Gulden Draak
Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

 

Poured into a snifter at about 45F, somewhere between ruby and amber, with an off-white head with very fine bubbles that reduces to a nice film and ring around the edges of the glass. Smell is candied figs, caramel and yeast. Tastes of dried dark fruit and cotton candy, with a slight hint a hoppy bitterness. High carbonation, appropriate for the style. ABV is very hard to detect, but is all there when you stand up after finishing the glass. Overall, a spectacularly good dark triple. Just as good as Chimay blue in my opinion. Very easy to drink. I will definitely get this again!

 

 

 

In a word.... Wow .... Like a desert in a glass ... I think this is a one and done, meaning have one and then you're done .... Incredibly easy to drink and super potent .. dark, malty, carmely, etc .... Much love

 

Poured reddish brown, tan head that dissipated quickly.
The aroma was lost on my Covid damaged nose.
The taste was a bit sweeter than expected and had the bready malts and candied fruit. For the ABV, it is too easy to drink.
The feel was surprisingly active, with the lack of head I wasn’t expecting the tingling aspect.
OA, seriously easy drinking, tasty and a treat. If not for the ABV, I’d drink these all the time.

 

 

L - Reddish brown with a large tan head that sticks around leaving behind a ton of lacing
S - Belgian yeast, candi sugar, fruit esters, dates and figs, honey
T - Follows the nose: bready Belgian yeast and candi sugar up front and throughout intermixed well with fruit esters - dates and figs, honey, some caramel, light spices
F - medium bodied with high carbonation
O - a fantastic belgian - maybe more of a strong dark ale vs a red triple, but very good nonetheless

 

Dark burnt amber to brown with a pink-ish tan head that dies quickly to a thin, fuzzy ring.

Caramelized gingersnap meets a hint of candy apple before coming to a boozy, rum-like finish.

 

 

330ml stubby bottle into a tulip. Code of 25JV whatever that means.

Fine looking dark reddish body with an impressive off white head leaving thick lacing. Sweet aroma, with matching flavor. Strong without being boozy, warming, malty. A light dark fruit taste with a featherlight bitter note late in the finish.

 

Very good beer. I prefer Chimay blue but this beer seems to improve with every sip. It is a little sweet but not overly so, and has a great body and a finish that stays with you. Drank in a Teku glass from a bottle but would love to taste this on tap.

365ml bottle

Carbonation has the bottle overflowing once I crack the lid. Pours two fingers of dense tan head into my snifter. Retention is very nice, but does eventually fade. Lacing is subpar. Body is a deep reddish brown. Looks decent.

Nose has plenty of sweetness, with notes of fig and plum. Tart esters quickly appear and add a much needed balance, reminiscent of cherries. No clove. Smells massive, as you’d expect. A little on the sweet side for me, but I can dig it.

Flavor blasts you with a massive dose of stone fruit, has a sweet impression, but drinks very clean. Maybe a touch of tart cherries in the background. Overall it’s still not my go-to style, but it’s impressive, and certainly something I would not turn down.

The carbonation is medium by the time I go looking for it, don’t recall it being insanely high to begin with. Sweetness is apparent, but pretty modest compared to what it could be; well attenuated. Bitterness is low and only really shows up briefly in the finish with the tart fruit. Has some body, but comes through surprisingly light, given the modest sugar and carbonation. Overall the mouthfeel stays reasonable, and it brings a somewhat smooth feel that supports the beer nicely.

All things considered, the drinkability is very very nice. There is zero alcohol and the sweetness is in check.

Between the flavor and the mouthfeel, the beer drinks even better than it smells. Very nice.