Another beer from Brouwerij van Steenberge, and another new style introduced on the back of a Belgian classic. After 25 years of being along, the Gulden Draak label now has a second beer - Gulden Draak 9000 Quadrupel.
The body is a glowing honey amber colour, with a huge white head. On the nose there is big fruity sweetness, sticky bready malts and some gentle spicing. The beer smells big.
And the flavour doesn’t disappoint. A rich fruity and spicy sweetness, with the spicing coming through stronger as the beer develops. There are hints of caramel, banana, and honey with a ginger bite as the beer dries out toward the finish.
About the beer: This beer again is a result of a request from the US importers Global Beer. The US market loves big beers, and having helped revive the popularity of the old favourite Gulden Draak, the request was happily fulfilled – to the benefit of us all.
The Story behind '9000'?: We are often asked about the '9000' reference in the name, with many grand suggestions relating to ingredients, alcohol or bitterness measures. Quite simply, it is the post code of Ghent. The Golden Dragon sits proudly atop the town hall, and is the icon for the Gulden Draak label.
A bold, strong dark ale edging toward a quadrupel style beer
by L’Abbaye Notre-Dame de Scourmont
The classic strong dark Trappist ale from the Chimay Trappist Monastery
De Molen's 'Beautiful & Ruthless' is part quadruple part imperial stout
by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende
The winter seasonal from Emelisse is an ABT/quadrupel. Each year they add a different ingredient - for 2015 they've added English liquorice
The quadrupel/ABT beer from the newest Trappist Monastery from Austria.
An award winning quad that kick-started the commercial brewing careers of two twin brothers
A rich and boozy quadrupel, featuring Alvinne's Morpheus house yeast
by Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven
The top of the tree from Dutch Trappist Monastery La Trappe
by Brasserie Artisinale Millevertus
A big, rich and smooth Belgian quadrupel style, just the thing for a cool night by the fireplace
More like a traditional quadrupel than the Pannepot; brewed for the Dutch market.
One of the best Belgian beers you'll ever taste - so much flavour it's impossible to describe.
Voted Belgium's 'Best Hobby Beer 2011', no in full-blown production
The grandfather of Trappist strong dark ales - does it get any better than this?
The showpiece quadrupel of the St Bernardus Brewery - as close to Westvleteren 12 as you can get without the real thing.
The newest addition to the beer portfolio from the only active brewery still inside the city walls of Bruges.
A delicious dark quadruple aged for three years in Woodford Reserve Bourbon barrels
A big mouthful of flavour with this fiery quadruple, brewed in the La Trappe Monastery by one of Belgium's leading female brewers.
A fruity malt backbone, a spicy hop bite and a hint of vanilla
The newest beer for the Augustijn label - a rich, smooth balance of roasted malt and sweet stone fruits
A very drinkable tripel style Grand Cru from Van Steenberge
The unique dark tripel from Brouwerij Van Steenberge, named after the 'Golden Dragon' of Gent.
A tasty beer somewhere between a Belgian Dubbel style and a Belgian Strong Dark Ale
A classic strong pale ale from one of Belgium's old family breweries.
A variation on the acclaimed Piraat strong blond ale, this time with four different hops added at three separate times during the beer-making process
