Solstice D'hiver Réserve Spéciale (Vieillie En Fût De Chêne) - Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel

Solstice D'hiver Réserve Spéciale (Vieillie En Fût De Chêne)Solstice D'hiver Réserve Spéciale (Vieillie En Fût De Chêne)

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BA SCORE
92
exceptional
-
41 Ratings
THE BROS
N/A

-
send 'em beer »
rAvg: 4.25
pDev: 6.82%
Reviews: 24
Hads: 17

Ratings Help


Brewed by:
Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel visit their website
Quebec, Canada

Style | ABV
American Barleywine |  10.80% ABV

Availability: Rotating. bottle (23), on-tap (1)

Notes:
ABV of 10.8 is correct as confirmed by the brewer
View:  Beers  (83) |  Reviews  (113) |  Events  (0)

Reviews

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Photo of Lucho
Lucho

Florida

3.94/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thanks to montrealbcr89 for this trade. Cheers!

A: pours a dark cherry brown with a slight hazy character. forms a lovely two finger off white date brown thick head. good retention and lacing.

S: caramelized sugar and a light plum smell. not getting much barrels but maybe as it warms it will open up. there is a scent of booze on the nose.

T: bourbon soaked caramelized sugarcane. not very sweet though. There is not the amount of dark fruits that I am fond of in my b-wines. There is a nice mild bourbon character that imparts the usual vanilla flavors. This brew is surprisingly drinkable considering the almost 11%

M: medium to heavy bodied with light carbonation on the tongue, very nice.

Overall this is a good beer. not the best of the style but one worth seeking out. Cheers

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 06:26:22 | More by Lucho
Photo of peensteen
peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to rutager for sending me this!

Deep brown colour, ring of off white head here, with a few spots of lace. Smell is a great mix of bourbon, oak and dark malts, lots of vanilla with brown sugar, dark breads with a bit of a sweetness throughout. Taste is of vanilla and bourbon, oak with brown sugar and toasted dark breads, medium sweetness with more oak and bourbon in the finish as well. Light-medium carbonation, fairly full body. Amazing stuff here, a well executed use of bourbon barrel and barleywine, very drinkable and highly recomended.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 20:48:01 | More by peensteen
Photo of Etan
Etan

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz sent by tom10101. Thanks! The label says (translated from French): "Special Reserve - aged 1 year in a bourbon cask".

A: Pours a sediment-filled dark brown body with some maple hues. Small light khaki head.

S: Heavy tannic bourbon, maple, figs, brown sugar, vanilla and caramel, cooked raisins. Very rich aroma.

T: The taste brings more dark fruit, tannic sweetness, plenty of oak, marshamallow, mild caramelized grain, a bit of lingering hoppiness. There's a slightly astringent bitterness here - not sure if it's from the oak or the old hops but the beer would be better off without it.

M: Thick-bodied with light carbonation.

O: This was quite a nice beer (especially the aroma), but the out-of-place bitterness in the taste lowers the score a bit for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 02:04:50 | More by Etan
Photo of TheSevenDuffs
TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to David for this bottle! Bottled on 11/12.
Poured in to snifter.

A - Very dark murky brown with a thin layer of tan coloured head.

S - Bourbon, vanilla and toasted oak up front with caramel, toffee and raisin aromas in the background.

T - The barrel characteristics are not nearly as prominent as the nose suggested and a play a secondary role in the palate. Sweet caramel, toffee and brown sugar flavours are dominant in the palate with more subtle vanilla, toasted oak and bourbon in the background. The barrel notes and the base beer flavours integrate very well together.

M - Medium to full body. Chewy. Light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 02:26:23 | More by TheSevenDuffs
Photo of jrenihan
jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottled November 2012. Huge thanks to Papat444 for this one.

Beer is very dark brown with a moderately-sized tan head. Head fades at a steady pace, leaving just a bit of film.

Smell is big and rich. Bourbon, vanilla, oak, brown sugar, toffee, some dark fruits. Quite a lot happening. Very nice. Great invitation to taste this beer!

Bourbon is upfront flavourwise, along with lots of vanilla and a good dose of oak. Underneath that is toffee, brown sugar, a bit of molasses, caramel, earthy flavours, a bit of fruit and a noticeable (but not unpleasant) amount of booze. Quite sweet but a woody finish lends a bit of dryness. Really good.

Full bodied, moderate to low carbonation level. A bit astringent, quite smooth.

Overall, really good. A significant improvement over the regular version, in my view.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 01:27:10 | More by jrenihan
Photo of Rutager
Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A huge thank thank you to the awesome traders Jayhoop and Montrealbcr for hooking me up. Cheers to you guys!!

Appearance. Pours a murky brown that's a little amber-orange when held to the light. Topped with a thin off-white head.

Smell. Big woody bourbon and vanilla, oranges and caramel, and a little sweet spice, tobacco, and molasses.

Taste. Caramel and oak, bourbon, vanilla, brown sugar, oranges, and a bit of molasses and spice. Lingering bitter wood and bourbon in the finish. Very tasty.

Mouthfeel. Full bodied. So sweet and thick I'd expect some stickiness, but no, it's amazing. Very smooth low carbonation with some nice warmth in the back of the throat.

Overall. A fantastic barleywine that benefited immensely from its time in the barrel ...not that the base is anything to sneeze at.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 01:52:26 | More by Rutager
Photo of Holland
Holland

Pennsylvania

4.31/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to tom10101 for this beauty!

A: pour an opaque dark brown with some cloudiness visible along the edges, a small one finger head, and some lacing on the wall of the glass with a thin layer of fine foam on top. The head is surprisingly light compared to the darkness of the beer.

S: sweet malts, toffee, raisin, dates, figs, and molasses come to mind.

T: this is where the deliciousness lies. It's very dark fruit forward, with hints of barrel flavor throughout. No lack of taste at all. Some alcohol is present, though I drank it at 55 or 60 Fahrenheit. Some bitterness balances it nicely for an after dinner beer.

M: thick but not syrupy because of the nice medium carbonation and a bit of alcohol that gives it a lift.

O: wish I had purchased the regular version to compare. This is no doubt a nice barleywine, but I would like to see how different it is from the original and discern what the bourbon barrels did for it. Delicious overall beer. Glad I was able to try it. Thanks, Tommy!

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 23:54:33 | More by Holland
Photo of biboergosum
biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12oz glass, at the first ever DDC tap takeover in Edmonton - wheee!

This beer appears a hazy, dark ruddy brownish hue, with one finger of bubbly, weakly foamy beige head, which leaves a low-lying band of spectral lace around the glass as it somewhat hastily recedes.

It smells of rye whisky-sodden wood, musty caramel/toffee malt, dark fleshy fruit, a hint of yeast, and earthy, leafy hops. The taste is more rather musty, dusty caramel, like a Zellers candy aisle blowout, spicy, grainy, pungent, yet neutered rye whisky barrel essence, dusty black fruit, singed brown sugar, vanilla, and a sneaky as shit alcohol warming.

The carbonation is more or less underwhelming, and we're a-ok with that, here, the body a hefty medium weight, and weirdly thin at the same time, though I suspect the woodiness for this perceived defect. It finishes just on the sweet side, the barrel notes lingering, in concert with the fruit, sugar, and booze, in a weirdly satfisfying medley of the seasonally damned.

A more than agreeable application of the wood to an already stellar barleywine - subtle, mostly, and just edgy enough to warn potential imbibers not to exactly overdo it, mais oui?

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2013 01:05:27 | More by biboergosum
Photo of vande
vande

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This one seems to have Barleywine written all over it from the pour... a frothy, somewhat dirty looking head layered atop a thicker looking, murky off colored orangish-brown colored pour...smells of sugar, bit of oakiness, some booziness is definitely present, with dashes of vanilla... initially, reminded me of an 07 Lagunitas Gnarleywine via the nose.. Tasted somewhat like the nose predicted to be honest..add the initial aromatic hints with some breadiness and brown sugar, giving it a bit of a "coppery" field and you've got a pretty darn good barleywine here.. I believe the bottle we popped tonight may of had a year on it...and I've got a twin in my cellar.. Although I'm not the largest Barleywine constituent, this was a pretty tasty sipper..

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 05:22:26 | More by vande
Photo of MasterSki
MasterSki

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to papat444 for sending this my way. Served in a Darkness glass.

A - Quick-dissolving white foam settles to a bit of wispy bubbles on-top and spotty lace. The body is a murky brown color.

S - Brown and burnt sugars, sharp oak, light oxidation, maple, and some booze and bourbon(?) flavor that grows as this warms up. Bottle says "oak barrels" but is vague about their origin - doesn't taste like virgin oak in any case.

T - This is surprisingly mellow, with a hefty amount of bread, brown sugar, dark fruits, caramel, toffee, sharp oak, vanilla, and better hidden booze than in the aroma.

M - Smooth, creamy, chewy texture, with lower carbonation, some moderate warming alcohol, and light tannic dryness in the finish.

D - Quite good, and a marked improvement over the base beer. Alcohol is quite well-hidden once you get past the aroma. I'd happily have this one again, and I now want to seek out the Oak-Aged Equinoxe Du Printemps.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 20:05:48 | More by MasterSki
Photo of seeswo
seeswo

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Thanks for this Levi! Enjoyed with the standard version sided-by-side. Pours a lightish brown color, like caramel, with a really small tan head. Looks fine. The nose is really nice - toffee, caramel, vanilla, wood, brown sugar, coconut. Wow, this smells really good, but not obnoxious like a really sweet English barleywine. The taste is like the nose - a fantastic integration of toffee, caramel, vanilla, wood, brown sugar and coconut. Sweet, but not too much so. Consider me stunned that this taste is world class given my dislike for the weak flavor from the base beer. Good body - smooth with a medium low carbonation and medium body. Overall, I thought this beer was fantastic, and caught me by surprise. The base beer gives you no clue in my opinion of how good this one is.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2011 23:18:04 | More by seeswo
Photo of ArrogantB
ArrogantB

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I received the barrel aged version from a generous Canadian Ba, thanks! Murky brown color, scant head. Smell is barrel and BOOZE! Taste us booze, oxidation, booze, alcohol, wood, very little barleywine. Overall I was glad to try this but unimpressed and unlikely to pick up the regular version.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 19:51:04 | More by ArrogantB
Photo of flipper2gv
flipper2gv

Quebec (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 1.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Very much the same as the normal Solstice d'Hiver. Hazy orange-ish brown color. Not much head, retention or lacing. 1.5

S: This is FAR FAR from your typical Solstice d’Hiver. Where the usual version boast strong piny hops (even when aged quite a bit) and smells dry and aggressive, this is full on sweet, English style barleywine. Very strong toffee, caramel, maple syrup, molasses and vanilla. Almost old ale ish. Some leather, oak tannins and nuts. There are definitive fruits in this: over ripe red apples, dried figs, dried dates. Doesn’t smell cloying. The smell just isn’t strong enough for the perfect score. 4.5

T: Very much like the smell, while I’m used to the aggressive nature of the piny hops in the normal version, this is sweet and smooth. You get very strong toffee, caramel, maple syrup, molasses and vanilla. Again, this is very old ale-ish. Leather, oak tannins and nuts. Again, the fruits in the smell are there in the taste: dried figs and dates mostly but a faint acidity and rich sweetness that blends together to give a over ripe red apple kind of taste. While it does taste very sweet, it is nowhere near cloying. One of the best barleywines I’ve ever had. 5

M: Medium to heavy. Much less sticky than the “normal” version while being much smoother too. 4

O: Great brew. Don’t know what went sooo right with this batch, but this thing is wonderful. Honestly, the true first very good barleywine made in Quebec. This cannot be the same recipe as the original, it is radically different. Great stuff. 4.5

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2011 21:21:00 | More by flipper2gv
Photo of HopHead84
HopHead84

California

4.47/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4/17/2011

Bottle shared by Javier at Oakquinox 2011, thanks! 2009 batch aged in oak barrels.

A: Reddish brown with a diminutive beige head.

S: Rich caramel melds with oak and evident toffee. There's a touch of graceful oxidation. Lots of brown sugar with evident vanilla. I know this says it was aged in oak barrels, but I get a big bourbon aroma from this beer. It smells excellent, so I'm not sure where that's coming from, unless this was actually aged in bourbon barrels. Excellent stuff.

T: Bourbon is strong again (unless it's my imagination) and goes well with the powerful caramel and toffee. Vanilla is well integrated and oak is evident. Rich and delicious. Sweet and long finish.

M: Upper medium in body with lower moderate carbonation. Mouthfeel is sticky, smooth, and creamy.

Overs: Really delicious. I'd love to have this again. This smells and tastes like it was aged in bourbon barrels, yet everything I read says it was aged in dispirited (unspirited?) oak. Very strange. Regardless, a very tasty beverage.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2011 05:38:31 | More by HopHead84
Photo of womencantsail
womencantsail

California

4.4/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared by Javier. Thanks, Javi.

A: The pour is a dark amber color with a pronounced turbidity and a small and short lived khaki head.

S: Big time bourbon and oak aromas. Sweet vanilla, caramel, and toffee all the way through with a little bit of brown sugar and maple syrup. Bread and sweet dark fruits round the bouquet out.

T: Tons of sweet maple syrup flavor along with caramel and toffee. Sweet vanilla and bourbon flavor with only a mild oak flavor. Some of the dark fruits are there as well.

M: Medium in body with a smooth, medium body.

O: I thought the regular version of this was decent, but not great. This however, was outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 05:24:34 | More by womencantsail
Photo of BigMcLargeHuge
BigMcLargeHuge

Arizona

3.98/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Courtesy of after4ever over on the other site, ratebeer. Thanks Tom. Pours amber with some haze and thin off white head. The aroma is smooth oak, vanilla, sweet dark fruitiness and mild bourbon boozy heat. The taste is nice and sweet with rich dark fruitiness quickly moving seamlessly into vanilla, oak, bourbon and chocolate. Tasty stuff.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 04:17:21 | More by BigMcLargeHuge
Photo of bobsy
bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Drank alongside the regular version, and the difference cannot be understated.

Rich mahogany body with a scant tan head that quickly drops to a film in true barleywine style. Some lace spots left behind. Delicious nose has oak in spades, with vanilla and spice coming to the fore. Lots of caramel and peppery alcohol too. Neat flavour has a night and day contrast when compared to the slightly lacklustre regular version. The caramel, dark fruit and spicy alcohol is all there, but its now joined by vanilla, a strong barrel character and chocolate. Medium body works well, but could be a bit bigger to become truly world class.

Exceptional effort. Its transformed an okay beer into something magnificent. I hope their experiments with barrel aging continue.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 16:29:01 | More by bobsy
Photo of ritzkiss
ritzkiss

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle that bobsy brought over, been wanting to try this one so - thanks! Had side by side with this year's regular Solstice.

Caramel cherrywood color, thin head. Nose is sublime, massive vanilla notes, caramel, brown sugar, dark fruits - melds to form almost a maple syrup character. Rich and big.

This is a fantastic barleywine, the barrel did a real number on this one because I don't find their regular offering all that inspiring. Rich toffee and vanilla, toast and caramel malt, a hint of cocoa, rich and sweet, mouthfeel could use a little oomph yet. Hint of earthy wood, molasses, raisins. Wish they would do this one again!

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2010 16:56:31 | More by ritzkiss
Photo of grub
grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

another tasty DDC treat that papat444 hooked me up with. thanks again pat!

12oz bottle. sampled sept 3/2010.

pours crystal clear reddish brown with just a touch of orange when held to the light. the small very fine dark tan head quickly drops to a ring around the glass and leaves plenty of spotty lace.

aroma is awesome. bourbon and oak. vanilla. caramel and toffee, with a hint of butterscotch. light alcohol. multi-grain bread and biscuit. bit of cracker. earthy. hint of smoke. wow, i'm in love with this one already.

taste is great. burnt toffee. caramel. bit of butterscotch. bourbon, vanilla, and raw oak. light orange and tangerine. warming alcohol. earthy. touch of honey. multi-grain bread and biscuit. slightly toasty. tons of depth to this.

mouthfeel is good. medium-large body. medium carbonation level.

drinkability is good. tons of depth. the barrel character is very complimentary without being too overbearing. the alcohol is a touch warm, which may subside a bit with time. glad i've got another for the cellar!

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 03:27:18 | More by grub
Photo of Viggo
Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle, thanks to grub for sharing. Glad I have some more in the cellar.

Pours a hazy dark reddish brown, relatively opaque, very thick light tan head forms and settles to a very thick ring around the glass, great retention, some lace chunks stick to the glass.

Smell is great, big and intense, lots of toffee/caramel, raisin and dates, brown sugar, a shit ton of dark fruit, vanilla, oak, bourbon sweetness, red wine, coconut, a bit of alcohol, brandy, nice oaky character without being too much, really adds to the beer.

Taste is similar, huge, tons of rich raisin and dates, caramel/toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, brandy, oak, dark fruit, coconut, a touch of milk chocolate, a bit of booziness, rich raisin finish, more coconut, just fantastic.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation, a touch of heat going down. Huge flavours, maybe a touch thin in the body but everything is there. A little more time in the cellar will help. Thanks Russ!

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 03:26:48 | More by Viggo
Photo of biegaman
biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2009 Vintage sampled 16/07/2010.

The beer was aged in wood and it looks a little like it - a classy mahogany tone gives way to ruby and orange highlights when held against the light. The clarity is impeccable for a barrel aged beer. Its head, too, for a beer that's been through what this has is outstandingly thick and foamy, a peach-coloured, tapioca-like fuzz that leaves ring after ring of lace.

Anyone who drinks bourbon or most any white wine is likely familiar with these kinds of oaky, buttery, vanilla-y attributes. Unlike most other barrel-aged beers, however, this was not mellowed in bins that previously held the aforementioned bourbon or wine, but rather brand new, untainted oak barrels. As result, there's not nearly the alcoholic intensity.

There is still, however, the cream-like richness, the fruity esters, the sugary vanilla and caramelly, tootsie-roll sweetness that follows, the splintery dryness, chocolaty truffles and the exotic and lush notes of coconut. French V.S.O.P brandies eat your hearts out! This is as complex and sophisticated than just about any other beer, wine or spirit I've tried.

And, although it's still too intense for probably 99% of the population, it is remarkably smooth for a beer of its strength. The use of new oak barrels as oppose to used bourbon barrels has, in my mind, everything to do with it. The obnoxious, excessive, concentrated fervidness of the bourbon is not missed in the least (the beer is better off without it).

On this summer night, one third the bottle seemed indulgently sufficient, however, this is admittedly a beer engineered for relished, sensual drinking suited to the long, desolate, dark, ungodly cold Quebec winter. (A fireplace would make probably the most ideal accessory.) I've no doubt that if French Canada had the population of California this would sell-out at the same exorbitant prices and speed as the Firestone-Walker releases.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 00:28:37 | More by biegaman
Photo of kjyost
kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to papat444 for this trade.

Sadly though, this bottle rolled out of my van and smashed itself on the ground, breaking the neck. I successfully saved about half the bottle.

A: Rich amber and dark with a nice head, especially considering what the beer had been through.

S: Oak comes through above the sweetness and candied fruit.

T: Personally I could taste the oak at a good level, and this was the best thing about the beer. Overall I found the body of the beer to have numerous subtle flavours of fruit and caramel but the body is cloyingly sweet. I know this is a barley wine, but it is too sweet. Perhaps if I had a had a chance to enjoy this on a cool evening it would seem different, but right now it is cloying.

M&D: Low carbonation is good, but the sweetness sticks way too much to the palate which kills its drinkability...

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2010 01:54:20 | More by kjyost
Photo of wordemupg
wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

341ml bottle poured into DDC tulip april 25 2010

A dark brown until held to the light where it is a deep reddish amber, lots of bubbles floating up to a light beige thumbs width of thick creamy head that just sits there for ever and leaves a few chunks of lace

S candied fruit with loads of brown sugar and some woody earthiness and none of the booze

T more going on then on the nose lots of candied fruit again and brown sugars both crystal and burnt, some evidence of barrel aging, a little booze but it's more in the aftertaste and the warming effect in your stomach where you notice it, and a strong cherry liqueur flavor that quite nice, pretty solid flavors going on here

M thick and syrupy not sure where the carbonation went but It doesn't hurt its cause though this feels pretty good

D very easy to drink considering the amount of booze in this beer, it's very smooth and other then the boozy after taste you would never know how easy this beer would smash you until it's to late

I feel special drinking this knowing that not to many people are going to get that chance, and I thank hoser for my chance at this one. I only wish I had another one to age or even the willpower to age this one but hey what can you do

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2010 20:30:00 | More by wordemupg
Photo of papat444
papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

***2009 vintage but bottled January 2010***

Poured from a 341ml. bottle and shared with my wife.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown that looks black but as thin head (only 1 finger!) recedes, i can see reddish hues in the brown body. Alright but leaves me kind of wanting more.

Smell: This is better. Strong aroma of caramel, candied sugar and dried fruits . Has a vinous feel to it with a little oak that lends a little sherry feel to it but not as much as i would have thought.

Taste: Strong sugar, dark fruit (cherries especially) with a sweet side but has some hops bitterness hidden in there also. Getting some oak on the sides and especially in the finish and the lasting aftertaste. Also in the finish, i pick up a distinct taste, like creme caramel or hardened caramel.

Mouthfeel: Glides effortlessly in the palate. A little boozy but otherwise very pleasant. Low carbonation which suits me just fine.

Drinkability: Superior ease of consumption here. Though heavy in taste, it doesn't feel heavy or cumbersome to drink this. Found myself drinking easily rather then just sipping.

Overall: A little disappointed that the oak was not more prominent but i did find this beer to be good and would definitely have it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2010 01:01:41 | More by papat444
Solstice D'hiver Réserve Spéciale (Vieillie En Fût De Chêne) from Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel
92 out of 100 based on 41 user ratings.