Bottle
Gulden Draak Brewmasters
Brouwerij Van Steenberge, Ertvelde
The pale one of the dragon range, 10.5% in a white dipped bottle.
Legend has it
The dragon on the belfry of Ghent has travelled, if the story is to be believed. It is said to have ridden first on the prow of the Norwegian king Sigurd the Crusader's ship in 1111, and to have been given to the emperor in Constantinople for the dome of the Hagia Sophia. A hundred years later the Flemish count Baldwin IX brought it north, and after the battle of Beverhoutsveld in 1382 the people of Ghent took it as spoils and set it on their tower, to guard the city's charters.
Beer stories travel from brewery to bar to guest, and rarely shrink on the way.
Interesting facts
- The name
- Gulden Draak is Dutch for golden dragon, and the beer is named after the gilded dragon at the top of the belfry in Ghent.
- The brewery
- Van Steenberge brews in Ertvelde in East Flanders. The brewery was founded in 1784 and has carried its present name since Paul Van Steenberge bought it in 1919.
- The range
- The Gulden Draak range was created in 1986 as a tribute to the dragon on the tower.
Especially good with
Steak frites, or Belgian truffle.