Gulden Draak 9000 Quadrupel

Brewed as a tribute to 9000 (city code) Ghent and the gold dragon statue on top of their bell tower, Gulden Draak 9000 Quadrupel is a testament to the greatness of the city.  Gulden Draak is a light gold-amber color (lighter in color than I expected) with a frothy and persistent random bead head.  Gulden Draak 9000 Quadrupel, Brouerij Van Steenberge, Ertvelde, Belgium, has a healthy amount of carbonation, and a sweet, dry citrus bouquet greets the nose, with a dose of alcohol at the end.  It’s 10.7% ABV, so no surprise there.  The flavor is not as strong as I thought it would be, but there is some banana and clove notes, tartness, sweetness and finally some sharpness and dryness in the finish.  As it warms the carmelly aspects of the flavor profile become more prominent.  This is a really drinkable quadrupel, almost subdued, and any initial trepidation at the magnitude of this brew is unnecessary.

85/100 Belgian Quadrupel