Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Location: Ertvelde, Belgium
Style: Belgian Dark Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A
In my glass today is the Gulden Draak Ale, one of Belgium's best-known dark ales. The beer pours up a hazy amber-mahogany in color with a foamy, light-tan head. The nose detects wine, mineral water and whole wheat flour.
On the palate there is some sweet cereal up front along with some malt syrup. The malt also gives notes of doughy bread as well as brown rice and rice candy. There is a yeast note typical to Belgian Ales, as well as some wininess. Hops are here and give both herbal and piny notes. There is also a note of stone fruit such as cherries and apricots. The Gulden Draak has a medium-heavy body with some slight syrupiness, plenty of carbonation and a bit of a warming sensation. The finish has lingering cereal sweetness and a bit of a tingle (from a combination of fizz and alcohol).
The Gulden Draak Ale is a great Belgian Ale that even those of you who aren't into Belgian-style beers will enjoy. There is just the right amount of residual sweetnesss here without becoming over-syrupy. This leads to some really nice fruity notes. The Gulden Draak is a well-balanced, complex beer that I highly recommend.
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