Gulden Draak

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Ertvelde, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Thick with a playful champagne fizziness. Chocolatey ruby color. Sweet with hoppy undertones. Dry finish. Rich caramel flavoring.

A very strong belgian ale. Dark color with a good head. Smells like caramel, malt and alcohol. Taste is too sweet for my judgment. Again the malts and caramel are superior in taste. A very strong beer to end your night, but not my first choice (cause of sweetness).

Cloudy amber with a thin off white head. Has a very strong aroma of alcohol. Flavour of malt with a strong taste of alcohol.

Pours dark mahogany with a small tan fizz. Smells fruity and yeasty with some strong malt sweetness and hoppiness. Tastes fruity and sweet with some strong hop bitterness. Full-bodied with a dry texture and average mouth-carbonation, Gulden Draak finishes dry, almost like champagne.

The aroma is spicy brown mustard, vinegar, ripened fruit. The appearance is dark amber/brown, white head, translucent. The flavor is mustard, vinegar, tart cherries. The finish is sour, vinegar, tart cherries. Medium in body. Quite good.

Tasted from bottle into nucleated tulip glass. Pours a rich copper color (darker than typical Belgian Trippels) with yeast haze and firm off-white head which persists, good lace. Aromas of dough, bread, caramelized brown sugar, flowery hops and some pepper and clove yeast esters. Very complex malt-sweetness with measured hops bitterness. Flavors of brown bread, some roasty grains, toffee, molasses, apricots, plums, faint dried cranberries. Slight bubble gum aroma appears as it warms. Medium body, rounded "chewy" mouthfeel, lasting bittersweet and fruity aftertaste. One of my all-time favorite beers. An absolute masterpiece.

Pours dark red with a low head. Aroma is malts and alcohol. Flavor is slightly roasted and sweet malts, caramel and alcohol. A bit too much alcohol, but otherwise fine.

Dark cider/brown color; Medium slightly creamy body; Aroma of toasted malt, yeast, some dark fruit, & caramel; Flavor of sweet malt, yeast, fruit (notably plums & dates), caramel, raisons, and some toffee; Nicely balanced and complex; The alcohol is fairly well hidden; Overall, very sweet - but I did enjoy it.