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Scottish Style Heavy
Big Rock Brewery
- From:
- Big Rock Brewery
- Alberta, Canada
- Style:
- Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Ranked #130 - ABV:
- 7%
- Score:
- 83
Ranked #23,629 - Avg:
- 3.65 | pDev: 11.51%
- Reviews:
- 19
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jun 06, 2023
- Added:
- Sep 27, 2010
- Wants:
- 3
- Gots:
- 10
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Olek4374:
Reviewed by Olek4374 from Canada (AB)
3.81/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I recently reviewed Big Rock Lime and I felt I was being a bit too harsh, because there do exist good Big Rock beers, and this is one of them.
There's a great backstory to me having this beer. When I was 19, my Dad took me on a ski trip with his engineering workmates. We were taking a private charter bus from Edmonton to Panorama resort in BC. This day happened to be Robbie Burns day, and I had never celebrated Robbie Burns day before, but my Dad told me about it and how several of his workmates were Scottish, so we had to pick up some Scottish beer. The only problem was we were not allowed to bring on glass bottles onto the bus, so this ruled out scotch. We wanted to grab some Scottish beer, but the liquor store near the bus departure area only had Innis & Gunn (in glass bottles), and was all out of Tennent's. So, we grabbed this Big Rock beer cause it said "Scottish" on it, much to my dismay because I am not a fan of Big Rock in general. When I tried it, I loved it - it was dark, rich, flavourful, a little boozy (but strong enough to honour ol' Robbie), and it came in tall boys, so it made for a fun bus ride to BC (about 8 hours).
Anyway, to the beer itself. It comes, as I said before, in a tall boy can. A six pack of bottles is widely available, but I wanted to get a little nostalgic for this review, so I had to go for the can. I poured it into my Big Rock glass, of course. It pours a rich brown colour reminiscent to that of Innis & Gunn, with a very gently coloured head that is only about a finger or two in height. The smell is very malty and nutty with some aromas of burnt marshmallow. The taste is among the most complex beers I've ever had, let alone from Big Rock. The first thing you get is a large hit of malt followed by a sort of caramel flavour. One thing about this beer - the HEAVY in huge fucking letters on the can certainly lives up to its name. It tastes like someone added a shot of whiskey to this beer. The feel is okay - it has a moderate amount of carbonation which makes drinking very easy, although there is a somewhat bitter aftertaste that takes some getting used to.
At the end of the day, it's a strong beer with a solid flavour profile, nice smell, but a little tart aftertaste. Is there room for improvement? Sure. But as is, it's a great beer to have for a party, and an especially good beer for Robbie Burns Day celebrations. This is one of your shining stars, Big Rock.
Jun 03, 2013There's a great backstory to me having this beer. When I was 19, my Dad took me on a ski trip with his engineering workmates. We were taking a private charter bus from Edmonton to Panorama resort in BC. This day happened to be Robbie Burns day, and I had never celebrated Robbie Burns day before, but my Dad told me about it and how several of his workmates were Scottish, so we had to pick up some Scottish beer. The only problem was we were not allowed to bring on glass bottles onto the bus, so this ruled out scotch. We wanted to grab some Scottish beer, but the liquor store near the bus departure area only had Innis & Gunn (in glass bottles), and was all out of Tennent's. So, we grabbed this Big Rock beer cause it said "Scottish" on it, much to my dismay because I am not a fan of Big Rock in general. When I tried it, I loved it - it was dark, rich, flavourful, a little boozy (but strong enough to honour ol' Robbie), and it came in tall boys, so it made for a fun bus ride to BC (about 8 hours).
Anyway, to the beer itself. It comes, as I said before, in a tall boy can. A six pack of bottles is widely available, but I wanted to get a little nostalgic for this review, so I had to go for the can. I poured it into my Big Rock glass, of course. It pours a rich brown colour reminiscent to that of Innis & Gunn, with a very gently coloured head that is only about a finger or two in height. The smell is very malty and nutty with some aromas of burnt marshmallow. The taste is among the most complex beers I've ever had, let alone from Big Rock. The first thing you get is a large hit of malt followed by a sort of caramel flavour. One thing about this beer - the HEAVY in huge fucking letters on the can certainly lives up to its name. It tastes like someone added a shot of whiskey to this beer. The feel is okay - it has a moderate amount of carbonation which makes drinking very easy, although there is a somewhat bitter aftertaste that takes some getting used to.
At the end of the day, it's a strong beer with a solid flavour profile, nice smell, but a little tart aftertaste. Is there room for improvement? Sure. But as is, it's a great beer to have for a party, and an especially good beer for Robbie Burns Day celebrations. This is one of your shining stars, Big Rock.
More User Ratings:
Rated by Hams from Canada (SK)
3.74/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.74/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Lovely Scottish ale, good not great
Jun 12, 2017Reviewed by Sathanas from Canada (AB)
4.13/5 rDev +13.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.13/5 rDev +13.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours a dark amber, slightly hazy colour with a light tan head. Rich toffee, vanilla and dark fruits are the main flavours with a underlining of peat and earthy hops. Very well balanced with a gorgeous, creamy mouthfeel. I remember disliking this beer all the times I've had it previously, but Big Rock has really stepped up their game lately. This is proof of that.
Oct 05, 2015Reviewed by ZachT from Canada (BC)
4.02/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.02/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
L: Dark amber, clear, thin white head
S: Toffee, caramel, bread crust, molasses, subtle oak/woody
T: Rich caramel and toffee, brown sugar, sublet peat notes
F: Full-bodied, lightly carbonated, sweet (but not cloying) finish
O: A rich, malty scotch ale, very subtle peat/oak notes. Pretty good.
Jul 27, 2015S: Toffee, caramel, bread crust, molasses, subtle oak/woody
T: Rich caramel and toffee, brown sugar, sublet peat notes
F: Full-bodied, lightly carbonated, sweet (but not cloying) finish
O: A rich, malty scotch ale, very subtle peat/oak notes. Pretty good.
Rated by imfinished from Canada (BC)
2.85/5 rDev -21.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
2.85/5 rDev -21.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
An unpleasant taste and smell, not much feel and a drab look makes for a fairly unlikable beer.
Feb 19, 2015Reviewed by Bunman3 from Canada (AB)
3.71/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.71/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
I must agree with the overall tone of previous reviews - this is definitely one of Big Rock's better beers. It pulls off the wee heavy style nicely. It has a rich colour, a bit of foamy head that works hard to hang around, and a delightful smell. I pick up toffee, fruit, and smoke. The taste is lovely, too, with the smoky peat providing a wonderful hint of some of my favourite scotch. This is one of the few Big Rock beers that is unique and easily identifiable.
Jan 14, 2015
Scottish Style Heavy from Big Rock Brewery
Beer rating:
83 out of
100 with
54 ratings
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