Oakes (33770) reviewed The Prosperer from Great Leap Brewing 14 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Hazy blonde-tan colour. Mango-passion fruit hop aroma. Fruity with good bitterness, almost sticky in the finish. Good balance, a tasty refreshing beer. Billed as perhaps the most approachable in the lineup, and sometimes it seems that way but other times it seems quite strong on the palate, especially with the alcohol finish.
Oakes (33770) reviewed Honey Ma Gold from Great Leap Brewing 14 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Cloudy dull tan. Thick head. The aroma is full of herbs - the assertive camphorish quality of Sichuan peppercorns (the ’ma’ in honey ma). Softish body, and definitely honey-sweet, again with that herbal character all over the palate. I think the spice brings a bit too much bitterness across the palate, but there are days when this beer is very appealing.
Oakes (33770) reviewed Cinnamon Rock Ale (肉桂冰糖) from Great Leap Brewing 14 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
Light amber colour. Hints of unidentifiable spices and light malts on the nose. Heavy cassia on the palate, though. In some batches it is stronger than others, but always seems a bit much for me. Clean and relatively dry for a Great Leap beer, despite some sweetness in the finish.
Oakes (33770) reviewed Pale Ale #6 from Great Leap Brewing 14 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Cloudy dark tan. Lightly fruity aroma. The palate starts with overripe fruits, giving way to cleaner pear/peach notes. Soft body and a gentle balance, certainly a lighter take on the style than you’d find back home. Probably more English in its sense of balance, but with American alcohol and Chinese hops.
Oakes (33770) reviewed Little General IPA from Great Leap Brewing 14 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Cloudy tan. The head is somewhat thick. The aroma has some nice hoips (minty, citrusy). There are minty, orangey notes on the palate. It’s a little bit sticky and has some yeastyness as well. The finish is quite stick with decent hop resin. I had a couple of different batches and found the latter to be a little more expressive in hop character.
Oakes (33770) reviewed The Orchid Ale from Great Leap Brewing 14 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
On tap at the Orchid. Hazy, amber with a little bit of head. The aroma shows papaya and mango - very fruity and expressive. The palate is very rich with a lot of tropical fruit. The finish shows some tannins, and more fruits. Very complex beer. The tea is responsible for much of the fruitiness and florals of the beer - when sampled on its own Dan Cong is a very perfumey brew. The tea also rounds out the palate a bit, the tannins lending dryness. Very well-executed brew, one of Great Leap’s finest.