One of the most revealing things about Dieu Du Ciel! is the Via Dolorosa, or Act of Faith Statement that is proudly displayed on their website.  In it, Steph Ostiguy, Head Brewer Jean-Francois Gravel, Lucky Boivin, and Isa Charbonneau speak volumes about their value system – one that stands as a core foundation for this superior brewer.  

Refusing to apologize for the cost, these are brewers who are committed to investing in their employees and in sound environmental decisions, crafting beer that touches the palate with rich complexity and intense flavor and graces the tables of many fine restaurants and pubs.  Purity of product means understanding the rationale behind the development of each style.  This can only be achieved through a focus on travel, taking courses, reading, investing in new equipment, and engaging in reciprocal dialogue with other World Class brewers.  They are open to experimentation and creativity, but scorn the latest fads designed to make a quick market-hit.

On a recent trip to Montreal, I ran into fellow beer fanatic, judge and writer, Carl Kins from Kortrijk, Belgium.  Exclaiming “Oh My God!”  (the loose translation for Dieu du Ciel!) we both knew we were headed in the same direction, to Dieu du Ciel! Brasserie Artisanale, located on Laurier Street Ouest. From the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth it was a brisk, 4 km walk uphill to Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, where this little gem nestled quietly on the corner in a working-class neighborhood, never daring to show-off her charms.

Dieu du Ciel! - inconspicuously nestled on the plateauInside, an air of casual relaxation spilled into the room.  A dozen tables were scattered in the front section and a tiny bar to the right was filling quickly. The bar gave a good vantage point – a room with a view, so to speak.  Casey Hard from Max’s Taproom in Baltimore was already enjoying a few brews, and asked us to join him.

We were on the hunt to taste some of the most exciting beers in the world at their source.  As is always the case, we missed out on a few that had piqued our imagination: 

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Isseki Nicho Imperial Dark Saison - a hybrid of Imperial Stout and Belgian Saison and created as a collaboration between Dieu du Ciel! and Shiga Kougen, a Japanese brewery in Nagano, Japan. 

Neuvaine (Novena)Absinthe Beer - the most bitter beer brewed at Dieu du Ciel! – crafted with absinthe and fennel. 

"Dieu du Ciel!" exclaims Carl Kins of BelgiumAphrodisiaque cocoa and vanilla stout had its birth in 2003, but consumer laws in the United States had blocked Dieu du Ciel! from marketing this beer with such a name, implying that it might not measure up to its claims.  With a label change to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, Shelton Brothers gained approval to import this beer into the US market in mid 2009.  Made with fair trade cocoa and top rate vanilla beans, Aphrodite is dressed in flavors of vanilla, dark chocolate, roasted malt, and bourbon. 

There was little need to whine about what we missed.  With three of us in “tasting mode,” we could switch and share enough to sample a grand cross-section of finely crafted beers:

Paienne Ale Blonde (Pagan) – Blonde Ale – 5% ABV – First brewed in 1998 – Well balanced with flavors of morning biscuits, this summer quencher pours a light amber with fluffy white head and light bitterness.  At the Montreal Mondial de la Biere 2009, Paienne was one of ten beers selected by an international panel of nine judges to receive a Gold Medal in the MBiere Contest, proving that a well crafted beer with superb balance can stand up to any extreme beer in the medal-winning category.

Fumisterie Smoke Screen – Hemp beer is a complex beer, merged in the traditions of German and English brewing.  Oozing with sweet malty caramel, brown sugar and fresh pear, the flavors are enhanced by the addition of hemp seeds in the brewpot, adding a rugged earthiness,  while delicate, herbal hops balance the sweetness in the finish.  Illegal in the USA, you will need to travel north of the border to enjoy the 5.5% ABVs. 

Déesse Nocturne (Night Goddess) Stout – This deep, roasty goddess delivers herself cloaked in inky darkness, with aromas of bittersweet chocolate and coffee.  Pressurized with nitro, the head is tan, compact, and creamy, while light effervescence bubbles through her alluring body.  She clocks in at 5% ABV.
Voyageur des Brumes ESB – This Fog Traveler ESB delivers as deep mahogany with coppery lights shimmering around the edges.  Full of caramel maltiness, a fruity profile emerges, lightly touched with characteristic butterscotch and gentle, balancing hops.     

Rosée de Hibiscus – incredible sweet floral nose, low hop level – Dressed in the pastel hues of a pink sunset, this artisanal creation lights the stage with aromas of a flowering arbor on a tropical island.  Uncommonly fragrant, the hibiscus flowers used in the brewing process impart a lasting acidity that tempers the sweeter wheat graininess, while needing only light underlying hopping for balance.   

Grand‘Messee Alt – SThe impressive line-up of Dieu du Ciel! hand-crafted beersunday Mass is a German Altbier, born from the traditions of Dusseldorf, the region in which this old style of beer was bred.   Deep copper, with a thin tight head, a fresh, baked challah character takes hold, tempered with German-style Noble hops.  This brew was a little off that evening,  not our favorite in the mix. In all fairness to Dieu du Ciel!, our perception could have been affected by palate fatigue or by the beer tasted just prior to this one, so a re-tasting would be recommended.

Chaman ‘Cask’ Imperial Pale Ale – Deep amber hues announce this double IPA with 8% ABV.   Crafted with a combination of malts, it has an American West Coast hop-forward profile. Floral, dry and complex with a bitter finish, the cask-conditioned freshness makes fast friends with lovers of Real Ale.  

Double Tripel Biere Belge Forte  - This Strong Belgian Ale clocks in at 11.5% ABV.  Perhaps it would be better described as an Imperial Tripel, in the tradition of extreme American brewing that takes styles to the farthest side of the brew-kettle.   Specially brewed for the 15th Anniversary of the Mondial de la Biére 2008, this baby will knock you to outer space with the fuel of Left coast style hopping and larger-than-life alcohol.

Corne du Diable – Horn of the Devil is an American IPA, with cranberry-red highlights and an assertive hoppy nose.   As an American interpretation of English India Pale Ale, it sings with rich maltiness and a distinctive hop nose, brought alive by dry hopping.  Superb!  

Péché Mortel –  Mortal Sin steams of smoke and a roasty profile.  The intense obsidian body gleams like oil in the glass, while aromas of roasted grain and imported coffee encircle your head.  At 9.5% ABV, the power punch of this Imperial stout lies in wait like a shadow on the horizon. 

Rigor Mortis ABT – This Belgian Quad sates with the distinctive complexity of a Trappist ale.  Rich malts and fruitiness are reminiscent of a Christmas fruitcake, with intense alcoholic warmth seducing the nose into sweet surrender.  Caramel flavors dance in the middle with chocolate and anise partners. 

Dernière Volonté – (Last Will) – This Belgian blonde, styled after the traditions of the Belgian Abbeys, greets the nose with the fruitiness of lemons, melon, peaches and grapes.  It gently pulls you into a corner of spiciness with floral hoppiness and alcoholic warmth. 

Route des Épices – Peppercorn Rye Beer – Such a complex beer is worth its weight in gold!  Flavors of fresh baked bread, grain, chocolate and sweet caramel malt merge with hints of dark plums.  Slowly, the heat of peppercorns added to the brew begin to warm the back of the throat, then follow with heat and liveliness on the tongue. 

With a final grin, we decided it had been a wise decision to walk. 

Cheers!