Beer of the Weekend #500: Don de Dieu
The beer of the weekend, for this 500th edition of BotW, is Don de Dieu, brewed by Unibroue of Chambly, Quebec, Canada.
Why Don de Dieu? It was among the four beers I identified as being ideal for BotW #500, the others being St. Bernardus Abt 12, Chimay Grande Réserve, and Trappistes Rochefort 10. I settled on Don de Dieu because it is available in both 750 ml bottles and four-packs of 12-ounce bottles. Also, Unibroue is probably one of my favorite breweries. I have not had all of Unibroue’s products, but what I have tried was always exceptional. “Don de Dieu” means “gift of God” in French, so if one wants to get extremely cheesy with symbolism — beer as a “gift of God” — be my guest. It is, I will admit, fitting.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The best by date printed on the neck is “04-24-16.”
Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is cloudy golden/amber. Three fingers of dense, white foam dissipated slowly and a little unevenly. There was a decent amount of sedimentation at the bottom of the glass, which loosened easily.
Smell: Deliciously wheaty and much like a hefeweizen — and also a little reminiscent of La Fin du Monde. Wheat grain, banana, apple, a bit of orange bubblegum, clove, a dash of pepper, and a hint of lemon.
Taste: It has a thick, full-bodied mouthfeel and offers flavors of whole wheat, banana, apple, clove, pepper, orange peel, a touch of lemon, and a little bubblegum. The alcohol is well-masked but not completely.
Drinkability: The flavor is a little light but it is still pretty tasty and drinkable. Though it does not live up to the standard set by La Fin du Monde and Trois Pistoles, but it is still pretty good.
Fun facts about DdD:
-Style: Unibroue calls it “Triple wheat ale.”
-Price: $10.49/four-pack at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: According to the beer’s Unibroue page, “6º –8ºC, better at 10ºC / 43° - 46°F, better at 50°F.”
-Alcohol content: 9 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: One awesome thing about Unibroue is its thoroughness regarding serving recommendations, which includes offering both serving temperature suggestions and food pairings. Via the beer’s webpage, Unibroue recommends
-IBU: 10.5.
-Color: 5 SRM.
-Unibroue also offers this information regarding the “legend”:
-The actual Don de Dieu is featured on the flag of Quebec City.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
Why Don de Dieu? It was among the four beers I identified as being ideal for BotW #500, the others being St. Bernardus Abt 12, Chimay Grande Réserve, and Trappistes Rochefort 10. I settled on Don de Dieu because it is available in both 750 ml bottles and four-packs of 12-ounce bottles. Also, Unibroue is probably one of my favorite breweries. I have not had all of Unibroue’s products, but what I have tried was always exceptional. “Don de Dieu” means “gift of God” in French, so if one wants to get extremely cheesy with symbolism — beer as a “gift of God” — be my guest. It is, I will admit, fitting.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The best by date printed on the neck is “04-24-16.”
Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is cloudy golden/amber. Three fingers of dense, white foam dissipated slowly and a little unevenly. There was a decent amount of sedimentation at the bottom of the glass, which loosened easily.
Smell: Deliciously wheaty and much like a hefeweizen — and also a little reminiscent of La Fin du Monde. Wheat grain, banana, apple, a bit of orange bubblegum, clove, a dash of pepper, and a hint of lemon.
Taste: It has a thick, full-bodied mouthfeel and offers flavors of whole wheat, banana, apple, clove, pepper, orange peel, a touch of lemon, and a little bubblegum. The alcohol is well-masked but not completely.
Drinkability: The flavor is a little light but it is still pretty tasty and drinkable. Though it does not live up to the standard set by La Fin du Monde and Trois Pistoles, but it is still pretty good.
Fun facts about DdD:
-Style: Unibroue calls it “Triple wheat ale.”
-Price: $10.49/four-pack at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: According to the beer’s Unibroue page, “6º –8ºC, better at 10ºC / 43° - 46°F, better at 50°F.”
-Alcohol content: 9 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: One awesome thing about Unibroue is its thoroughness regarding serving recommendations, which includes offering both serving temperature suggestions and food pairings. Via the beer’s webpage, Unibroue recommends
Rich, heady, and highly aromatic, Don de Dieu goes great with gourmet cuisine. Serve cold as an aperitif or at 50°F for a fabulous digestif.
Savor with goat cheese, especially buchette-style, white meats, or sausage.
-IBU: 10.5.
-Color: 5 SRM.
-Unibroue also offers this information regarding the “legend”:
Don de Dieu (Gift of God) was the name of the ship that Samuel de Champlain sailed on his mission to “explore and discover the vast and perilous land of America” in the name of the King of France. His travels led to the founding of Quebec City in 1608 (a modification of the Algonquin word “kebec” which means “where the river narrows”). Inspired by this great adventure, Unibroue created Don de Dieu an abbey-style triple wheat ale refermented in the bottle.
-The actual Don de Dieu is featured on the flag of Quebec City.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
