more minutes should fix that right up... if I can wait that long for the next mouthful.

Rigor mortis is the stiffness that occurs in the muscles following death. Rigor Mortis ABT makes me glad that rigor mortis has not yet impaired my ability to enjoy expertly brewed beer. In my humble opinion, this offering is better than the much-heralded Peche Mortel and is Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel's finest creation.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2010 13:20:31 | More by BuckeyeNation

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4.45/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a three finger off-white head that fades quickly leaving traces of lace. Cloudy amber color. Light carbonation and medium bodied. Brown sugar nose. Flavor is brown sugar and molasses but it is well balanced. Nice brown (that's what the label says). Label has a 10.5% ABV. Pricey at $6.99 for a 11.5oz bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2009 22:48:35 | More by jdhilt

fairdinkum2

Georgia

4.45/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured in to a tulip glass from an 11.5 oz. bottle. Took a vigorous pour to get a good head. While the resulting, creamy, tan colored head didn't last long, there was lacing out the wazoo.

Dark red brown color. Inviting sweet malt and dried fruit and banana aromas. The nose doesn't really do justice to this effort. A little restrained.

Love the taste. Beautiful balance. Walks the razor's edge between sweetness and bitterness. Neither character overwhelms the other. Ample flavors of caramel, dried fruits and sweet malts. Peppery spices and a dry finish. Rich, but not cloying. Just the right amount of alcohol warmth. Man, I keep finding other flavors buried in here. Quite complex

I like this a lot

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2010 02:04:01 | More by fairdinkum2

Halcyondays

California

4.45/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

11.5 oz. bottle at Beachwood,

A: Pours brown with a small smattering of a light tan head. Fair retention, very high ABV, can't really blame it.

S: Very sweet bread, with a lot of Belgian yeastiness. Fruit - raisins, prune. Lots of residual sugar.

T: Definitely a straight up raisin/candi sugar flavour with a lot of molasses/dark brown sugar character. Lots of fruit complexity. A treat.

M: Full-bodied, light carbonation. Very smooth.

D: I like this a lot. Really no ethanol heat, great flavours, Belgian complexity. An outstanding quad for my palate. This was expensive as hell at Beachwood, Dieu du Ciel needs to get distributed down in the Southland with this and Peche Mortel it's game over.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2010 21:58:05 | More by Halcyondays

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.45/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Review from 11/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a deep, murky red brown. Fine thin head and nice lacing. Caramel malt and Belgian spice and yeast aroma. Nice body, sweet caramel malt with light fruit and Belgian yeast. Malty, bitter finish. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 23:44:26 | More by LiquidAmber

Gehrig

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Deep cloudy brown-amber supporting one finger of dense, durable tan forth; nice lacing on the St. Bernardus glass at the magnificent Crane Alley in Urbana, IL. Excellent smell, full of booze-soaked cherries, roasted caramel malt, a hint of molasses, and some dark chocolate.

Outstanding taste, very rich and robust in flavor. Lots of fruit, especially cherry and grape; ample roasted malt, heavy on the chocolate, and well balanced in taste between sweet and sour. It is definitely more sweet, but there is a distinct tart quality that is very enjoyable. Big in the malt, but far from overbearing. It is a Quad, after all.

Creamy and smooth with just enough effervescence to allow the flavors to intermingle quite nicely. The heavy ABV (10.5%) definitely catches up at the end, but this is no less drinkable and enjoyable for it. In fact, until the end, the high alcohol is well masked.

Just an outstanding beer from Brasserie Du Ciel, right there with Unibroue as far as the best breweries in Canada. Fittingly, they brew Belgian beers, and do a magnificent job of it at that. Rigor Mortis is a great beer that might prove paralyzingly potent to some but, for all lovers of Belgian beer, this is undeniably a treat.

First-rate.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2010 19:45:24 | More by Gehrig

wschmit

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle into a Perfect Pint.

A: A quick, off-white head fizzles into a slightly patchy surface, atop a beautifully brown body with no apparent carbonation, and some fine but prevalent floaties (suspendies?). Other than the floaties, it's pretty clear.

S: Caramel, booze, and yeast. This is quite yeast-forward. It has an almost berry-like sweet note beyond the creme brulee, plum, and rum scents that overwhelm. Great nose. Even a bit floral, maybe.

T: Like chocolate rum balls--a deep, rolling, sensuous sweetness that marries well with the alcohol. Or perhaps like a rum-soaked fruit cake. Truly superb. This is definitely an A beer. I'd -almost- put it up there with the great ones.

M: Mild carbonation, but spot-on body, and with a well-handled alcoholic heat. Great drinking.

O: I haven't bought a bottle of, say, Bernardus 12 at a bottle shop lately, so I can't compare the price. This was 6 bucks for me, and frankly worth it. It's a really great beer. Very much to style, and very much tasty.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 04:33:24 | More by wschmit

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.48/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Ho boy, this is as fine an abbot as you'll find. Poured at a great temperature with a small to medium sized, tan head that soon settled to a light swirl and a little lace. Color is a hazy dark copper with a couple of bubble trails. Aroma is malt, bread dough, yeast, dark ripe fruit, toffee. Flavor's much like nose and has excellent balance between a little hop/malt bitter, plenty of yeast bitter, carbonic tang, and sweet. Interestingly sweet seems to fade a bit. Body and carbonation are spot on. Finish is like flavor, boozy, and long. Superior beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 16:55:01 | More by drpimento

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

4.49/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Taken in 'La Trappe' San Fransisco on 6 Feb 2013. The basement is very dark (where we sat anyway), so I had trouble seeing the true colour of the beer: it looked dark brown though. The bottle label being dark also was almost unseeable too, which is a shame because the art work is lovely.

The smell told me however I had a great beer in front of me, even if I couldn't see it too well. Malty molasses and rich fruit esters filled my nose and I couldn't wait to taste it.

The richness of the flavours exploded in my mouth, sweet malty molasses (like the aroma) with hints of toffee, caramel and chocolate. Add dark fruit and yeastiness into the mix and you have a very tasty beer indeed.

Full bodied and rich from the first sip, overall an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 04:20:11 | More by BlackHaddock

redsonja

Netherlands

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A; amber brown, no head

S; caramel,spices,red fruit.

T; toffee,caramel,spices,red fruit,wood.

M; the spices stay in your mouth a long time.

O; nice beer for relexing again to manny tastes that i can trace but it is all coming togheter.
made in the belgian trappist style.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2011 07:09:31 | More by redsonja

francisweizen

Australia

4.6/5  rDev +17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

One year old bottle, split three-ways with BA friends. Murky bronze/brown with a nice tannish head that did not quit. Aroma was out of this world. Sweet/dark fruits, alcohol, lovely malts, herbal hops, yeast, candy, dark port wine, and more! I also picked up hints of coffee, chocolate, and caramel. The taste was more of the same. Fruity up front with some nice malts in the middle and the herbal hops in the finish. The chocolate and coffee flavors were hidden within this beer as well. The mouthfeel was very thick and filling, but just right for an ABT, and the drinkability was also awesome for an ABT. A great Belgian-style beer and a truly wonderful example of the brewers art at work. Quite possibly one of Dieu Du Ciels best beers!

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2004 20:28:52 | More by francisweizen

jdklks

Nevada

4.6/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

wow, this is a great beer. one of my favorite quads. pours a murky dark brown with an off white/tan head that laces the glass thickly. smells of sugars and burnt malts. very sweet, with a hint of alcohol.

the flavor is of so much sweetness. caramel, brown sugar, dark fruits, molasses. burnt figs and prunes come to mind. just enough alcohol and hops to compliment the overall flavor, both of which play their roles without contributing too heavily and taking over the greatness of this malty awesomeness. this one should definitely have a higher overall score. im baffled at the B+.

mouthfeel is thick and well carbonated, and the beer is easy to drink. a little less sweetness and alcohol would land this one a 5 for drinkability, but as it is, it remains very drinkable in its own right.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2009 06:06:06 | More by jdklks

Monsteruss

Colorado

4.65/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

The foam was wheat in color, a little bibbly and dissapated quickly. The color was dark amber mahogany with a cola undertone. The smell was deep almost molassisy overtone, hints of chocolate and a hops undertone. The taste was exceptional - a rich molassis overtone with a choclatey highlight, hints of wood and maple and a rich spicey undertone and a little sharp like a barley wine. Mouthfeel - deep medium-bodied. Drinkability - a complex variety of tastes that danced in my mouth - wonderfull!

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2009 22:37:09 | More by Monsteruss

sennin

Michigan

4.65/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a La Chouffe Tulip Glass.

A: Very enticing, the color is almost like cider. Dark burgundy and a light off-white colored head. The head is very nice as well, a bit small but it lasts throughout the entire beer session. Lacing is very evident.

S: This beer smells like Fall, brings to mind what the appearance originally did and more. Smell is definitely cider-like mixed with some very flowery and pleasant citrus scents. I also detect a cardamon/cinnamon like smell, amazing smelling beer.

T: First taste is something of lemon and other citrus like flavors, especially orange and lemon. Later some dark fruits like fig and raisin come in on the back end. I also get something like a caramel or butterscotch like taste mid-way through the tasting. A funky (but not bad) hard cider like taste comes in at the end of the taste session and lingers. Very good stuff. Alcohol is hidden exceedingly well. Incredibly drinkable.

M: Texture is great, very creamy- wraps around the tongue and sticks to it after the tasting. Bubbly but not in a way that takes away from the experience. One of the best mouth feels I have come across with a beer.

Definitely one of the best beers Dieu Du Ciel has on offer. Perfect as we come into the Fall season. A very pleasant beer that needs to be tried.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 09:21:20 | More by sennin

philmath

Quebec (Canada)

4.7/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A dark brown color with ruby high lights. Taste reminds me of anise, chocolate, plum juice, some chilly porto. On the nose, it smells like funky grapes and roasted bread with notes of cola. Vinious, warming alcohol present. Very enjoyable. Easily drinkable. A must-try.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2006 22:36:12 | More by philmath

chase2634

Pennsylvania

4.72/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

11.5oz bottle poured into a chalice. 10.5% abv

The color is a dark brown with a finger of head that settled down to leave a thin lace.

There are wondrous smells of brown malts and a nice slight scent of toasted notes. Slight raisin/brandy in the nose as well, but fairly tame.

The taste is almost like raisin bread, chocolate with a hint of black cherry. The hops are barely noticable but add a nice spice kick. It is pretty sweet but finishes fairly dry. A delicious blend of chocolate and all those dried fruits - plum, raisin and black cherry. It has a spicy/yeasty kick. Very nice surprise.

It was soft, smooth and a little creamy. A full-bodied beer that is a slow sipper.

This brew reminds me why i love a good quad so much. It's a great style and they nailed it. Quite a surpise considering it came with little fanfare. Quite the Quad and i think i'll have another!

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2010 13:13:57 | More by chase2634