Dieu du Ciel Rigor Mortis Abt

Brewed by Dieu du Ciel
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Montreal, Canada

11.5 oz recent 09 bottling served at 55F. Pours a dark glowing brown with a small fine creamy off-white bubbly froth. Aroma is strongly dark and fruity, distinctly Dieu du Ciel perfuminess, rich toffee, some toasty candi sugars, Belgian yeast that actually reminds me slightly of Unibroue. First taste is all alcohol, dried dark fruits, and dark brown sugar, followed by more alcohol, toasty sugars, almonds, vanilla. Becomes quite floral with a hard candy like sweetness, cloying. Yeasty sweet butterscotch finish with a lasting burn. The floral nutty bitter aftertaste is somewhat reminiscent of Westy. Medium/full bodied, smooth glassy feeling, very fine smooth bubbly soft soda carbonation. It really gives the mouth the impression of sucking on a hard candy. Oops I didn’t see the thing about needing to age for 6 months which is now quite apparent in the flavor. It’s okay because I have more =).

Pour is cloudy dark brown with medium off-white head. Aroma is brown sugar, dried fruit, touch of alcohol, tobacco and molassess. Flavor is sweet upfront. Hints of butterscotch, dried fruits, and leather. Flavors somewhat crisply diminish with a toasted marshmellow sweetness that lingers with a slight alcohol burn.

Pecan color with a touch of haze. Moderate head the diminishes to a thin lid of beige bubbles. Typical aroma for a darker Belgian style brew. Dark fruit, sweet tobacco, melon, dark candi, light spice all waft about. Very "sniffable". Full, yet airy feel. Rich savory malt in the front. Lightly acidic, and hints of citrus. After the middle this really dries out and I’m a touch disappointed that there is little malt left to ponder. Only a slight rekindling in the linger. Great start, but a mediocre finish. Still a very enjoyable brew overall.

This is a sweet and full-bodied ale. It has a wine-like taste of grapes mixed with syrup, cola, and caramel.

FYI, bottle version of Rigor Mortis Abt is 10.5% alcohol per volume. Pours a modest head that dies to a single layer of fine bubbles. Surprisingly, it leaves a generous level of lace. The color of the brew is muddy brown, much like a darker iced tea. Strong Belgian yeast in the nose. Toffee and caramel are the predominant malt aromas. No notable hop. Touch of Confectioner Sugar. A sweet beer. Noticeably potent and very full bodied, almost as if an unfermented wort was blended in. Almost candy like in the taste. The swallow features a spritzy bitterness that fades quickly to the mouth numbing alcohol content, which is overpowering in the aftertaste.

deep brown under a large tan head. dark fruit and caramel malt aroma. complex flavors of caramel, dark fruits(dates, prune), brown sugar, alcohol, yeast. medium bodied. a bit of booze present.

2007 on tap. Dried dates on the aroma. The flavor is ultra smooth and delicious. Tons of malt and dried fruits. No trace of alcohol burn. Superb.

16 month aged bottle at the brewpub. #75 from July 2007. Black with a lasting head. Smells black, alcohol and malt. FREAKIN’ tasty. Alcohol and delicious chocolate with a trace of yeastiness.