Solstice D'hiver
Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

Tasting a 2 year old bottle here.

Pours a clear reddish brown with a 1/2F head and light lacing.

Smells of sweet toasted malt, plums and cherries.

Tastes of sweet malt, caramel and dark fruit with a very bitter boozy warm finish.

Medium body with light carbonation. Brut mouthfeel.

This is a well made, nuanced but very bitter hop bomb of a brew. Too bad that this bitterness tramples the other sweet bits. And this from a 2 year old bottle. Glad I didn't have this when it was fresh!

Dark, rich, astringent taste with plenty of malt to sweeten it up. I really liked this and after reading some of the other reviews felt that maybe I had just gotten a really sweet one compared to others. Perfect for the fall season coming up

 

 

 

 

Thanks to CarolinaCardinals for this one.
Sent in barleywine/Stout Big #1
Pours a slightly roiled brown. Slight head quickly dissipates. Almost no lacing.
Smell is a balance between a smooth date, fig, caramel, and fruity sweetness, and an assertive pine resin bitterness.
taste is more complex in the sweet notes. Dates, figs, toffee, caramel, toasted almond, sherry, and hints of apple brandy yet...A firm piney hop bitterness is not shy. The sweetness is slapped back a bit until a draw is called. Definitely an American barleywine.
Mouthfeel has a medium heft, light carb, and a subtle warmth. Is it ABV, or is it the hops? Not sure. But this is a nice ride.

Ruby colour, boozy, a little sweet. Dark fruit flavour, not much carbonation.

Even though it’s near the Spring solstice, this winter solstice beer is perfect.

Deep caramel color with a 2F head.

Excellent aroma of dates, and other dried fruit.

Medium body.

The aroma flavors carries through to the taste.

The bitterness in the finish is a bit too much, and should be toned down for future brews.

Overall, an excellent brew, but the bitterness should be toned down.

 

Pours a medium to dark brown. Burnt caramel and menthol on the nose. This is certainly a hop forward barleywine as the resiny earthy wood sandalwood and cedar notes really present themselves at the forefront. Maybe some earl grey as well. There is some malty sweetness to back it coming through in a brown bread and honey kind of way. It is a bit fusel as well. A little too earthy and hot for my taste.

 

 

(11.5 oz bottle, twist-off crown, 'bottled on': 2023-01-05; purchased single off shelf at Shangy's last week... poured into a snifter)

L: polished-clear, ruby-black tea colored liquid; tight, honey-combed foam, big bubbles scattered... large, but thin hurricane pad breaks away from thin, messy collar... lace slash at the top, but little below

S: black cherry hard candy, dark caramel... in a few moments, dates and leather... subtle brown bread malty underbelly... potency and expression decent, but requiring close attention and deep breathing

T: deep, dark toasty edge, bitter and cutting, stridently booming above the dark candy sugar-coated, dry-roasted malt foundation... definitely boldly malty; perhaps the alcohol is hiding just behind the bitterness, driving its sharp attack... rue and ghostly allspice

F: svelte, strained silkiness... bit of roundness, but the dark fire singes off the plump edges... no residual oily or resinous trails... dry and punishingly bitter... ultimately arrestingly sippable, but nothing like a heavily-hopped, soup of unfermentables

O: not so much an American barleywine but a belligerently herbal-bitter, strong English brown ale... not what I was expecting at all... I do like this, but I was craving some rounder, mushier malts (1974)

 

Not sure how I don't have a review for this, and after all these years they still use screw tops
Pours a frothy 1/2 finger off-white head with fair retention, lots of messy lacing, mostly clear auburn reddish color

Nose sweet malts, toasted bread, grains, bread crust, caramel, a bit of toffee, biscuity malt, light spicy hops, hint of reddish fruit

Taste brings sweet malt again but not super sweet, toffee, quite biscuity again, a bit candy like, fair caramel and caramelized sugar, a touch nutty, a bit of reddish fruit, fair alcohol that gets a touch hot with some phenol notes, perfumey alcohol, fair spicy hops with med bitterness getting a bit more like a med-high spicy hop bitterness on the finish, actually almost briny level spicy hop,

Mouth is fuller bod, fair hot alcohol warmth and a little tingle, med-light carb

Overall not bad, a bit on the hot alcohol side and too much spicy hop for my personal tastes but up to style

On draught at Blind Tiger, NYC.
Pours a murky brown color. A modest head dissipates but leaves a persistent creamy ring of lacing.
The nose is bready and biscuity with some earthy hops spices and surprisingly little booze. Aromas of honey, toasted bread, vanilla, dark fruit, grass, and mint.
Sweet and rich with doughy and biscuity malts leading the way, yet not too boozy. Notes of dark fruit, raisin, fig, honey, toasted grains, and some roasted, nutty and chocolate like flavors. The bitterness is effective, as it nicely balanced the grainy and alcohol sweetness with a resiny bitterness.
Full bodied, smooth and gently carbonated. The finish is smooth with some alcohol warmth and enough dryness.
Very easy to drink as far as Barleywines go. I would have again.