Gulden Draak (Dark Triple) - Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

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2,117 Ratings

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rAvg: 4.23
pDev: 11.58%
Reviews: 1135
Hads: 982

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Brewed by:
Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

Belgium

Style | ABV
Belgian Strong Dark Ale | 10.50% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (1019), on-tap (114), growler (2).

Notes:
No notes at this time.

View: Beers (68) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by rickyleepotts:

rickyleepotts

Arizona

4.5/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I have had this beer before, but I don’t really remember it. I remember the bottle and the label, but didn’t realize it was a strong dark ale. I also don’t agree that it tastes like a barleywine. Of course, I don’t remember the beer… so maybe it does! But I am excited to drink this because Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V. also makes Piraat, one of my favorite beers of all time. Not sure it can live up to that beer, but I am sure it’s good! Let’s get to it.

In the Glass: This beer also started overflowing as soon as I popped the top. It has to be one the beers that traveled from Indiana. That is two in a row… only a few more before we need to start shopping again. Fun. That is my favorite part! Anyway, the beer pours a very dark brown, almost black into the glass. It also has a rich, foamy white head. It’s fun seeing such a dark beer produce such a light and appetizing head.

Nose: The beer smells like liquid yeast. It has a very malty aroma, too. The words “dark ale” truly come to light here. I pulled this beer from the fridge, but I almost think some chill to it might help. Upon a second sniff I am wondering if a beer with 10.5% might be best cellared until further notice. It seems half of the beers on our list are that way.

Flavor: Holy cow flavor. There is SO much flavor in this beer. It starts sweet, then gets bitter, almost dry, then finishes strong. Hence the name, I suppose. There is so much going on here, I almost want to give this to a guy that doesn’t know or appreciate good craft beer. I mean, there are ten different flavors from the second it enters your mouth. I can see why they would call this a barleywine. It has that sweetness, and it finishes sweet. It finishes strong, but it finishes sweet just the same.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is amazing. It starts soft and sweet, then explodes across the tongue, and finishes with an explosion of sweetness. Those malty flavors that I was smelling don’t really come around until the aftertaste, and they are subtle at best. The 10.5% ABV is also nicely hidden. One or two of these and you would be feeling just fine. Swishing it around in my mouth I was able to feet a few more flavors, but it is best just sipping as is. Man… what a great beer!

Aftertaste: The aftertaste starts sweet. There is a subtle sweetness across the entire experience here. But the aftertaste, as explosive as the beer was/is, is not as big as I expected. It sticks around for a few minutes, but doesn’t leave me begging for more. The sweetness sure does!

Like I said, I have had this beer before. But when I am sitting down to not only appreciate it, but drink it with a purpose (this blog) I am enjoying it a LOT more. Man, what an incredible beer. That, and I learned that Gulden Draak actually means golden dragon. That was a cool little backstory. We are going to be in Belgium next month. Maybe I can find this on draft somewhere. Bottoms up, people!

Gulden Draak – The bottle says: “NA”

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 04:48:40 | More by rickyleepotts

More User Reviews:

Waveoff

Pennsylvania

4/5 rDev -5.4%

05-26-2013 05:10:08 | More by Waveoff

sbanacho

California

4/5 rDev -5.4%

05-26-2013 04:35:45 | More by sbanacho

Rohkey

Michigan

4.75/5 rDev +12.3%

05-25-2013 00:24:46 | More by Rohkey

Dirksen

California

4.75/5 rDev +12.3%

05-24-2013 19:22:49 | More by Dirksen

desint

Belgium

3.75/5 rDev -11.3%

05-24-2013 11:21:03 | More by desint

avisong

Virginia

3.75/5 rDev -11.3%

05-24-2013 02:01:50 | More by avisong

hannydawg

Illinois

4/5 rDev -5.4%

05-23-2013 14:02:06 | More by hannydawg

Blindpigbiz

California

3.83/5 rDev -9.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Smell: clean spring water

Taste: bitter hops with a rich, herbal, malty sweetness that carries throughout; subtle toasted walnuts pervade during each sip

This is one of the funkiest tripels Belgium has produced. Normally tripels have either a clementine, orange, or at least another citrus fruit within the flavor of the beer, but with the golden dragon not a one. This beer caught me off guard and I'm down to try it soon. By the way, This beer goes very well with an Italian sub with heavy mayo and oil

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 06:47:09 | More by Blindpigbiz