Gulden Draak

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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The good people at Sam’s said this was a good dessert beer, although it’s nowhere near as sweet, or by contrast bitter, as I expected. Nice brown color with a sprightly head, it’s hard to figure out all the flavors before the secondary alcohol taste hits. You can tell there’s a lot of tasty things going on in this beer, but maybe if the alcohol content wasn’t so high and prevailant it might be easier to track...though that might defeat the purpose. Sort of a hung jury on this one.

This beer is in many ways similar to the numero uno. But beats it in every aspect. For this reason alone i sell my ten crates of Westvleteren. No more hypes for me.

UPDATED: JUL 15, 2007 Deep, reddish brown with a coffee-froth head that mostly disappears. The nose is like the inside of an apple pie: baked apples and cinnamon (you could also compare it to cider). It’s somewhat like sparkling grape juice in its lightly sweet taste, carbonation, and comparable, somewhat herbal bite. In the aftertaste, this bite progresses into a light burning/warmth at the back of the throat. It was hard for me to directly pick out the alcohol in this beer, but I think it just kinda "teamed up" with that herbal quality I experienced, and that’s where I missed it. Not a bad beer, at all, though not my style. I don’t normally like the sweet, spicy, warming kind of brews. I’m more of a big, grainy beer guy, but I could tell, quite clearly, how well-crafted this beer is.

Good creamy head but too much alcohol on the nose and palate, not my beer. Not balanced...

Looks fantastic in the glass, soft opaque brown with a murky texture. Carbon explodes on the tongue with nice fruity undertones. Alcohol disappears fast leaving a malty taste on the palate. Great beer, one of my favourite Belgians.

Thick white head, extensive lacing. Color dark golden red / brown. Thin carbonation. Deep fruity malt notes, with barely perceptible fruity hops. Not as saccharine as many tripels, with sweetness and depth without overbearing alcohol taste. Very good, the best tripel so far.

Gulden Draak (Ertvelde, Belgium) - Overall Score: C - Acceptable Standard

Gusto molto deciso, corpo molto consistente (sembra quasi di "mangiare"). La gradazione è più alta di quella che si percepisce

11.5 oz bottle. Poured a dark chocolate with a very small creamy head. Aroma of figs, brown sugar, and hops. Alcohol subdued for a 10.5%. Accents of cherries, bread, bleu cheese, and brown sugar. A magnificent beer, and a meal in itself. Thicker than a normal triple. Would probably very nicely compliment a piece of fresh bread and a nice salty piece of gorgonzola or stilton.

On draft at Julian’s of Providence, RI. Beautiful brown beer, almost a Belgian imperial stout, with the sweetness and coffee notes of a stout and the spiciness and yeast flavors of a true Belgian. Excellent mouth feel, with no alcohol sting despite the high ABV. A wonderful beer.