Big Rock Black Amber Ale

Brewed by Big Rock Brewery
Style: Stout
Calgary, Canada

Amber Ale? Stout? I agree w/ Cirrhosis, this seems to scream Porter, but I’ll rate it as a Stout just for giggles. Bottle. 5%. Dark, dark brownish copper poor with a weak tan foam that bubbles away super quickly. Aroma is roasted malts, coffee, and caramel. Taste is roast malts, with a hint of caramel sweetness. Carbonated mouthfeel for a stout, but finish is dry, quite bitter, and satisfying. $11.99/6 @ Wild Rose Liquor.

I am a big supporter of Big Rock beers. I have been for 15 years. This one however just seems to be off the mark for them. I always expect so much more for a stout. It has the expected dark mocha, coffee nose but just seems to fall flat in the mouth. Nowhere is the rich amber sweetness and even less present is the powerful malt stout character. It is not terrible but it certainly could be a better product. It does have their usual expert carbonation and palate feel, thank goodness!

Don’t like this stuff. Good job on trying to peak the interest of non-educated drinkers by calling this an amber ale and a stout at the same time. Dark dark red / brown with nearly zero head poured. Aroma is not bad, I just know where they are going with this beer. It really took a long time for the aroma to come around to something worthwhile: toasted malts, cigarette smoke, chocolate and dark coffee faintly appearing. This stuff is terrible when cold. Taste is pretty good now that it’s nearing room temperature, but before was borderline. Nice malts and bitter hops are blended well, some notes of caramel and some spice. Mouthfeel is light to medium, flat but spritzy (??) with a touch of alcohol, and a dry pleasant bitter aftertaste. I like it now, but it’s been in my glass now close to an hour. It took that long to make it good. I like it better than the numbers indicate. I’ll drink this again, but only an hour out of a fridge. Other than that, a highly dissapointing misguided beer. I think I’ll go see if Big Rock has a non-alcohol IIPA Gueuze...

Make up your mind Big Rock you’re calling this amber ale, and a stout at the same time, and in my opinion it’s really more of a porter. Ebony colored body that easy lets light pass through , a moderate head was produced but didn’t last long, just very bla looking. A sweet fruit punch, combined with coffee and a hint of chocolate, smells very nice and inviting buts it just too mild. The flavor is very nice I’ve never really had any thing like it, coffee combined with sweet chocolate covered cherries, oh man this taste awesome, there are so many other subtle flavors going on in this but I can’t pin point them well enough to describe them. Over all a very tasty complex beer even thought it has bit of an identity crises over what style it wants to be

From the bottle. Pours deep and dark. With a thick beige head. Aroma is crisp and yeasty. Very smooth drinking. Lots of dark roasted malt on the palate, followed with a dry chocolate finish. I like it.

I was under the impression that this was a black and tan... But any ways, it pours a dark red with a medium sized off white head. Aroma is of soft fruit, coffee, berries, apple, and only a hint of foot from big rock’s putrtid yeast. Tastes very similar, light body for a stout (I’m sure this is a black and tan) but still some nice roasty notes with big soft fruits showing. Carbonation is light and pleasant. OK beer, I do prefer McNally’s though.

[1752-20081003] 341mL bottle. Mildly fruity malt aroma. Hazy, dark brown red-hued body with a long-lasting creamy off-white head. Roasted apple skins and dark malt flavour with mild coffee hints. Medium-full body. Quite drinkable, though a little watered down to something that could have been awesome.
<i>(FOSB 2008 @ C’est What; Toronto, ON)</i>

bottle: This brew definately has many characteristics of a stout- dark, tan, head etc. However, it lacks the excitement that comes with watching a good stout cascade. Lots of caramel malts coming through in the flavouring. A little thin to be considered a true stout but a pleasant taste experience nonetheless.