Gulden Draak
Posted on July 20th, 2009Well, it’s been a while. I had a busy couple of weeks and let this slip away from me. But fear not, I’m back and hoping to update at least once a week from here on.
Now, on to the beer, shall we?
The History
Gulden Draak - Belgian for “Golden Dragon” - comes from the Brouwerij Van Steenberge in the East Flanders province of Belgium. The eponymous dragon is an actual statue located on top of a cathedral in Ghent, the Flemish capitol. The history of this particular Dragon is quite storied. I could explain it myself, but this guy does a way better job than I ever could (perhaps because he’s had a few Gulden Draaks, and I have not…yet). As for the beer, I couldn’t find any reliable information as far as when it was first brewed, but it seems to have exploded onto the award scene in 1995-1996, winning several Silver & Gold medals before taking the “Best Tasting Beer in the World” prize in 1998.
Yum
The Style
Gulden Draak is a Dark Tripel. Most Belgian Tripels are pale, making this a bit of an oddball (but then again, oddballs are what make Belgian brewing so exiting!). At 10.5% ABV, the Dragon is not to be taken lightly. Like Delirium Tremens, it’s bottle-conditioned. This gives the beer a strong natural carbonation, and combined with the high alcohol content and the opaque bottle makes it a great candidate for long-term aging.
The Tasting
Taken from the fridge and emptied into my handy snifter, a vigorous pour left a healthy inch or more of lacy foam. The head dissipates slowly to a thin layer around the circumference of the glass. Deep reddish, caramel color. The beer is translucent with quite a bit of yeast sediment. Sweet on the nose, with fruity - almost floral - aromas. Cherries. A little coffee, perhaps?
The taste is beyond smooth. The natural carbonation sticks around until the last couple of sips and the tiny bottle-conditioned bubbles roll over the tongue and along with the candy sweetness of the beer makes the normally overwhelming 10.5% alcohol nearly undetectable. I think at this point I’ve said ’sweet’ in some form about a half-dozen times, and I really can’t stress enough how it simply sums up this beer. It’s the antithesis of the big west coast IPA (which I will absolutely be getting too in a future article). However, the sweetness never gets overbearing. Rather than a bittery hops, the malty sugar is balanced very subtly by a bit of herb and just a slight black pepper. To put it (somewhat too) bluntly - when I offered a sip to a friend, he responded “…Tastes like flowers.”
I took that as a good synopsis.
The Verdict
At $4-5 per 330mL bottle ($18 for a 4-pack), it’s a bit of a hit on the wallet, but next time you’re at the liquor store, don’t let the price deter you. Delirium Tremens may have been my first - and it will always have a place in my heart - but given the choice between the two, 5 out of 5 times I’ll go for the Golden Dragon.
10/10