Big Rock Brewery
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| Big Rock Brewery | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Location | Calgary, Alberta Canada |
| Owner | Public |
| Year opened | 1985 |
| Annual production | 450,000 hl |
| Active Beers | |
| Warthog Cream Ale | Cream ale |
| Traditional Ale | Brown ale |
| Grasshöpper Wheat Ale | Wheat beer |
| Big Rock Honey Brown | Lager |
| Pale Ale | Pale ale |
| Black Amber Ale | Stout |
| Köld Glacier Lager | Lager |
| McNally's Extra Ale | Irish red ale |
| Rock Creek Cider | Cider |
| Alberta Genuine Draft | Draught |
The Big Rock BreweryTSX: BR is located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The brewery was founded in 1985 by Ed McNally. After forming the Big Rock brewing company he hired Bernd "Peppy" Pieper, considered to be one of the best brewmasters in the world[citation needed]. McNally and Pieper built the Big Rock brewing facility up to be the most state-of-the-art facility in North America.
The Big Rock Brewery brews such beers as Traditional Ale, Grasshöpper Wheat Ale, Warthog Cream Ale, Big Rock Honey Brown, Pale Ale, Black Amber Ale, Köld Glacier Lager, McNally's Extra Ale, Rock Creek Cider and Alberta Genuine Draft (AGD).
Big Rock beers are loosely divided into standard beers, such as Traditional and Black Amber; specialties, including Grasshopper, Warthog and Honey Brown; and lower-quality non-Big Rock brand beers, such as Alberta Genuine Draught and Kold.
The Big Rock Brewery brews only unpasteurized beer. Pasteurization is very common in the beer industry, used to give beer an extended shelf life. However, pasteurization tends to dull the flavour, flatten the taste and interfere with the carbonation process. Because of this, Big Rock has chosen not to pasteurize their beer.
Big Rock brews the generic President's Choice brand of beer sold in the Loblaws-owned Real Canadian Liquorstore chain (as of 2006 this chain operates exclusively in Alberta, the only Canadian province to have privatized liquor retailing). The PC brand comes in four varieties: A light beer, comparable to Coors Light, a Pilsner, a Dry beer, and a Honey Red.
Unlike most Canadian breweries, Big Rock maintains its own distribution network in Alberta and several other Canadian provinces. Most smaller Canadian breweries distribute their product in Western Canada through Brewers' Distributor Ltd., a joint venture of the country's major breweries.
The name "Big Rock" comes from a large glacial rock located outside of the town of Okotoks, south of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
