Dieu du Ciel Route des Épices

11.5 oz. Translucent chestnut with ruby highlights and a two-finger, lasting creamy head. Aroma is light pepper, spicy earth, and dried wood. Flavor is caramel-coated rye bread with a big, fresh cracked-pepper accompaniment, some slight dark fruit, and earthy molasses. Near-medium body is smooth, very peppery-tongue-tingly, and slightly dry. Very strange beer, but I like it.

The beer was picked up in a 330 ml. bottle, and was poured into a pint glass. The pou looked amber to orange-brown in color and the head was two finger thick. The smell was quite malty with sweet maple syrup aromas. The taste was malty up front with the spicy sweet rye grains quite apparent, some honey showed up in the middle, while the finish was pure peppercorns. I love all of these flavors so it worked for me wonderfully. The aftertaste lingered on for eternity. The body seemed sticky and creamy. This was a rare find, a beer that pushes the envelope, but still remains very drinkable.

Bottle from Sam’s. Pours a cloudy amber with a nice tan lace and head. Aroma shows a nice rye malt character upon first smell. As it warms, the peppers really starts to show itself. Flavor, like aroma, shows the rye malts at first and the pepper lingers in the back of the throat. As it warms, the pepper becomes more and more dominant. A very unique and interesting beer, no doubt.

This is a malty beer. Not a lot of hops, but the malt is pleasant. The black pepper is noticeable in the aroma, although it’s not that almost fruity quality you get out of fresh cracked. The pepper comes through more strongly in the flavor where it cause a slight burn in the throat during the swallow. I could see the black pepper burn being a turn off for some.

33 cl bottle on 6/16/08.

App - Faintly hazy copper with a large, creamy, off white head and superb lace.

Aroma- Unmistakeable black pepper up front, caramel, dark sweet fruit like dates, figs, etc.

Palate - Medium body and carbonation, dry palate.

Flavor - Underlying malty sweetness is easily overcome by the spicy, peppery bitterness.

Definitely a beer to have with a meal, preferably a charbroiled steak or burger, something big and hearty. In that context, which is how I drank it, it matches up well. Drunk by itslef, it would almost certainly be excessive and unbalanced. If nothing else, it’s unique.

330ml bottle. A rather brown ale aroma. Ripe apricot / amber color with a beige head that didn’t stay. Medium body with creamy carbonation. Pepper!!!! Fruit. Herb. Ginger? Roasted malt. Pepper!!!!! This is not your Belgian wit. Finish is pretty dang spicey. A bit astringent. It tingles. What kind of food would this not go with? Glad I was able to try this one. Get it if you can.

Pour is a copper/orange with a spicy nose of rye, roasted malt, and pepper. The flavor is very much like freshly ground peppercorns, with notes of chocolate, roasted malt, rye, caramel, and hints of fruit. Leaves a spicy kick on the back of your tongue. Excellent spiced ale, but the body is a little thin.

Poured a rich orange color. Aroma is spicy, for obvious reasons, but the minty rye notes do come through. Flavor os what is expected, with the black pepper providing a formidable wallop. I really dug this one.