Hibernation Ale
Big Rock Brewery
- From:
- Big Rock Brewery
- Alberta, Canada
- Style:
- American Amber / Red Ale
- ABV:
- 5.5%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.67 | pDev: 8.17%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Mar 15, 2016
- Added:
- Nov 01, 2013
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 2
SCORE
85
Very Good
85
Very Good
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Howlader:
Rated by Howlader from Canada (AB)
3.5/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Sep 27, 2015
3.5/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Sep 27, 2015
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by headlessparrot from Canada (ON)
3.27/5 rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.27/5 rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
I don't know about "amber/red ale"--seems miscategorized. Indeed, I'd say there's a half-decent (75%-ish) chance that this is just Big Rock Trad with a smattering of autumn spices added: just an ever so slight touch of floral, fruity, herbal on the nose (even less coming through on the taste). Like most Big Rock beers, it's not bad, but it's weak and a bit bland, and they'd really benefit by going back to the drawing board--what spices *are* here are being lost in the trademark Big Rock yeast and the big caramel toasty malt quotient.
Oct 16, 2015
Reviewed by Eric_Standard from Canada (BC)
3.25/5 rDev -11.4%
3.25/5 rDev -11.4%
Less spices than expected. Still good though, medium flavour and body, very mild carbonation, rapidly dissipating head. Lightly spicy and pleasant 'warm' flavour. Sweet-ish.
May 04, 2014
Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)
3.8/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.8/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
341ml bottle poured into tulip 12/11/13
A clear reddish amber, lots of bubbles but just a short lived finger of foam that leaves no lace
S caramel, apple cinnamon, pie crust, juniper, brown sugar, a little earthy wood, herbal notes I can't place, a little fruit, smells different but I like it
T more earthy wood, just earthy in general, honey, lots of spice but nothing stands out on its own but it reminds me of a winter ale
M silky with a few bubbles, gritty to the point of tannin's, spice and hard toffee on the finish
O respectable beer and its something different, lots of strange flavors and smells but it works fairly well
not a bad beer from Big Rock, I haven't been blown away by any of these new releases but its a step in the right direction.
Nov 13, 2013A clear reddish amber, lots of bubbles but just a short lived finger of foam that leaves no lace
S caramel, apple cinnamon, pie crust, juniper, brown sugar, a little earthy wood, herbal notes I can't place, a little fruit, smells different but I like it
T more earthy wood, just earthy in general, honey, lots of spice but nothing stands out on its own but it reminds me of a winter ale
M silky with a few bubbles, gritty to the point of tannin's, spice and hard toffee on the finish
O respectable beer and its something different, lots of strange flavors and smells but it works fairly well
not a bad beer from Big Rock, I haven't been blown away by any of these new releases but its a step in the right direction.
Reviewed by leaddog from Canada (AB)
3.81/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Appearance - Pours a light-to-medium copper colour with a half finger of bubbly white head.
Smell - Caramel malts, wild strawberries, touch of pepper, hint of honey and earthy hops.
Taste - A tremendous amount of earthy flavours... malts, strawberries, honey, hints of maple and juniper berries.
Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall - Definitely an above average American amber from Big Rock. I like the unique flavour mix on this one - I would never think to combine these flavours together. I hope this is a sign of more good things to come from Big Rock as they get back to their craft roots.
Nov 11, 2013Smell - Caramel malts, wild strawberries, touch of pepper, hint of honey and earthy hops.
Taste - A tremendous amount of earthy flavours... malts, strawberries, honey, hints of maple and juniper berries.
Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall - Definitely an above average American amber from Big Rock. I like the unique flavour mix on this one - I would never think to combine these flavours together. I hope this is a sign of more good things to come from Big Rock as they get back to their craft roots.
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)
3.93/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.93/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
341ml bottle, from the Lumberjack Pack mixed sixer. Made with an unspecified blend of spices.
This beer pours a clear, medium bronzed amber colour, with two fingers of bubbly, and loosely foamy off-white head, which leaves some randomly arched coral reef lace around the glass as it steadily recedes.
It smells of semi-sweet, pastry-adjacent caramel malt, a bit of applesauce and pear compote, sour wild berries, and leafy, floral hops. The taste is more sweet, somewhat bready caramel malt, fruity overripe wild strawberries, mushy apple, a mild green twig woodiness, and earthy, weedy, and ever so weakly spicy hops.
The bubbles are low-key, and mostly just agreeably frothy, the body a justifiable middleweight, and smooth, in a fruit smoothie sort of way, with a touch of yes, fruit pie creaminess. It finishes sweet, the caramel malt, and attendant 'wild' fruitiness doing well to keep the noise down.
A decent, slightly above average amber ale, with or without the purported spices. There's more going on here than meets the eye, marketing blurb, or tastebuds, and that's a good thing. Like the vast majority of this brewery's output, it's better to just enjoy without thinking too much about it.
Nov 10, 2013This beer pours a clear, medium bronzed amber colour, with two fingers of bubbly, and loosely foamy off-white head, which leaves some randomly arched coral reef lace around the glass as it steadily recedes.
It smells of semi-sweet, pastry-adjacent caramel malt, a bit of applesauce and pear compote, sour wild berries, and leafy, floral hops. The taste is more sweet, somewhat bready caramel malt, fruity overripe wild strawberries, mushy apple, a mild green twig woodiness, and earthy, weedy, and ever so weakly spicy hops.
The bubbles are low-key, and mostly just agreeably frothy, the body a justifiable middleweight, and smooth, in a fruit smoothie sort of way, with a touch of yes, fruit pie creaminess. It finishes sweet, the caramel malt, and attendant 'wild' fruitiness doing well to keep the noise down.
A decent, slightly above average amber ale, with or without the purported spices. There's more going on here than meets the eye, marketing blurb, or tastebuds, and that's a good thing. Like the vast majority of this brewery's output, it's better to just enjoy without thinking too much about it.
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