Description
Dark, heavy smoked beer.
For the creation of the Gulden Draak Smoked, we go back to the ancient tradition of malt drying: smoking malt. This resulted in a smoked touch of the malt which you afterwards also could find in the beer. This typical smoky taste was lost over the years because the malt drying techniques were made considerably more efficient.
The use of smoked malt in combination with the specialty of Brewery Van Steenberge has a spectacular result: a heavy quality beer of high fermentation with a secondary fermentation in the bottle, baptized as Gulden Draak Smoked. The smoked malt in the recipe gives the beer a velvety soft roasted taste.
Brewed in Belgium
Gulden Draak has been breathing fire at the Van Steenberge brewery since 1986. This characterful, fiery beer was originally commissioned by the Cruyl brewery in Assenede. At the time, it was a festive beer brewed just once a year for the Assenede fanfare.
Gulden Draak originated when Jozef Van Steenberge received one of his Italian customers back in 1986. The Italian visitor could feel the fire and insisted on buying the beer. At first, Jozef refused because he felt that the beer was too strong, but then he agreed on the condition that an order of 100 hectolitres was placed. At the time, it was a large amount that guaranteed an entire week of production. A beer with character also deserves a bottle with character, a unique white bottle, they decided together.
The name ‘Gulden Draak’ refers to the gilded dragon statue at the top of the Ghent Belfry. Legend has it that the dragon graced the bow of the ship used by Norwegian Sigurd Magnusson on his crusade in 1111. The statue still stands guard on top of the Ghent Belfry today as a symbol for the city's freedom and power.
The power of Gulden Draak is best expressed in its unique glass, which is a tribute to the legend of the gilded dragon: a mysterious dragon's egg resting on the strength of a rock. The secondary fermentation uses unique wine yeasts to achieve the unparalleled flavour of Gulden Draak. The wine yeast Jozef Van Steenberge brought with him from the Bordeaux region in 1985 ensures Gulden Draak is very drinkable despite its strong character.
