Wonderful brew! I first sampled this beer while dining in Waterton Park just north of Glacier National Park and remember it as much as the beautiful scenery. I fell in love with it and visited several stores until I found some to bring home. It is a lot better on tap (aren’t they all) and the bottled brews were much more tart and bitting than the smooth draft. So if you are in Canada, and find it on tap, Enjoy!!

I worked for Buzzard’s in Calgary, which introduced me to the fine variety of products from Big Rock Brewery.. really missing those beers!

One of the better Canadian beers. Nice balance of flavours considering it’s higher (7%)alcohol content.

This first bottle from a case of specialties consisting of 2 bottles of the top 6 brews from Calgary, Alberta, Canada's Big Rock Brewery. This is a very enjoyable brew modeled after the great Irish Red Ales. Pours a deep amber color with a quickly disappating white frothy head. After a few minutes the head is completely gone with just the faintest remnants of a collar surrounding the top of the brew. No lacing on the glass during consumption. Aroma wise this Extra Ale is rich in caramel and a very smooth blend of hops and malt. A very nice, robust brew that presents considering welcoming factor for the drinker even before the very first sip. Taste wise, it lives up to its billing. A complex buttery texture that does down very well. Complex collection of malts with just a slight hint of hops succeed very well. Weaker contentders should study this beer closely to try to capitalize on a good malt structure. This one is definitely malty, but not weak and uninspiring like so many other malty beers. Although this one is a Canadian microbrew, its from a large enough company that gets some reasonably wide exposure in the US. Looking for something a little different? Don't miss this one. (Other Big Rock notables include Grasshopper Ale and Warthog Cream Ale.)

Short lived head but with good buttery herbal aroma on the nose, deep amber colour with solid body on the palate, lighter than you think at 7% so it’s perilously easy to drink. Beautiful butter malt flavour well balanced by a peppery bitter finish, definately the best Irish ale i’ve ever had!