Route Des Épices - Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel, Quebec

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel's Route Des Épices packs a lot of flavor into a beer that's only 5% alcohol. This beer's flavor profile is deceptive though... while it tastes like a much bigger beer it flavors aren't really coming from fermentable sugars. Rather, this beer's flavor comes from a combination of hops (to a lesser extent) and peppercorns (which dominate your palate). I can't say I'm not surprised. After all, this beer's name translates as Spice Route. The spices in this beer aren't what you usually get when someone says a beer tastes spiced. Peppercorns are, well... peppery. This beer is so peppery that it really takes away from the other flavors in this beer. Malts, which are obvious on the nose, are barely noticeable when you take a drink of this beer.

I think the Spice Route name is a little deceiving. This beer doesn't really taste spiced, it just tastes peppered. A better name for this beer might be Pepper Mill. I'm no marketer but Spice Route certainly sounds a lot better. If the beer would have lived up the to the name I bet it would have tasted better too...