Brewery: Sleeping Giant Brewing Company
Type: Independent Microbrewery Est.: 2012
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Beer Style: Golden Ale
ABV: 4.9% IBU: 17
Format: Aluminium Can Size: 473 ml
Cost: $2.90 CAD Purchased At: LCBO
I have been following Sleeping Giant brewery for quite some time. I was interested in them because when they opened there was not much going on in the craft beer scene farther North than Sudbury or North Bay. To get some prospective (because even Ontarians forget how big this province is sometimes) I live in Muskoka which is about 3 to 4 hours drive to the US border with New York State. Toronto is a scant 2 hours away. North Bay is 2 hours North, Sudbury a healthy 3 hours. Thunder bay is 13 hours drive. That's a solid non-stop 13 hours of driving. Over 1200 kilometres. And that is only two thirds of the way to the Manitoba/Ontario Border. which is another 6 or so hours further up the highway. Now, the Far North, as we in the South like to call it, is starting to come alive with breweries, there is Lake of the Woods in Kenora (almost at the Manitoba Border), there are breweries opening or planned in Sault Ste Marie: Outspoken, and Soo Falls. Compass Brewery is opening in Timmins. Still nothing like down here in the southern third of the province... but they are catching up.
Back to Sleeping Giant. As I said it is in Thunder Bay which is an historic logging and mining town. It is quite famous among us rock hounds for being the source of some of the most beautiful amethysts in Ontario. There are pick you own amethyst parks in Thunder Bay, Reasons why I want to go back... well that and BEER! Thunder Bay is also famous as it was a base for many of the CPR Painters and The Group of Seven as they painted Northern Ontario. Lake Superior was a favourite subject for many of Canada's earliest and most famous painters. Sleeping Giant takes its name from a provincial park that has a most unusual land formation. The sleeping Giant rock formation is a collection of mesas and sills that when viewed from a certain angle resemble a giant lying on his back, sleeping.
The cliffs are some of the tallest in Ontario reaching 250 metres (820 feet) in height. The torso is the high point standing an impressive 563 metres (1847 feet) 10 metres taller than the CN Tower.
Onto our beer for tonight...
Pours a deep, clear, gold with a short off-white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is slightly lemon, biscutty, hint of nuts and a little dried fruit. Breadiness continues on the first sip , warm nutty and toasty. Strong mineral quality. Aeration brings out some deeper hops flavours, some bitter greens and hints of almonds.
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order: 5/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer: 5/6 PASS
Final Thoughts:
Lovely little beer. I did however pick up some tinny notes from the can, I would prefer to try this again on draught. Perhaps I do need to make that trip back up to Thunder Bay after all. They also have a Pale ale in cans here at the LCBO, I will try and get that for the New Year. I look forward to trying more of their brews, preferably in the sight of its namesake giant.
Cheers
CJT
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