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: 4,030 | Reviews: 1,365
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.
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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 1-.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 1-.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.
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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
3.54/5 rDev -16.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Not my kind of beer, too sweet.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Not my kind of beer, too sweet.
31 characters
4.73/5 rDev +11.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.27/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L — Pours a lovely filtered deep ruby amber with a good-sized cream colored head produced with moderate pour. Decent retention and great lacing
S — Caramel, toffee, fruity yeast esters, tamari, molasses, and a touch of booze
T — Leads with a good amount of sweet malts and banana esters. Followed by waves of caramel, toffee, herbaceous grassiness, and burnt sugar
F — Almost velvety mouthfeel. Medium+ carb. Long lasting, charred/bitter finish
O — A huge Belgian that is all I anticipated but nothing more. Better with the yeast mixed in.
86/100
562 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L — Pours a lovely filtered deep ruby amber with a good-sized cream colored head produced with moderate pour. Decent retention and great lacing
S — Caramel, toffee, fruity yeast esters, tamari, molasses, and a touch of booze
T — Leads with a good amount of sweet malts and banana esters. Followed by waves of caramel, toffee, herbaceous grassiness, and burnt sugar
F — Almost velvety mouthfeel. Medium+ carb. Long lasting, charred/bitter finish
O — A huge Belgian that is all I anticipated but nothing more. Better with the yeast mixed in.
86/100
562 characters
4.77/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
I tried this beer on a recommendation from my server. Nice thick head on the beer. Flavorful and great for sipping. Enjoyed it.
130 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
I tried this beer on a recommendation from my server. Nice thick head on the beer. Flavorful and great for sipping. Enjoyed it.
130 characters
4.78/5 rDev +12.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.75/5 rDev +12%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.99/5 rDev +17.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Decanted from an 11.2 oz (330 ml) white bottle into a conical pint glass; no production information.
A: Pours a hazy, dark copper color with a generous off-white head although limited retention or Belgian lacing.
S: Aromas of apple, caramel, maple syrup and mocha predominate with a very nice interplay.
T: Flavors follow the nose. Complex. Alcohol notable (how could it not be) but has almost a brown rum quality. Very little bitterness evident.
M: Full bodied with very pleasantly persistent effervescence evident. The bubbliness continues throughout consumption.
O: Wow! This is a really top of class beer. Definitely among the best drink experiences I have had lately and definitely imparts further respect for the style (as if it needed any). Would without question drink/serve/gift/relish.
803 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Decanted from an 11.2 oz (330 ml) white bottle into a conical pint glass; no production information.
A: Pours a hazy, dark copper color with a generous off-white head although limited retention or Belgian lacing.
S: Aromas of apple, caramel, maple syrup and mocha predominate with a very nice interplay.
T: Flavors follow the nose. Complex. Alcohol notable (how could it not be) but has almost a brown rum quality. Very little bitterness evident.
M: Full bodied with very pleasantly persistent effervescence evident. The bubbliness continues throughout consumption.
O: Wow! This is a really top of class beer. Definitely among the best drink experiences I have had lately and definitely imparts further respect for the style (as if it needed any). Would without question drink/serve/gift/relish.
803 characters
4.75/5 rDev +12%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
3.71/5 rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.75/5 rDev +12%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
The perfect afternoon Belgium ale. I had the pleasure of trying the draft nitro version at Brat Haus in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Great full bodied mouth feel! especially after the bartender made sure the nitro was poured right and the foam head was a perfect 20%. A must try, one of my all time favorites. 4.8/5
309 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
The perfect afternoon Belgium ale. I had the pleasure of trying the draft nitro version at Brat Haus in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Great full bodied mouth feel! especially after the bartender made sure the nitro was poured right and the foam head was a perfect 20%. A must try, one of my all time favorites. 4.8/5
309 characters
Gulden Draak from Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Beer rating:
4.24 out of
5 with
4,030 ratings
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