Chemin De Croix
Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

 

Appearance - dark mahogany body with tan head

Smell - smoke, dark chocolate, nuts

Taste - Dark chocolate, smoke, ash, toffee

Mouthfeel - lighter end of medium bodied, low carbonation, dark chocolate upfront, smokiness on the back end

Overall - decent porter that was worth a try.

Price Point - $2.50/11.2 oz bottle

 

 

Pour is dark brown. Short, tan head that Fades slowly.

Smells roasted malts, caramel, Char, chocolate and Light earthiness.

Taste coffee, chocolate, roasty, light smoke, light caramel and light vanilla. Finish is semi-dry with a roasty and Char linger. Medium body and smooth medium carbonation.

 

 

 

 

 

look: Good head retention with dark chocolate/cherry colors.

smell: Very nice coffee aroma. Could be more intense + would benefit if smelled a bit like cherry/vanilla.

taste: Satisfying, not too bitter, yet quite tasty. A nice beer to enjoy slowly, not to sweet. This beer is perfectly balanced.

feet: A bit too effervescent.

Overall: Excellent example of the style, taste intensity is on point. Once again, DDC did not disappoint.

It pours a very dark brown with a small tan head. There is a bit of lace.
Nice aroma: roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee.
The coffee is more apparent in the taste. There is some chocolate also. Later in the taste some char comes through and I am thinking espresso.
Medium-bodied, on the dry side.
I think the beer tasted very good, considering it is almost a year and a half old.

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin brown head that dissipates to a ring around the glass with slight lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, chocolate and good coffee, slightly boozy. Flavor is dark toasted malt with good char, rich coffee, dark chocolate, thins out a bit into a charry, moderately hopped finish; ultimately leaving a bitter hop and espresso coffee aftertaste. Medium bodied with light creaminess. A very nice, well toasted porter. The smoky char flavors are good, there is realistic coffee and quality chocolate. The finish alone is a winner for me, it really tastes like that last, concentrated, slightly gritty sip from a quality cup of coffee; smoky and earthy. I wish I could get this brewery's beer more regularly in Seattle; I got this bottle in California. It's a year old, but still holding up well.

 

 

Bottom line, this is a roasted porter with a bit of campfire smoke. Body was dark brown, nearly black; one finger white head, a bit of retention but no lacing. Smell was campfire smoke, milk chocolate, burnt wood, touch of umami, light earthiness, chocolate malt sweetness. Flavour is similar; slighter smoke without too much overwhelming smoke character, light earth, milk chocolate. Mouthfeel is lighter bodied, good carbonation, smooth and a slight bit of heat.

 

11.5 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 1/22/2016. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy very dark brown color with a 1-2 finger dense khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toasted dark bread, fudge, nuttiness, smoke, grapefruit, orange peel, pepper, pine, tobacco, and herbal; with light charcoal, raisin, plum, prune, and roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, citrus/earthy hops, and light fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toasted dark bread, fudge, nuttiness, smoke, grapefruit, orange peel, pepper, pine, tobacco, and herbal; with light charcoal, raisin, plum, prune, and roast/toasted earthiness. Moderate pine/spicy hop and roast/char bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toasted dark bread, fudge, nuttiness, smoke, charcoal, citrus peel, pepper, pine, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, citrus/earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet balance, and zero astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from hop/roast bitterness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/grainy, moderately sticky/chalky, and lightly resinous balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 6.3%. Overall this is an awesome American porter! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, citrus/earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink. Pretty aggressively hoppy for the style, yet not overdone. Given the "India Style" labeling, I already knew what to expect. A really enjoyable offering.