Big Rock Brewery Traditional Ale

Traditional Ale

 

Big Rock Brewery in Calgary, Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦

  Brown Ale Series
Score
5.89
ABV: 5.0% IBU: 20 Ticks: 21
Signature Series

Comfort Food in a Glass

According to the poem, there is a corner of a foreign field that is forever England. Since 1985, we’ve been turning many Albertan fields into one of England’s favourite drinks, brown ale. The go-to favourite for many, it’s become something of a legend.

Little Known Fact

One of our original three craft brews, Traditional was also one of the first English-style brown ales ever brewed in Canada... it’s still our best-known beer today.
 

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4.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5

Nice dark amber color. sweet malt, and a little bit of hops in the aroma. Flavour is pretty weak, and thin. slight fruity notes, aftertaste for some odd reason is grassy. not very pleasant beer.

Tried on 27 Feb 2025 at 06:12


8
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Great everyday easy drinking beer. Very clear copper colour. Sweet caramel taste. Not really a standard brown ale, more of an american style ale. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Tried from Can on 30 Nov 2015 at 20:05


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

330 ml bottle. Pours a clear, reddish brown with a thin, beige head. Sweet caramel malt aroma with a faint nutty note. Sweet flavour of roasted malt, caramel and nuts with a dry finish. Medium body with a watery texture and average carbonation.

Tried from Bottle on 01 Jul 2015 at 23:15


5.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

On tap at Henry’s Pub at Sheraton Cavalier, Calgary. Pours a very clear deep copper with no head. Nose is light caramel and grass. Sweet to start with barely a hint of bitterness in the short finish. Medium body with soft carbonation. Just OK.

Tried from Draft on 26 Nov 2013 at 20:39


6
Appearance - 3 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 3 | Overall - 12

Draft. Amber body with a short, beige head. Aroma of toasted grain, caramel, nuts, light herbal, earthy hops. The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes with lightly to moderately sweet and lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Fairly bland and inoffensive. Flavor of sweet caramel, herbs.

Tried from Draft on 24 Nov 2013 at 14:43


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Bouteille. Nez de caramel doux très légèrement rôti avec des notes de houblon floral, de noix et de fruits (agrumes). Rondeur mince-moyenne en bouche. Goût vaguement fruité (agrumes et traces de pêches) lors de l’entrée en bouche rapidement éclipsé par un goût assez malté de caramel assez doux avec de faibles traces de sucre brun aux petites notes rôtiespuis finalement, une très douce amertume de houblon floral aux notes herbeuses se développe et est appuyé par des notes de noix. Post-goût moyen-court, très légèrement amère de houblon floral avec des notes de noix et quelques traces rôties.

Tried on 12 Jan 2013 at 02:10


4.2
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 3 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

Bottle. Pours clear reddish amber with a medium of white head that dissipates with nice lacing. aroma is grain, hay, caramel, urinal, chemicals. Flavor is much the same, light sweet, no bitterness. Light bodied and watery. Unpleasant.

Tried from Bottle on 03 Nov 2012 at 17:09


5.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6

Draft @ Korea Location: Poured a amber color with white head. Aroma is corny. Taste is nice smooth grain.

Tried from Draft on 30 Dec 2011 at 02:40


6.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6.5

Originally rated April 2006. Big Rock describes this one as an English Brown Ale. Pours a beautiful rich dark copper colour with an off-white bubbly head. Retention is fairly low, but lacing is decent. The nose is malty with some grains, and notes of berries. Watery mouthfeel and medium-bodied. Very low carbonation. The taste starts off on a slightly bitter edge and finishes with mild roasted malt. Touch of caramel are found, and so is grain malt. Nicely balance being not really sweet, and not too bitter. A good darker session ale.

Tried on 14 Sep 2011 at 21:05


5.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Decent beer. Not memorable, not distinctive in any specific way, just decent for what it is. Very light hoppy taste, a little bitterness. Not as interesting as most red ales.

Tried on 15 Aug 2011 at 01:20