Isseki Nicho
Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

Isseki NichoIsseki Nicho
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From:
Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!
 
Quebec, Canada
Style:
Saison
ABV:
9.5%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.96 | pDev: 8.84%
Reviews:
79
Ratings:
248
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 28, 2021
Added:
Oct 05, 2009
Wants:
  16
Gots:
  39
Special collaboration between Dieu du Ciel and Shiga Kougen, a Japanese brewery located in Nagano. Hybrid of an imperial stout and a Belgian saison, its color is dark black. Strong bitterness and roasted malt flavours come in first, and are well balanced by a strong alcohol level. Dry and complex finishing provided by the saison yeast.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.1 by morrowd3 from Vermont

Apr 28, 2021
 
Rated: 4.15 by jason_nwx from Oregon

Aug 03, 2020
 
Rated: 2.62 by stephenlee93 from England

Jul 10, 2020
 
Rated: 4.24 by Dentist666 from Russian Federation

Sep 10, 2019
Photo of TooManyGlasses
Reviewed by TooManyGlasses from Canada (AB)

3.96/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Full disclosure - this beer is dated 2015. Pours a solid black with active carbonation and a creamy brown head that happily reappears with a little agitation.
Aroma is spicy yet notes of tart citrus, chocolate, coffee, and some cherry.
Taste aggressively bitter - dark chocolate, roasty caramel, coffee, grapefruit rind, and funky tartness.
Amazingly creamy full mouthfeel yet briskly carbonated; leaves a funky lingering bitterness - begs for another sip. Difficult beer to pin down - I think I really liked it....
Aug 20, 2019
 
Rated: 4.09 by oakaged88 from New York

Jul 24, 2019
 
Rated: 3.99 by stephenlee from England

Apr 01, 2019
 
Rated: 3.93 by BarryMFBurton from Indiana

Mar 15, 2019
Photo of BucBasil
Reviewed by BucBasil from Rwanda

3.81/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A: Poured from the 330mL bottle into a tulip glass. The beer is a pure black color with a tan head that dissipates quickly.

S: Chocolate and some slight citrus and dark fruit flavors. This is a really unique aroma combination with some competing notes. Creamy vanilla and cola characteristics in there. Some spices.

T: Gingerbread and dark chocolate. Spices. Finishes slightly sweet and quite hoppy with a hint of dry alcohol burn.

Overall: What a strange beer, with lots of competing flavors and aromas that come together in unexpected ways. A good challenge for the palate and a fun one to try, but not one that I would probably pick up again.
Jan 27, 2019
Photo of puck1225
Reviewed by puck1225 from Texas

4.19/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A pleasantly unusual beer! Dark saison, but some porter and black ale characteristics.

Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass. Beautiful deep dark brown color with a thick creamy beige head and great lacing. Surprisingly refreshing smell. Spicy saison taste with dark chocolate and coffee. Love it!
Nov 18, 2018
 
Rated: 3.93 by goalie35 from Canada (AB)

Oct 14, 2018
 
Rated: 4.54 by StormAles from Canada (ON)

Aug 18, 2018
 
Rated: 4.2 by Jibs from Canada (QC)

Aug 12, 2018
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

4.07/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
341 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 9.5%. Black colour, large tan head. Very nice roasty and spicy aroma. High level of carbonation. Roasty and spicy flavour too, notes of coffee, dark chocolate and black pepper, distinct bittering hops. Excellent beer.
Jun 30, 2018
Photo of josanguapo
Reviewed by josanguapo from Spain

4.3/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
From cervezasespeciales. In Teku glass. Playing Avernum 3. More a black IPA than a black saison, and fairly good at that, but didnt find any funk notes reminding a saison. Very foamy, requiring 2 pours. High drinkability, abv well concealed
Jun 10, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by mpenske from California

Feb 12, 2018
Photo of ChrisCage
Reviewed by ChrisCage from Canada (AB)

4.23/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A- This one pours a nice dark brown color that is slightly of motor oil and contains a two finger thick foam head, that is kamikaze short stack brown (as per my uncle)! It retains very well, starting out fizzy and ending as a half finger thick puffy caramel colored layer over the brew! Nice thick lacing coats the side of my glass and of course the carbonation is much too hard to see.

S- This is interesting with primary aromas of citrus rind, cocoa powder, sweet almond/hazelnut nuttiness, slight black licorice, burnt oakiness/char, hints of smoked salami, heavily roasted dark barley malts and the finish is dry and Earthy.

T- Wow....heavily smoky flavoring/smoked meat (think Landjager sausage), malty charred licorice, essence of Postum, dark yeast/biscuit, hints of Marmite, burnt nuts, burnt toffee/caramel, light orange zest, dark chocolate powder, yeasty funk and an Earthy/root like finish that is dry yet palatable!

M/O- Medium-ish body and the carbonation is quite aggressive, allowing different flavors to burst on the palate. The alcohol is well hidden and the drinkability is very high! Pairs well with a dark chocolate, which adds a certain creaminess and I think would also pair well with a beef stew! Another winner from Dieu du Ciel!
Dec 31, 2017
 
Rated: 3.74 by Samact from Vermont

Dec 30, 2017
Photo of HopsAreDaMan
Reviewed by HopsAreDaMan from Missouri

4.11/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
11.5 oz bottle. No bottling date; I bought it on sale a couple of months ago.

This was NOT what I was expecting it to be. It's classified as a Saison, and I thought it would be more like a Belgian strong dark (BSD), but it's more of a marriage between a Belgian and a Russian imperial stout (RIS).

Right off, it pours very dark brown, with a thick, creamy head that lasts.

Smells like a RIS with a big of dark fruits in the mix -- Wonderful.

Taste up front is is more like an RIS (and I love it), but the finish is more like a BSD (not bad).

Mouth-feel is somewhat creamy, and medium to heavy.

Overall: This is a very unusual, and damn good, beer.

This beer reminds me somewhat of Boulevard's Dark Truth stout.

I rated this beer for what I liked about it, and not based on what I think a Saison, or Belgian strong dark should taste like, as this is clearly an animal of a different sort.
Nov 19, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Oct 28, 2017
Isseki Nicho from Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 248 ratings