About
A blurry picture of a sweet little farmhouse popped up on their computer screen. They smiled. A few short weeks later Melanie and Jeremy White were standing at the bottom of a curving drive, somewhat stunned to realise they had just bought over 100 acres of pristine Cape Breton farmland. Perched on a southern slope facing the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Bras D'Or Lake, a hopyard was planted, and the land was certified organic. Water naturally rich in minerals was perfect for brewing. Construction began.
Ten years later, Big Spruce Brewing is focused on creating exceptional ingredient-driven beer. All of our ales and lagers are brewed with organic grain & hops, and we continually strive to keep giving you the perfect pint, every time.
Ten years later, Big Spruce Brewing is focused on creating exceptional ingredient-driven beer. All of our ales and lagers are brewed with organic grain & hops, and we continually strive to keep giving you the perfect pint, every time.
5/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 5
Tasting at Matt's; vintage 2018
Violent gusher. Dark brown colour. Very strong earthy smell and flavour, some sourness; after that, there is a thin dark malt beer, and can't feel the rum.
Infected, not good.
Violent gusher. Dark brown colour. Very strong earthy smell and flavour, some sourness; after that, there is a thin dark malt beer, and can't feel the rum.
Infected, not good.
Tried
from Can
on 08 Feb 2019
at 17:24
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6
Tasting at Matt's; vintage 2018
Opening the bottle shows signs of infection, but it's not gushing like the Nicaraguan Rum bottle. Black colour. The aroma is mild, but it's earthy, and possibly sour. It still has some decent Imperial Stout flavour, but the mild infection is increasing the roasty and earthy notes.
Not as bad as the other version, but not great either.
Opening the bottle shows signs of infection, but it's not gushing like the Nicaraguan Rum bottle. Black colour. The aroma is mild, but it's earthy, and possibly sour. It still has some decent Imperial Stout flavour, but the mild infection is increasing the roasty and earthy notes.
Not as bad as the other version, but not great either.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Feb 2019
at 17:24
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Light soured woody notes. Deep jet brown with a foamy brown head. Bourbon barrel notes with a woody finish. This is on the verge of being off.
Tried
on 08 Feb 2019
at 05:59
6.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
650ml bottle at Matt's. Gusher. Appearence: dark brown with a beige head Aroma: sour, roasted malt, slight bourbon notes Taste: similar, very roasty Overall: BAD
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Feb 2019
at 05:55
5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5
650mL bottle, pours black with a small beige head. Aroma is a touch infected, with metallic notes and medium roast. Flavour reveals some of the whiskey upfront, with metallic notes and medium toasted malt. A bit too much metallic, though not as much as the Nicaraguan Rum version. Needs fixing.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Feb 2019
at 05:53
6.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
650ml bottle at Matt's. F@#$%& gusher. Appearence: very dark brown with a beige head Aroma: sour and roasted malt Taste: similar Overall: f#$%;* infected
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Feb 2019
at 05:49
5.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Dark roast and some light sour notes. Dark brown with a crazy foamy light brown head. Dark roast and a touch of sourness. Not quite right. Coffee in the finish
Tried
on 08 Feb 2019
at 05:49
4.4/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 5
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
650mL bottle, explodes upon opening, pours black with a medium tan head. Aroma is definitely infected, with medium roast, tart red fruits, and metallic notes. Flavour confirms the infection, with lots of metallic notes, a trace of whiskey barrels, and medium roast. Too much metallic character. Something wrong here.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Feb 2019
at 05:49
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Can, Legacy. Since when did Big Spruce get the distro in BC? Damn. Amber with a slight haze, and a medium head. The aroma has a little bit of peach, a touch of caramel, maybe lychee, but veering towards overripe fruits and candyish sugars. On the palate, it seems kind of strange, too. Like, there's low bitterness, and some bright fruit notes, kind of what you'd see in a NEIPA, but hardly any yeast, and ultimately there's a hit of alcohol, and the malt balance is just off. Seems like a beer trying to straddle two very different concepts of IPA, and missing on both. The end result is not a bad beer, but an ineffective one.
Tried
from Can
on 27 Oct 2018
at 02:17
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Can from The Gull, North Vancouver
Dirty, cloudy, dull golden colour, small head. Despite the fact that it must have taken some time to cross Canada, the aroma is fresh, fruity, a bit piney. The mouthfeel is lean, with a crisp malt base, a trace of biscuits, moderate bitternes, nice hop resins, some bitter orange peel, and fairly dry finish.
Very good.
Dirty, cloudy, dull golden colour, small head. Despite the fact that it must have taken some time to cross Canada, the aroma is fresh, fruity, a bit piney. The mouthfeel is lean, with a crisp malt base, a trace of biscuits, moderate bitternes, nice hop resins, some bitter orange peel, and fairly dry finish.
Very good.
Tried
from Can
on 24 Oct 2018
at 20:06