Gage Roads Sleeping Giant IPA - The giant came and went real quick..

IPA time! (It's been a while.) Can this sleeping giant stand tall in the shadows left by the previous India Pale Ales? (Discounting Tui of course). Or will the giant be hobbled before it hits the battlefield? Let's load up the beer sling and find out!

What am I smelling?: Slight fruity hops. 

Initial thoughts: Copper coloured, little head. Tastes like an IPA that's been scaled down half a notch with a super quick finish and no tidal wave of hops. Very easy to drink with food.

I didn't find the bitterness lingering much at all

Overall: There are some IPAs that are so jam packed with hops you feel like you've just chewed on a hop grenade, with the lingering taste hanging on for quite some time. Others with a decent ABV make you feel like you've gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson...and lost every single one of them. This one is somewhere in the middle - the flavors are there (very slightly reserved) but there's barely any lingering going on - finishes quick. I also don't feel punch drunk after finishing the bottle. I'd suggest this one highly if you want an IPA to enjoy with a meal and not have it drown the taste of anything on your plate. If you're after a hops landmine, I'd look elsewhere.

3 out of 5 lumbering giants.