Peach Mortel
Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

One of the best stouts I have ever had. Period, end of statement. Trouble is it’s almost impossible to get, or t least in my area in the Northeast. Shelton Bros were the distributor and they went belly up so this amazing Quebec province beer hasn’t, I think, found a way into the USA. I could get this occasionally several years ago and have since come up short when I ask about it with my retailers. Now here I am traveling in Boone, NC and stopped in a great retail store called Peabody’s and low and behold there were two bottles of this beer there. Brewed in 2018 and a jumped on both of them. Obviously they can be aged but I have no idea of comparing what I hd in the past with this beer I got, and DRANK, one yesterday. Still freakin’ amazing. I nursed it. Whoever reads this review I hope, if you like this style of beer, you can find it without going to Quebec to get it although that isn’t such a bad idea.

 

 

Serving: Bottle
Bottled: Jan-20-2017 (Consumed August 1st 2018)


Pours a reddish black with non-existent pop-esque beige head. Strong coffee-tobacco aromas and some vaguely tart, astringent roast peachiness. The flavor has a kind of acrid, metallic bitterness with something halfway between peaches and bland tartness and it has a thin, astringent, fizzy feel.

Generally speaking, I did not think this was very good. The components are there but the combo itself is too out there for me. Not too surprising though, as it is just a linguistic gimmick more than anything. It doesn't have quite enough great stout flavor to be an awesome stout, not quite enough peach to be a great peach beer. Plus, coffee and peaches seem to battle one another in your mouth rather than harmonize. In its defense, I had a fresh bottle as well and I felt like the aged bottle was noticeably better as time had smoothed out most of the harshness.

Pours dark opaque brown with a small amount of quick bright carbonation at first, leading to a tall fluffy tan head (mocha at the edges of the glass) shortly thereafter. Lacing begins immediately & sheets remain during drinking. There's a lot going on with aroma. Upon first opening of the bottle I got primarily dark chocolate (smelled just like a Dairy Milk dark chocolate fruit & nut bar I had recently). When pouring I definitely got some dark peat earthiness along with the mealiness I associate with Imperial stouts. Finally, once settled in the glass some bourbon aromas came through with the peach clearly showing itself as well. Head faded slowly enough that it was several minutes before my first sip.
Taste was a blend of boozy bourbon, dark coffee, earthy peat, mealiness, burnt malt, vanilla, and faint indistinguishable fruit; no clear peach flavour came through; flavour faded with a malted bitter finish. Mouthfeel is full soft & smooth. I appreciated the smell of this beer the most; granted it's not my favourite style, but it's likely a one off for me.

 

 

 

Got this from Pino this past summer. Cheers!

From a bottle into a snifter

APPEARANCE: This is much lighter in color for sure. Pours out clear dark brown and yields a one finger, looser, light tan head with lousy retention. Transparent bistre brown body with no carbonation evident. Head quickly fades to a thin wisp and looks rather flat by mid-glass. No lacing.

SMELL: The peach is quite strong with most of the regular Peche Mortel overwhelmed. A touch of sweet cream and coffee tries to fight through but this is mostly peach dominant.

TASTE: No discernable coffee or cream flavors here. Basically the regular Peche Mortel has been replaced with sour peach and some rough astringency. Whatever flavor is here is definitely mute and unimpressive. Peach, sourness and some metallic notes linger.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Enough weight, semi-creamy, goes down fine and finishes a bit dry. A good dose of bitterness lingers.

OVERALL: This was way worse than any Peche rendition I’ve come across. Sour, astringent, and all the good stuff that makes Peche Mortel so great is nowhere to be found. Not something I’d want to have again and not even something I’d care to see a future second batch of. Pass. Regardless, thanks again for the brews, Pino!

12oz bottle poured into a snifter
Bottled 1/20/17

A- pours a deep brown color with a small foamy off-white head that has short retention, overall lighter in color than regular Peche

S- bold espresso aromas up front along with earthy & herbal roast, mocha & chocolate, a hint of vanilla cream. I can pick up some peach aroma on the back end, but not a lot. It comes off as a peach flavored candy

T- classic Peche coffee flavor up front; espresso, mocha, herbal & earthy notes. Mid-palate brings out some fruity notes that aren't usually associated, I'm assuming from the peach addition, it also seems to bring out the acidity a bit. As it nears the finish, the peach pops out more, almost giving a peach puree flavor. It closes out with more bold & acidic herbal coffee

M- medium body and carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into a semi-dry finish

O- certainly an interesting variant of one of my favorite beers. I prefer the original, but enjoyed the peach addition as it seems to bring out other flavors from the coffee that I wouldn't normally find

 

 

From a 12oz bottle, dated 2017-01-20. Served in a tulip.

Pours a nearly opaque maple-black with a scant half-finger of soft, creamy head. Retention is effectively nil but leaves a moderate collar of suds around the glass.

Clean nose of mocha java... truth is, I'm drinking this a little colder than I had ought because it's 90° and I just mowed the lawn - so, if I can't smell much, it's my fault, not the beer's. Anyway...

Taste: OK, I can tell already I'm not going to be a big fan of the peach. First impression is coffee, really good coffee but, still, then comes the peach which actually expresses itself more like sticky, tacky, tart raspberries. Only it's peach, see? Coffee and fruit don't go together. Fruit and beer don't go together. So, a lot of acid character, both from the coffee and the fruit. And that's enough about that.

Feel is creamy and smooth although the tacky peach flavour (which I can't seem to stop complaining about) distracts from appreciating it, medium body - less than normal Péché? - and decently carbonated.

Overall, well, I don't typically like fruit in beer anyway so it's hardly fair my even rating it but who said life was fair? It's a cute idea, though, making fun of the anglophones for saying 'Peach' instead of Péché, and I'll bump up the overall rating 0.25 out of a general good-hearted spirit of self-mockery but that's as far as I'm willing to go.

It's worth noting that this bottle was only one of four in a Péché Mortel variety-pack. If it had cost twice as much, and I had given this bottle away, it would still have been a bargain.

 

Bottle: Poured a black color stout with a nice brown foamy head with good retention and light lacing. Aroma of floral coffee notes with light tart peach flavours is interesting. Taste is a mix of floral coffee notes with some light tart peach flavours with light acidic notes also perceptible. Body is about average with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol notes. Interesting and unique offering but not sure the drinkability of high enough for me to seek this again.

 

Vigorous pour yields a one+ inch light tan head over a dark brown body. Nose of peach, roasted malt, chocolate, smoke, and coffee. Taste is nearly identical with a nice feel and overall, as far as I remember, this bottle is better than the draft sample I had on Peche Day last year.