The beer in the above photo was recommended by our dear friend the Whisky Lassie. When it comes to whisky, The Lassie doesn't mess around, and based upon some of the words (Extra strong Stout brewed with coffee) and numbers (9.5% ABV) printed on the Dieu du Ciel! Péché Mortel label, she doesn't mess around when it comes to her beer drinking either. And speaking of the label...
Thanks to that handy dandy interwebz tool known as Google Translate, figuring out the English translation of the French words on the label is easy peasy. Here's what I found out:
- Dieu du Ciel! means Good Lord! That explains the exclamation point.
- Péché Mortel means Mortal Sin. Guess that's Eve of "Adam and Eve" fame on the label along with that pesky serpent.
While this bit of French translation helps explain what I'm reading on the label, it doesn't tell me all that much about the stuff in the bottle. Here's what Dieu du Ciel! has to say about their Péché Mortel:
The Péché Mortel is an intensely black and dense beer with very pronounced roasted flavours. Fair-trade coffee is infused during the brewing process, helping to intensify the bitterness of the beer and giving it a powerful coffee taste. Brewed to be savoured, we invite you to drink it with moderation.
Well that's a bit more enlightening! Let's move on to the review...
- Appearance: Deep, dark mahogany (there ain't no light getting through this beer!). Thick and frothy head of tan foam that lingers for a really long time.
- Aroma: Super rich, coffee infused, dark chocolate aroma. The more I smell it, the deeper the coffee notes become. It makes me long for an espresso made with freshly ground espresso beans like the kind that you would get in the best Italian coffee bar.
- Taste: The mouthfeel is super smooth and creamy with an almost velvety texture. Definitely boozy at the onset with a quick hit of alcohol that screams 9.5% ABV (guess it's a good thing that I've grown to appreciate a big, boozy beer!). The coffee flavors are a bit more mellow than I was expecting. It comes across like a well crafted macchiato with that strong espresso flavor and just a touch of foamy milk to cut the bitterness. The dark chocolate starts to come through in the middle. At the end, it all comes together. Coffee. Chocolate. A hint of sugar. Some cream. The aftertaste is all strong espresso with a hint of lingering bitterness.
- ABV: 9.5%
In case you couldn't tell, I really enjoyed Dieu du Ciel's Péché Mortel. This stuff is beautifully crafted and big on flavor, and as an added bonus, it's relatively easy to find. If you're looking for a big, bold, and bad ass Imperial Coffee Stout, then you should definitely seek this out. This beer is très magnifique!
Categories: Brew Review, Dieu du Ciel!
Tagged as: Beer, Beertography, Bokeh, Craft Beer, Dieu du Ciel!, Drinkwire, Imperial Coffee Stout, Péché Mortel, Photogaphy, Review, Reviews
