Brewer: Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Beer: Gulden Draak
ABV: 10.5%
Location: Ertvelde, Belgium
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Belgian Ales were really pretty well the beer responsible for my shrinking bank account. That is, they were the beer that really got me to realize how crazy beer could taste, and as a result, made me not want to buy cheap (quality) beer anymore. I inserted quality, because I can, and do, get beer that’s inexpensive but still well made and respectable. Anywho, all pretentions aside, anyone who’s had a Belgian ale will probably tell you it is one of the furthest things from your standard macro-brewed lager, (and not just because it’s an ale). They’ve got tons of yeast, lots of spice, fruity esters, some funkiness and sour tastes – essentially they have flavour for days. But the ones I find to be the most intriguing are the Belgian Strong Dark Ales and Quadruples (ales that go through quadruple fermentation). But according to the folks at Brouwerij Van Steenberg, Gulden Draak is unlike any other beer, which is kind of a big claim, but also kind of obvious… I mean every beer is pretty well different from all others... right? But, I guess without being a stickler or d-bag, I have to admit that this one really did surprise me the first time I tried it. It was over a year ago, actually the lone occasion that I have had it, and the recommendation to try it came from my brother as he explained that it was one of the craziest beers that he had tried. Well, I can remember liking the beer, but not much else about it, so I decided to pick up another bottle recently to review. It pours a murky, deep ruby color, like granite… or garnet… one of those dark red colors… the one that plays for the Celtics? What? Um anyway, the head is a fluffy off-white one that slowly dissolves but leaves lacing all over the side of the glass. I can see quite a bit of bubbles streaming up the glass. Smell is very malty and sweet. Lots of dark fruits, figs, raisins, and something that I can really only describe as red smelling. Kind of like cherry blasters but not as sweet, or sour, but there is a little bit of acidy sweet smell, like balsamic vinegar. Up front in the taste it is sweet but crisp. Apple-like, but then the caramel flavour of the malts fills it out. You get some spices too, a little bit peppery, but it’s really light, nothing like other Belgians I’ve had. Then the alcohol starts to come in, at first just for flavour, but then you get the burn. It’s not offensive, it adds to a really nice arc of flavours (pretentious...). Finish actually has some brief bitterness, but it really rides out the maltiness. And the mouth feel is great, because it’s not too thick feeling, it’s not thin or anything, but it helps in making sure that the profile of the beer isn’t overwhelming. Not quite as yeasty as other Belgian beer I’ve had, and again not as spicy, but it’s really nice. In reality it’s nothing like any Belgian I’ve ever had. There are some reminders of classic flavours, but it really is its own kind of beer. It’s not cloyingly sweet, it’s rather well balanced, but I could see that some people would want a bigger hoppy bite. That said, if a hoppy beer is what you’re looking for, than you probably shouldn’t go for this anyway, because that’s not what it’s trying to be. But if you need something to warm you up on a cold evening, or just something with an interesting flavour profile it’s a great beer. Plus I mean the name of the beer is Golden Dragon... so what's not to like?
Rating: 650, but when it comes to dragons, I'd still put my money on this.
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