Dernière Volonté - Dieu du Ciel!
So the rapture is happening anytime now. Apparently. So, just in case, I thought it appropriate to review a relevant beer. Two obvious choices would the either La Fin du Monde or Maudite by Unibroue, but that's sort of been done. Instead, I'd like to offer a blessing, or a last rite. Which is what Dernière Volonté translates into in English. Last rite. Seems fitting. As a side note, I've actually had this beer since last August from my pneumonia-fated epic Montreal trip with my bro, Rob. I had actually lost track of this bottle; it was hiding behind my last Garrison Imperial Ale. Hoping it's held up okay.
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From a 341ml ISB with a best before date stamped into the side of the (as per usual) gorgeous DDC label, the beer pours a cloudy honey-orange with a dense 2" head that dropped a little but left a heap of lacing through the whole drink. The bottle surged slightly on opening, but I smell no hints of infection. Rather, there is a generous citrusy aroma, juicy and tropical like a weisse, though that could be hops. Some warm grains and a huge sexy yeasty spice. Oh my, what a beer! Taste is an amazing Belgian blonde: Huge distinctive yeast, hints of cloves and esters, grains that are warm and sweet and still a little juicy (though less than the aroma hinted at), but with a big hop citrusy note that is much more aromatic than bitter. Medium bodied with a good carbonation, it hides it's 7% alcohol, though you get little hits of it through the palate, and also in the nose as it warms a bit. The whole flavour lingers on your tongue, sweet and spicy and citrusy like the best marmalade your granny ever made. I'm really wishing I had more of this beer. Like, a lot more. It's no session beer, but I'm watching the level in the glass drop much more quickly than I would like. Drinkable? Highly (sorry Stephen, you owe me a pen when we next meet). Why oh why oh why does Dieu du Ciel! have to be so far away from where I live? Thanks to HMH Negotiants for bringing these awesome beers into the LCBO. Et merci beaucoup, Dieu du Ciel!, J'adore.