Style: Quadrupel
Brewery: Gulden Draak
Origin: Belgium
Size: 33cl
Alcohol: 10.5%
Price: 43kr
Systembolaget: 89601
I will always remember where I was when I had my first Gulden Draak: I was out with 3 friends on a beer tasting pub crawl. When this hit my lips, I knew that Gulden Draak would always be a bit of a special brewery to me. Since then I have bought every beer and variation I came across, with nearly all of them being excellent (let’s no mention the imperial stout though). This is their quadrupel though, and again this just exudes excellence.
This was a deep amber colour with a well holding frothy head. The thick body that laced the glass well, swirling and sticking easily. Candy sugar, warm wood, sultana and toffee all resonate on the nose with a hint of spice in the background. That candy sweetness hit the palate first, quickly changing into the luscious tones of caramel, prunes and honey. The alcohol was inevitably noticeable, with a deep warmness coursing through the chest after swallowing. The body was sticky and coated the whole palate, lingering to leave this lovely finish to every mouthful.
This is simply an excellent quadrupel from an excellent Belgian brewery. Nothing more needs to be said!