gulden draak

Van Steenberge’s Gulden Draak is based on a golden dragon, around which numerous myths and legends are woven.

If you believe the legends told in the brewery, a golden dragon adorned Sigurd Magnusson’s ship. The king of the Norwegians at the beginning of the millennium was a crusader and conquered parts of Spain and the Balearic Islands. After his robbery led to what is now Lebanon, he presented his figurehead to the then Emperor of Constantinople. The golden dragon should adorn the dome of Hagia Sophia and tell the whole world about Sigurd’s adventurous travels. He stayed in this honorable place until a Flemish count kidnapped the pangolin. He wanted the gem for his private collection, but his plan was foiled: the treasure fell into the hands of the city of Bruges and remained there until soldiers from Ghent confiscated it at the Battle of Beverhoutsveld in 1382. Since then, the golden dragon by Sigurd Magnusson has adorned the highest bell tower in the city of Ghent and acts as a symbol of freedom and power. Today, the dragon looks back on almost 700 years of city history and is part of Ghent’s cultural treasures.

In honor of the heraldic animal, the Van Steenberge brewery has brewed a beer equivalent that, with a hefty 10.5% ABV and full-bodied stature, evokes the glory and horrors of bygone days.