A couple of weeks ago, an LCBO employee who is a regular contributor to the local craft beer discussion forum The Bar Towel started a thread with the following ominous post:
Post subject: Corne Du Diable Recalled
I just got the e-mail at work.
"Class 2 recall. Product not for sale. Please pull from shelves.
Product will be destroyed or dumped immediately.
This is a quality control issue and will be dealt with as soon as possible."
Moments after, another post:
Post subject: Peche Mortel Recalled
Some of ya'll might want to know. I just got e-mail #2.
The reaction from the assortment of freaks and geeks (including yours truly) that frequent the forum was not unlike a group of tween girls who have just heard that next week's Jonas Brothers concert has been cancelled. For these are not just any ol' beers, but the first two from Montreal's renowned Microbrasserie Dieu Du Ciel! to be offered for retail sale in Ontario. So to have them pulled and "destroyed or dumped" just hours after they hit the shelves was a real disappointment - not to mention yet another reason to pile some hate onto the LCBO.
Thankfully, it wasn't long before someone from HMH Negotiants, the agents that represent DDC! in Ontario, replied to let everyone know that "the situation (had) been rectified" and the beers would be available after all. It ended up that there was a simple misunderstanding over an LCBO policy that requires single bottles with twist-off caps to have a sticker applied over the cap. Once that was sorted out and the stickers applied, the beer was good to go. Peche Mortel (LCBO 125401 - $3.80/341 mL), a coffee-infused Imperial Stout that I've raved about before, hit the shelves as part of the LCBO's seasonal beer promotion for autumn, while Corne Du Diable (LCBO 132761 - $3.10/341 mL), an IPA with a name that translates to "Horn of the Devil", is one of several brews brought in especially to mark Hallowe'en.
Given that a good number of the DDC! beers feature ominous names like Dernière Volonté ("Last Will") and Rigor Mortis, as well as accordingly edgy and fantastical label designs, pretty much any of them would've been suitable to be part of the LCBO's Hallowe'en beer selection. But I'm glad that Corne Du Diable got the nod, since despite the seemingly threatening name, it's one of the more traditionally styled beers in the DDC! line-up while still being very full and flavourful. All of which makes it a great gateway beer for less experienced craft beer drinkers who may be unfamiliar with Diel du Ciel! and their many excellent brews.
Described by the brewery as a "contemporary interpretation of the classic English India Pale Ale" - i.e. influenced by the more aggressively hopped IPAs popularized by American craft brewers - Corne Du Diable has a rich reddish-gold colour with a slight haziness and a large white head. Hops are quite prominent in the aroma, with lots of citrus fruit notes and a bit of pine sap, but there a strong malt character as well, which brings in some sweet caramel to balance the sharpness of the hops. The flavour is similar: a good dose of grapefruit, orange and pine bitterness from the hops, but also a solid caramel malt backbone, and hints of spice and pepper in the finish.
Corne Du Diable and Peche Mortel are both available now at select LCBO outlets, as well as in a number of bars and restaurants around Toronto. And for a slightly different take on them, both beers will be available in cask conditioned format, along with DDC!'s IPA/Porter hybrid Pénombre, at the Cask Days festival taking place at Volo on Friday October 30th and Saturday October 31st. Several of the Cask Days sessions are sold out, and only a few tickets remain for the others, so those hoping to attend should act quickly.
Weird... I bought a couple of bottles at my local LCBO on Gerrard and Pape and they tasted just fine.
I don't think there was any concerns about the flavour, Japhet - the LCBO just has a policy that any beer with a twist-off cap needs to have a "tamper-proof seal" (i.e. a little strip of LCBO sticker tape) over the cap if it's being sold as a single or in an open six-pack carrier.
That said - there HAVE been reports on Bar Towel of some bottles of Corne du Diable tasting not so hot. It seems to be isolated to those with a bottling date in June. The ones I got were bottled in July, and have been fine. YMMV.