Dieu du Ciel Solstice d’hiver

Brewed by Dieu du Ciel
Style: Barley Wine
Montreal, Canada

Thick pour with little head, aroma was of hops, faint caramel, and alcohol. Taste is mostly hops, coffee, and malty sweetness...tastes how it looks. Definitely has a ’wintery’ feel. Goes down smoothly with a soft texture. A great beer.

Bottle shared with bman1113vr. Hazy ruby pour under a small tan head. Aroma is raisins, caramel, leather, plums, dark fruits, brown sugar and maple. Flavor is coffee, maple, brown sugar, and some medium bitterness. Creamy mouthfeel. There was some age on this bottle, and it did it a lot of justice.

First thing I noticed was that the aroma was plain and very hoppy. From that--I was expecting a very different beer than what I got (Not a bad thing). I was pleasantly surprised about it’s complexity. Fruity with brown sugar and hops! It was sweet, it was bitter, it was delicious. This is my first barley wine so I can’t be an expert on this. That being said, it seemed somewhat reminiscent of an Imperial Stout, but with only faint traces of coffee and chocolate. The mouth-feel seemed very slick in a good way and it had a dry bitter aftertaste that had me asking for more. It was very well-balanced and good all around (other than lacking aroma)

11.5oz. bottle, 9.5% abv. Believed to be the December 2008 batch, cellared for several months. Lovely, inviting aroma, featuring toasty, sweet, toffeeish malts, with lighter aspects of cocoa, raisin, earthiness, faint citrus, medicinal alcohol and faint berry. Deep, dark red-brown color, mostly clear as the sediment was left in the bottle, head is light tan, thin and lasting, and leaving some fine lacing behind. Flavor profile is complex and strong, with measures of rich, sweet, dark caramel and lightly roasty malts, hops that contribute spicy, earthy flavors and appreciable bitterness, peppery, warming alcohol and layers of dried fruits, nuttiness, wood and cocoa in the background Mouthfeel is gently effervescent, smooth, thin and lightly coating, drying out a bit towards the finish. Body is hugely full. This is incredible, and although this is my first sample, it seems to be the perfect age.

Bottle (shared with Tweety)... Poured a dark orange with a thin, off-white to tan head. A solid barleywine aligned to the English version with less of a hop profile (but still a presence to give a floral characteristic). Dark fruits, wonderful yeast tones and well balanced alcohol flavor. Very solid, very drinkable with an earthy, woody, malty profile.

11.5 ounce bottle purchased at BevMo Natomas. Aroma is overly pungent. I get some earthy woodiness and a little peat. Not much in the way of hops. Light pitted fruits. Not much sweetness, either. Moderately hazy amber body present with a small off-yellow head. Light lacing. Starts with a little caramel, before it becomes a little sweet with some leathery flavors. Lightly fruity raisins and brown sugar also make a cameo before this becomes a bit woody and lightly bitter to finish. This is warming. The mouthfeel on this is very very impressive. Nice, oily, viscous texture. Obviously well-crafted. My only quibble is that the aroma is lacking.

Bottle via MartinT in trade. Pours a dark brown with a filmy tan head. Nose of light prunes and plums.Thin bodies----kinda chalky. An extended aftertaste that is fairly pleasant .

Dieu Du Ciel Solstice d’hiver 11.5 oz Pours brownish red like weak coffee with a thin head. No retention. No lacing. Somewhat oily. Aroma of prunes soaked in vodka with woody undertones. Sweet but understated smell. Flavor is excellent. Sweet alcohol and bittersweet chocolate with a hoppy finish. Alcohol stands out some on the finish (yum) Very good and we got the last bottle on the shelf until next year. Lucky us.