Big Rock McNallys Extra

Brewed by Big Rock Brewery
Style: Irish Ale
Calgary, Canada

Serve in English pint

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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!

Finally got around to rating this one. Single bottle courtesy my uncle on 12/25/2011. Colour: Nice dark brown and light red mix...with ever so slight off-white head that disappeared quickly. Nose: Roasted hazelnut, heated toffee, dried figs. Quite delightful. Taste: Medium sweet, medium bitter, light sour. The caramelling is a bit high but there is some delicious toasted hops that provide a consistent bitterness from start to finish. A touch of celery too. Great stuff.

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!

Once again for an Irish ale this is a great effort. Balnced with caramel notes and good malt, grain flavor.....finish is decent as well.

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.)

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

McNally’s Irish Style Ale--1998 22 oz. Bottle. 7.00% ABV. (4.0 / 5.0) Irish Style Golden Ale. Rich aroma. Very pretty clear golden red color. Very flavorful malt body has honey banana character. Light thick diacetyl texture slowly melts to finish. Very nice. Sampled 1/18/1999. McNally’s Irish Style Ale--1999A 11.5 oz. Bottle. 7.00% ABV. (3.5 / 5.0) Rich clear red color. Fruity malty aroma hints of smooth sweet rich caramel cherry body with just a few edges. Minimal hop profile, rich finish and light alcohol bite. Barleywine more than Irish. Sampled 7/13/1999. McNally’s Extra Ale--Irish Style Ale--Strong Ale Forte--2002 12 oz. Bottle. 7.00% ABV. (4.0 / 5.0) Clear rich amber red color. Thick texture and smoky malty front. Light hop nose. Rich slightly peaty caramel malt body with nice sweet smooth rich flavors. Irish smoky light peat notes.Smooth rich end. Sampled 7/30/2002.

Very good beer, a little high-test though. Tasted at the Brewery, so freshness might have influenced the rating.