Gulden Draak Sampler 6Pk

Gulden Draak Sampler 6Pk is a curated six-pack of 11.2 oz Belgian ales from Brouwerij Van Steenberge, spanning 5.5% to 12% ABV. The flagship Gulden Draak earned a gold medal at the 2024 and 2025 World Beer Awards and was named best-tasting beer in the world in 1998 by the American Tasting Institute (now ChefsBest), making this sampler a serious showcase of one of Belgium's most decorated independent breweries.

Quick Facts: ABV: 5.5%–12% (varies by bottle)  |  Origin: East Flanders, Belgium  |  Style: Belgian Strong Ales & Specialty Ales  |  Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge, Ertvelde

What's Inside the Sampler

This pack contains six distinct beers: Gulden Draak (10.5% ABV), a dark tripel; Gulden Draak 9000 Quadruple (10.7% ABV); Gulden Draak Imperial Stout (12% ABV); Piraat (10.5% ABV), a gold medal winner at the 2012 World Beer Cup; Augustijn Blond (7% ABV); and Monk's Café Grand Cru (5.5% ABV). Together they span the full range of Van Steenberge's brewing philosophy—high-gravity, bottle-conditioned ales built for complexity.

Production & Heritage

Brouwerij Van Steenberge operates from Ertvelde in the East Flanders region of Belgium and has been brewing since the late 18th century. A defining technique across several beers in this lineup is secondary fermentation using wine yeast, which occurs both in the bottle and barrel. This process contributes layered flavor development and allows these beers to evolve and improve with cellaring over multiple years—a rare quality even among Belgian specialty ales.

Tasting Notes

Gulden Draak (Dark Tripel):

Aroma: Rich barley and ripe plum open up first, followed by sweet coffee and sour cherry. Brown sugar lingers beneath, with a subtle hop backdrop.

Taste: The entry is dense with burnt malt and caramel, transitioning to dark fruits—dates, figs, and raisin—at mid-palate. Plum and cherry sweetness swells before yielding to a gentle hop bitterness.

Finish: Long and warming, with residual coffee and dark sugar notes that fade slowly. The wine-yeast fermentation character becomes most apparent here, adding dry complexity.

Gulden Draak Imperial Stout:

Aroma: Chocolate and banana dominate the nose, with undertones of roasted grain.

Taste: Powerful roasted grain flavor with a bittersweet core. At 12% ABV, it carries significant weight without tipping into harshness.

Finish: Bittersweet and persistent, with lingering dark chocolate.

How to Drink the Gulden Draak Sampler

These ales are best served at cellar temperature, around 50–55°F, in a tulip glass or goblet to concentrate the complex aromatics. Each beer in this sampler is designed for slow sipping rather than mixing. That said, the Augustijn Blond (7% ABV) works well in a Belgian Shandy with fresh lemon for a lighter session drink, the Piraat brings enough spice and body to anchor a Beer Flip (egg, sugar, and warm ale), and the Imperial Stout makes a compelling base for a Black Velvet variation paired with sparkling wine.

Best For

• Gifting a Belgian beer enthusiast who appreciates bottle-conditioned ales
• Side-by-side tasting sessions to explore a single brewery's range
• Cellaring experiments—several bottles in this set improve with age
• Introducing someone to high-gravity Belgian brewing traditions

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Gulden Draak taste like? The flagship Gulden Draak dark tripel delivers rich dark fruit, burnt malt, coffee, and caramel flavors with a warming 10.5% ABV body. The sampler's other beers range from the light malt sweetness of Augustijn Blond to the roasted, bittersweet intensity of the 12% Imperial Stout.

How does Gulden Draak compare to Duvel? Duvel is a Belgian strong golden ale at 8.5% ABV known for its dry, effervescent character, while Gulden Draak is a dark tripel at 10.5% ABV with significantly more malt sweetness, dark fruit, and body. Gulden Draak's secondary fermentation with wine yeast also gives it a more vinous complexity than Duvel's clean yeast profile.

Is the Gulden Draak Sampler good for beginners? The Augustijn Blond (7% ABV) and Monk's Café Grand Cru (5.5% ABV) are approachable entry points, but several beers in this pack exceed 10% ABV and carry intense, complex flavors best appreciated by drinkers familiar with Belgian strong ales.

Where is Gulden Draak made? Gulden Draak is brewed at Brouwerij Van Steenberge in Ertvelde, a village in the East Flanders province of Belgium. The brewery has been operating from this location since the late 1700s.

What foods pair well with Gulden Draak? The dark tripel pairs well with braised short ribs, as the malt sweetness complements rich, caramelized meat. Aged Gouda or Gruyère matches the beer's caramel and brown sugar notes. Dark chocolate desserts echo the roasted malt character. Blue cheese works against the fruit-forward sweetness, and hearty stews or carbonnade flamande are a classic Belgian pairing.

What sizes does the Gulden Draak Sampler come in? The sampler pack contains six 11.2 oz (330 ml) bottles, one of each featured beer from the Brouwerij Van Steenberge range.

Is the Gulden Draak Sampler worth the price? This sampler positions as a premium Belgian beer collection, and each bottle inside carries individual retail value—particularly the Imperial Stout and the award-winning Piraat. For the breadth of styles and the pedigree of the brewery, it represents strong value compared to purchasing each bottle separately.

Why Gulden Draak Sampler?

What separates this sampler from generic Belgian variety packs is provenance: every bottle comes from a single historic East Flanders brewery with a verified track record of international recognition, including multiple World Beer Awards golds and a BeerAdvocate score of 94 for the flagship Gulden Draak. The wine-yeast secondary fermentation technique used across several of these beers is uncommon even in Belgium and gives the lineup a distinctive vinous depth. With ABVs ranging from 5.5% to 12%, the six-pack functions as a structured tasting flight through Van Steenberge's capabilities—from restrained session ales to cellar-worthy heavyweights. Few sampler packs deliver this level of range from a single, award-winning source.