Sacred Heart IX - La Débauche

Detailed Flavor Profile

Appearance: This beer pours with an opaque black body. The head is almost nonexistent or very short-lived, which is typical for a beer at 21% ABV. The oily appearance of Sacred Heart IX has even earned it the nickname “petrol” from some tasters, highlighting its exceptional viscosity.

Aromas: Intense and malt-forward. On the nose, you get a powerful bouquet of chocolate—especially milk chocolate—accompanied by roasted almond notes. Alcohol is clearly present, adding a spicy and sharp touch to the aroma. Several tasters also mention hints of dark fruit (prune, candied cherry) mingled with the alcohol, reminiscent of a spirit. Overall, it is rich and promises a bold tasting experience.

Flavors: On the palate, the attack is indulgent with dark chocolate. There’s a strong bitter cocoa flavor (evoking 90% dark chocolate) and robust coffee. Quickly, the alcohol warmth rises and reveals great aromatic complexity: notes of candied and dried fruits (dates, prunes) blend with the chocolate, followed by a touch of candied orange peel and intense spices such as black pepper. This diversity of flavors provides exceptional depth. Despite the high alcohol, the sugar/alcohol balance remains fair, with a sweet roundness, almost liqueur-like, reminiscent of a digestif.

Mouthfeel: Sacred Heart IX offers a thick, liqueur-like texture. The body is heavy, coating the palate, but surprisingly low in carbonation (almost flat), which reinforces the impression of sipping a spirit. Warmth is immediate from the first sip: this is a powerful, warming beer that will “hit” both palate and head quickly if consumed too fast. Best enjoyed in small sips.

Bitterness: Hop bitterness is very discreet, almost imperceptible. The declared 30 IBU are largely masked by alcohol and residual sweetness. Any sense of bitterness comes mostly from roasted malts and bitter cocoa, leaving a slightly astringent dark chocolate aftertaste. This remains moderate and is balanced by the malt and sweetness.

Finish: The finish is long, dominated by cocoa and alcohol. Retro-olfaction brings a lingering bitter cocoa taste and the warmth of a liqueur or aged rum. Despite its strength, the alcohol in the finish is considered “acceptable,” intense but not abrasive. The aromatic persistence is remarkable: long after the last sip, notes of cocoa, coffee, and macerated fruit continue to coat the palate.

Complexity: Sacred Heart IX is a beer of great gustatory complexity. Each sip reveals new nuances despite the dominance of the chocolate/alcohol duo. Tasters have noted black fruit, dried fruit, nuts, candied citrus, or even subtle umami hints (soy sauce–like) in the background. This aromatic richness, combined with its liqueur-like texture, makes each glass an evolving experience. In short, this is an extreme tasting beer, rich and multi-dimensional, best appreciated slowly to capture its full spectrum of flavors.

Bottle of Sacred Heart IX poured into a glass on the left, with a fireplace in the background.

Consumer and Expert Reviews

Sacred Heart IX has received enthusiastic feedback from craft beer lovers. On Untappd, it holds an average score of around 4.16/5 from nearly 200 reviews, which is exceptional. Users frequently highlight its chocolate intensity—“super chocolatey!” as one exclaims—and its round mouthfeel despite its extraordinary strength. Several note that you can “definitely feel the 21°,” but find the alcohol well integrated, softened by the chocolate and lactose that round out the flavors. One Untappd review, for instance, describes “dark fruit (plum, cherry), candied fruit, bitter chocolate… Round, sweet, liqueur-like. A bit boozy,” which neatly summarizes the beer’s character: indulgent, liqueur-like, and powerful at once. In France, beer circles have called Sacred Heart IX “petrol” or an “end-of-evening beer,” suggesting it is best enjoyed slowly, in small amounts, like an exceptional digestif.

Experts confirm the quality while adding some nuance. A seasoned BeerAdvocate member gave it 4.56/5, praising its uncommon aromatic depth. He noted a “big boomer on the nose” rich in dark fruits (dates, prunes), coffee, and chocolate, with a hint of alcohol reminiscent of vodka. On the palate, he described successive layers of flavors (plum, dry cocoa, touch of soy sauce) and compared Sacred Heart IX to the legendary Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, another extreme stout, while noting La Débauche’s creation has a more pronounced alcoholic edge that could mellow with some aging. Bière Magazine, in issue 119/120, praised “a new creation achieving aromatic complexity and richness, while drinking ‘like mother’s milk.’” This witty comment underlines that despite its strength, the beer remains surprisingly drinkable—almost deceptively so. In summary, both consumers and experts are impressed by Sacred Heart IX, its intense chocolate notes, liqueur-like texture, and masterful Eisbock brewing, which delivers such intensity without being unpleasant. Some experienced tasters simply advise aging it or sipping sparingly to best enjoy its subtleties without being overwhelmed by the alcohol.

The Eisbock Style: Origins, Traits, and Sacred Heart IX’s Place

Origins: Eisbock (or Ice-Bock) is a German beer style that emerged accidentally in 19th-century Bavaria. Tradition says that around 1890 in Kulmbach, a barrel of Doppelbock was left outside in winter by an apprentice. The freezing weather solidified much of the beer, and the furious master forced the apprentice to drink the thawed liquid fraction rather than waste it. Unexpectedly, the concentrated portion was delicious, giving birth to a new ultra-strong style: the Eisbock. Its name comes from Eis (ice) and Bock (a strong lager style).

Production: Traditionally, an Eisbock is made by partially freezing an already strong beer (usually a Doppelbock) and removing the ice. This fractional freezing removes part of the water, concentrating both alcohol and flavor. The result is a beverage far stronger and richer than the base beer. The process is long, costly, and yields little (lots of base beer for a small amount of Eisbock), explaining why Eisbocks are produced in small quantities and often sold at higher prices.

Typical traits: Classic Eisbocks are dark lagers (bottom fermentation) with 9–14% ABV. Color ranges from deep copper to dark brown. The taste is malt-heavy and liqueur-like, with intense caramel, toasted bread, and dried/cooked fruits (fig, prune) from concentrated malt. Hops are nearly absent in both aroma and bitterness, leaving malt sweetness and alcohol warmth to dominate. A good Eisbock recalls cooked wine or sherry, with warming port- or brandy-like accents and a full yet low-carbonation mouthfeel (high alcohol suppresses head retention). When well executed, it should not be harsh or overly hot: the strong alcohol balances with residual sweetness to form harmonious liqueur-like drinkability. Historically a rare Bavarian winter specialty (Kulmbacher, Schneider Aventinus Eisbock, etc.), the style has seen revivals and creative spins from modern craft brewers worldwide.

Sacred Heart IX, between tradition and experimentation: La Débauche’s Sacred Heart IX applies the Eisbock principle (fractional freezing to boost strength) but departs from tradition in its design. On one hand, it “ticks the boxes”: at 21% ABV, it is extremely strong, surpassing even typical Eisbock ranges (beyond 14%) and ranking among the strongest Eisbocks in the world. It is also low in carbonation and intended for slow sipping, true to the style’s spirit. In this sense, Sacred Heart IX fits into the modern push to stretch Eisbock boundaries, alongside record-chasing beers like Schorschbock (up to 57%) or La Débauche’s own Sacred Heart series (20–27%).

On the other hand, La Débauche offers an innovative twist. Instead of using a traditional Doppelbock (100% barley malt), the brewery collaborated with V and B to brew a “pastry” Imperial Stout before freezing it. Sacred Heart IX is presented as a “Chocolate Milk Stout Eisbock,” meaning it includes unconventional ingredients for the style: lactose (milk sugar, hence Milk Stout) and cocoa nibs. These additions bring creamy chocolate flavors and unusual sweetness. Furthermore, Sacred Heart IX was aged in Oloroso Sherry barrels, imparting oxidative notes (dried fruit, nuts) akin to fortified wines, echoing the port-like character of Eisbocks but via barrel aging. This aging, combined with roasted malts typical of stouts (grilled barley, coffee notes), clearly diverges from the Eisbock canon. The result is a hybrid “imperial” Eisbock marrying the richness of a Russian Imperial Stout (roasted malt, cocoa bitterness, ale yeast character) with the Eisbock process (cold concentration) and modern pastry stout approach (dessert-like adjuncts, barrel aging).

Conclusion: Sacred Heart IX belongs to the Eisbock family through its method and extreme strength, while broadening the style’s boundaries. It shows that Eisbock need not be tied to one recipe: like other craft brewers, La Débauche explored an original path by applying the technique to an extravagant stout base. The outcome is a unique beer that honors the spirit of Eisbock (power, malt roundness, low carbonation, aromatic richness) while offering a novel profile dominated by chocolate, coffee, and caramel. Sacred Heart IX thus perfectly illustrates the evolution of Eisbock in the 21st century: a bridge between traditional brewing (ancestral freezing technique) and the boundless creativity of modern craft brewers.

Sources:
calameo.com
pintplease.com
untappd.com
beeradvocate.com
bouar.fr
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