Big Rock McNally’s Winter Spice Ale

Brewed by Big Rock Brewery
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Calgary, Canada

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

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After giving an unusually careful pour on a Big Rock product I was treated with a thin but very velvety light white / creme coloured cap that left exceptional silty, messy lacing and was retained without notable loss of body. The beer itself was an average looking darker amber that is crystal clear. The aroma is pretty decent if you are into cloves, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon but the sweet toasty malts leave an aroma that is off base. The cinnamon smells powerdery. A vigorous swirl brings an abundance of sweet caramel to the surface. As it warms the spices take over. Taste wise there is a good dose of spices (as noted above) with the cloves and ginger (to a lesser degree) dominating. The caramel malts that hit in the middle seem unattached to the rest of the flavours - stark and singular. Finishes on the rough side, with a watered down finish in comparison to the blunt spices. Very little carbonation, bitterness that fits well by being noticeable but minimal. For the spice content and relative dullness this is quite drinkable but probably not beyond two bottles. I wonder how my farts will smell?

341mL bottle poured hazy amber color with small white head and some spots of lacing. Aromas of grain and spices. Taste is malty sweet with some cinnamon and cardamon, with some hops and more spices blended in the finish. This is quite a nice seasonal ale.

***Old Rating*** One finger bubbly off white head which soon diminished to a ring. No lacing to speak of. A clear dark amber. Spicy mild sweet smells. Spice up front in the taste, over a mils malt base. Finishes again with the spice. Cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. Medium body. Fairly low carbonation. Sweetish. Overall fairly pleasant.

bottle. Poured clear red-amber with an initial large off-white head but recedes. The aroma is sweet, brown sugar and allspice. Lighter mouthfeel than expected. Flavour of gingerbread cookie, bready caramel malt. Quick finish.

A - Caramel with slight cinnamon aroma A - Brownish gold, with little to no head T - Sweet and a touch sour P - Medium, soft carbonation O - Alright for the variety. Most are a bit over spiced.

A red copper ale with a thin off white head. In aroma, sweet caramel overlayed with cinnamon hearts. In mouth, a smooth nutty malt, torrefied, with sweetish cinnamon, cloying in the end. Bottle via probstk, thank Karl.

341 ml bottle from TBS, served cold in a tulip glass.

App.: Clear copper with a so-so light tan head. Aroma: Strong banana bread, spiced loaf, ginger, some other warm spice scents, so much banana bread, clove, cinnamon and allspice as it warms, with a quite sharp, green, peppery note, caramel/brown sugar, meh, not awful but not great either. Palate: Medium+ body, sparse but sharp effervescence, syrupy/slick. Flav.: More of the spices than the nose, warm spices as noted above, that sharp, slightly unpleasant peppery note included, still banana bread, but more spice loaf/ginger snap, some caramel/brown sugar notes too; dry with minimal bitterness and a spice cake finish.

Never a fan of spiced beers. This one doesn’t make me a convert.

On tap: taps a gold-amber smallish cap light lacing. Aroma dominated by cinnimon, caramel graininess light grassiness. Light cara-malts in front standard golding bite light spice no off tastes. Thin, bland for the style and forgettable. Jim McNally should retire if these bland offerings are all he can muster.

Disapointing. I expected a wonderful world of colour, tastebud explosion and spice. This one only goes halfway.....very unlike Big Rock products. Nose was the first clue that something might be wrong....void of stated cinnamon and nutmeg and only the faintest clue of ginger. Malt abundant however. Taste started off dull and body-less. Nothing but mild malt for half the bottle. It wasn’t till the 2nd half of the bottle that the added spices finally started to show their face. To little to late I guess, but still nice to see them. Finish has cinnamon.

On tap at Feathers in Toronto. Pours a clear amber wtih moderate off-white head. Cinnamon very apparent in the nose with some other spices in the background. Flavour is similarly dominated by cinnamon to my taste, with some bready malts and other spices. Light-medium body. Ok.

Enjoyed on-tap at Chauncey Smith. A faint spice aroma. Dark colour. A bit light mouthfeel. Some spice and fruit taste. Nominally rich, vinous.