Dieu du Ciel's Rosée d'Hibiscus - Beer of the Week

by Joshua M. Bernstein, Posted Sep 21st 2009 @ 5:00PM

Photo: Joshua M. Bernstein.

Joshua M. Bernstein, Gourmet.com's beer columnist, has written about brews, bars and booze for New York Magazine, Time Out New York, ForbesTraveler.com and the New York Times.

It takes a strong man to wear pink. It takes an even stronger man to heft a frothy pint of pink beer, like the rare-burger-hued Rosée d'Hibiscus, from the genre-busting Canadian brewers at Dieu du Ciel! ("god of the sky").

Since 1998, these mad fermentationists have crafted head-scratching, tummy-pleasing beers like the Equinoxe du Printemps, a strong Scotch ale made with maple syrup, and the Clef des Champs, a floral rye ale flavored with heather and mugwort. Naturally, there was no way that Dieu du Ciel would make a conventional wheat beer.

One day, head brewer Jean-François Gravel was watching a TV documentary on western Africa, which included a discussion of bissap -- a tea made from an infusion of hibiscus flowers and sugar. Gravel re-created the drink at home, realizing the flower's floral profile and acidity would complement a tangy blanche (a wheat bear).

"We first brewed it as a special release for the Montreal beer festival [Mondial de la Bière] in 2006, and it was supposed to be a one-shot deal," says Stéphane Ostiguy, Dieu du Ciel's co-owner and co-founder. "During the year that followed the festival, people kept asking for this beer." So Dieu brewed it for the following festival. The response was even more enthusiastic. When the brewpub expanded in 2007, Rosée was the first beer bottled.

From first sip, the fuss makes sense. Rosée pours as pink as a teenage girl's nail polish, with a rowdy effervescence and the scents of cherries and a fully-stocked flower shop. But cut out any cloying thoughts: At just 5.5 percent ABV, Rosée is a spot-on refreshment for the Indian summer -- lightly sweet and fruity, with a dry pucker recalling the finest Berliner Weisse.

Rosée is so tasty it'll leave you feeling tickled pink.

Do you like any other wacky wheats? Spill it in the comments.

Filed Under: Drink Recipes
Tags: beer, beeroftheweek, DieuDuCiel, hibiscus, joshua m bernstein, joshuabernstein, JoshuaMBernstein, mondial de la biere, MondialDeLaBiere, montreal, quebec, RoseedHibiscus

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-21-2009 @10:21PM Melodie1974 said... Thanks for reviewing it! I saw it a couple of weeks ago and totally bypassed it, thinking it would taste like flowers. Instead, I tried their "peche mortel" (coffee stout - not very good) + their "route des epices" (rye and spices - very good).
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9-22-2009 @9:00AM matguy said... I've had this one and the route des epices- both excellent. These guys were at brewfest in VT this year and their tent had a short line, which was surprising considering how good their stuff was- get a hold of their aphrodisiaque some time- a chocolate and vanilla stout sort of thing- also very good.
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9-22-2009 @9:03AM Joshua M. Bernstein said... I spent several weeks in Montreal in August, living right down the road from their brewpub—more than 15 taps are available, changing all the time. It was a tasty two weeks. I also loved the Derniere Volonte, and Abbey-style blonde with a serious kick.
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9-23-2009 @7:51AM Jacqueline Hubert said... Please at least get your translations right instead of just using some free translator. Dieu du Ciel! translates as "God in Heavens!" or "Oh My God!" and there's a little difference between "peche" (peach) and "peché" (sin), sorry my circumflex accent over the e won't work today.

Sorry again about giving a French lesson, but these beers hardly hold a candle to some of the classics as "Morte Subite" and "Kriek" - please don't get me started on a tribute to "Newcastle Brown Ale" - on tap, not bottled and, God forgive, not in a can.
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