Black Amber Ale
Big Rock Brewery

 

This beer is not retired, as I just had it on tap at a Calgary pub (the recently revamped Bull & Finch). Arrived a flat reddish amber color, maybe just grading into brown territory, with an inch or so of light tan head. Smells bright and fruity, with a caramel backbone and some sweet bakery shop yeast, light molasses, maybe a touch of chocolate brownie. I am surprised by the sweet fruit notes on the nose. Palate is semi-dark malts and a fruity-floral note that recalls cherry-flavored pipe tobacco, raisin and light chocolate syrup, sweet toffee, and more light fruity hops ... This latter dimension reminds me of a watermelon-flavored hard candy. Mid-range body, not particularly thick or syrupy, probably on the light end like many amber ales, and finishes fairly crisp ... Some of the malts linger for a moment along with a tiny bit of cardboard off-flavor. All in all, pretty solid and tasty even if I do detect some of that Big Rock macro yeast character that I do not hold in high esteem. Certainly not what I was expecting. This is obviously not a stout. There is not much in the way of roasted flavor. Perhaps the goal was to brew a "light stout", the same sort of logic that underpins black IPAs applied in reverse. Reminds me of an altbier or Oktoberfest brewed with ale yeast ... Or perhaps just a particularly rich and fruity amber ale. Flavorful yet drinkable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance- Pours a dark amber brown with a finger width of bubbly head that fades quickly.

Smell- Milk chocolate, roasted coffee, and caramel

Taste- The sweet chocolate and caramel flavours blend nicely with the roasted coffee and malts. A nice balance of sweet and bitter flavours.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with light carbonation and a touch of creaminess.

Overall- A nice dark ale (not a stout) by Big Rock. This is a solid entry in their signature series and one of their better offerings. The flavours and body were thoughtfully crafted making this an easy to drink ale.

from notes over the holidays
A - very dark amber, bubbly with a short head that faded quickly
S - roasted nuts with light chocolate and a blood like note
T - roasty and smoky malt character, light coffee and a blood like metallic aftertaste
M - nice carbonation kick, somewhat chewy that is smooth throughout
D - a refreshing dark ale with decent flavour, don't know that I'd call it a stout, but one of the better regular offering from Big Rock, definitely sessionable

A- Dark with a red hue. White head which disipates quickly, leaving good lacing

S- Slight smoky smell, slight coffee and chocolate

T- Notes of coffee or espresso, slight chocolate and traces of hop in the back.

M- Carbonation is perfect for this beer

D- Drink 1 you got to have 6

My mom used to always have a few of these in the fridge, for pizza or taco night, I remember all too well!

The beer pours a clear dark cola hue, with one finger of creamy off-white head, which leaves some widely spaced drooping lace around the glass as it melts away. It smells of caramel nougat, and leafy, earthy hops. The taste is lightly roasted caramel malt, a bit of citrus, and bitter floral hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body pretty full, and smooth in just the right way. It finishes clean, crisp, and a bit off-dry, the lingering confectioner's maltiness a welcome hanger-on.

Well, the last time I had this beer, I would have pretty much described it as dark, not quite Guinness, and left it at that. Now, I find it to be a lovely, smoothly sweet, yet balanced amber ale. I don't care why it's classified as a stout, it's very tasty for what it is, which in this case is a foil to another fiery vindaloo, shaming those south Asian lagers that usually take on the job.

A - Pours a dark mahogany colour with a thin layer of off-white head which dissipates quickly leaving no real lacing.

S - Scent is a smokey espresso with a slightly sweet caramel finish, but still rather mild, much like the other Big Rock flagship offerings.

T - Pleasantly surprised with this one, and I would have to say that this is one of the more flavourful Big Rock offerings. The espresso malts come through, a bit of bitter dark chocolate and bit of a wooden rye flavour is also coming through. Again, it could be a bit more bold, but by far one of their most flavourful beers.

M - A nice medium bodied offering that goes down smooth. No complaints in this department.

D - Overall, this is by far one of the better Big Rock offerings, and I would definitely choose this one over their other beers if I were given the choice. A little light on the flavours and scent, but a decent stout nonetheless.

341ml bottle poured into pint glass nov30 2009

A clear deep maroon with no real head or lace

S brown sugar and some mild chocolate

T not far from the smell perhaps a little cherry and molasses

M for a stout it's pretty thin and watery average is being a little generous

D I have no real problems with this beer it's nothing great however not worth looking for that's for sure

not a bad beer and pretty good for Big Rock but I doubt I will be spending my money on it any time soon

Pours a very dark red - not opaque, but lightly translucent. Definitely thinner than I'd have thought, for a stout. There's some head retention, but not a ton, and virtually no lacing. Smell is weak. Mouthfeel hits before taste - it's sharp on the tongue and brightly carbonated. Not fizzy like an adjunct lager, but more active and less creamy than the style would dictate. Flavour's mildly Big Rock-y but not too offensively so (followers of the brewery will know what I mean). I guess this would be the next logical step for those looking for something less marshy-tasting than Traditional. This is billed as a stout, but it's nothing of the sort. After drinking a few of these whatever appeal it might have had even as a simple dark red ale wears off, and it's just another dull beer from Big Rock. As the preeminent local brewery I keep rooting for more from them and they keep not delivering. I give up.

Appearance off the bat is impressive, black and nearly opaque with excellent head. Smell is creamy and slightly fruity, close to coffee.

The taste is very sweet, almost like caramel or chocolate. Thick body but not overly heavy, moderate carbonation. After taste is a bit dry and bitter however. Otherwise this is a very drinkable beer.

One of Big Rock's better beers I find, definatly worth a try.