Score: 95/100 – World-Class
From a 341ml bottle served warm (darn it, I dropped the ball on the temp) at 16 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. Bottled on 2022-01-07 – making this about 5 months old.
I picked up a 4-pack of these babies after having had the beer a week earlier. I decided this was a must breview kind of beer. One of the best tripels I’ve ever had. Here we go.
Appearance 3/6
The beer pours a cloudy orange with 1.5cm of frothy, off-white head which dissipates into a partial film in less than a minute. Poor lacing and head retention. Not great.
Aroma 22/24
Medium-strong intensity with superb balance. The aroma is fruit-forward, enticing, and incredibly balanced.
Pronounced apricot character marries a base recipe of pome fruit (apples + pear), moderate earthy-herbal hops, and a grainy cereal malt. Low perfumy alcohol ties it all together. Mild spicy phenols and a hint of citrus peel add intrigue.
The dry nose is characterful with notes of hay, pome fruit, dried apricots, mild phenols, and mild granola tones.
Flavour 40/40
Follows the aroma with strong intensity, great balance, and pronounced perceived bitterness.
The wonderful palate opens up slightly tart with juicy apricots, apple skins, and a splash of alcohol whereas the center switches gears by bringing in the hops (herbs + earth), malt (cereal grain), mild interesting phenols (spicy), as well as a touch of citrus peel.
The long finish is strong and bitter-ish with notes of grapefruit peel, apricots, mild herbs, low perfumy alcohol, and breakfast cereal malt. Ufff.
Mouthfeel 10/10
Medium-full body with high carbonation. The mouthfeel is crisp, lively, and somewhat mouth-coating (even slick-ish) with restrained alcohol warming and an off-dry finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate even if it has a significant presence on the tongue.
Overall 20/20
Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!’s Genese is a world-class tripel.
Having said that, the appearance could use some work as the beer is cloudy and lacking in foam attributes (texture + retention + lacing). I’m not sure if anything could be done about it without sacrificing flavour so let’s not judge a book by its cover. The aroma is inviting with nuanced layers which find equilibrium. On the palate the beer punches you with flavour while maintaining a stunning balance. Meanwhile the mouthfeel is rather full yet vivacious with a snappy, lingering finish.
Remarkable work in integrating the special ingredient which truly sets this apart from the pack. I highly recommend this beer as it is without question one of my favourite tripels in memory. My compliments to DDC – please never stop brewing this jewel.
P.S. I’m currently riding a DDC brew train so you can expect more reviews dropping from the brewery.
Beerfection 