Gulden Draak

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Ertvelde, Belgium

I was not impressed by this beer...mild chocolate/toffee nose...malty almost like prunes or raisins in flavor...strong alcohol finish. A little less alcohol might make this a little more palatable.

Update: The above was for a fresh bottle that may very well have been off...this 2001 one pours the same, notes of serious toffee and dates in the nose and hints at oxidation...the taste is sweet with lots of doughy pumpernickel character and sweet toffee...finish is a little sticky and has definate oxidation...much better than the previous bottle...I have changed my rating from a 3.4 to a 4.0.

330ml bottle: Ahhh, another one of those beers I have had many, many times in my life but just now got around to rating...Pours a muddy brown with a small but lasting frothy tan head and very good lace. The aroma has major notes of belgian candi sugar, pumpernickel bread, dried raisin and pear, floral and aromatic pipe tobacco esters, a touch of wood and pepper. The taste starts sweet but is never cloy or seem unbalanced. A nice dose of fruits and spice clean the palate. A underline sublime hop bitterness runs thoughout and a ending of lingering toffee lasts forever. The feel is quite unique, heavy and rich yet the spicy and crisp bite provides a refreshing nature countering it’s high ABV. IMO, this has always been one the world’s underrated brews, nothing tonight change my mind. Enjoy this for an hour. Let it open up and warm to you and see what I mean.

Bottle. Pours dark chestnut brown with amber highlights when held to light and a creamy off-white head that diminishes to a long-lasting skin of bubbles on the top of the glass (whew, that was a long sentence!). Aroma is relatively mild, but features fruity dark-roasted malts, sweetbread yeastiness and discernable hops. Flavor is much more robust than the aroma, rich and sweet with dark fruits upfront, then yielding to a hoppy tartness and a full on yeast and astringent finish. Mouthfeel is smooth and round with a creamy carbonation. I like this strong Belgian a lot!

On tap at RedLight.Pours a a brownish brick color.The usual suspects are here.Sweet, fruity caramel nose.Flavors of the dark fruit goodness with a nice warming finish.

Dark brown color with a beige head. The taste is sweet and slightly malty with notes of alcohol

Re-Rate Dark ruby brown body with a huge fluffy off white head. Sweety fruit aroma, touch of sugar and molasses, candi sugar? Sweet dark fruit, malt and candi sugar in the flavour, touch of caramel toffee. Dry hing of alcohol in the finish succumbs to a long lingering sweetness in the aftertaste that manages to not be cloying. Very smooth, not quite syrupy body. Much better than I recall. A testament to the re-rate.8/4/8/4/17<P> Original Rating Brownish colour with a beige head, aroma is alcoholic and hints of fruit. Very effervescent body with lots of very sweet maltiness and candied flavours followed up by some alcohol. This ranges from exquisite to harsh in a single glass. 6/4/7/4/14

[bottle - Great European Beerfest 8, Sharp Edge Tavern - East Liberty, PA] Poured a dark brown color with a thin tan head. Very complex aroma. Yeast and sweet malts, possibly toffee, various fruits and some biscuity flavors as well. The taste is just as complex. The sweetness of the malts and the fruits blends nicely with the biscuity hints and the hops. Hides the alcohol well with a very creamy finish.

Very dark in colour, sweet aroma with a smooth lite taste. Got it from the tap with a good amount of head that stuck around for a while. It had a real nice kick to it and left a subtle taste of alcohol, which is nice.