On draught at the brewpub, 7/9/05, RBSG. Lovely red-amber to light-auburn-orange colored beer, glassy looking, perhaps a chill haze, with a smattering of off-white to cream colored head, well-retained (as are all of the beerheads on DdC’s beers). Aroma (and to some extent, the flavor)of Newman’s Own Hot Black Pepper Pretzels. Light and a bit nutty, with a slight hint of floral notes and then a bit of grainy malts, very low sweetness. The flavor begins with a hint of toasted grains, bits of sugar here and there, but stays mostly dry throughout with a slight pepper sensation picking up on the palate, climaxing in a lovely, burning ending of black pepper deliciousness! Wow, never have had a beer with black pepper as the theme before, but it functions much as a chili beer, really coming out as and after you swallow. Slow burn, quite interesting and novel. I don’t see any of the ginger qualities, this tastes like raw black pepper to me. And I eat pepper on EVERYTHING (almost). Body is medium, with a light amount of house yeast character, fairly dry, touches of fruit and a bit of breadiness/paperiness. Lightly watery texture, moderate carbonation. Though the pepper plays center stage, the usual supsects are not lost here. Yeast, hops and malt are all to be found. Really interesting stuff, I’d love to marinate a steak in this.

On nitro draught at DdC, RBSG, 7/9/2005. Thick yellow tinged white head, creamy and typical for nitrogen dispensed beer. A dull orange-copper with rusty reddish highlights in the body. Aroma of plant roots, soily and vegetal like, though not in the bad sense of the word, just smells like plant stalks cut open, some leafiness; a romp through a lush, wet forest. Kind of reminds me of an English nitro bitter, perhaps Tetleys. Somewhat dull and lightly watery. Hints of light sugariness as well. Quite dulled, overall, from the nitrogen. Flavor is more watery grains, light soiliness and a hint of nutty bitterness. Floral notes, herbs and plants. Soft hops, not tremendously fruity, with a slight tinge of caramel and light toasted grains. Thick, somewhat heavy body is quite full of water, but I feel it’s more the nitro talking than the beer. Low carbonation, quite dry and with a dull mouthfeel, watery texture. I know what they’re shooting for here, (or at least I think I do: a very bland, easy drinking session beer) but with so many other delicious low gravity choices here, I can’t see myself ever ordering this.

On draught at DdC, 7/9/2005, RBSG. Large off-white head, thick and well-retained atop a duled-ruby, orange-amber body, clear, but with a slight chill-haze to begin. Smells leafy, lightly green, fresh hops with an earthiness expressing rich soil through brown malts. Brown bread, pumpernickel and light caramel sweetness. Texture is immediately aerated, fluffy and with dense bubbles popping all over the palate. Dry toffee and light breadiness sit, somewhat heavily, on the palate, as a subtle fruitiness can be noted (light apples, cherries, oranges). Medium-fine bubbles continue to rise, while light patches of lace are left as the liquide recedes. Finish has a crisp and yet playful bubbliness. Bitterness comes out quite restrained, on the end. Medium body overall, a very well-behaved beer. Some graham crackers linger. Great balance, very relaxed on the hops.

February 2005 bottle consumed at Dieu du Ciel at the RBSG on 7/9/2005. Big yellowish head with medium-sized bubbles rising. Orange-golden body has a light shimmer to it, with a small amount of haziness. Head is well-retained. Aroma is earthy, leafy and quite dry, with hints of nuttiness. Light oranges as well, not terribly bitter or perfumey. Flavor begins with lemon rinds, tea leaves and white pepper. Very odd and unique take on the style, and it took me a few minutes to get my bearings straight with this beer. Very dry malt continues the dryish flavored trend and there is a bit of fruity/peachiness from the hops (or is it the yeast?). Mainly a floral hops flavor, not a tremendous amount of bitterness. Some light orange zest lingers on the palate, while lacing covers the glass well. Creamy mouthfeel and well balanced to the extent that it dosen’t go over the top with hops bitterness. But unique dosen’t always mean great, and I’m a little less than enamoured by this one. Too dry overall and just sort of peters out at the end. Haven’t been too blown away by DdC’s bottled beers, thus far. I think that might be more a comment on their lack of focus on bottling and less a comment on the beers’ quality. Once the laws change and they bottle higher volume, I bet things will get worked out better.

October 2005 draught Tremendously fresh and delicate aroma boasts complex hop notes as poignant and strong as any West Coast DIPA. Tangerines, honey, light cherries and plenty of honeydew melon. Very sweet, with candied oranges and apples in the background. Immensely sniffable. The flavor has a strong pine and floral hop bite, with tight carbonation delivering a softly sweet caramel malt and tons of pale malt sugars. Grapefruit grows, and bitterness climaxes in the middle, allowing the malt to steadily grow on the palate. Leafy and crystally, very green with a bit of warming on the end. Very substantial body. 9/4/8/4/16. Rating is an average of the two.

July 2006 bottle drunk on 2/25/07
Not much exciting hop aroma. A bit of juiciness and some cherries with light melon are the extent of the fruitiness. Lots of alcohol and sweet caramel, though not cloyingly so.
The flavor has a slight medicinal note, it seems, and some very raw alcohol that keeps things dry. I let it breath and warm for about 45 minutes but it never really lost this flavor. Towards the bottom of the bottle, it got a little cleaner, actually, maybe the yeast dulling some of the phenol/alcohol notes. Hops have faded a bit too much. Nice sweet texture still, though. Obviously not a beer that should be experienced in bottle, but rather fresh on tap, where it’s delicious and highly aromatic/flavorful.

January 2005 bottle at Dieu du Ciel, RBSG, 7/9/05. Smells quite sweet, very caramelized, with some unrefined sugar and cinnamon notes. Unfiltered appearacne, with layered colors ranging from orange to ruby to tan. Light tan-beige head that is thick and well-retained, providing streaks of lace on the sides. Candied sugar, caramel and light notes of scotch. Big airy/fluffy texture up front, with some light, earthy/dusty yeast. Slight warming sensation from the alcohol, on the end with some notes of medicinal herbs. Medium-full body with moderate carbonation and a little touch of noble hops. I tasted toffee moreso than maple. Well balanced and not overdone on the maple syrup at all. An interesting fall/winter fireside sipper, but I could stand a bit more earthiness/woodiness to break up some of the sweet toffee and liqueur flavors. Malt flavor thins somewhat, on the end, but this is still a marvelous beer, by far the best bière a l’érable I’ve had in Québec.

Slight hazy amber colour. Earthy, grassy aroma with hints of caramel. Large flavour - chewy malts (more caramel) and understated hops.