Dieu du Ciel Rigor Mortis Abt

A deep red beer with a small orange head. The aroma is sweet and dominated by berries - of which cowberries stand out. The flavor is also sweet with notes of wood, cowberries, and cranberries.

Hazy burgundy; eye-opening aroma of sweet malt, flowers, honeydew melon, alcohol, treacly malt, green peppercorns, blood oranges and slightly rotten grapefruit. Warm, soft palate shows yeast, Special B (or its Dingemans equivalent, anyway), raisin bread, merlot. There is a light hit of alcohol. Finishes with a sweet malt/dry alcohol showdown. Sublime.

Clear red-brown body with small beige head. Aroma is sticky sweet and rich, malty, caramel, plum/raisin, alcohol. Taste is strong, sweet, rich, fruity (plum/raisin), caramel, finishing with alcohol warm/burn. Full body.

Name: Rigor Mortis ABT
Date: 12/03/2005
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Strong Ale Fest

dark amber, whispy white head, sweet carmel malt aroma balanced by floral hops, huge body, rich malt flavor, nice fruity character, just enough bitterness to keep it balanced,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***/4

One year old bottle: Cloudy pale bronze coloured. Malty nose with notes of dark fruits, plums, original Grenade apples. Good mouthfeel, warming. Malty in mouth, almost vinous, but not quite, roasted caramel, chocolate. I enjoyed the finish, but it was perhaps a little unbalanced on the sweet side. Strongly recommended.

It’s about time that I update this rating. In the last three years, this has only gotten better. Absolutely luscious maltiness, soothing. It goes straight to your soul and is constantly a highlight of their anniversaries where some aged bottled are popped opened. Hopefully it is bottled someday. Bumping from 3.9 to 4.4 and it may reach higher eventually. A grapey cake of great complexity.