Big Rock Maibock

Brewed by Big Rock Brewery
Style: Heller Bock
Calgary, Canada

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Stein

Medium red-tinged brown colour. Aroma is fruity (plums), tobaccoey and molassesy. Body is moderate (so, light for style), malty (hints of caramel and earth). Fruity overtones are distracting. But I don’t think it’s esters, just the way the malt comes across, possibly a function of what appears to be light oxidation.

Deep brown with a light ruby tint. Thin fast-fading light brown head. Sweet malty aromas of brown sugar, and a touch of nuttiness. Flavour is lightly sweet, malt accented, caramel and toffee with a bit of toastiness. Just enough bitterness to balance. Well made.

Clear brown with a ruby hue, and a thin dissipating off white head. Nice nutty malt aroma, a bit woody. In mouth, sweet nutty malt, with some smokey notes, but rather thin and short in mouth. Maibock for the mass. Merci, JM.

Light colour for a bock, sort of an orange tinted yellow. Light head, big bubbles. Strong pleasant aroma off the pour quickly goes back into hiding. Doesn't taste very bockish. Honey-like sweetness with alcohol notes. Mild but lasting hop flavour. A pleasant beer from Big Rock but thin and disappointing as a Bock. Flavourwise I remember last year's Spring Bock to be more enjoyable if less adventerous. Same goat posed for this label.

UPDATED: NOV 9, 2005 Sparkling gold, fast fading beige head. Grainy astringent nose. Foretaste is corny, finishing rather metallic.Large bead. Rather gassy. Nowhere near the quality of the old Springbok Re rate: Nov 9/05 Obviously a different beer than the first I tried. Brown this time, small beige head. Light malt nose. light sweet malt profile with no discernable hops. Considerably better this time around, but still nothing special This should be listed as a separate beer, 03/04 were golden. and a totally different beer.

Deep clear golden color with a rich malty nose giving off just the tiniest effervesces of fruits (pineapples and apricots??). Rich medium-full body with typical Big Rock maltiness. The fruitiness becomes clearer here and the palate can find hints of pineapple and brandy, while the finish is dry and lingering with rich maltiness. To be honest if I wasn’t from Calgary I probably would really love this beer, as I might not be familiar with B.R.’s standard malt/hops profile. But being from here I am just getting a little sick of the same malt/hop profile and want some zing or zang added to their beers

A little disappointing. Body was golden with no head. Aroma was lightly malts and little hops. Little flavour except for a grainy taste. Texture was oily and over carbonated with a strong alcohol burn.

Old review from summer of 2006. Light brown with some fizzy bubbles. The aroma is sweet and really malty with some fruit like plums or something. The flavour is sweet and malty as well, caramel and maybe toffee. I’m not a fan of this brew - seems thin yet thick. Glad It’s gone.