Beerfection

Tag: Dieu du Ciel!

  • Péché Mortel Bourbon 2021 | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Péché Mortel Bourbon 2021 | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 97/100 – World-Class

    Appearance 5/6

    The beer pours a clear black with low, dense, brown head. Poor foam retention. A good looking stout.

    Aroma 23/24

    Strong intensity with good balance. The aroma is intense, complex, and seductive.

    Big barrel notes pair extremely well with the coffee and dark malts. A healthy dose of esters, alcohol, and oxidation marry the rest of the character while adding layers. Enticing aroma.

    Flavour 40/40

    Strong intensity with great balance and very assertive perceived bitterness.

    Fantastic depth of flavour featuring a marriage of barrel, dark malts, esters, hops, and special ingredients. Masterfully executed. Top-notch.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Medium-full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is slick and smooth with restrained alcohol warming and a sweet finish. A hint of astringency but no actual harshness on the palate. Heavy impact.

    Overall 19/20

    Péché Mortel Bourbon 2021 is a world-class barrel-aged imperial stout.

    It’s astonishing how well this beer has held over the last few years. I’ve had very few stouts developing so beautifully over time. Most of the time 24 months leave a dent in the beer that makes me crave it fresh. That’s not the case here.

    Glorious flavour and overall character with fabulous mouthfeel make this a wonderful treat. Sure, I ended up preferring the 2022 and most recent 2023 editions but 2021 is absolutely worth your time, even in 2024.

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  • Péché Mortel Bourbon 2022 | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Péché Mortel Bourbon 2022 | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 100/100 – World-Class

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black with tall, dense, creamy, brown head. Great foam retention. Gorgeous appearance.

    Aroma 24/24

    Strong intensity with great balance. The aroma is complex as it is enticing.

    Dark malts, coffee, and barrel take center stage. Significant oxidation brings it all together. Some esters and alcohol add layers with a complementary, low hop character. No apparent off-notes. World-class.

    Flavour 40/40

    Strong intensity with bitter-ish balance and very assertive perceived bitterness.

    Big dark malts and coffee pair superbly with the bourbon character. Truly a marriage of malt, special ingredients, barrel, and oxidation. World-class.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Medium-full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is heavy and quite viscous yet smooth with restrained alcohol warming and a sweet finish. A trace of astringency with no actual harshness on the palate. Heavy impact.

    Overall 20/20

    Péché Mortel Bourbon 2022 is an amazing beer. It’s brimming with character, complexity, and charm. The age shows more compared to the 2023 version but it adds a delightful dimension to the beer. This is a must-try, bucket list kind of brew.

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  • À Demain Le Soleil! | Tête d’Allumette + Dieu du Ciel!

    À Demain Le Soleil! | Tête d’Allumette + Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 91/100 – Outstanding

    From a 500ml bottle served at cellar temperature at 12 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. No date information on the packaging.

    I picked up this beer from a local specialty store probably close to two months ago now… I had a very long breview list and it’s taken me a while to get through it. Anyway, it felt like the right time for this little fella.

    I tried this beer at Dieu du Ciel’s 20th anniversary event and I remember it standing out from the crowd. I’m mostly steering away from reviewing one-offs and collaborations for a multitude of reasons but on this gloomy Sunday I’m breaking my “half-ass” streak by going whole-ass on À Demain Le Soleil!.

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a veiled deep gold (pushing amber) with 4.5cm of dense, creamy, off-white head which dissipates into a solid cap within 4+ minutes. No lacing with great head retention. A good looking brew.

    Aroma 21/24

    Medium-strong intensity with good balance. The aroma is malty-sweet and fruity with a sense of intrigue.

    Pronounced caramelly sweetness and some biscuity notes pair well with a splash of alcohol and light floral tones. There’s a round, jammy quality reminiscent of strawberries and a light, earthy hop character. No off-notes.

    The dry nose is of moderate intensity, filled with biscuity, toasty malt, mild butterscotch, and a trace of earth. Great aroma.

    Flavour 38/40

    Strong intensity with good balance and pronounced perceived bitterness.

    The fine palate opens up sweet with notes of butterscotch, biscuits, and alcohol-soaked fruit – making way for a more balanced center where the robust biscuity, toasty-caramelly malt melds together with mild (yet sharp) alcohol, low earthy-herbal hops, gentle floral tones, and a touch of strawberry jam. An interesting honey character chimes in. No apparent off-flavours.

    The medium length finish is balanced and of moderate strength with notes of biscuit, toasted bread, caramel, mild floral tones, a hint of earth, a dash of alcohol, and wild flower honey. Complex.

    Mouthfeel 9/10

    Medium body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is heavy and somewhat slick with mild fizz, restrained alcohol warming, and a medium-sweet finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate. Excellent.

    Overall 17/20

    Tête d’Allumette + Dieu du Ciel! collaboration À Demain Le Soleil! is an outstanding beer.

    A good appearance sets the stage for an inviting as well as charming aroma. With a little bit more punch the nose could dazzle. On the palate the flavour is expressed in a complex, balanced, and exciting package. The mouthfeel supports the rest of the beer but it clocks in just a little thin for me. A tad more body would match the flavour depth and contribute to a uniform drinking experience.

    Overall, À Demain Le Soleil! is worth seeking out. It has character and depth paired with a sense of intrigue which makes it an easy choice on the store shelves. I’ve still seen it at some of the Montreal specialty shops so grab yourself a bottle while you can. I’d happily drink this regularly throughout the year if it was available in a smaller format at a reasonable price. Cheers y’all!

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  • Herbe à Détourne | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Herbe à Détourne | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 95/100 – Outstanding

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a veiled gold with tall, dense, creamy, off-white head. Great foam retention. A beautiful looking brew.

    Aroma 22/24

    Strong intensity with great balance. The aroma is perfumy, characterful, and complex.

    A fabulous mix of esters, phenols, alcohol, hops, and malt. Mild ethyl acetate quality but it’s not unpleasant. Punchy!

    Flavour 39/40

    Follows the aroma with strong intensity, good balance, and pronounced perceived bitterness.

    Dominated by yeast character, the flavour comes together in a delightful package including malt, hops, and alcohol. Outstanding.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Medium-full body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is slightly crisp, mouth-coating, and creamy with noticeable alcohol warming and an off-dry finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate. Excellent.

    Overall 18/20

    Herbe à Détourne is an outstanding beer.

    It packs a wallop of flavour; there’s just so much going on and the balance is really, really worth noting. Recently, I’ve fallen in love with this brew and I’m happy it now comes in a 473ml/16oz can.

    Well worth seeking out if you like beers with Belgian yeast character. It’s only missing the intangible finesse and wow-factor of a world-class beer.

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  • Péché Latte | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Péché Latte | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 87/100 – Great

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black with tall, dense, creamy, deep tan head. Great foam retention. Gorgeous appearance.

    Aroma 23/24

    Strong intensity with sharp-ish balance. The aroma is dark, rich, and enticing.

    Pronounced dark malts and coffee with restrained esters and alcohol. Low American hop character. Mild oxidation. Excellent nose.

    Flavour 35/40

    Strong intensity with decent balance and assertive perceived bitterness.

    The flavour follows the aroma with big dark malt character and ample coffee notes. Significant raw sugar quality makes a dent while low esters and alcohol add layers. Barely any signs of age (oxidation). Punchy.

    Mouthfeel 8/10

    Medium-full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is kind of slick and mouth-coating with mild fizz, restrained alcohol warming, and a sweet finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate but the sugar lingers on the tongue.

    Overall 15/20

    Péché Latte is a great beer. Yet, it’s among my least favourite Péché editions.

    The lactose claims too much space on the palate, diminishing balance, mouthfeel, and flavour perception. The beer ends up being too sweet even with the alcohol and hop bitterness rounding it out. There’s that artificial sweetener quality on the tongue after each sip.

    Having said that, this is a well-executed beer which I’m sure works really well for some people. Plenty of flavour and no major issues. For the same price, I’d take the bourbon edition any day over this.

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  • Péché Mortel – Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Péché Mortel – Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 98/100 – World-Class

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black with moderately tall, dense, creamy, deep tan head. Good foam retention. A great looking stout.

    Aroma 23/24

    Strong intensity with good balance. The aroma is deep and enticing with great complexity and a well-integrated special ingredient.

    Big dark malts and coffee take the lead while being supported by mild esters, a splash of alcohol, and ample hop character. No apparent off-notes.

    Flavour 40/40

    Strong intensity with bitter balance and assertive perceived bitterness.

    The flavour is dark malt-focused with well-integrated coffee character. Mild fruity esters and a touch of alcohol. Healthy dose of hops in there too. Quite a bit of complexity and a smashing flavour intensity.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Medium-full body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is somewhat creamy yet prickly with a mouth-coating quality and mild slickness. Restrained alcohol warming and a medium-sweet finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate. Great stuff.

    Overall 19/20

    This variation of Péché Mortel is no doubt a world-class stout. Without a direct comparison, it’s hard to say how much it varies from the regular Péché as the only changed variable seems to be the coffee type.

    In any case, this edition delivers a stellar drinking experience and it’s well worth seeking out. I’d find it interesting to sit down with one of these and the regular Péché to see what the differences are…

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  • Immoralité | Dieu du Ciel!

    Immoralité | Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 100/100 – World-Class

    From a 473ml can served cool at 8 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. Canned on 2023-09-21 – making this exactly two weeks young.

    I picked this up today from a local grocery store. Funny enough, I had an older can of Immoralite just yesterday while trying to find a last-minute, fresh beer for the evening. The age showed even if the beer was still delicious.

    Finally a whole-ass breview of this exceptional DIPA from Dieu du Ciel!.

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a slightly hazy deep gold to amber with 4.5cm of moderately dense, frothy, off-white head which dissipates into a craggy cap within 3+ minutes. Great lacing with good head retention. A great looking beer.

    Aroma 24/24

    Strong intensity with balance towards hops. The aroma is fresh and inviting with a pronounced American hop character.

    Significant grapefruit rind and pine needles dominate. Milder notes of melon and papaya round out edges by providing a suggestion of sweetness. Low perfumy alcohol and mild floral tones add layers. The citrus can take on a tangerine-like quality as well. Very low, supportive, bready-toasty malt with a trace of caramel.

    The dry nose is pungent and hop-forward with some sweaty tones, sharp citrus, resin, and bready malt. Sooo enticing!

    Flavour 40/40

    Follows the aroma with strong intensity, bitter balance, and aggressive perceived bitterness.

    The intense palate opens up with notes of citrus rind, grapefruit oil, resinous pine, and low melon. The center remains consistent but amps up the woody resinous quality as well as citrus while bringing in alcohol tones, gentle bready-toasty malt, and mild floral tones. Light tropical character lingers at the back.

    The long finish is strong and bitter with notes of grapefruit rind, pine needles, a bit of alcohol, and low toasty-bready malt along with a trace of caramel. Exceptional.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Medium-full body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is crisp yet creamy with mild slickness and a mouth-coating quality. Restrained alcohol warming with an off-dry finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate even though the impact is heavy.

    Overall 20/20

    Dieu du Ciel’s Immoralite is a world-class DIPA.

    With enough clarity, a pleasant colour, and good foam attributes the appearance sets expectations high. The aroma punches you with enticing hop-character, insisting you to have a sip. On the palate, the beer hammers you with old-school hop flavour while putting a smile on your face. The mouthfeel rounds out everything with significant weight on the palate but never holding back drinkability. There are no discernible off-flavours in this beer.

    Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!’s Immoralité is a real treat and a stellar beer. Due to its ubiquity in Québec and the brewery’s level of distribution, I find people take this for granted. In a world full of hazy IPA’s, Immoralité truly stands out without losing a connection to the past. With a perfect score, this brew makes it on the Beerfection Bucket List. My sincere reverence goes out to the people behind this beverage.

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  • Grande Noirceur Rye | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Grande Noirceur Rye | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 88/100 – Great

    From a 341ml bottle served warm at 14 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. Bottled on 2022-06-17 – making this around eight months old.

    I picked up this beer more than a month ago from a local specialty shop. Grande Noirceur Rye is part of the Dieu du Ciel! Collection Hiver 2022 which had a spectacular lineup of beers.

    In all honesty I already had a few of these and decided I need to pick up one more for a proper breview. Let’s get to it.

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black with 1.5cm of dense, creamy, dark brown head which dissipates into a partial film within 2+ minutes. Great lacing with decent head retention. A great looking stout.

    Aroma 20/24

    Strong intensity with sharp-ish balance. The aroma is almost pungent with massive barrel-character and dark malts.

    Deep and musty oak links with spicy layers of vanilla, anise, and black pepper. Dark chocolate and burnt sugar add a perception of sweetness while coffee, earth, and tobacco contribute to more complexity. Mild pine along with herbaceous menthol cut through sweetness and contribute to a perfumy quality. A wisp of alcohol here and there.

    The dry nose is rich and layered with notes of molasses, butterscotch, oak, anise, and chocolate.

    Flavour 36/40

    Strong intensity with bitter balance and aggressive perceived bitterness.

    The intense palate opens up with alcohol-soaked dark fruit (prunes + dates), burnt sugar, damp/musty wood, anise, and vanilla – making way for a potent center where the barrel character and malts really drive the profile. Notes of musty oak, anise, alcohol, vanilla, pine, burnt dark fruit, coffee, chocolate, earth, menthol, and ash.

    The long finish is strong and bitter with notes of burnt sugar, bourbon (oak + vanilla + alcohol), anise, moderate herbal-woody hops, low dark chocolate, and mild molasses. Staggering complexity.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Full body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is heavy with oily slickness, plenty of creaminess, significant alcohol warming and a sweet finish. Mild astringency with no actual harshness on the palate.

    Overall 16/20

    Dieu du Ciel’s Grande Noirceur Rye is a great beer.

    A good-looking stout with solid visual appeal. The head formation feels a little stifled and falling on the short side while collapsing relatively quickly. It does deserve full marks however. The nose is incredibly complex but I’m not loving all of it. I feel like this will not develop well over time as it will take on some type of rotten characteristics. The words enteric and fecal come to mind. The flavour follows with remarkable depth and richness of character, but I’m left with the feeling like something’s off. The mouthfeel delivers heavy impact on the palate without crossing over to harsh.

    Overall, Dieu du Ciel’s Grande Noirceur Rye is a beer worth trying. The sheer amount of flavour for a 9% stout is astounding. There’s just something about it that I don’t love. Next up? The Péché Day 2023 pack!

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  • Solstice d’Hiver | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Solstice d’Hiver | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Score: 97/100 – World-Class

    From a 341ml bottle served warm at 18 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. Bottled on 2021-12-02 – taking this right up to the 6 month mark in age.

    I picked up a whole bunch of these from a local grocery store due to an enticing sale… pretty much the only beer I’ve been drinking for the last two weeks. I rummaged through my breview list and discovered I haven’t written about this so here it goes.

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a brilliant deep copper with 5cm of creamy, dense, tan head which dissipates into a solid cap within 4+ minutes. Exceptional lacing with great head retention – especially for the style. This is as beautiful as any beer will ever get.

    Aroma 23/24

    Strong intensity with great balance. The powerful aroma is perfumy as it is deep.

    Strong malt presence of toasted bread, mild caramel, and even biscuit. Mild butterscotch note with significant dried fruit (figs) and a bit of orange marmalade. Low resinous pine with perfumy alcohol and mild herbaceous characteristics.

    The dry nose is malty-sweet with notes of caramel, dried fruit, toasted bread, and mild herbs. Tremendous complexity.

    Flavour 39/40

    Follows the aroma with strong intensity, good balance, and aggressive perceived bitterness.

    The daring palate opens up with notes of candied fruit, alcohol, and butterscotch making way for a fierce center where the initially sweet palate is pierced with resinous pine, ample booze, herbaceous tones, and grapefruit peel.

    The long finish is strong and balanced with notes of pine, mild caramel, toasted bread, grapefruit peel, herbaceous tones, and alcohol.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Medium-full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is round, slick, and mouth-coating with notable alcohol warming and a medium-sweet finish. No astringency or harshness even though this beer has a high impact on the palate.

    Overall 19/20

    Dieu du Ciel’s Solstice d’Hiver is a world-class barleywine.

    Extraordinarily attractive appearance and an impressive aroma lead into a muscular palate with striking flavour depth and an impactful mouthfeel. This is a sledgehammer of a beer and not for the faint of heart. There are no obvious oxidized characteristics which I find very surprising after 6 months of age. My intuition tells me this would develop exceptionally well over the years.

    DDC’s Solstice d’Hiver is an all around awesome beer easily competing with the best in the category. The only thing it’s missing is a certain wow-factor, which is covered when you toss it in bourbon barrels. A must-try. Superb work by the brewing team.

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  • Genèse | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    Genèse | Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!

    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.

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