Dieu du Ciel Bière du Mai

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

MIBF 05: Orange with a small white head, caramel aroma with green spices, medium body, lively carbonation, grainy ending.

MIBF ’05 Deep golden/orange hazy in color with a small off-white head.Spicy oregano,herbal,medicinal with a bitter dry finish.

Tap. Golden amber in colour with a large lasting off white coloured head. The aroma was very fresh, lots of caramel malts, peat, wood, earth and pine. The flavour was of earth, caramel, pine, cedar, tree bark with a hint of smoke and peat. Medium body, lively carbonation. Finishes with a lingering bitterness. Very, very good.

Numerous samples large and small at the Mondial and Dieu du Ciel. The consensus favorite of DDC’s new-for-the-fest foursome, it would seem, and I’m no different. Bright, opaque amber-gold, with a lasting bit of head and touch of lace...woody, twiggy nose with hints of juniper and wet pine needles, maple sweetness...smooth, full body is effervescent and supple yet strong enough to contain huge flavors, a dry woody crackle blending lovingly with brown sugar and light yeast, a bit of fresh pine evolving into salty driftwood on the finish...awesome.

On draught at Mondial, multiple days. My favorite of the fest. Amber-copper-caramel colored. White head is not long retained and recedes to ring. Beer is lightly hazy, with slight lacing left behind. Smells of caramel, pine nettles, sweet, thick honey and more mashed conifers. Some dry mint-like notes and maybe a bit of sweet candied citrus. Flavor begins perfumey, with pine extract-like bitterness, wintergreen, but a quickly balancing caramel sweetness is felt. Gets slightly musty and earthy through the middle, with some dry yeast and barley notes. Much like a walk through the woods, as Martin says. Mouthfeel is sticky and chewy, but not pine-sappy in anyway. It really is balanced wonderfully. It never gets close to astringent for me, and I know how astringent conifers can be. Great balance, which always seems to be very important to J.F. Medium-full body, low to moderate carbonation. Hope I see this one again.

Sampled at le Mondial de la bière 2005. Pours an amber color. Aroma is pine and other fir trees, some earthyness too. The flavor is the same, earthy with fir trees. Medium body, dry texture, soft carbonation.

Sap-like notes of cedar and pine, lime zest and ginger in the sharply resinous aroma. Hazy, almost opaque, cloudy burnished copper coloured body is topped with a decent cover of off-white head that recedes to cover with some lace. Initial menthol-like flavour takes a few sips to become accustomed to. Toasty, bready malt character emerges beneath the obvious pine/spruce/cedar spicy, sap-like flavour. Some notes of unripe strawberries. Medium body with strong carbonation that prickles the tongue. Truly unique, I had to order a second. On tap at the brewpub with Olivier_MTL.

Sample at Mondiale 2005: Poured an hazy medium brown color ale with a medium head. Aroma is quite unique with some subtle conifers creeping out as well as strong malt. Taste is also quite ‘’special’’ with the mix of conifers and spice creating something quite different. Body is full and well balance with malt. Would have preferred a more accentuated conifers beer though.