From time to time, I find myself at CostPlus World Market, usually for some sort of furnishing which I never find. But I do try to make it over to their beer/wine section for a quick perusal of whatever happens to be in stock. If I see something I’ve never had, I usually pick up a few bottles, ditto for if I see something that is hard to come by in the States. World Market is usually good for a few treasures of this sort.

This past weekend, I stumbled across Gulden Draak, an ale or barleywine from Belgium. Now, if there’s one thing the Flems do well, it’s Beer. If there’s two things they do well, they’re Beer and Chocolate. Alas, my tastes are more in tune with the former. I rarely try a Belgian brew that I don’t like – and admittedly, I’m very fond of the white ales, and especially enamored of the abbey-style ales. Gulden Draak caught my eye with its lacquered white bottle, which reminded me of Delerium Tremens (reviews, here), which fortunately for me, is served in a handful of local brewhouses. The alcohol content of Gulden Draak, however, exceeds the Delerium, and packs a punch at a whopping 10.5%

I won’t bore you with the taste/finesse – I’m not much into describing beverages as “having a taste of russian leather” or the “unique floral bouquet…” Basically, I like what I like. And what I like is full-bodied, heavy, complex beers.

Gulden Draak fits my criteria, but I’d be careful of drinking more than one or two in a sitting. I’m interested in your recommendations – if you’ve got a favorite beer that’s hard to come by, leave a comment and I’ll see if I can’t find it to try it out.

Cheers.