When was Big Rock Brewery founded? What were the first beers produced? Big Rock Brewery was founded in 1984 by Chairman Ed McNally. Big Rock commenced operations in 1985. The first three beers Big Rock produced were Traditional Ale, Bitter and Porter. All were full flavored natural unpasteurized beers. The original Brewery was an existing building on Barlow Trail in SE Calgary. The new brewery was completed and opened in 1996. The Brewery as of 2005 celebrated 20 years of distribution and production in quality craft beers.
Ed McNally – Big Rock Brewery Founder Ed McNally, is a native Albertan who, as a young boy growing up in Lethbridge, has been exposed to the legacy of the Sick’s Brewery, Sick’s Brewery brewed Rainier and Pilsner in Lethbridge, Alberta. It was a boyhood dream of Ed’s to be involved in brewing. He had seen the success of the Sick’s Brewery and had marveled at the perceived simplicity: brew beer and sell beer.
Ed, a former lawyer, rancher and farmer, foresaw that Canada needed a brewery that would provide consumers with “real” beer. To Ed, a “real” beer had to be brewed according to European tradition, containing no additives, no preservatives or no pasteurization.
His formula for success is a combination of excellent people, superior quality and world-class beer.
Ed has been the recipient of numerous awards of distinction including: 2000 Alberta Venture’s Marker of the Year, 1998 an Honorary Doctorate of Law degree, 1995 National Entrepreneur of the Year, 1992 Pinnacle Entrepreneurship Award, and the Distinguished Business Leader Award.
BEER FACTS
What are the specific types of beer? Ale: Brew made with a top-fermenting yeast; has a distinctive fruitiness. Wide variety of colors, palates, and strengths. To be served with foods as you would with Red Wine.
Lager: Generic term for beer made by bottom-fermentation. True lagers are produced and aged at temperatures close to freezing. Their worldwide popularity is mostly due to their smoothness and clarity.
Bitter: Well-hopped ale, most often on draught. Name usually implies depth of hop bitterness. Usually some acidity in the finish, and the color varies from bronze to deep copper.
Porter: London style brew that became practically extinct, but is making a comeback. Originally made to satisfy the demand for a 50/50 mix of ale and stout, porter's dark brown hue comes from roasting the barley before the brewing process begins. A lighter-bodied companion to the stout, it possesses a less pronounced hop flavor than ale, and is a heavier brew than most, with just a hint of sweetness.
Bock: Indicates a bottom-fermenting brew from barley malt, strengths vary, usually dark and slightly sweet. Traditionally brewed in the winter for spring consumption.
Stout: Extra-dark , almost black top-fermenting beer, made with a blend of roasted malts
Maibock: Bock beer of super-premium quality, usually pale, made for the first of May to celebrate spring.
What is the story behind the ‘Big Rock’? 'The Big Rock' is a glacial erratic, part of the Foothills Erratic Train and is located east of Okotoks, Alberta. It symbolized a number of things to Ed: it was something that had stood the test of time, it was a local phenomenon and it had a short and snappy name.
Why do bars put lemon in grasshopper? This was a practice once was common in southern Germany, when most wheat beers were served with a slice of lemon floating in the glass. It has also become common to serve wheat beers with a wedge of lemon on the side of the glass rather than floating in the glass itself. In addition to the visual enhancement of the drink, the lemon does serve to accentuate the acidic nature of the wheat beers and has been known to increase the refreshing character of the beer.
What does the Rooster signify? The rooster, a.k.a. the cock, name derives (and is borrowed) from an old Scottish expression "Cock o' the walk", which refers to a leader or chieftain.
"COCK OF THE WALK---The dominant or most noticeable figure.---"He acts like the cock of the walk."---The "walk" was an enclosure for chickens and there was one cock that was dominant. Randle Holme (1688) The Academy of Armoury "The cocks walk is the place where he is bred, which usually is a place that no other cock comes to."
How Did Warthog Ale get its name? Ed McNally says he got the idea to name a beer Warthog one morning when he was storm-stayed on his farm outside the city. Up early for work and waiting for a blizzard to abate, he picked up one of his daughter’s nature magazines and was taken with an article on the wily warthog. Gregarious and strong, the warthog represented what his beer was all about. “It’s really two ugly words but together, they’re humorous” (Cinda Chavich, the Calgary Herald, August 20, 1995).
BREWING PROCESS
Why un-pasteurized? Pasteurization tends to dull flavour and flatten taste because the process reduces the full, robust flavour inherent in natural beer. It also interferes with the natural carbonation process. For this reason, Big Rock has chosen to cold filter its’ products.
The difference between pasteurization cooks the finished product, destroying natural carbonation and the subtle flavorings of the ingredients. It is like the difference between fresh fruit juice and canned fruit juice.
What ingredients are used in brewing Big Rock beer?
Malt
Big Rock uses only the finest 2-row malt barley. The malt is prepared from barley in a process called malting. The barley corns are induced to germinate under carefully monitored conditions and then roasted to reduce moisture and arrest germination. The result is the malt which is used to five beer its sweetness and flavour. Variance in temperature and roasting time create many different varieties and characteristics of malt. Each different type of malt created in then used in different quantities to influence the outcome of the beer.
*Big Rock ales are all 100% malt. This means that we do not use any adjunts such as corn, soya bean or rice
Yeast
Yeast is a tiny, microscopic, single celled organism. It feeds on the sugars of the wort (the liquid malt result) and dispels alcohol and CO2. As it feeds, it grows by dividing into two cells. The yeast not only causes fermentation, but the process directly influences the character of the beer. A brewer’s yeast is often times the most secretive and unique quality of his/her beer. Such is the case at Big Rock, and because of the uniqueness of our special yeast strain, we take the utmost care and security in the use and storage of our yeast.
Hops
Hops used in beer are the flowers of the female hop vine. Hops are rich in oils and resins, which give the tangy, bitter palate and distinctive aromas to Big Rock Beer. There are hundreds of varieties of hops and each one has its’ own special unique flavour. They are grown in Bavaria, Kent, Czechoslovakia and the Yakima Valley in Washington.
Water
Big Rock ales uses water from the Glenmore Reservoir. With the exception of KOLD lager, water is supplied from the Thompson Glacier.
What makes Big Rock’s premium craft beer unique?
- Big Rock Premium craft beers are malt beers. They contain only pure malt, hops, Rocky Mountain water and the company’s own special yeast.
- Big Rock Premium craft beers are all natural - no preservatives or additives.
- Big Rock beer is batch brewed.
- Big Rock beer is cold multi-micro filtered – no heat treatment or pasteurization is required.
- Big Rock beer is naturally carbonated – no carbonation is added.
- Big Rock premium craft beer is double evacuation filled to offer a longer shelf life, thus eliminating the need for preservatives.
- Big Rock premium craft beer features a best before date to ensure flavour stability and freshness.
What makes some Big Rock Beers dark?
The dark color comes from the roasted malts giving the beer special flavour.
How long is Big Rock beer fermented for?
Big Rock Ales are fermented for 7-10 days, lagers 6-8 weeks.