Grande Noirceur
Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

11.5oz twist off bottled 2015-10-29 (8 years ago) store aged at room temperature until last week and poured at fridge temp 9% ABV. The beer pours impenetrable black with negligible head of dark brown coloring. It never formed a full cap even on the pour and leaves a few bubbles around the edge of the glass. No lacing. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring dark chocolate, caramel and ashy, roasted malt. The taste is bittersweet roasted malt with dark chocolate and coffee predominant, before mild caramel and ashy roasted malt finish things off. Moderate plus bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with nearly still carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very good. It resembled the brewer's description, so I'd say it has aged well given the circumstances, but I'll sure I'd be more impressed with a fresher bottle. Scored at the current average due to the age of the bottle.

341ml bottle from a 4-pack purchased at Peluso Rachel in Montreal, Quebec. Bottling date of October 26. Consumed November 15.

L: Midnight black hue with a thin ring of tan head. A bit of stringy lace on the snifter.

S: Roasted malt, chocolate wafer, leather. Some caramel, earthy vine, and ashtray.

T: Largely follows the nose + moderate sweetness mid-palate.

F: Velvety, full-bodied mouthfeel with creamy carbonation. Slightly chewy middle. Long, bitter-drying finish; lingering warmth.

O: A kick ass, no frills imperial stout; this two-decade-old classic exudes old school charm. Worth seeking out.

 

Should this brew have any head? I couldn’t find it. A slight amount of carbonation while drinking. Outside of that, strong black coffee color liquid.
Deep roasted malts are the dominant theme.
9.0% ABV sure doesn’t hurt anything LOL. The lack of carbonation is a slight letdown.
Not sorry I tried it but will be moving on from here.

341 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 9%. Pitch black colour, moderate brown head. Aroma of roast malts, coffee and caramel, also some vinous notes. The flavour has a well balanced sweetness, notes of roast malts, coffee and dark bitter chocolate, a hint of caramel, also distinct bittering hops. Smooth and pleasant to drink. Excellent beer.

Pours black as night, with the viscous texture of well-used motor oil. The nose and flavor are at once roasty and smoky, with any harshness balanced by dark semi-sweet chocolate. A legitimate Russian-style Imperial, worthy of a Czar--a stout to be reckoned with.

2017 Pours black small coco layer of head falls fast to ringed bubbles, only wisps of lace.

Aroma is smokey, bitter roasted malts, anise, dark chocolate charred molasses.

Taste is like the nose smokey, dark roasted malts, dry bitter dark chocolate, anise some charred molasses hints of dark fruits. Finish is very dry with bitterness not so much from hops but just the malt, anise and dark chocolate bitterness. Unique and enjoyable so different then a lot of stouts today , more like an aged classic.

Mouthfeel is medium smooth and mellow carbonation.

Overall an enjoyable treat and change from todays crazy sweet desert stouts.

 

 

2016 bottle .

Heavy hitter in the roasted department ... It is a one trick pony pretty much , it has intense, somewhat bitter, roasted char from start to finish with just enough malt sweetness mid sip to combat the bitterness ..

This beer doesn't have the subtle hints of flavors that unfold but it doesn't need any apology for that , this is a fine beer.

Poured from a 2017 version 12 oz bottle into the test glass.
A - Ebony wood colored back drop, hides everything inside. Carbonation presence yields a lovely mocha colored thick frothy cap. Lacing is ring after ring of evidence.
S - Char, dark toast out of the toaster, bakers chocolate, some blackberry, caramel, and some fig and espresso.
T - Dark bitter cocoa, cigar wrap tobacco, earthy hop element keeps the offering grounded. dark roast malts a hint of anise all combine to make a wonderful medley.
M - Start is bitter and dry, midway through, a semi sweet thread develops acting as a balance beam of sorts. The finish is that bakers bitter chocolate and lovely. The body is delicate and avoids the heavy oily side. There is no hint of the 9% abv.
O - A stout worth finding, the roast, cocoa, bitter model are the antithesis of many of todays stout offering and frankly a welcome one for me. The body and pallete are simply wonderful.

Bottled Sept 2015 - many years pre COVID-19....
Pours oily black with scant reddish brown head.
Aroma of caramel malt, molasses, roasty and slightly smoky, hint of licorice, chocolate. As warmed notes of graham cracker giving a s’more like scent.
Tastes initially of caramel, chocolate, grainy malt sweetness, with flavours of dark fruit, molasses - at the back end there is a slightly astringent earthy, coffee like bitterness.
Medium full mouthfeel - roasty but smooth and silky - molasses hangs with the caramel on the palate but finishes with a slightly sharp bitterness.

2017 bottle. Poured from fridge temp. Pours jet black with a small amount of brown head. Nose is classic Russian imperial stout, which is a nice breath of fresh air in a world filled with pastry stouts. Big notes of black licorice, roasted malts, molasses, and dark fruits. The taste is incredible. To be totally honest, I wasn't expecting a huge burst of flavor like this after the nose. Wow was I wrong. This is so complex and flavorful. A bit of bitterness and a bunch of sweetness. Burnt wood, licorice, maple, dark chocolate, cherries, a bit of nuttiness, and a bit of campfire smoke. The aftertaste is more bitter than sweet - a bit of burnt rubber, a touch of tobacco, and some charred wood. I actually love that. This is three years old, and I get the feeling that this could be aged for a long time and possibly get a bit smoother. Simply amazing, with a thick and creamy mouthfeel. Long aftertaste, and the alcohol (9%) is completely hidden. I will definitely seek this out again.

Almost 5 years old Dieu du Ceil Grande Noirceur Imperial Stout.

October 2015 bottle poured cool and fast to a tulip glass. Very fragrant chocolate upon opening the bottle. Pours a dark cola brown, with just a thin persistent ring. It has a very prominent roastiness, teetering on the flavor of a rauschbier, thought not THAT strong. Maybe a tiny, faint hoppiness on the very tip of it, but that gives way to a huge 80% cacao malty backbone with more roastiness all around. Its 9% ABV is no slouch, and it tastes even bigger than that...very hot presence, but not distracting. It’s a dominant flavor made for sipping. I took one big mouthful, and it is a bully. It lacks finesse, but oozes a confident stout core.

I don’t think there are any adjuncts in this, and I don’t think it has any barrel aging. I might be wrong. It’s very solid as is.

 

 

 

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a quarter finger high tan head that left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of licorice are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and is mostly dominated by flavors of black licorice and has notes of dark and roasted malts. There is a moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels a bit more than medium-bodied and dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This Russian Imperial Stout is has a lot of licorice in it and is quite dry and bitter.

Serving type: bottle

Bottled 2015-10-29.
Pours tar black with light film of a tan head.
Malt, coffee, hop bitterness, dark fruits in the nose.
Taste follows the nose. Baker’s chocolate, black licorice, roasty bitterness, caramel, dark fruits, burnt marshmallow. Great roasty taste!
Oily, medium mouthfeel.
Worth the wait!