Cool Springs Wines & Spirits' Featured Beer
Updated May 17, 2010
Gulden Draak Ale by Brouwerij Van Steenberge in Ertvelde, Belgium - The Gulden Draak (Golden Dragon) is a bit of an anomaly. It is triple-fermented like many Belgian brews, but it shares several characteristics with the double or quadruple-fermented styles. Traditionally, Belgian beers that are fermented an even number of times tend to have dark fruit, raisin, and port wine flavors, whereas triple-fermentation beers lean more toward flavors reminiscent of citrus fruit and spices like coriander. The Gulden Draak offers a little of both. It is very full-bodied with a creamy texture and a good amount of orange, apple and perhaps pineapple flavors, but the sweet caramel/toffee/butterscotch backbone is also enhanced by flavors reminiscent of plums, raisins, brown sugar and a hint of chocolate. The centuries old Belgian yeast varieties impart bread-like flavors that might remind one of things like gingerbread cookies, and there is just enough of a hop presence to balance all of the sweet malt with a pleasantly bitter, smooth finish. The 10.5% alcohol by volume is well hidden by all of these flavors, making this a perfect slow-sipping beer to savor. It may not be the best way to learn the difference between the traditional Belgian beer styles, but, in many ways, this brew represents some of the best aspects of the Belgian beer world.
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