Brasserie Dieu du Ciel Grande Noirceur

Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Grande Noirceur, Imperial Stout, Ale, 11.5% ABV.


At last, a Russian Imperial Stout that celebrates a rejection of Russian and Communist themes. "Grande Noirceur" means "great darkness" and refers to  the conservative policies undertaken by the government of Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis in the 1936-1939 and 1944-1959 period. (I'm not smart, I just copy and paste wikipedia.)

Utter blackness, rich brown head, lasting long, looking good.

Beautiful cocoa nose, nice and chocolatey, sweet and dry and scrumptious. Mmm. hmm.

In the mouth: big, brassy, bold bitterness and fierce and rich malt flavors. Thick. Rich. Cocoa. Molasses. Everything you want is here. Deep, dark, luxurious.

Great beer, go drink one.

Dieu du Ciel Derniere Volant Belgian-style IPA

Here's something odd. I don't remember having this beer before. But, apparently I did. Unaware of that, I picked this up and wrote some notes on it last night.


Brasserie Dieu du Ciel ! (sic) Derniere Volonte Belgian-style India Pale Ale, 7% Alc./Vol. Brewed and bottled by Microbrasserie Dieu du Ciel, St.-Jerome, Quebec. Product of Canada.
It's been a bit since I had something from these guys. Looking forward to this one.

Appearance: hazed, pale golden coloring, lots of suspended yeast floating about, under a voluminous ivory head, leaving lace.

Aroma: Beautiful Belgian yeast notes, all the grace and light spicy/fruity notes of a Belgian pale ale or a triple, very nice. Slight citrus hints shining through, too.

Taste: Juicy fruit grabs the palate first, floods the tongue, with citric and piney hop notes popping out. Belgian ethereality (some call it bubblegum) emanates throughout. Light, bright and shiny. Lean-bodied, with a long, bittersweet finish.

Time to read the tiny print on the label. Getting glasses on…okay…"Derniere Volonte (French for "last will") is a mix of English and Belgian brewing traditions. Complex flavours of hop flowers and spicy, fruity esters from our Belgian yeast are perfectly balanced with the robust flavors and aromas of malt. The finish is commandeered by an assertive aroma from dry-hopping."

It's a distinctively Belgian-style take on the Belgian IPA, versus those America styled ones you get in America. And I like it. Good beer, you can drink it. (Though it isn't exactly cheap. Nothing good ever is.)

So, I went to BeerAdvocate and found that it's been around since 2004, and I wrote this in 2009:


Clouded amber color, with multiple floating fellers...smallish white head.

Clean,hoppy aroma...bright citrus notes jumping out, vibrant lemon and orange, with a hint of spice.Lovely.

Brisk carbonation...Spicy, hoppy blitz on the palate, buzzes along... medium bodied,long,hoppy finish...definite Belgian yeast character at work.

Good stuff here. I could drink it and drink it.

New Belgium/Dieu du Ciel Heavenly Feijoa Tripel

New Belgium/ Brasserie Dieu du Ciel Lips of Faith Heavenly Feijoa Tripel, Ale Brewed with Feijoa and Hibiscus. 9% Alc. by Vol. (Is that a mouthful or what?)

I have no idea what feijoa is. At all. I barely know what hibiscus is. So, let's drink the beer and find out, okay?

It's a clear, dark amber/copper color, slim ring of foam atop.

Aroma is fresh, fruity and flowery. Who'da thunk it? Peach, apple, pear, herbal and malty. Light and lovely.

On the tongue, more fruit, more flowers, meeting the high alcohol. A harsh sweetness hits hard, masking the malt. Maybe there's a tripel lurking below, but these other flavors clash too much, making something completely new, and not altogether nice. I'm still wrestling with it, while looking at the label artwork, and how it imagines that all bicyclists go to heaven when the rapture comes, their vehicles borne away on angelic wings, while the motorists are stalled and suffer a hellish fate.

Now, here comes the gobbledygook" "Oh, my God, it's not only a reaction for drinking one of die de ciel's beers, but a figurative transaction of the Montreal brewer's name. Just ask our brewmaster, he's in heaven when drinking this collaborative tripel, inspired by Dieu de Ciel's love of hibiscus and Belgians love of the obscure, hence our addition of tart feijoa fruit, Cheers!"

Okay, I'm getting that tart jolt, that cherry-, or rapsberry-like twang on the palate. It's an interesting mix, and potentially an enjoyable one, but it's working on me…yet. I'll give it some time….It's well-balanced, for sure. It mixes well in the mouth, the fruit and the flower sit well together, but they overshadow whatever tripel is below, and I've just never found tripel to be a style that should be trifled with and trussed up and fructified.

Okay, it's finally working, and find that it's actually pretty fun and enjoyable. It's getting sourer and sourer, nice bitterness rising up. I'm liking this more and more. I'm crossing over. It's good, refreshingly sour and fruity, and utterly delicious.