Péché Mortel (Imperial Stout Au Cafe)
I've had this on tap at the brewpub before, and that's made me pretty damn biased against the bottled version (especially at the several State Line Liquors tastings during which I've been served this beer... turning my nose up thinking about the offering I had on tap). But I'm breaking my self-imposed rule of only reviewing beers if I'm on my final bottle of a (bomber/4pk/6pk/case) and reviewing this with 4 bottles left in my wonderful boxed 6 pack purchased my my even more wonderful girlfriend during her trip to Montreal. A: Aside from the head being a surprisingly lighter brown (like Ovaltine with too much milk) than expected, this is exactly the beer one would expect. Served in my nonagonal pint glass, it looks juuust right. The high alcohol content leaves a tiny bit of just-hanging-on lacing on the top of the glass. S: The reason I've given this category a lower score than the others is because, like a few high-alcohol beers I've had, there isn't as much of a robust smell left as one would desire. I had a bottle of Founders' Breakfast Stout before this and was blown away by being able to smell it so strongly as I poured it (on a counter littered with the remnants of a tomato and basil salad, no less) and this beer is lacking in that department. Of course, I'll be posting a separate review next time I have it on tap, as that's a whole different story. Either way, gorgeous notes of coffee, chocolate, and lactose are picked up on the nose. T: Worth every accent aigu that's been expended to name this amazing beer. Tastes of bittersweet dark chocolate, followed by the taste of a creamy... well, I must refer to my girlfriend's moniker to describe a chocolate flavored iced coffee: "mocha drink." The fact that one can find this enchanting flavor in a beer that is almost as boozy as red wine is quite the achievement. I drank this out of the refrigerator, which means it's likely in the 40 degrees Fahrenheit range. I know that's too cold for a lot of Imperial Stout drinkers, but it's right on the money for this particular beer: it shows its alcohol content more than the average below 10% brew. I tend to chalk that up to the beer tasting so damn fresh, and I can only imagine what changes it goes through when it's been aged in a cellar (perhaps I'll let you know about that when I own more property than a 2nd floor apartment). M: Creamy. Maybe I'm biased, as during the day I drink my coffee black - but this is something I would welcome for breakfast every morning if I were confident in my ability to hold a valid driver's license. It's delightfully smooth and creamy, and the coffee flavor is merely a small part of what makes it so special. One would swear that whole milk is involved to give it such a heavy, creamy mouthfeel - but that's just the wizardry of Dieu du Ciel at work. D: I'm the kind of guy who'd order a chocolate milkshake at one end of the boardwalk... and end up craving another for my walk back. So for me, the drinkability warrants a perfect score. I know this is $5+ per bottle in the United States. I know. It's $20 or less for a six pack in Quebec, so if you get a chance to visit, buy a lot of it. But for now, reconsider the $8+ bomber of stout you're going to buy from some American microbrewery and buy a 12 oz. bottle of this instead. You'll be oh so glad you did - and you'll be inadvertently helping out the Montreal tourism industry - as a trip to Vices et Versa and the Dieu du Ciel brewpub will be in order ASAP.