Dieu Du Ciel! has never been a huge fan of beer competitions, for several reasons. The results of any competition depend on a very limited number of judges (humans, who as we know, are capable of error), and on the selection of beers submitted. No competition can include all the beers of the world; therefore the results of any competition reflect solely a particular, blink-of-an-eye moment in the history and geography of beer.

Secondly, there are so many different competitions that the meaning of winning a prize has been severely diluted. Today just about any brewery can win a medal for one of their beers by submitting products left, right and center. This is not helped by the fact that most of the time, the judges are unknown as is the selection of beers being evaluated. We conclude, for these reasons, that the significance of a prize or medal is little.

Consequently, Dieu Du Ciel! has chosen to rarely submit beers to competitions, excepting the Mondial de la bière de Montréal. Principally because this event takes place in the city where our brewery was born.

We do however accord some importance to the annual Rate Beer compilations. These ratings are the result of thousands of beer amateurs collectively tasting thousands of beers, which we feel provides a fairly good evaluation of the beer landscape. Certainly more than any particular competition is capable of doing.

In the end, our customers remain the ultimate deciders of whether a beer becomes a success. It is important to remain humble regarding the various awards and ceremonies that our beers have sometimes garnered. And most importantly, to keep an open mind and always remember: Its just beer!

Cheers.