Amsterdam / Biergotter Sleeping Giant - Amsterdam Brewing Company

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.76/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

On tap at the Amsterdam Tap Takeover at Volo. Into a wine glass.

Reddish brown, with a beige head. Light retention and lacing. Nose has caramel, butterscotch, leafy tobacco, wood, some English hopping and generally sweet malt character. Taste has some fruitier notes, syrup, tobacco, caramel, some watered down whiskey, wood/oak and almonds. Body feels a bit thinned by the barrel, lending to a lower carbonation as well. Quite good, but leaves a bit to be desired.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2013 20:34:03 | More by liamt07

phirleh

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%

04-04-2013 13:13:02 | More by phirleh

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

On-tap during Amsterdam's Volo takeover.

Beer is marmalade in colour, dark orange. No head, just a touch of white rim.

Nice mix of malt and hops in the nose. Grassy ho pscents are strong, along with a bunch of caramel. A bit of whisky, but not much.

Beer is quite sweet, despite the advertised 50 IBUs. Lots of caramel, some toffee. Grassy hops, qith a very "English" flavour to me. The barrel is not strong- a bit of whisky and oak, but very restrained. The beer is the main event.

Medium bodied, moderate to high carbonation. Sticky.

Overall. good. The strong hop side adds a nice touch to the malts.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2013 18:19:19 | More by jrenihan

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.84/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Big beer, enjoyed at Day After Amsterdam Tap Take Over at Bar Volo. Medium brown coloured body, only a wisp of a head. Pleasant malty fruity boozy aroma. Smooth mouthfeel and dangerously drinkable. Alcohol warming, and tasty stuff with somewhat Sweet English barleywine character, maple liquor on finish, yet still with some American hop presence. Woodiness unobtrusive. Well crafted.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2013 18:03:16 | More by northyorksammy

cmadd

Ontario (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sleeping Giant pours a cloudy dark amber body topped by a finger of fluffy white lacing – fantastic retention. The smell promises something dark and sweet – bourbon, raisins, maple. The palate – tobacco, raisins, brown sugar – is much lighter and friendlier held up by a sparkling carbonation and medium body. The tastes darken and come alive as it warms, breathes, and loses a bit of its aggressive carbonation. A very balanced approach to the style. It lacks the thickness of body that some have come to expect with barrel-aged barleywines, but it's a great addition to the Ontario scene and a well crafted example.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 04:15:17 | More by cmadd

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

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

Thanks to my brother for this rare bottle!
Brewed: March 4, 2012
Bottled: August 10, 2012

Poured in to Amsterdam tulip.

A - Dark amber; only slightly translucent with a bright blow around the edges. Half a finger of cream coloured head formed and immediately reduced to a ring around the glass.

S - Very sweet up front: brown sugar, maple, toffee and dark caramel. Whiskey is present as well but is secondary, adding a nice complexity.

T - The whiskey notes are present up front and immediately give way to sweet caramel, brown sugar, toffee and maple flavours. The barrel qualities take centre stage, unlike in the nose. The ABV is barely noticeable. Dangerously drinkable for the ABV.

M - Medium body. Light carbonation.

O - A very good example of the style. I think some improvements could be made to make this one world class, but for a first batch, this was excellent.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 01:57:53 | More by TheSevenDuffs