Gulden Draak | Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Brewed by:
Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Belgium
vansteenberge.com
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 10.50%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Dark Triple Ale brewed with caramel malt and re-fermented with Bordeaux wine yeast
Added by BeerAdvocate on 12-19-2001
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers
Ratings: 4,043 | Reviews: 1,366
4.46/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
3.75/5 rDev -11.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.19/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
From a 750ml bottle. Pours dark brown with a finger of fluffy tan head. Smells of bready malts and raisins. Heavily carbonated feel, slightly syrupy. Rich and complex taste, with sweet malt and raisin flavors dominating. Some alcohol burn at the end. I think there's a bit too much carbonation, it overshadows some of the flavor. Otherwise, this is a very good dark Belgian.
374 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
From a 750ml bottle. Pours dark brown with a finger of fluffy tan head. Smells of bready malts and raisins. Heavily carbonated feel, slightly syrupy. Rich and complex taste, with sweet malt and raisin flavors dominating. Some alcohol burn at the end. I think there's a bit too much carbonation, it overshadows some of the flavor. Otherwise, this is a very good dark Belgian.
374 characters
4.2/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
From a 330ml bottle served straight from the fridge at 8 degrees Celsius into a white wine glass. Best before date: 03/07/2019.
Look: The beer pours a slightly veiled deep amber/light copper with 6cm of rocky, tan head that fades into a solid cap within 5+ minutes. Good lacing with very persistent head for a 10.5% ABV beer.
Smell: Moderate strength and malty-sweet. Rich and complex with notes of dried fruit (golden raisins and figs), mild strawberry & milk chocolate, bready-toasty malts, and a very low phenolic spice. The significant, perfumy ethanol makes a pleasant contribution to the beer's overall bouquet. No apparent hop-aroma. Layered, harmonious, and enticing.
Taste: Follows the aroma with medium-strong intensity and sweet balance. Rich and complex with notes of dried fruit (golden raisins and figs), bready malts, and again with a faint berry-like note (strawberry) & milk chocolate. The finish is long, strong, and malty-sweet.
Feel: Medium-full body with lively carbonation. Creamy with moderate, yet smooth alcohol warming.
Overall: Gulden Draak does not disappoint. It's very Belgian in it's character and though lighter than many other beers within the style, it's still an excellent representation of Belgian dark strong ales. Thus far, this is my favourite offering from Van Steenberge. Try it if you like em' strong and Belgian.
1,360 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
From a 330ml bottle served straight from the fridge at 8 degrees Celsius into a white wine glass. Best before date: 03/07/2019.
Look: The beer pours a slightly veiled deep amber/light copper with 6cm of rocky, tan head that fades into a solid cap within 5+ minutes. Good lacing with very persistent head for a 10.5% ABV beer.
Smell: Moderate strength and malty-sweet. Rich and complex with notes of dried fruit (golden raisins and figs), mild strawberry & milk chocolate, bready-toasty malts, and a very low phenolic spice. The significant, perfumy ethanol makes a pleasant contribution to the beer's overall bouquet. No apparent hop-aroma. Layered, harmonious, and enticing.
Taste: Follows the aroma with medium-strong intensity and sweet balance. Rich and complex with notes of dried fruit (golden raisins and figs), bready malts, and again with a faint berry-like note (strawberry) & milk chocolate. The finish is long, strong, and malty-sweet.
Feel: Medium-full body with lively carbonation. Creamy with moderate, yet smooth alcohol warming.
Overall: Gulden Draak does not disappoint. It's very Belgian in it's character and though lighter than many other beers within the style, it's still an excellent representation of Belgian dark strong ales. Thus far, this is my favourite offering from Van Steenberge. Try it if you like em' strong and Belgian.
1,360 characters
4.44/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.55/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.54/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.25/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.41/5 rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.24/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.88/5 rDev +15.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
I am no expert on beers. I only know what I like. This is my second go to Belgian Dark Ale. Since Gouden Carolus Christmas is so hard to find, I've been searching coast to coast on this small island in Japan (Okinawa) for a replacement. I've found it with Gulden Draak. It has the rich malty, bready, spicy, and thick sweetness that I love in a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. The taste is complex and hard to narrow down. All I can say is it tastes great! Watch out for the alcohol kick. At 10.5% it kicks pretty good by the end of the 750ml bottle.
543 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
I am no expert on beers. I only know what I like. This is my second go to Belgian Dark Ale. Since Gouden Carolus Christmas is so hard to find, I've been searching coast to coast on this small island in Japan (Okinawa) for a replacement. I've found it with Gulden Draak. It has the rich malty, bready, spicy, and thick sweetness that I love in a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. The taste is complex and hard to narrow down. All I can say is it tastes great! Watch out for the alcohol kick. At 10.5% it kicks pretty good by the end of the 750ml bottle.
543 characters
4.25/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Nitro'd
7 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Nitro'd
7 characters
4.21/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from cork and cage bottle into tulip glass. It pours a cloudy, orange-cola color with a huge, fluffy, khaki-colored head and lacing with amazing retention. The nose features cola, toffee, candied apple, and molasses. It's highly fragrant. It's quite sweet with lots of toffee and molasses, brown sugar, red wine notes, and discernible alcohol. There is a slight dry bitterness in the after taste. It has a rich, creamy mouth feel with only moderate carbonation, and the 10.5% ABV is noticeable. Overall, I understand why Gulden Draak is so highly regarded. It's well-crafted and highly flavorful but a little too sweet for my taste. It's a good dessert sipper but I wouldn't recommend it for casual drinking.
718 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from cork and cage bottle into tulip glass. It pours a cloudy, orange-cola color with a huge, fluffy, khaki-colored head and lacing with amazing retention. The nose features cola, toffee, candied apple, and molasses. It's highly fragrant. It's quite sweet with lots of toffee and molasses, brown sugar, red wine notes, and discernible alcohol. There is a slight dry bitterness in the after taste. It has a rich, creamy mouth feel with only moderate carbonation, and the 10.5% ABV is noticeable. Overall, I understand why Gulden Draak is so highly regarded. It's well-crafted and highly flavorful but a little too sweet for my taste. It's a good dessert sipper but I wouldn't recommend it for casual drinking.
718 characters
4.42/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
3.53/5 rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Gulden Draak from Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Beer rating:
4.24 out of
5 with
4,043 ratings
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