Belgian Golden Strong Ale

A Belgian golden strong ale pours pale yellow to gold, clear and sparkling, under a huge, rocky white head that leaves lace on the glass. It smells of fruit, often pear, with herbal or floral hops and a peppery note from the alcohol, over a malt you barely notice. In the mouth it feels light for its 7.5–10.5% alcohol, dry and fizzy, with a firm bitterness that runs into a long, dry finish. The strength warms without burning.

Where it comes from

The Moortgat brewery in Breendonk developed it after the First World War, as pale lagers grew popular. The family named its new beer Victory Ale; in the 1920s a drinker called it nen echten duvel, a real devil in Brabantian Dutch, and Duvel became its name. The beer started darker and took its modern pale form by the 1970s. Many later versions carry a devil in the name too, as a nod to the original and to their strength.

Brewers use Pilsner malt with plenty of sugar, which keeps the body light and the finish dry, continental hops and a fruity Belgian yeast; Duvel’s yeast descends from a Scottish culture Albert Moortgat bought in Britain after the war. The beer is traditionally conditioned in the bottle.

How to serve it

Pour it at 4–7 °C into a large tulip glass. It goes with beer-battered fried shrimp, a triple-crème cheese or baklava.

Next to its neighbours

People often confuse it with a Belgian tripel, but a golden strong ale is usually paler, lighter, crisper and drier, with more fruit than spice from the yeast and more late hops. A Belgian blond ale is the weaker cousin, at 6–7.5%.

Belgian Golden Strong Ale in numbers

Classic examples

Duvel Moortgat, Brasserie d'Achouffe (La Chouffe), Brouwerij Huyghe (Delirium)

Original gravity

1.070–1.095

Final gravity

1.005–1.016

Food

Beer-battered fried shrimp; triple-crème cheese; baklava

Classic examples

Duvel; Delirium Tremens; Brigand; Judas; Lucifer; Russian River Damnation

BJCP style

25C Belgian Golden Strong Ale

Sources

Checked October 30, 2026.

1. 25C. Belgian Golden Strong Ale, 2021 Beer Style Guidelines — Beer Judge Certification Program
2. Belgian-Style Golden Strong Ale — CraftBeer.com, Brewers Association
3. Duvel Moortgat Brewery — Wikipedia