Corne Du Diable - Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel

PicoPapa

Connecticut

3.71/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

341mL bottle purchased in Montreal. Pours a medium brown color with almost no head. Some lacing. The aroma is earthy with spicy hops, caramel, malts with floral hints. The taste is earthy with spicy and floral hops. Caramel sweetness with some bread. Floral bitterness at the finish. More malt flavor than most American Ipas. Light mouthfeel. Drinkable with a small alcohol presence. Overall, decent.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 17:00:27 | More by PicoPapa

roundthewaygirls

Virginia

3.76/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

poured into a tumbler

A: hazy, burnt sienna/dark orange when held to the light. no head. moderate lacing. very murky. not the prettiest of beers, but that don't mean a thang.

S: caramel, sticky molasses on the bottom. malty. subdued hop presence. surprising because of the supposed dry-hopping.

T: floral hops right up front. gives the illusion you are drinking tea. the tea feel lingers until after the finish. very effective and intense dry-hopping. after the sharp bitterness, there's notes of caramel. the taste is not as sweet as the smell.

M: light to medium bodied. not particularly carbonated. dry.

O: very unique brew. definitely showcases the dry hopping. the floral hops and the tea qualities are predominant. unassuming yet well-balanced.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 03:41:32 | More by roundthewaygirls

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.76/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured a half finger of head on a hazy, deep red colored body.
The aroma is a rich caramel and barnyard smell.
The taste is pretty malty with just a moderate lemon bitterness and finishes with a spicy hot note. Quite interesting and good.
The texture is crisper with moderate carbonation.
I think it drinks like a hoppy red ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 01:24:49 | More by Fatehunter

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

4.53/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

341ml bottle served in a tulip glass.

A: First of all, perfect beer art. Dieu du Ciel makes, IMHO, the most beautiful beer labels ever! Pours a dark amber clear color forming a medium, creamy and beige head. Medium to low retention and lots of lacings left

S: Very sweet caramel in the nose. Candy sugar and flowery and pine hops. Fruity with notes of pineapple and grapefruit

T: Follows the nose. A slightly sweet upfront with strong notes of caramel malts and toffee. Nice yeasts which are somehow, a bit Belgian. Hoppy bitterness is, however, quite stingy and dry. Good bitterness. Again, an American IPA with a little touch of Belgian IPA

M: Absolutely smooth in the mouth, a strong quality of Dieu du Ciel. Medium body and carbonation with a persistent caramel malts and piny hoppy aftertaste

O: Excellent drinkability. Great American/Belgian/Canadian IPA :)

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 12:44:02 | More by eduardolinhalis

Sunnanek

Sweden

4.03/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: Pours warm amber with a medium tall beige compact and thick head. Nice lacings.

S: Caramell malt, somewhat sweet. Bitter hops but even more floral; grapefruit and pineapple with a twist of lemon sezt. Complex.

T: Follows the smell with a nice balance between sweet malt, bitter hops and fruit from the floral hops. Rich bitterness.

M: Long lovely bitter aftertasete. Body is medium to full, very smooth. Carbonation is well hidden.

O: Nice, not the edgeiest but holds everything it should, and is well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 17:16:59 | More by Sunnanek

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.64/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Served from tap into a Trappe Door tulip. Poured a deep red-orange with a three finger off-white head that subsided to one finger very slowly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, caramel, caramel hop, spice, spicy hop, pine, pine hop, and dark fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, spice, earth, earth hop, caramel, dark fruit, and spicy hop. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty decent brew. The aroma on this one was one of the more complex and involved ones that I have experienced with brews from this style in all my days. This was definitely a nice feature, however, there was just so much going on that it became just a little overwhelming trying to pick out things that were present in it. The flavor kind of went for the opposite idea as there wasn’t a huge amount going on, but it did manage to be fairly well balanced. It just did not stand out from most brews from the style out there which was rather unfortunate. Worth your time trying if you are a fan of the brew or have not had it before.

Serving type: on-tap

01-25-2013 21:53:54 | More by thagr81us

Muhly

Alberta (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

341 ml bottle poured into some kind of beer type glass

A-pours a murky/cloudy brown honey colour. Didn't pour with any head, but a nice white solid lacing hangs on the glass when I tip it.

S-I found the aromas to be intriguing and complex. Quite hoppy on the nose, but I'm also getting sweet and toasty malt.

T-the taste follows the smell here with an abundance of spicy/floral/citrus and bitter flavours. A bit of round malts follow.

M-very fine carbonation with a light body.

O-a balanced IPA with some subtly interesting flavours. I very much enjoyed this and will likely jump back to it when I'm in the mood for an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 04:01:09 | More by Muhly

cattersley

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hops, hops, hops, and caramel. It pours out the colour of bog water, nice head retention, easy in mouth-feel. Low in smell, a hint of citrus, and hops. After taste finishes with this caramel taste. Overall, a nice balance, and interesting French Canadian take on an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 01:09:27 | More by cattersley

Lawl3ss

Texas

2.65/5  rDev -29%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Chilled 341 ml bottle into a shaker pint. Bottling date appears to be July 2012.

Look- Hazy amber with a frothy, crackly head that falls slowly. Nearly opaque. Nice pebbled lacing.

Smell- Not much here, vague... nothing. Something sweet, resinous, acidic, slightly burnt is hiding there somewhere but it's so faint as to be negligible. Weird.

Taste- Plain, fairly balanced for an IPA, clean, biscuit malt, almost wants to be citrus, but like the nose never quite makes it. Sweetness and bitterness balance and give a honeyed tea impression. It's not bad, there's just not much there to taste from what I can tell. Feels like Cali Ale yeast.

Mouthfeel- Medium body, juicy, crisp on the sip. Would go down easily but there's something of a lingering astringency that keeps it from being an easy drinker.

Overall- A pass for me. It's not offensive or bad, but there's not a lot of flavor or much of anything interesting going on here. It seems directed and well-executed, but it's just to... mild... to qualify as an IPA. It might be better than average for a Quebec IPA, but pretty bland compared to what I'm used to. Perhaps a nice intro craft beer?

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 05:10:38 | More by Lawl3ss

mmapes

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Got a bottle of this in trade. The dates notched on the side indicate it was bottled July 2010. Drinking it in September 2012. I'm pretty sure IPAs don't like to age, but maybe this one would...?

Pours deep orange to brown. It's a little muddy. The head sticks around. Smells fruity/barleywine - maybe not quite that rich. Bready.

Tangy. Hoppy. Doesn't taste like it smells. Started reading the Brothers' negative review, just as I was sipping (sorry - I know that is bad review etiqutte). I had just read their comment about "wet paper" when I thought that I was tasting my paper napkin. Up front, I get mostly hops, but the paper taste on the finish is there.

I actually do like the hop character -- slightly closer to citrus than pine. Stays crisp and hoppy even after 2 years. Toward the bottom I'm not getting the paper, so maybe it was the power of suggestion. For an two-year-old IPA, it's still pretty strong, so that's probably good.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 21:42:02 | More by mmapes

mattsander

Alberta (Canada)

2.63/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Deep brown, extremely hazy. Nice head, but this is a rather unappealing looking beer and it doesn't resemble an IPA at all.

S: A tootsie-roll dusted with minty, coarse hops. It has a 'dull' character, doesn't have the brightness I enjoy in an IPA.

T: Mimics the nose, balancing a dark toffee sweetness and a broad, nondescript hop vibe.

M: Sticky and dense, though I did finish the pint.

Not an IPA, just a mess.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2012 02:38:01 | More by mattsander

mscudder

Georgia

2.7/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Best by 5/12 (darn). Poured into a pint.

A - A deep murky copper/bronze with an off-white frothy head. Good retention. Very unique color for the style but I'll run with it.

S - Caramel malts, toffee and some biscuit notes. Everything here is very subtle. Too much so.

T - Starts with a pinch of hops that recede quickly after being dominated by subsequent flavors. A big malt body hits next; thick caramel, some roasted notes and almost a metallic sense. Awkward for sure, perhaps attributed to it age?

M - One of the most robust, creamy American IPA's I have ever had. Big medium body and soft carbonation. I am fairly certain that is not a good thing. The compositions seem to contrast too much for my liking, as if the goal was to form some sort of hybrid brew that just does not match up.

O - I feel it probably has something to do with this beers age but I cannot get behind it. The big malts are just too much for an "IPA."The note that I describe as metallic continued to become more pronounced as I drank making it almost unpleasant. For me, this is a complete miss.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 07:35:01 | More by mscudder

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.15/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from 9/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a medium red amber; light head with lacing.
Aroma dominated by sweet malt with light aromatic hops. Taste has a hoppy start, with hops and light malt middle, hop finish. Citrus and hop forward throughout. A pleasant IPA. Reminiscent of a hop forward barley wine. Nice malty IPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 22:22:29 | More by LiquidAmber

decimator

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

341ml bottle poured into a pint glass. ABV 6.5%.

A - Poured a murky bronze with a 3cm beige head. Lots of lacing.

S - Caramel, citrus, pine, herbal notes.

T - Caramel, brown sugar, citrus (mostly grapefruit), lasting bitter finish.

M - Medium body, medium carbonation, creamy, dry, lasting aftertaste.

O - Sweeter and not as bitter as your typical IPA but a decent Ale overall.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 02:57:52 | More by decimator

Raebies

Australia

2.9/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Smells like a typical stout to my nose, plenty of malt but nothing in the way of hop aroma. Dark brown orange appearance, darker than a typical IPA. Tastes very bitter with lots of dry malt flavour, a hint of something metallic. Mouth feel is thicker than a typical IPA due to strong malt presence, with a 5mm layer of lacy brown foam after gentle pouring.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 11:26:43 | More by Raebies

beergoot

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A dark amber beer with a thick, creamy off-white head. Toffee and caramel malt smell; home-baked bread. Earthy spiciness with the hops. Rich, buttery, nicely bittered.

A good, journeyman IPA. It has rich malt flavors and smoothness, some fine hop bitterness, just lacks some strong hop aroma. Still, a good, hardy IPA and worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 19:27:05 | More by beergoot

csiewert

Oregon

2.78/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Drinking this by candlelight with the power out... Figured I didn't have much else to do.

A - hard to tell in the dark, but there was a TON of foamy head that would not go away that it took a while to pour. The beer looks very hazy and red-amber in color. The head retains very well and there is a good amount of think lacing.

S - sweet malt and earthy hops mainly, maybe with a touch of citrus. Not much impressive here.

T - caramel malt with a bitter fruity finish... Suggests to me that the hops were old on the one.

M - a little too much mouthfeel for an American IPA style beer... Maybe too cloyingly sweet... Yes definitely too cloying sweet. Sharp bitter finish that lingers on the sides of your tongue.

O - good beer... Not quite meeting an American IPA unless you can get it fresh

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 04:13:29 | More by csiewert

dansmcd

Australia

3.33/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Coppery brown in color with a foamy head which pulls back to a collar.

S - Malt forward for an American IPA with toffee and caramel, bitter orange peel hops flow through but dont quite match the malt sweetness.

T - Caramel first but then comes the citrus and pine hop character. Very roasty and even a bit smoky for an IPA, a bit like a black IPA. Some booze is evident.

M - Dry medium body, moderate carbonation.

O - I think this is a reasonably tasting beer, but it's a bit all over the place and far from indicative of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 07:24:07 | More by dansmcd

Johnnyfacelift

New York

3.35/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours very cloudy almlost murky but the head is strong with lacing around the glass. You can definitely smell the caramel malts and hop aroma along with the more pronounced English yeast. The beer is a bit busy and seems to have too many cooks in the kitchen, good but not entirely memorable. This is a good beer but I think I would personally go for the real American example.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 23:52:46 | More by Johnnyfacelift

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Firmly malted and with a hop presence that certainly balance the ale, yet struggles to gain command- Corne du Diable garners the flavor and balance that relegates it more to an American strong ale but with restrained alcohol flavor and feel.

Pouring a rusty, deep amber color the beer has a significant haze that leaves it somewhat dull in appearance. But the firm sandy head carries a masculine posture that outlasts the session and clings to the glass with very sticky lace.

Sharp and sweet, the aromas of caramel malt and brown sugar and met with the pungent hop character of pine needles, citrus, and leafy hop matter. The balanced aromas prevent dominance from hops, allowing a biscuity aroma to rise similarly to English IPAs.

The embattled balance continues with upfront flavors of rich molasses, biscuit, and fruitcake that latches on to the taste buds until the resiny hop flavor and bitterness of citrus pith, pine sap, and fresh grassy taste slices through the sweet grains and may apply for a slightly hop-forward finish. Complementary ester flavors of apples and marmalade help to bridge the gap between the malty start and resiny finish.

Fully textured from the ample creamy carbonation that embeds itself into the rich malt for a richer effect that allows for a sicky-dry hop resin finish that's accompanied by alcohol warmth in finish. Mild grape skin astringency and hop-derived bite rise as the malts fall and gives the beer a gripping bite to join with piney hops late in the session- the beer just grows methodically and slowly with it's hop bitterness.

For those who prefer a deeply malty IPA with intense hop bitterness and less perfume in the nose can surly get on board with this beer. Where it lacks finesse and brightness, it excels in balance and bite. It reminds me a lot of Mikkeller IPAs.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2012 17:40:58 | More by BEERchitect

barczar

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly hazy deep caramel color with a solid one finger cream head that leaves a bit of lacing and a sheet of foam.

Aroma is heavy caramel malt, hints of toast, and subtle herbal hops.

Flavor is decidedly malty initially, caramel and toffee, bread crust, leading to a bitter, somewhat nondescript finish. There's a hint of tangerine and grapefruit pith.

Body is moderate to syrupy, with moderate carbonation. Alcohol warmth is subtle, but present.

Overall, far sweeter and less hoppy than I thought. Somewhat dissapointing.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2012 03:14:56 | More by barczar

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

very cool canadian ipa, much different that many of the west coast american ones. pours a redish copper color with bright carbonation and an off white head close to two inches high. smells like caramel malts and piney hops. much more balanced than many of the american versions. the yeast too is also different, maybe not belgian, but similarly effervescent and spicy. flavor is again very well balanced, with a surprisingly bitter hop finish. this beer offeres all kinds of culinary potential, as it has something for everyone. good feel, bigger than medium body. overall a beer i will likely purchase again. its a nice respite from the american hop bombs.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 16:00:21 | More by StonedTrippin

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled on October 2011.

Appearance - Pours a dark plum-like hue with a 1/4 finger width of bubbles.

Smell - Citrus, piney hops, touch of roasted barley malts.

Taste - Moderate level of hops flavour with a light citrus medley. Touch of roasty malts complements these flavours. Nice bitter aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Nice dry finish.

Overall - A good easy drinkin' IPA from Dieu du Ciel. I enjoyed the aromas and flavours present in this brew, especially the roasted barley malts. A good representation of one of my favourite styles.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 03:00:13 | More by leaddog

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle dated 11/11. Thanks Michael! From tasting notes on February 25, 2012.

1 and a half finger head forms in my Southern Tier snifter. Slightly hazy,ruby red in color. The head is dense and sticks to the side of the glass.

Aroma is a pleasing grassy with some citrus hoppiness, with a touch of grapefruit. I'm getting a tad metallic stainless steel, though wouldn't describe is off smelling.

Bread and yeast greet the tongue, sugar and figs and metallic notes. Not terribly bitter, more sweet.

Average mouthfeel, a little too carbonated for my taste. There is a pretty sticky film left behind in the glass.

Not my favorite IPA, but tonnes of respect for Dieu du Ciel, consistently my favorite Canadian brewer since my university days in Montreal mid '90s.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 21:30:39 | More by DaPan

Giggy

Michigan

3.23/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: a cloudy brown with orange edges. Minimal beige head

S: nothing to strong or special. Some caramel,malt, yeast, and piney aroma.

T: very bitter, lemon or grapefruit, caramel, toffee, & malt

M: strong hop bitter and dry. More carbonation than I would like.

O: not the best IPA. If someone likes bitter beers then they may really enjoy it. Wonder what the IBU is on this. It would definately be my limit.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 00:51:10 | More by Giggy