Big Rock Brewery
Encyclopedia
The Big Rock Brewery is a craft brewery located in Calgary
, Alberta
, Canada
.
A lawyer by trade, Ed McNally was representing a group of barley growers in a legal action against the Alberta Wheat Board in the 1980s. Through the course of the legal action, McNally learned that the Alberta climate produces 2-row barley that is ideally suited for malting, and had ready access to fresh glacial water from the nearby Rocky Mountains.
At the time, most barley production in Alberta was used as cattle feed. With an entrepreneurial background, McNally decided to open a craft brewery.
The first brewmaster was Bernd "Peppy" Pieper, an internationally renowned Swiss brewmaster for Heineken International.
The second brewmaster was Larry Kerwin, a former brewmaster for Molson. Larry Kerwin started as a brewer at Big Rock under Bernd Pieper in 1994, and took over as brewmaster in 1998 when Pieper retired.
The third (and current) brewmaster is Paul Gautreau. Gautrea joined Big Rock in 1986 as its fourth employee, and worked in a number of marketing and operational capacities before replacing Larry Kerwin as brewmaster. It is interesting to note that Gautreau is the first "home-grown" brewmaster that has not been hired away from another brewery.
The strike at the two largest domestic brewers proved to be a windfall for Big Rock, as it was the only beer available in Alberta that summer. The brewery had to run around the clock to meet demand for the entire summer, and sales immediately doubled.
This was widely considered the "turning point" for Big Rock, and the time they were accepted as a serious contender in the market.
Commonly referred to as “Trad”. This is a medium-bodied brown ale inspired by traditional English style. Bold sweet, caramel malt flavour with a slight nutty bite.
Grasshopper
A medium-full bodied Kristall Weizen
(filtered wheat ale) with notes of citrus and vanilla followed by a bright, clean finish. Winner of the 2007 and 2009 Gold Medal "Wheat Beer" at the Canadian Brewing Awards and named "Best Patio Beer" by the National Post in 2006.
Big Rock Lime
This beer was introduced in the summer of 2008, shortly after the introduction of Bud Light Lime showed the "lime beer" market to be attractive. This is a light-tasting lager infused with a natural lime flavor.
Jack Rabbit
This beer is marketed as "low-carb". It contains 3.8% ABV, and approximately 90 calories (a regular beer contains approximately 130 calories). The flavor profile is consistent with other light beers, and has very little hop bitterness or malt taste.
Pale Ale
This brew was released in 1986, and is a traditional pale ale that is dry hopped to provide a noticeable hop aroma. Tart hop flavours, notes of citrus and herbs. The most bitter of Big Rock brands, although not so bitter as an India Pale Ale.
Warthog Ale
A brown ale with a distinct amber colour and balanced toffee-caramel malt and hop flavour.
Honey Brown Lager
A medium-brown lager with Alberta-grown clover honey added for flavoring.
McNally's Extra Strong Ale
A smooth, strong Irish Ale with sweet, complex flavours reminiscent of scotch whiskey.
Black Amber
A stout that's dark and rich like both coffee and chocolate. Alberta-inspired stout full of malty aromas.
McNally's Reserve
A more traditional stout, served only on draught.
Gopher Lager
Introduced in the summer of 2010. A light-colored lager beer with a crisp aftertaste provided by Saaz hops.
Rock Creek Dry Cider
Made with Okanagan-grown cider apples. Full of fresh orchard flavour and notes of vanilla and cinnamon.
Magpie Rye Ale
A copper-colored Ale made with a mixture of pale and Rye malts. Discontinued in 1995, but reintroduced in 2010.
India Pale Ale
Introduced in spring 2011, this beer is essentially a more bitter version of the Pale Ale.
A dry cider made from Okanagan apples and pears.
Rock Creek Cranberry Cider
A dry cider with a cranberry twist
Also, Big Rocks brews the President's Choice beers (PC Dry, PC Honey Red, PC Pilsener, and PC Light) for Loblaw Companies Limited in their western Canadian markets (The Real Canadian Liquorstore)
A dark stout ale released in the Christmas season (2005–2009). This brew is not available on tap, and comes in a six-pack box containing four bottles of beer, two commemorative glasses, and a bag of chocolate covered espresso beans.
Maibock
A bock-styled beer released in May 2005 for the Big Rock 20th anniversary.
Introduced 1985. Discontinued 1987.
Big Rock Porter
Introduced 1985. Discontinued 1987.
Cold Cock Winter Porter
This brew was introduced for the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games, and discontinued the following year.
Kold Lager
This brew was a light lager, and was Big Rock's first attempt at brewing a lager. This new style met with resistance from the craft beer community who preferred the more flavorful ales, but did help Big Rock achieve more mainstream popularity with drinkers of "macrobrews". Discontinued in 2005.
India Pale Ale
This brew was an India Pale Ale, but was not sufficiently differentiated from the Pale Ale. Retired in 2005.
Royal Coachman Light Dry Ale
Chinook Pale Ale
Magpie Rye Ale (Discontinued in 1995, but reintroduced in 2010.)
Canvasback
XO Lager
This beer was introduced in 2007, and replaced Kold Lager brand. Subtle floral aroma, bright white head and smooth taste defined by a distinct, sharp Czech hoppiness. This beer has a flavor profile similar to more mainstream "macrobrews". Now discontinued, replaced by Gopher lager.
The name "Big Rock" comes from a large glacial rock located outside of the town of Okotoks, 50 kilometers south of Calgary.
The Big Rock Brewery is a public company with 120 employees and 54 million CAD market capitalization.
In 1993, the Big Rock Brewery started a promotional contest to get their beer drinkers to make the ads for Big Rock. The Big Rock Eddies http://www.bigrockbeer.com/eddies/ has evolved year after year, celebrating its 17th anniversary in 2010—now including a Student category that allows post secondary students to compete with their peers for prize money. The red carpet events have grown from one event in Calgary Alberta, to four events across Canada: Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto.
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History
The brewery was founded in 1985 by Ed McNally.A lawyer by trade, Ed McNally was representing a group of barley growers in a legal action against the Alberta Wheat Board in the 1980s. Through the course of the legal action, McNally learned that the Alberta climate produces 2-row barley that is ideally suited for malting, and had ready access to fresh glacial water from the nearby Rocky Mountains.
At the time, most barley production in Alberta was used as cattle feed. With an entrepreneurial background, McNally decided to open a craft brewery.
The first brewmaster was Bernd "Peppy" Pieper, an internationally renowned Swiss brewmaster for Heineken International.
The second brewmaster was Larry Kerwin, a former brewmaster for Molson. Larry Kerwin started as a brewer at Big Rock under Bernd Pieper in 1994, and took over as brewmaster in 1998 when Pieper retired.
The third (and current) brewmaster is Paul Gautreau. Gautrea joined Big Rock in 1986 as its fourth employee, and worked in a number of marketing and operational capacities before replacing Larry Kerwin as brewmaster. It is interesting to note that Gautreau is the first "home-grown" brewmaster that has not been hired away from another brewery.
Brewery Strike of 1986
In the summer of 1986, when Big Rock had been in production for only a year, there was a strike at the Molson and Labatt breweries.The strike at the two largest domestic brewers proved to be a windfall for Big Rock, as it was the only beer available in Alberta that summer. The brewery had to run around the clock to meet demand for the entire summer, and sales immediately doubled.
This was widely considered the "turning point" for Big Rock, and the time they were accepted as a serious contender in the market.
Premium Beers
TraditionalCommonly referred to as “Trad”. This is a medium-bodied brown ale inspired by traditional English style. Bold sweet, caramel malt flavour with a slight nutty bite.
Grasshopper
A medium-full bodied Kristall Weizen
Wheat beer
Wheat beer is a beer that is brewed with a large proportion of wheat. Wheat beers often also contain a significant proportion of malted barley. Wheat beers are usually top-fermented...
(filtered wheat ale) with notes of citrus and vanilla followed by a bright, clean finish. Winner of the 2007 and 2009 Gold Medal "Wheat Beer" at the Canadian Brewing Awards and named "Best Patio Beer" by the National Post in 2006.
Big Rock Lime
This beer was introduced in the summer of 2008, shortly after the introduction of Bud Light Lime showed the "lime beer" market to be attractive. This is a light-tasting lager infused with a natural lime flavor.
Jack Rabbit
This beer is marketed as "low-carb". It contains 3.8% ABV, and approximately 90 calories (a regular beer contains approximately 130 calories). The flavor profile is consistent with other light beers, and has very little hop bitterness or malt taste.
Pale Ale
This brew was released in 1986, and is a traditional pale ale that is dry hopped to provide a noticeable hop aroma. Tart hop flavours, notes of citrus and herbs. The most bitter of Big Rock brands, although not so bitter as an India Pale Ale.
Warthog Ale
A brown ale with a distinct amber colour and balanced toffee-caramel malt and hop flavour.
Honey Brown Lager
A medium-brown lager with Alberta-grown clover honey added for flavoring.
McNally's Extra Strong Ale
A smooth, strong Irish Ale with sweet, complex flavours reminiscent of scotch whiskey.
Black Amber
A stout that's dark and rich like both coffee and chocolate. Alberta-inspired stout full of malty aromas.
McNally's Reserve
A more traditional stout, served only on draught.
Gopher Lager
Introduced in the summer of 2010. A light-colored lager beer with a crisp aftertaste provided by Saaz hops.
Rock Creek Dry Cider
Made with Okanagan-grown cider apples. Full of fresh orchard flavour and notes of vanilla and cinnamon.
Magpie Rye Ale
A copper-colored Ale made with a mixture of pale and Rye malts. Discontinued in 1995, but reintroduced in 2010.
India Pale Ale
Introduced in spring 2011, this beer is essentially a more bitter version of the Pale Ale.
Value Beers
Alberta Genuine Draft, Bow Valley Lager, Bow Valley Strong are value beers brewed namely for their alcohol content rather than any stylistic intricacies.Cider
Rock Creek Dry CiderA dry cider made from Okanagan apples and pears.
Rock Creek Cranberry Cider
A dry cider with a cranberry twist
Contract Brews
Big Rock brews a number of beers for restaurants in Western Canada, including:- Moxie's Big Life Beers, which consist of a Euro-style lager, and an amber ale.
- Hudsons Tap House Beers, which include Beaver Tail Amber Ale, and Lumberjack Premium Lager.
- John Palliser Ale for the Fairmont Palliser Hotel in Calgary, Alberta.
- Livingston Lager for Heritage ParkHeritage ParkHeritage Park may refer to:* Heritage Park Historical Village, Calgary, Alberta, Canada* Heritage Park, Ontario, King, Ontario, Canada* Heritage Park, Queensland, Australia* Camas Heritage Park, Camas, Washington, USA...
in Calgary, Alberta.
Also, Big Rocks brews the President's Choice beers (PC Dry, PC Honey Red, PC Pilsener, and PC Light) for Loblaw Companies Limited in their western Canadian markets (The Real Canadian Liquorstore)
Seasonal Brews
Espresso StoutA dark stout ale released in the Christmas season (2005–2009). This brew is not available on tap, and comes in a six-pack box containing four bottles of beer, two commemorative glasses, and a bag of chocolate covered espresso beans.
Maibock
A bock-styled beer released in May 2005 for the Big Rock 20th anniversary.
Discontinued Brews
Big Rock BitterIntroduced 1985. Discontinued 1987.
Big Rock Porter
Introduced 1985. Discontinued 1987.
Cold Cock Winter Porter
This brew was introduced for the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games, and discontinued the following year.
Kold Lager
This brew was a light lager, and was Big Rock's first attempt at brewing a lager. This new style met with resistance from the craft beer community who preferred the more flavorful ales, but did help Big Rock achieve more mainstream popularity with drinkers of "macrobrews". Discontinued in 2005.
India Pale Ale
This brew was an India Pale Ale, but was not sufficiently differentiated from the Pale Ale. Retired in 2005.
Royal Coachman Light Dry Ale
Chinook Pale Ale
Magpie Rye Ale (Discontinued in 1995, but reintroduced in 2010.)
Canvasback
XO Lager
This beer was introduced in 2007, and replaced Kold Lager brand. Subtle floral aroma, bright white head and smooth taste defined by a distinct, sharp Czech hoppiness. This beer has a flavor profile similar to more mainstream "macrobrews". Now discontinued, replaced by Gopher lager.
The company
Big Rock maintains its own distribution network in Alberta and several other Canadian provinces. The main offices and brewery are in Calgary, Alberta.The name "Big Rock" comes from a large glacial rock located outside of the town of Okotoks, 50 kilometers south of Calgary.
The Big Rock Brewery is a public company with 120 employees and 54 million CAD market capitalization.
Marketing
External links
- Big Rock Brewery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- http://www.bigrockbeer.com/eddies/