Review: Noctem Artisans Brasseurs Belzébuth Stout (Pamplemouse et Piment Oiseau)

It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed anything by Québec City’s Noctem Artisans Brasseurs - I was planning on doing a trip out there next month but since I’m broke.. that’s not happening.

Noctem’s Belzébuth Stout is a stout brewed with grapefruit and bird’s eye chili. 6.0% ABV

Appearance: This is a thick and hearty stout that has a body that’s as thick as the night, and a very heavy and deep head that’s a burn caramel/cookie dough kind of look.. with the head diminishing a tad but you get that thick burn caramel foam sticking the glass the entire time.

Aroma: I was doubting that I’d get any grapefruit from a stout but there’s a definite fruity tartness (and slight pepper presence) that’s undoubtedly grapefruit. There’s a bit of a chili spice to it combined with a bit of a cocoa presence that gives it a bit of a Mexican hot chocolate kind of vibe to it. So far, this is one of the more interesting beers i’ve had in a long time (see: other reviews of stouts with spice). 

Taste: The “bird’s eye” chili (which I’m not familiar with) seems to be very much the star of the show - it’s giving off heat in every sip, with it being a slightly vegetal (almost jalapeño but not quite) but tingling the palate at every sip, as well as a bit of a typical chili pepper presence. There’s a tad bit of tartness that I’m assuming is the grapefruit.. but at this point I’m pretty much out of it. There’s a bit of chocolate presence to it but not as much as I'd expect. Not much of an aftertaste except a slight roasted malt presence.. but I do get a warm, tingling sensation from the spice on my lips and in my whole mouth. 

Overall Thoughts: If you love stouts, spice and citrus - I definitely think you’d love this. I LOVE spiced stouts. To me, this would be perfect in the middle of February.. while I’m drinking this on a 30C evening (with a tornado watch). A lot of these kinds of stouts I’d go “this should be boozier”, but with this being 6%, the flavours just work all together.. though I wouldn’t be opposed to a barrel aged version of this stout. 

Check out more of my Noctem reviews here