Dieu du Ciel! Solstice d'Hiver Réserve (Oak Aged / Bourbon)

This noble brown winter beer with fiery reflections offers a complex aroma of fruit, alcohol and hops. Once tasted, it is slightly sweet with a hint of burnt caramel. Aged in American oak barrels, the bitterness has eased and it has wooden notes topped with a subtle touch of vanilla. A maderisation occurred after maturation in the barrel (aged one year), and the textures and flavors blend, becoming sweeter.

179 reviews

Saint-Jérôme, Canada

Community reviews

4.1 Bottle from biere-import. Appearance is somewhat murky dark copper to brown. Head is thin persistent and beige to brown. Taste is light to medium sweet, medium bitter. Body is very smooth. Finish is long and tasty. Aroma is vanilla, spices, bourbon, fruity, malt, caramel. Flavour is bourbon, roasted, caramel, fruity, hops, chocolate, chili. Thank you Dieu du ciel for this!

4.1 This is a great beer. Pours dirty brown with a small top. Aroma is sweet bourbon and malt with light hops with some raisins. Taste is the great base of solstice d’hiver but add a delicate touch of bourbon sweetness. Pairs so well.

4.1 Pours a nice chestnut brown with slight off-white head. Moderately boozy aroma with roasted notes. Light Bourbon booziness up front, roasted body, not too sweet which is nice, some earthy notes hit the sides of the mouth and linger in the finish. Quite good and warming on the first day of winter. Notes: on tap at the Brew pub during Dec ’16 Montreal visit.

3.8 Extremely woody but not harsh at all. Not boozy. Brown. Sweet. Super smooth. Thx youri.

4.4 15/VIII/16 - 341ml bottle from a trade @ home - BB: n/a, bottled: I/2010 (2016-856) Thanks to yourilevesque for the trade! Clear purple brown beer, small creamy beige head, unstable, bit adhesive. Aroma: lots and lots of vanilla, sweet, some caramel, pretty oxidized. MF: soft carbon, full body. Taste: bit sweet and sugary in the start, lots and lots of vanilla, bourbon, pretty oxidized, little sourish. Aftertaste: more oxidation noticeable, sweet, some orange peel, sherry touch, vanilla, very sweet.

4.2 Apparence : Terre cuite, reflets rouges vifs, très mince col brun sans rétention. Nez : Bourbon, Bourbon, alcool, boisé… la première effluve ne trahit pas le vieillissement! On a par la suite des arômes de sucre grillé, de sirop d’érable foncé et, oui oui, de sucre à la crème! Intensité très élevée. Goût : Bourbon, alcool, sucre grillé, un peu de fruits rouges du Bourbon, finale en amertume très contrôlée et alcoolisée. Très intense. Sensation : Effervescence moyenne à faible, picotement sur la langue, corps dense (sans être extrêmement dense), bonne chaleur dans la gorge et les joues, finale amère et alcoolisée qui perdure longtemps. Bref : Très intense, cette bière porte définitivement la marque du vieillissement en fut de Bourbon et ce, à plusieurs égards. D’abord, le nez ne fait aucun doute, on y retrouve du Bourbon, de l’alcool et du bois. La bouche n’est pas en reste non plus au niveau de ces saveurs et présente un équilibre beaucoup plus intéressant que la version originale concernant l’alcool et l’amertume. Cette dernière, particulièrement, est très bien domptée par le temps et se marie bien au reste des saveurs. Très bonne, réconfortante et intense.

3.7 Couleur : Brun chocolat, trouble, avec un collet de mousse presque inexistant et une faible effervescence. Arôme : Ça sent la vanille, l’alcool, un petit côté boisé, le caramel et les fruits confis. Goût : Ça décape le fond du pallet. C’est amer avec un côté terreuxm liquoreux, caramel. Le goût est également très alcoolisé, peut-être dû au vieillissement en barriques. Appréciation : La bière est très certainement difficile d’approche, mais au fil du temps, on l’apprivoise. C’est sucré et amer à la fois. L’alcool est facilement reconnaissable, ce qui était peut-être à prévoir, mais un peu décevant pour mes goûts personnels.

3.9 [2013] 341ml bottle. Murky brown with a foamy beige head. Flavors are burnt caramel, chocolate, bourbon, raisins, licorice, alcohol, oak and vanilla with fruity and nutty notes. Full body, moderate carbonation, smooth texture texture.

4.3 Bottle bought at the latest ddc release 2015 edition A: bourbon, caramel, licorice, alcohol, light raisins, light coconut App: brown with reddish highlight smallish white head some lacing. T/p: full body with long bitter finish. Soft carbonation. O: the regular version is already so good the bourbon adds a nice depth of flavour to make it remarkable. Ok, no need for sex tonite this was enough.

4.1 July 20, 2015. Bottle at Dieu du Ciel, 2014 vintage. Murky brown with a minimal tan head. Aroma is malty with toffee and caramel some dried fruits, raisins, figs and some barrel presence as well with oak, vanilla and bourbon. Taste is medium sweet with caramel, figs, vanilla, bourbon, light roasted bitterness in the finish with some oak and bourbon alcohol notes. Medium bodied, soft to average carbonation.

4.8 Dark, opaque colour, with strong aromas of caramel, malts, wood and bourbon. Sweet, malty, bourbony, heavenly taste. An excellent, excellent beer. Too bad it’s not made year round.

4.0 Bottle from SlovakSniper. Rich marshmallow bourbon aroma. Rich dark fruit taste with vanilla and oak. Sweet with a boozy dark fruit finish. Not sure whether or not I like the bourbon barrel version better.

4.6 Bottle from yourilevesque. Vintage 2014 Many thanks! Dark brown colour, creamy beige foam. Nose of red fruit, plums, bourbon, vanilla, brown sugar. Sweet and malty with fruity notes. Very well balanced, not too boozy or alcoholic. Very nice winter sipper.

3.9 2014 edition. Pour is deep mahogany with a small but fairly persistent cap. Nose is residual sugar and caramel, oak, vanilla, dark fruit, earth. Taste is sweet and syrupy, moderately spicy. Dry and boozy with a slightly bitter finish. Like a bourbon-y port. Very nice winter sipper. Maybe should've aged it more.

4.0 Beautiful. Pours a dark, slightly viscous brown with an opaque body and a thin beige head a few bubbles thick. The nose is rich and literally wafts off the glass with a strong alcohol presence and a ton of roasted caramel and toffee notes, light hints of wood, vanilla and earthen notes. Vanilla is more noticable in the flavour profile with a rich toffee and molasses malt backbone. Bourbon barrels did a wonder here leaving a ton of rich and silky wooden notes to balance the alcohol and heavy malt base. Vanilla comes through more in the aftertaste. A great brew for a cold night.

4.1 Couleur du caramel brûlée avec presque pas de mousse. L’arôme du sucré brun, du bourbon, caramel, fruits séchées, et un peu d’houblon. Un peu comme un porto. En bouche c’est très similar, et l’alcool n’est pas trop fort. Très buvable pour le style. Très complexe et parfaite pour une soirée d’hiver!

4.1 Bottle (2009 version) [from trade with yourilevesque] shared with kermis @ Night before crazy Danish ticking spree whilst planning to give Dean a wedgie - tasting. Opaque dark red-brown color with medium sized beige head that lasts for quite a while. Aroma is malts, heavy oak, (Dutch) "boomschors", pretty sweet, sticky resinous sweetness. Taste malts, (I’ve got) massive wood, loads of oak flavors, sweet, sticky resin, lightly alcohol though pretty well hidden. Full body, suitable medium carbonation.

4.1 Bottle shared thanks to Benzai at night before crazy Danish ticking spree tasting. Pours cloudy brown with a thick tan head. Aroma is oak forward, bourbon, molasses, caramel, fudge, vanilla and booze. Flavour is heavy sweet with and oily light sticky palate. Full bodied with soft carbonation.

4.7 With livley intensity of empowering flavour and a gentle yet strong smooth lingering after taste. This beer has defined layers consiting of a complexity of mild bourbon followed by its sweet dessert like features coating your tongue leaving a delicate sweet yet intense after taste.

3.6 Pours a caramel brown color with little to no head. Nose of bourbon, caramel, toffee, dark fruit and vanilla. Somewhat sweet taste at first with a strong alcool finish. Medium to full body.

3.1 Brown pour. Nose is caramel, booze, wood. Taste is booze, wood, caramel, ash.

4.0 Black body, not typical barley wine. And indeed more roasted, more like an imperial porter. Very nice though. Well aged and lots of bourbon sweetness, but it matches the beer. Excellent brew. Quite classic in appeal (that’s positive here). (Bottle traded with Papou)

3.4 bottle thank you to glouglouburp for this "complex aroma of fruit, alcohol and hops" beer. 2009 on the ribbon and properly stored in kitchen cupboard till 2015. aroma of big sweet boozy rum cake, figs, dates. bit of dimetap. alcohol soaked date/fig/over ripened plum fruit with a licorice and cough syrup pete. mellowed out. not overly sweet. only big gripe is the cough syrup presence, otherwise warming and somewhat drinkable.

3.5 Couleur brune foncee au reflets rougeatres avec un mince col assez résistant. Aromes assez complexes d’épices de caramel de fruits rouges, d’alcool, de bois et de terre. Complexes mais un vin d’orge un peu irratable au bout du compte. Rspectable tout de meme!

4.0 Bottle says bourbon aged, but can’t find any entry for that. 2014 version. Pours murky brown with limited head and lacing. Nose is sweet syrups and cereal. Flavours dark fruit, syrup, leather. Taste med/big sweet m d/big bitter.noily and sticky mouth with lively biddy and big alcohol burn.

4.0 Bottle shared by alexsdad06. Poured hazy reddish brown color with an average frothy off-white head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate to heavy dark fruit, toasted malt, vanilla alcohol and wood aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. Moderate to heavy dark fruit, vanilla sweet flavor with a medium to heavy dark sweet finish of moderate to long duration. This is a complex standout beer.

3.9 341ml bottle, thanks to alexsdad06 for sharing. Has a gold sticker on the neck reading "Reserve Speciale 2009 Vielle en fut de chene". Hazy brown color. Thin bubbly khaki head, a few bits of lace. A touch of bourbon in the nose, chocolate, tasty caramel. Vanilla and big oak in the flavor. Moderate to bigger sweet taste, light to moderate bitter. Doesn’t taste very oxidized for a 2009 beer, that’s impressive... If it is, the flavors of age work well with this beer. Medium to bigger body. Smooth, lighter carbonation, good full feel. Kind of slick in the mouthfeel then drying a bit in the finish. Good long oaky and malty aftertaste. Impressive how this manages to be not too sweet, with a nice complex nutty chocolatey rich malt still. A great oak-aged barleywine. Would be very interested to try this fresh..

4.0 11.2 oz bottle shared with the group. Pours a clear dark caramel brown color with a small off white head/film. The aroma has sweet caramel malts, oak, bourbon notes whether it was there or not, dark fruits, prunes, oxidation. The flavor is very smooth, sweet caramel, maple syrup, oak, bourbon, dark fruits, some alcohol, good sipper.

4.3 Update with 2015 bottle. 4 years old. Aroma is so good! The bourbon is so similar to that pmb 2015. So well integrated and so present. Love it. Increased rating from 4.1 to 4.3 Bottle from local IGA. Thanks Jo. Aroma: caramel, bourbon, sugar. App: dark brown with small tan head. Smooth, medium sweetness, finish is alcohol. Overall: wow. What a nice finish on the bourbon! Really enjoyed it. The bourbon barrel aged really adds a lot to this beer.

4.0 Pours a deep amber-brown with an average size diminishing tan head. Awesome aroma of dark fruit, hops, brown sugar, oak and alcohol. Flavour of dark fruit, brown sugar, chocolate, hops and oak.