Dieu du Ciel Route des Épices

Brewed by Dieu du Ciel
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Montreal, Canada

Appearance: Dark siena brown, similar to an American Brown or a dark Pumpkin ale. Lots of light-tan foamy head.

Aroma: Enticing! Dark, deep malt; black and white pepper leads into shades of cocoa, cardamom, salt, coriander, and rye, with an earthy-floral (is that basil?) finish.

Taste: Rich and complex: this is truly a caravan-journey across the Spice Road. Dark tones of rye and bourbon, with a flashy peppercorn showing and a spicy finish. Dandelion shows up, as well as (again) cardamom, with slight hints of white chocolate.

Palate: A strong pepper finish -- almost hot on the throat, and yet I want to sip again and again...

Overall: Very unusual! Very pleasant, too...Dark, mysterious, appropriately bitter. Great with (I would imagine) a whole array of foods -- peppery steak for sure; smoked cheeses; anything grilled. I had it alongside a chicken-gorgonzola-walnut pasta: it was *almost* too strong for the dish, but in the end it did work well together, thanks to that gorgonzola-blue cheese. I’d try this one with mole sauce in a heartbeat. Or, for that matter, curry fries.

My only advice: don’t drink it too cold. You’ll miss out on much of what makes this beer special.

Pours a deep ruby red with a short-lived but beautifully dense head. Light, peppery aroma - slightly sweet. The rye and pepper together remind me of saffron when I taste it - quite spicy! The rye adds a lot of complexity - hints of anise too. The finish is spectacular - hot and sweet all at once. Low carbonation, but the heat from the finish really adds a bite to it would have otherwise lacked in terms of mouthfeel. This beer would be absolutely perfect with Chinese food. As a concept brew, it’s a winner. As a beer in general, well...

Bottle, pours ruby with an off-white tan fine bubbled small to medium head, maybe a few tan bubbles here and there, aromas of caramel, malt sweetness and toasted malt, I think there is a faint pepper fragrance but it is hardly there, I had to search for it, I think the caramel sort of buries the pepper (?), some fragances that resemble the Holidays – cinnamon and cloves, some caramel and malt flavors with a good pepper bite on the palate, a little too much bite, felt like it was grating on my taste buds, this beer permeated my facial cavities with pepper, mouth feel is good, interesting idea but not that great on my tongue, too much pepper bite and heat in the mouth and it overshadows the rest of the flavors, I love pepper, I put it on almost everything, but beer and pepper do not make me happy, I do not know why I would ever purchase this again, not a good thing.

12 oz. bottle. Deep ruby color. Thin, light tan head. Aroma of molasses, malt, and of course pepper. Decent amount of carbonation. Flavor is a mix of dark fruits with some rye. Once the pepper takes over, it never leaves and stays around long after the sip is over. Actually does a bit of warming in the throat, as well. Finish is dry. Interesting beer.

Bottle. Pours an amber ale with loads of pepper in the nose and taste. Reminds me of making dinner when the pepper shaker open as i was adding it to my marsala. Wow intense spices, leaves your mouth watering all the way. Very strongly spiced the rye is very over powered by the pepper. I doubt id drink it again, it was an experience if you will.

Pours deep dark amber with a shortlived froth. Sweet cakebread aromas with defined black pepper. Medium full nectar with superb carbonation. Malt driven with chocolate cakebread essence. Theres a defined pepper infusion that cuts through the malt very effectively. It seems to settle around my inner nostrils. The finish is dry with lingering cocoa and pepper spice. A little spicy heat also.

Bottle from Capones. Deep red color, stark white foam, great lacing. Nice rich malty aroma with some subtle spice notes. Something in the flavor just doesn’t work for me, the black pepper is nice but there is something else there that rubs me wrong, a sharp almost ginger like bite.

Bottle. Head is initially small, frothy, light brown, mostly lasting. Body is dark amber. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted bread, cookie), lightly hoppy (resin), lightly yeasty (cobwebs), with notes of allspice/clove/pepper, tangerine. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation, moderately burning. Neat, but a bit too much novelty for my liking. I like hot-spicy food, but a burning aftertaste in a beer just ain’t much fun. Pleasant aroma though.