Gulden Draak

Gulden Draak, whose name means “Golden Dragon” in Dutch, is a dark Belgian specialty beer produced by Brouwerij Van Steenberge in Ertvelde, East Flanders. The brand takes its name from the golden dragon sculpture positioned at the top of the belfry in Ghent, linking the beer to the architectural and cultural identity of the Belgian city. It is characterized by a high alcohol content of 10.5% ABV, a dark color, and a caramel-colored foam head. The beer is made using high fermentation followed by secondary fermentation. A wine yeast is used for the secondary stage, and fermentation takes place both in the bottle and in the keg. This process is associated with the beer’s ability to mature and remain suitable for extended storage. The resulting product is intended to be consumed as a strong, full-flavored specialty beer rather than as a conventional everyday lager. Gulden Draak’s sensory profile combines a pronounced alcohol aroma with notes associated with barley, ripe plums, cherries, and, according to some tasting descriptions, sweet coffee. Its flavor is comparatively less dominated by alcohol than its aroma. Descriptions commonly identify sour cherry and brown-sugar impressions, followed by a somewhat bitter finish. The combination of strength, fruit character, sweetness, dark malt expression, and bottle conditioning places it within the Belgian strong dark ale and specialty-beer tradition. The brand’s principal expression is sold in glass bottles in 33, 75, and 150 centilitre formats, as well as in 30-litre kegs. Its product family has been expanded with related variants. Gulden Draak 9000 Quadruple is a pale quadrupel at 10.5% ABV, named after postal code 9000, associated with Ghent. It uses three types of malt and the same broad secondary-fermentation concept involving wine yeast. The family also includes Gulden Draak Vintage, listed at 7.5% ABV, and The Brewmasters Edition, in which regular Gulden Draak is aged in previously used whiskey barrels. Gulden Draak received a best-tasting-beer award from the American Tasting Institute, now ChefsBest, in 1998. That recognition helped give the beer a notable position among internationally discussed Belgian specialty beers. Its distinctive name, dragon imagery, strong alcohol content, secondary fermentation, and multiple bottle formats support a positioning centered on Belgian brewing heritage, maturation, and premium specialty-beer consumption.

Gulden Draak is rooted in the Belgian brewing tradition of Brouwerij Van Steenberge, which brews the brand in Ertvelde, East Flanders. The beer’s identity is closely associated with Ghent: its Dutch name refers to the golden dragon displayed on the city’s belfry. This naming gives the product a strong local symbol while presenting it to consumers as a distinctive Belgian specialty beer. The beer is produced as a high-fermentation ale and undergoes a second fermentation using wine yeast. Secondary fermentation occurs in both bottles and kegs, a method that supports continued development and storage over time. Its dark appearance, caramel-colored head, elevated 10.5% alcohol level, and complex profile of barley, dark fruit, cherry, brown sugar, coffee-like sweetness, and bitterness distinguish it from standard Belgian beers with lower strength and simpler fermentation profiles. Gulden Draak gained wider recognition in 1998 when the American Tasting Institute, now known as ChefsBest, named it the best-tasting beer in the world. The award is an important documented milestone in the brand’s public history and contributed to its reputation among specialty-beer drinkers outside Belgium. The brand later developed a broader family of related products. Gulden Draak 9000 Quadruple extends the name into a pale quadrupel format and references Ghent’s postal code. It is brewed with three different types of malt and uses wine yeast for secondary fermentation. The range also includes a 7.5% ABV Vintage variant and The Brewmasters Edition, which adds maturation in used whiskey barrels. These variants retain the brand’s emphasis on fermentation, strength, and maturation while offering different color, aging, and flavor profiles. Packaging has traditionally included white plastic-covered glass bottles in 33, 75, and 150 centilitre sizes, together with 30-litre kegs. The 9000 Quadruple is distinguished by black plastic-covered packaging. Across the range, Gulden Draak combines Belgian provenance, a city-linked visual identity, high alcohol content, bottle or keg conditioning, and specialty-beer presentation. The available reference material does not establish a founding year for the brand, the identity of an individual founder, or a separate corporate entity distinct from Brouwerij Van Steenberge.

• 1998

  Best-tasting-beer recognition

  [1]Gulden Draaken.wikipedia.org

  The American Tasting Institute, now ChefsBest, recognized Gulden Draak as the best-tasting beer in the world.

A premium Belgian specialty-beer brand focused on strong, bottle- and keg-conditioned beers with distinctive dark-fruit, malt, sweetness, and maturation characteristics.

• Strong dark Belgian ale

  Gulden Draak

  The core Gulden Draak beer is a dark Belgian specialty ale with 10.5% ABV and a caramel-colored foam head. It is high-fermented and receives secondary fermentation with wine yeast in the bottle and keg. Tasting descriptions identify barley, ripe plum, cherry, brown sugar, and coffee-like notes, with a somewhat bitter finish. It is sold in 33, 75, and 150 centilitre bottles and 30-litre kegs.

• Pale quadrupel

  Gulden Draak 9000 Quadruple

  Gulden Draak 9000 Quadruple is a pale 10.5% ABV variant of the darker original. Its name references postal code 9000, associated with Ghent. The beer uses three different types of malt and undergoes secondary fermentation with wine yeast. It is offered in 33, 75, and 150 centilitre bottles and in 30-litre kegs, with packaging distinguished by a black plastic-covered bottle.

• Specialty beer

  Gulden Draak Vintage

  Gulden Draak Vintage is a related expression in the brand family with an alcohol level of 7.5% ABV. The available reference material identifies the variant but does not provide a launch date or further production details.

• Whiskey-barrel-aged beer

  Gulden Draak The Brewmasters Edition

  The Brewmasters Edition is based on regular Gulden Draak and is matured for a period in a used whiskey barrel. The barrel treatment adds an aging dimension to the brand’s established strong-beer and secondary-fermentation profile. The available reference material does not specify the exact aging duration or release year.

• Expansion into the 9000 Quadruple variantProduct launch

  Background

  The brand extended its original dark strong-beer identity with a pale quadrupel variant associated with Ghent’s postal code 9000.

  Action taken

  Brouwerij Van Steenberge introduced Gulden Draak 9000 Quadruple using three types of malt and secondary fermentation with wine yeast.

  Aftermath

  The product broadened the Gulden Draak family while preserving its emphasis on strong alcohol content, Belgian provenance, and secondary fermentation.

  Source

• Development of barrel-aged Brewmasters EditionProduct launch

  Background

  The brand developed a more maturation-focused expression within its specialty-beer range.

  Action taken

  Regular Gulden Draak was aged in a used whiskey barrel to create The Brewmasters Edition.

  Aftermath

  The variant added a barrel-aging option to the brand portfolio, although the available source does not state its release date or commercial performance.

  Source

1. 1Gulden Draaken.wikipedia.org
2. 2Brouwerij Van Steenbergevansteenberge.com
3. 3Gulden Draakbelgium.beertourism.com