Dieu du Ciel Clef des Champs

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

draught. copper body with a small white, creamy head. aroma is spicy - pepper and rye abound. smooth creamy body with some spice towards the end. unassuming astringent spice on the mouth and throat. an interesting brew.

Dark amber body, small creamy white hed fades. Mild fruit aroma and muted spices is pleasant but struggles to stand up to the surrounding bar smells. Mild fruitiness in the flavour blends quite well with delicate spicing. I don’t know my spices well enough to pick it apart, but it is quite nice. Light herbal notes. Average palate. Pleasant.

Amber/light caramel colored, with a patch of lace, similar to the few other Gruits I’ve had a chance to try.
Spicy, spruce and pumpernickel, some peppermint and a cattyness that I’ve detected before in some english brews, but that was from the hops, and I’m not even sure this Beer had hops at all. It ends up with a patchouli creshendo. Intriguing!
Mid carbonation, which may not be totally true to style but a thumbs up from me, the spruce Beer and herbal taste comes clean. It does however mask the malt, I was expecting a bit more rye, but still quite enjoyable.

Verre de dégustation de 4 oz. à la brasserie. Arôme: Odeur de céréales, de caramel et d’épices. Apparence: Couleur blonde. Mince col mousseux. Faible densité des bulles. Large dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de seigle et d’épices (Coriandre entre autre). Court arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est mince. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Arrière goût de céréales. (Rating #270)

Honey amber hue, with a shy foamy head, floral heather, juniper, hint of blueberry fruitiness, spicy of medicinal herbs aromas follow through on a medium-bodied palate, with spicy, juniper, herbal accent, good acidity, leading to a dry hop bittering finish.

Amber body displaying a gentle haze and a quickly fading white head. Enticing somehow sweet rye aroma, proposing a harvest of herbal spices over a fresh barley display. Floral components evolve in and out of the shadow of juniper, orange, mellow yet sappy hops. Delectable balance for a beer in which yeast and spices work hand in hand to create a vast array of noticeable flavors. Mostly sweet, yet very balanced. Creamy light-medium body. Delicious aftertaste, very creamy and herbal with intertwined honeysuckle and anise peaks. One of those beers that beg for the next sip. Okay, I’ve yet to try Kuhnhenn’s, but I did enjoy this one heavily. A winner for sure.

On draught at the brewpub with MartinT, 4/16/05. Predominantly a copper-golden color, though there is a deeper tinge of amber giving this a colorful, pleasing body. Large, lazy bubbles rise to the top slowly and a very small white head appears, but is fairly quick to vanish. Served in a convex English pint glass, the aroma is still full and complex. Heather, rosemary, light anise and orange blossoms, lilac and light apples. The flavor begins with a good amount of heather, pears, cactus, tangerines, strawberries. Though the heather is the only thing of those noted that is actually in there, the combination of many herbs and malt produces a wonderful amount of complex flavors. Finish is fruity-sweet, with berries (juniper perhaps?), light caramel and oranges. Good amount of breadiness as it warms. Lively carbonation, but not overcarbonation, makes this quite refreshing on the hot spring day I had it. A slight bit of wateriness as it warms, but nothing out of style for a gruit. Medium body. I liked that there were no astringent notes, as I’m not a big fan of rye driven traditional ales. My overall experience was tempered, somewhat, by having had Kuhnhenn’s Gruit, which I feel is the best gruit I’ve had to date.

Pours a hazy golden color with a ring of white lace. Strong and excellent aroma and flavor of herbs, grass, caramel and rye with a sweet finish. Full body, creamy texture, lively carbonation. This beer is excellent and extremely well done, I think it’s definitely under-rated.