Sleeping Giant IPA - Gage Roads Brewing Company

juju7

Australia

2.9/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

What a yawn. Low in hop aromas, low in bitterness, low in hop flavour, low in imagination. I just got bored drinking this. It's like the G rated version of an IPA. Not even pale ale in hop levels. A decently tasting beer to be fair, it doesn't taste awful or anything but it's pretty bland. Despite it's freshness it just doesn't have any zip to it that helps it shine. Playing it safe for the Dan Murphys customers.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 10:35:47 | More by juju7

magpieken

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

04-11-2013 17:13:56 | More by magpieken

BrazilianAussie

Brazil

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

04-05-2013 15:32:51 | More by BrazilianAussie

rjimlad

Australia

3.88/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured clear, pale straw colour with light head and no lacing. Aroma is bread and hop. I'm not good with smell. Taste is bread and grapefruit with a solid bitter kick at the end that is persistent. Some floral hop notes and maybe a hint of caramel/toffee. Very clean finish and crisp mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Pretty decent beer actually and for an IPA I found the drinkability high. Not as complex as some but I quite enjoyed this. No overwhelming hop resin which I don't mind but find in some IPAs to be over the top. Nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 08:46:13 | More by rjimlad

pin

Australia

2.5/5  rDev -28.8%

11-22-2012 02:48:32 | More by pin

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle poured into pint glass 21/8/12 thanks Mikey for hauling this around the world
-from notes

A light copper with a shitload of bubbles feeding a thin cap for quite a while but only a few patches of lace

S earthy herbal hops with some citrus rind and nutty hard toffee, rather grainy with lots of cereals

T interesting hop profile with just a little bit of everything, floral, herbal, earthy and some citrus but rind more then flesh, just a little iced tea as it warms . its a little tame but respectable

M creamy from the bubbles and a little slick in the mouth and slightly sticky on the lips, just a mild bite and a nutty earthy aftertaste that lingers for a while

O interesting stuff that's worth trying, a mellow IPA almost a West Coast, English hybrid

I could drink a few without getting board but I wouldn't go searching for it, a few could go down without falling over

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 04:43:34 | More by wordemupg

foles

Australia

4.03/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Gage Roads is back. Copper coloured, malty with some crystal sweetness without being cloying, hoppy (I think its more US than UK). I'm getting what could be some munich or vienna in there? Session strength also. If this was on tap in Perth/Freo it would be real hit. Available in bomber format which is a real bonus as far as I am concerned. The bomber trend is kicking off here in Aust.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 08:11:06 | More by foles

Josh2222

3/5  rDev -14.5%

06-03-2012 01:50:57 | More by Josh2222

Julian4077

Australia

1.75/5  rDev -50.1%

05-11-2012 10:14:51 | More by Julian4077

hopnerd

Australia

4/5  rDev +14%

04-18-2012 08:42:28 | More by hopnerd

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Woolworth's. From notes.

A - Poured light copper, bright, good carbonation, one finger of soapy white head, decent retention with a ring around the
top and some film, slight lace.

S - Floral, hoppy, some malts, honey and toffee.

T - Malty backbone with earthiness and toffee, some honey and a good balance with the hops with floral, citrus flavours.

M - Nice carbonation, medium body and an earthy/floral hop finish of bitterness.

O/D - A fairly good EIPA. Not spectacular but it's quite tasty. I enjoyed it. Very drinkable and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 05:42:48 | More by tbeckett

dmorgan310

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +28.2%

02-03-2012 10:16:40 | More by dmorgan310

jjkatter

Australia

4.25/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle poured into a pint glass...

A- Amber and fairly clear. Moderate carbonation with a head that quickly settles into a fine lace.

S- floral and hoppy with citrus and a hint of barley

T- Hops up front with malt. Very pleasent and drinkable. Well balanced.

MF- just the right amount of carbonation which finishes with a perfect dryness.

O- I have tried MANY of the craft beers here in Australia and I can not for the life of me figure out why this beer isn't more polular. I wouldn't classify the price on this beer as being a bargin, but it is much lower priced than other "premium" beers here that it blows out of the water. I will definately be buying more of this!!!

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 08:48:57 | More by jjkatter

RXUYDC

California

3/5  rDev -14.5%

01-15-2012 09:34:21 | More by RXUYDC

MenInVen

Australia

3.25/5  rDev -7.4%

12-27-2011 02:38:34 | More by MenInVen

heygeebee

Australia

3.38/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a copper body, one finger head that really looks the part to start with but dies. Lots of sudsy lace.

Very restrained aroma. Not getting a lot at all.

Quite hoppy, but not sharp. Caramel malt arrives. Not sure it's really an English IPA - a little too restrained. As it warms, earthy malts do too - as to style.

Mouthfeel good and medium bodied.

Not a bad attempt.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 07:11:52 | More by heygeebee

aBeeraWeek

Australia

3.6/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

It pours out a light brown with some amber colouration. The head is light and fluffy and cream in colour – basically it looks like any good IPA should in the glass.

A light floral smell and even some sweet caramels coming through, but not much really on the smell.

The caramels come through on the taste, but this time with more of a roasted sensation - more like toffee and roast nuts. There is some bitter coming through as well which you would expect from an IPA but the hoppy aftertaste is muted with a residual taste of pepper spices. It has an interesting and refreshing taste but I would have preferred a stronger bitter aftertaste to give this beer more balance.

There is nothing amazing in the mouthfeel, with medium body and medium carbonation. Comfortable though and could easily sit down to a few of these.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 10:29:32 | More by aBeeraWeek

mungus

Australia

4/5  rDev +14%

11-21-2011 02:35:14 | More by mungus

mazstar

Australia

3.53/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The first thing I noticed was the attractive labelling and decent price of $15 for a 6-pack. It certainly looks like both GRB and LWB
are continually expanding their macro dreams.

The beer pours a fairly dark amber and you get a decent head which does fall into a thin foam.

Subdued floral, can get sweet malt on the nose. On the palate, you get a malty front, bit of floral notes and a fairly lacklustre hop finish. There is a bitterness but it isn't very complex.

This beer is actually a decent session beer, it's nothing like James Squire IPA - in a way it's trying to broaden appeal of this style.

If this were AUD$40 - $50 per carton it's a good buy for those wanting something non-offensive but not entirely spectular.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 13:20:07 | More by mazstar

aeolianshredhead

Australia

4.47/5  rDev +27.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Nice copper/light brown colour with a minimal 2 finger quickly-dissipating caramel coloured head. Steady bead of bubbles flowing to the top.

S- Caramel, nutty, floral hops. Seems to have a fair bit going on. Very appealing toffee after-scent.

T- That toffee sweetness is up first on the front with a mid to finish of hops. This probably won't satisfy most hop-heads, but this to me bridges a nice gap between tasty and light. Very nice.

M- Medium bodied and pleasantly carbonated. Not overly effervescent, but not too tepid either.

O- I really like this. I'm not going to pretend that it is the "perfect representation of an EIPA" or anything like that, but for me, this definitely hits the spot. This is one of my go to beers when there is nothing else or I just want a tasty, highly drinkable treat.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2011 12:35:04 | More by aeolianshredhead

dansmcd

Australia

3.33/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours a clear, golden, reddish amber. Weak head fades into a ring of foam and then away altogether as it warms. Some lacing.

S - Honey and caramel malts, floral notes.

T - Sweet dark honey and toffee malts, reasonably hoppy.

M - Medium body and carbonation.

O - A pretty decent pale ale in my book. Certainly superior to their Atomic.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 07:11:47 | More by dansmcd

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.43/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark amber with a quickly fading off-white head.
Nose shows lots of malt with caramel, toffee and some soft citrus hops underneath.
Similarly malty flavours but with a bit of orange/tangerine in there too. Pretty tasty stuff.
Body feels a little light on.
Not very hoppy but nice nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2011 01:44:45 | More by CrazyDavros

doktorhops

Australia

3.33/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This caught my eye at the local Sir Daniel Murphy Esquire the Third's and as I'm a fan of any brew that has "Pale Ale" in it's name I thought I would give it a go.

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a Guinness pint glass.

A: Body and head resemble the appearance of a nice refreshing iced tea. The head started off pretty flat and subsided to a thin densely packed white head... still appealing.

S: The sharp resiny hops hit the nose with the promise of a damn bitter ale, which I'm liking! There is a light background aroma of caramel malts that offer a slight balance to the punchy hops.

T: The sweet caramel malts almost immediately surrender to the sharp resiny and bitter hops... though it's not as bitter as I was expecting from an IPA. The ale offers not a great deal of flavour complexity outside of this.

M: Creamy and medium bodied. A good balance in this department.

D: It's an alright drop, not as heavy as some other IPA's I've tried and I could see myself drinking a few more, however I feel the biggest letdown is the lack of flavour complexity (I don't think I tasted more than one type of hops in this brew). Everything else is decent enough.

Food match: Cheese platter, canapes and tapas... party food.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 11:47:44 | More by doktorhops

LittleCreature

Australia

3.9/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - 4.0
Pours two fingers of cream coloured head that soon reduced to a thin layer over the clear, deep amber to copper body.

Smell - 3.5
English-style IPAs are never as aromatic as their American counterparts and this is no exception. Earthy, resiny hops are there, but more than balanced by caramel malts, a little fruit and peppery alcohol.

Taste - 4.0
Delicious, but I have to question whether this is more of an ESB than an IPA, such is the malt-hop balance. I stop caring as I enjoy the rich palate of biscuity and toffeeish malt, dried fruit, spicy, earthy hops and pepper. Late-hop character is subtle, which for me is a big plus, bitterness is moderate to assertive.

Mouthfeel - 4.0
Medium in both body and carbonation.

Drinkability - 4.0
Perhaps not a session beer, but I will certainly be enjoying a few of these through the colder months.

OVERALL - 3.9
I am going to say right now that I think this beer is very much underrated. If it's closer to being an ESB than an IPA, then it's a damn good ESB and I don't care!

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 08:33:45 | More by LittleCreature

LiamAhearn

Australia

3.8/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I found this beer at Dan Murphy's without knowing of its release by Gage Roads. I was looking for a commercial example of the English IPA style as I was preparing to brew one myself, so this beer caught my eye.

A: Brilliant clear clarity with a deep copper colour. Low carbonation and head on the pour.

S: Crystal caramel maltiness comes through followed by some light floral hop aromas. Very clean fermentation characteristics with no esters present. Other aromas include orange blossom honey and toffee.

T: Sweet biscuit, toasty malt flavours with medium bitterness in support, balance towards malt though. Some resiny hop note coming through but no fruitiness detected.

M: Finnish is dry, with a medium - light body. Lingering caramel maltiness in the after taste but pleasant and makes you want another mouthful.

D: Great beer just lacks the level of English hop aromas I was looking for in the style, bitterness could have been more suited if raised a couple more IBU.

I really enjoyed this beer and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good malty backbone in a beer.

Cheers,

Liam

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 12:54:05 | More by LiamAhearn