Big Rock Black Amber Ale

Brewed by Big Rock Brewery
Style: Stout
Calgary, Canada

Serve in English pint

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Good lightly roasted malt nose. I expected the flavor to be similar, but it was rather thin and weak. Nose promises more the the flavor delivers

Draft @ Korea Location: Poured a deep black with a tan color head. Aroma is thick licorice and roasted malt. Taste is a bit sourish with some aging roasted malt.

341mL bottle stated 7%ABV on the label poured a deep dark brown color with a thin beige head and very light lacing. Aromas of roasted malts and chocolate and some alcohol. Taste is malty sweet and chocolate with some hop bitterness and alcohol in the finish. The body is a little thin for a stout, but overall, this is a pleasing well balanced brew.

Bottle, sampled at Viti, pours dark reddish brown. Aroma of roasted malt, caramel and a little chocolate. Roasted flavours dominate with coffee and chocolate, and subtle fruitiness, but all watered down. How this is classified as a stout is beyond me. Drinkable.

***Old rating as I score all the Big Rocks I’ve had and never rated*** Pours a dark mahogany colour with a thin layer of off-white head which dissipates quickly leaving no real lacing. Scent is a smokey espresso with a slightly sweet caramel finish, but still rather mild, much like the other Big Rock flagship offerings. I would have to say that this is one of the more flavourful Big Rock offerings. The espresso malts come through, a bit of bitter dark chocolate and bit of a wooden rye flavour is also coming through. Again, it could be a bit more bold, but by far one of their most flavourful beers. A nice medium bodied offering that goes down smooth. No complaints in this department. Overall, this is by far one of the better Big Rock offerings, and I would definitely choose this one over their other beers if I were given the choice. A little light on the flavours and scent, but a decent stout nonetheless.

Black Amber Ale, Dark Alberta Stout--1999 11.5 oz. Bottle. 5.00% ABV. (4.0 / 5.0) Porter? Deep rich clear cherry copper color. Malty aroma light toasted front. Dry malty body with earthy roasted light fruit flavor and spicy notes. Chocolate flavor appears gently and more towards end. Sampled 5/26/1999.

Amber Ale? Stout? I agree w/ Cirrhosis, this seems to scream Porter, but I’ll rate it as a Stout just for giggles. Bottle. 5%. Dark, dark brownish copper poor with a weak tan foam that bubbles away super quickly. Aroma is roasted malts, coffee, and caramel. Taste is roast malts, with a hint of caramel sweetness. Carbonated mouthfeel for a stout, but finish is dry, quite bitter, and satisfying. $11.99/6 @ Wild Rose Liquor.

I am a big supporter of Big Rock beers. I have been for 15 years. This one however just seems to be off the mark for them. I always expect so much more for a stout. It has the expected dark mocha, coffee nose but just seems to fall flat in the mouth. Nowhere is the rich amber sweetness and even less present is the powerful malt stout character. It is not terrible but it certainly could be a better product. It does have their usual expert carbonation and palate feel, thank goodness!

Don’t like this stuff. Good job on trying to peak the interest of non-educated drinkers by calling this an amber ale and a stout at the same time. Dark dark red / brown with nearly zero head poured. Aroma is not bad, I just know where they are going with this beer. It really took a long time for the aroma to come around to something worthwhile: toasted malts, cigarette smoke, chocolate and dark coffee faintly appearing. This stuff is terrible when cold. Taste is pretty good now that it’s nearing room temperature, but before was borderline. Nice malts and bitter hops are blended well, some notes of caramel and some spice. Mouthfeel is light to medium, flat but spritzy (??) with a touch of alcohol, and a dry pleasant bitter aftertaste. I like it now, but it’s been in my glass now close to an hour. It took that long to make it good. I like it better than the numbers indicate. I’ll drink this again, but only an hour out of a fridge. Other than that, a highly dissapointing misguided beer. I think I’ll go see if Big Rock has a non-alcohol IIPA Gueuze...

Make up your mind Big Rock you’re calling this amber ale, and a stout at the same time, and in my opinion it’s really more of a porter. Ebony colored body that easy lets light pass through , a moderate head was produced but didn’t last long, just very bla looking. A sweet fruit punch, combined with coffee and a hint of chocolate, smells very nice and inviting buts it just too mild. The flavor is very nice I’ve never really had any thing like it, coffee combined with sweet chocolate covered cherries, oh man this taste awesome, there are so many other subtle flavors going on in this but I can’t pin point them well enough to describe them. Over all a very tasty complex beer even thought it has bit of an identity crises over what style it wants to be

From the bottle. Pours deep and dark. With a thick beige head. Aroma is crisp and yeasty. Very smooth drinking. Lots of dark roasted malt on the palate, followed with a dry chocolate finish. I like it.