Big Rig Brewery are another member of the growing group of microbreweries in the Ottawa/Gatineau area. The brewery is named after Ottawa Senators defenceman Chris Phillips (nicknamed the Big Rig) who is a part owner. The first time I had a Big Rig beer was at the Ottawa Beer fest in 2012 and was not all that impressed to be honest, so I didn't have all that high hopes when I went for dinner with my girlfriend. Fortunately, they have really improved their brews and their Byward Brown is a really good example of an English style brown ale.
The first thing I noticed about Byward brown when my pint arrived was the colour, I was expecting something lighter, but it pours a nice dark brown. When you take a sip you will notice a very strong nutty flavour that really jumps out at you, it's a flavour you definitely smell before you taste it. As the sip progresses it smooths out with a nice (but slightly watery) middle section that shows the slight coffee and chocolate notes before finishing with a bitter kick. It is sweeter than the colour would suggest, closer to the commercial leader in this class, Newcastle Brown Ale, in the sweetness department but that bitter kick reminds you that you are definitely not drinking a sugary bottle of Newcastle! Byward Brown is a surprisingly complicated beer and one that really goes well with the pub fare at their brew pub on Iris St. As a loyal dark beer drinker I would have preferred it to be a bit thicker, but for those who are just starting to discover the dark side of beer it is a great gateway beer to thicker, maltier brews.
It's definitely available on draught at their Iris St. brewpub as well as in growlers and six packs to go. I have also seen other Big Rig brews at LCBO outlets in the Ottawa area so if you are lucky you may be able to pick up a six pack of Byward at your local liquor store, but their website does not have specifics of which beers are available.
Rating: 4 Steins.
What you need to know
Brewpub
2750 Iris St. Unit A (near the Ikea)
Ottawa, ON
K2C 1E6
Website:
http://www.bigrigbrewery.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BigRigBrew
Twitter:
@bigrigbrew
No comments:
Post a Comment