Big Rock Traditional Ale

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

Pours a nice clear orange color. Aromas of caramel, hint of fruit and hops. Nice creamy malt taste with a nice hop bitterness.

Bottle. Limpid amber body with good carbonation and a decent off-white frothy/foamy head. Nice malty/hoppy aroma with roasty and floral notes. Taste is mild and slightly less complex than the aroma. It ends with a too short bitter finish. This is pretty fair, but it could have more character.

From the bottle: Pours a dark copper with a medium white fast fading bubbly head. Nice floral hop aroma upon pouring leading into caramel- nuttiness. Sweetish start to the flavour with cherry and nutty tones, leading into a medium hoppy bitterness that is fairly understated and it finishes with a malty sweetness that is in good contrast with the bitterness. Not a wower, but a thoroughly enjoyable medium-hopped Ale.

Fair, but no English style here. I think the label’s bark is worse than its flair. But give it a shot. Hostel bar, Vancouver.

[bottle] Pours a clear dark amber with not much effervescence and, therfore, not much of the white froth that only forms a small ring. Sort of pleasantly oxidized aroma with lots of raisiny caramel and some tobacco and other dried fruit notes. There are some subtle hops in the nose at the end also. Flavour is sweet toffee with dried fruit, complimented by hops that only balance the flavour and do not really come out. Also a touch of nutty-bitter dark malt character. Medium body and low carbonation with a more or less clean finish. Very nice.

Blandly one dimensional in its minor maltiness. Where’s the hops? Where’s the excitement? Just plain plain.

Clear reddish copper colour with thin tan head. No distinguishing nose. Fast fading mild malt taste with no finish.

Bottle (341ml) - and (formerly) draught at Charlotte Room. It’s an ale. Better than macros, but nothing special. Reddish amber in colour, mild aroma that might charitably be called "malty", overall a bit watered-down tasting, not much linger, forgettable on the palate. I (used to) drink it at my favourite billiard hall - it’s that or Caffrey’s on tap. Or Keith’s "IPA" ...