Big Rock McNallys Reserve

Brewed by Big Rock Brewery
Style: Dry Stout
Calgary, Canada

Dark brown colour. Light chocolate and some lactic acid in the nose. Nutty, lightlyl fruity body. Fairly bland. Yeah, not much going on. Which means they’ve hit the mark of imitating Guinness.

Draught at Hop In Brew Pub, Calgary
Black color, creamy head. In the beginning the aroma is creamy, with roasted malt; then it shows a light cheesy touch. The flavor has a more evident cheese touch, reminding me Casera (cheese from the central Alps, similar to tomme, but produced with semi-skimmed milk). The final is a bit weak. Not bad, but indeed peculiar.

Draught. Typical creamy light brown nitro head. Transparent dark brown-black beer with ruby tints. Thin aroma, some dark toasted malt, a hint of cherry/blackberry fruit and a faint shot of roasted grain. Not anything that would blow you away, but not really bad either. As it warms, the lack of body becomes apparent but I suspect that if it was off nitro, it would be a bit better.

, this Guiness clone was freshly available at Drop In in Calgary, where I had drinks with Presario. Stout style, coffee, pepper, with sour finish. Slightly better than the draft Guiness. Could not drink much

Pours deep amber brown colour, almost black if you don't hold it up to the light. No head, bit flat. Bottle may have been on the old side. Slight raisiny notes, mild roasted notes. Body was very thin.

Instruction card w/ 6-pack said to pour vigorously. Since this is in a bottle it makes up for the lack of the gimmick nitro widget. Pours dark with a thick head. Good smokey slightly burnt toast smell. As advertised it is milder and easy-drinking. Thin watery mouth feel. I will have to try on tap but appears to be meant as a stout-lite. There is a thin after taste but the overall flavour and finish are weak and this is a disappointment as a stout.

We headed out to see a film festival screening of Zack & Mimi Make A Porno, but it was sold out, so instead we hit the Hop-In Brewpub to have a pint. This was on tap. Pours a near-black brown with a creamy light brown head displaying excellent retention and decent lace. Low aromas of roast, chocolate, faint acidic fruit. Creamy smooth roasted malt, chocolate, and a lactic quality make up the palate, which is a tad on the thin side. Overall not a bad beer, but the lighter character had me thinking this was more of a London style porter.

Black with no head. Great chocolate coffee nose. Unfortunately it smells far better than it tastes. Rather thin and weak light coffee flavor with light roasted finish