One of the first microbreweries in Quebec, Dieu Du Ciel! (abbreviated DDC by geeks) as proven multiple times the quality of its art. Now somewhat renowned internationally, it all began with a passion for brews (and brewing).
Jean-François Gravel started to brew at home in 1991 and quickly got the grasp of it and started to consider brewing as a career. In 1997, with the help of two other members (Stephane Ostiguy and Patricia Lirette), the project of building a pub took place and soon after choosing the location, the construction and renovation began. The first microbrewery’s pub opened on September 11, 1998, at 29 Avenue Laurier Ouest in Montréal.
Mid-00s the brewery’s reputation quickly overwhelms its production and the idea of having a second place to be able to bottle and export their products soon becomes a necessity. At the same time, a couple joined the team, Luc Boivin (to replace Patricia as a co-owner) as a brewer, he formerly worked at Boréale, and Isabelle Charbonneau an expert in sales, management and marketing. The second emplacement of the microbrewery is at 259 Villemure Street in St-Jérôme. The construction of the brewing site began at the end of 2006 and the pub’s construction in August 2007. The inauguration of this second location happened at the beginning of January 2008, the same year in which their products became available in bottles. At the same time, Luc Boivin leaves the team to spend time on his own brewing project.
With a mere 800 hL in 2004, the brewery went from 9000 to 13,000 in 2015, as an effort to satisfy the growing demand. Dieu Du Ciel! is now clearly a standard in Quebec’s craft beer market with its constant quality, its place as a role model and the support it has brought in the expansion of local specialty brews. On their website, they state the values by which they abide: Audacity, Integrity, Refinement and Collaboration.
Dieu du Ciel! doesn’t really believe in the earning of prizes and in the competitions which hold these awards. As it is mentioned on their website, the results of these competitions are biased by a multitude of factors, including the judges, the location, the selection of beers, the reputation of the competition and so on. This is mainly the reason for the lack of awards from this brewery. They don’t participate in competition except local ones and Mondial de la Bière de Montréal. They give much more importance as to what the majority of craft brew enthusiasts has to say on beer websites such as Rate Beer. Even though, they have won countless prizes and awards for their delicious brews and they’ve been part of the Top 100 on Rate Beer since 2014.
The first beer ever brewed for the pub was the Voyageur des Brumes, an ESB. Order of beer release for the first time.
The Momentum series was created not long after they started to bottle in 2008. The idea was to offer more complex or expensive products without impacting the original ones in terms of production. This way, once a month, they could have a more exotic style of craft beer available in bottles and in limited quantities while still being able to deliver the regular products of the brewery.
One of their most popular beers, Péché Mortel, also has its own international day called Péché Day. Each year, Dieu Du Ciel! releases a 4-pack of Péché Mortel with new variants of the original.
Jean-François Gravel developed a taste for fine beers with the stories of his uncle, who brought back stories from the locations he visited. Slowly, he began exploring by himself with what he could get. As with many others, he started to brew while he was in school doing a Master in Microbiology. Stéphane Ostiguy on his side was studying in Molecular Biology to get his Doctorate.
The brewery has a regular series with multiple styles and their Momentum series, which delivers a different beer each month of the year. Being a renowned craft brewery, each couple month, some special beers are released, normally barrel-aged version of regular beers. Since a considerable part of their beers are only available at the pub or are prototypes, only those available in bottles will be listed here.
Source: Dieuduciel.com
Source: Bièresetplasisirs.com
Source: Bière, cidres, vins et cie.