Gulden Draak
Beer No: 69
Page No: 704
Category: Dark
Well, it's finally June, Memorial Day has passed, Summer has begun, and the heat is beating down on my house. So, let's drink! First up in my run through odd-shaped 330ml bottles is Gulden Draak from Brouwerij Van Steenberge. Weighing in at a hefty 10.5% ABV, this beer is tough to classify according to 1001 Beers. They state that the brewery suggests it's a barleywine, but most say it's a dark tripel, whereas RateBeer classifies it under Abt/Quadrupel. So what is it? Well, it's heavily malted, very sugary-sweet, and though the alcohol is hidden well on the nose, it comes out much more strongly in the taste.
Whatever you want to classify it as, in the end, it's a pretty tasty beverage. The malts are balanced well with a spicy finish, but truth be told, malty beverages like this just aren't my favorite. I prefer them hoppy or sour. Malty...no thanks. But still, a high quality beverage that was actually named the best beer in the world in 1998 by the American Culinary Institute.
My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:
Gulden Draak by Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.4 / 5.0
330ml bottle. Pours dark brown with hint of red and tan head that lingers as a film to the end. Aroma is very sweet - tons of malts and candi sugars. Slight aroma of fruit and alcohol. Taste is heavier alcohol than the aroma suggests. The 10.5% really isn’t hidden all that well behind the sugars and malts. Beer is very fizzy and finishes very sweet and sticky. Not my cup o’ tea but still not a bad malty beverage.
