Big Rock Brewery

Long has Big Rock been the leader of Calgary craft beer in terms of availability and number of beers. They were the pioneers of craft brewing in this province. Strange that in my rampant alcoholism that I had never done a tour. If there was a good distillery in Calgary, there would be a plaque made and posted on their front door honouring me by now.
I screwed myself the moment I left to meet the rest of my group: I drove. They arrived by cab a few minutes later. Those sneaky bastards. That automatically made me the designated driver.
Our host was terrific. A few samples downstairs before taking us up the steps to the ‘More beer’ section. A full beer bar. Damn. Must pace myself and be responsible. To the tour we went. Hairnets, protective glasses, and no beers allowed in to drink during the tour. Now we’re talking. Suffer with me, people!
How did people ever come up with beer? There’s quite a bit that goes into it, even in the most simple forms. I’ve been on tours before, but never figured out how they came up with it. Must have been alcohol that contributed to making such a discovery. Rum, most likely, as all good discoveries are a result of it.
Either way, after seeing the process of making beer, I am still too lazy to make my own and will stick with letting other people do it for me.

Did you know that it’s the 30^th anniversary year of Big Rock Brewery this year? Big Rock was definitely the pioneer of craft beers around here!
The first time I visited Big Rock was for a friend’s b-​day party. As I walked up to the restaurant I was thinking, «This is so cool!» — and it was! I mean, who doesn’t want to have a celebration at a craft brewery?! It’s located on a big area just off 52 Street S.E.
We were served appetizers and craft beer on tap. It was a casual, yet unique space to gather friends and family together. I liked that it was perfectly okay to sample the beers until you found that one you really liked. There is and indoor and an outdoor space.
The next time I visited I went on a brewery tour with a small group. It’s always a good time for a brewery tour! You wouldn’t believe the big vats the beer is made in… seeing beer in the process of getting made on such a large scale kinda makes you feel giddy! Then after the tour you get to sit down and enjoy a glass of the cold stuff… sort of a dream situation
One other point, there is a retail store onsite where you can buy beer and unique beer related gifts. Me and the others on my tour thought the leather six-​pack holder that can be attached to a bicycle was the perfect bike accessory! …Now I can drive hands free ;)

We had an amazing evening at Big Rock Brewery. We had a group of about 20, and they we toured through the facilities in two groups. So interesting and entertaining, great tidbits of info all the way through. Did some shopping in the gift store after. Some wonderful gift ideas and did a bit of Christmas shopping! The cost of the tour includes a Big Rock beer glass too! Great idea for groups of any size. They are very accommodating.

I took some clients here for lunch a few weeks ago. Other than a slight hiccup to get service when we first arrived, everything went well after that. Apparently our group was so large and they had to push some tables together and because of that two different sections were split between us so the staff had to figure out who was going to cover our table.
The food was fantastic. I went with a recommendation of the BBQ chicken melt and it was heavenly. It had just the right amount of sauce and the quantity of cheese melted on top didn’t leave you feeling like you were over indulging.
The restaurant itself is a cool place. Kind of rustic looking but at the same time fresh and modern. Obviously there is a large bar at one end where they will be happy to pour you your favorite Big Rock brew. I would imagine that this would be an excellent venue to hold a company Christmas party or other large event.
Check this place out. It’s always #BigRockOclock here!

Big Rock Brewery is the big bad of Calgary’s microbreweries, and let’s be honest: It has retained its market share for a reason. In addition to crafting some house brews for a variety of other businesses, Big Rock makes solid, well crafted and well known beers.
I had the pleasure of getting a tour of the premises fairly recently, and it was an experience I won’t soon forget. Although they have a ton of machinery to help with their craft, so much of it is still managed by real people. The ‘compound’ that the brewery occupies is pretty huge, but utterly awesome, and it was so cool to see the process of making some of my favourite brews step by step, but I was most impressed by their store house, which was like the cave of secrets, except instead of being full of gold and treasure it was full of cans and mini kegs, floor to ceiling and wall to wall.
Big Rock also sponsors the Eddies, a video competition that is pretty important to Calgary culture. I have good feelings about more than just beer everytime I order a pint of Grasshopper.