Dieu du Ciel Dernière Volonté

Brewed by Dieu du Ciel
Style: Belgian Ale
Montreal, Canada

12oz single bottle purchased for $2.29 from Metro Joanette (probably) in Montreal. Pours a perfect cloudy light gold with good head. Fabulous aroma of hops and yeast. The taste doesn’t quite live up to the smell though. First sensation is tanginess on the tongue, and the beer goes down with yeastiness and some spice. Quite nice.

1/24/08 notes: bottle, pours light apricot. Intense floral, spice, hops, maybe even pumpkin in head. Medium carbonation for a Belgian, with sugary touch similar to Unibroue but more subdued. Great balance, and truly unique blend of spices, cinnamon, nutmeg? Great, especially for a beer not my favorite style!)

Courtesy TheCheeseMan. Cloudy dark yellow color, even white sopay head. Slightly sweet grainy aroma, mild floral notes, slight Belgian cast. Taste is slight earthy hops with some residual sweetness. Mild Belgian yeasty tastes. Quality, but not outstanding.

12 oz bottle at Uber Tavern in Seattle, Washington. Pour is a very cloudy cheddar cheese orange with a thinnish white head. Aroma of Belgian yeasty spiciness. Some cloves come through to. Taste is a bit funky, with very drying spiciness. Some citrus peel. Finish is drying. Overall, reminded me a bit of Fantome with the yeast and spiciness.

Bottle. Head is initially large, frothy, white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy medium yellow, bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted grain), moderately to heavily hoppy (resin, herbs, grapefruit), lightly yeasty (cobwebs), with notes of pepper, gum, dried pineapple, alcohol. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Tainted by overly aggressive hops of the wrong variety, which threatens to clobber what’s Belgian about it. Pity, because otherwise it’s a solid beer. I would expect this sort of treatment from a west coast American brewer, but DDC? Odd.

Near cloudy golden body with a tall heavy cream colored head. Decent lace. Initial scents of dried flowers, vanilla and mild spices. Hops dominated the aromas in the beginning but as the volatiles are driven off some milk caramel, light fruit and wheat lay underneath. Some light pencil eraser rubber seems to pop up and distract a touch. Very nice start with pale malt, mild rose and light coriander and touch of citrus. The spice and citrus take over in the middle and things become more acidic and "rough". The front is so soft and smooth. that the finish and linger are somewhat a letdown. Linger has thistle and weed flavors along with a touch of light pepper. Just nice.

11.5oz. Bottle: Belgian yeast, coriander, spices, pepper, and herbs. Poured amber/orange in color with a large, foamy, white head that lasted throughout. Cloudy. Many particles throughout. Sparkling. Excellent lacing. Flavor is lightly sweet. Tastes of yeast, herbs, pepper, coriander, and some bitter hops. Medium body. Tingly dry texture. Average to lively carbonation. Dry hop, pepper, and yeast finish.

Bottle. Luckily I got this in Montreal for $1.50, because this is not worth close to the $4+ Americans have to pay. Pours with a ludicrous (and beautiful) white head. Full nose of tart hops and pils malts. Flavor is junky and boring though, lactic malts and spent yeast. The yeast signature just doesn’t work for me in the flavor (as I find with most all DdC belgians). Needs more dough, more spice, more assertiveness, and a bit more attenuation. A most average beer.