Further to recent speculation, onbeer.org has learned that, indeed, Magpie has been “soft launched” in Alberta and is currently available in select pubs in Edmonton and Calgary. Big Rock’s rye beer (western Canada’s only such beer) is returning to market, after almost 5 years’ absence.
Magpie was a victim of Big Rock’s growth in the early 2000s – as a niche beer it got squeezed by the growing demands on BR’s brewing capacity. To meet demand for Traditional, Grasshopper and the like, Magpie fell by the wayside. That is why it is good news to hear of its return.
This is what I know for the moment. It is available on tap at a handful of Calgary pubs and in one Edmonton location – The Druid on 116 Street and Jasper Avenue. Big Rock plans a bottle release in the new year, when it will become more widely available. At this point, there are no decisions on whether Magpie will make it back as a regular listing, or just as an occasional.
What is the big deal about Magpie? Well many of us older beer drinkers remember the beer fondly as a unique and nicely crafted ale. Plus rye beer are rare. Rye can be tough to work with, as it can be harsh and vegetal if not handled properly. When done right, rye adds an earthy sharpness to the beer, countering the sweetness from the barley.Rye beer are not exclusively rye (just as wheat beer are not only wheat). Traditional German Roggenbier have 50-65% rye, but most north American versions keep the rye down to 25% or so – the remaining being barley.
I swung by the Druid the other day to sample a pint of the new Magpie. It is lighter than I remember the original – presenting as a medium gold with orange highlights. The aroma is a subtle blend of soft barley and a crisp rye accent – just enough to know there is rye in the beer. Its flavour is surprisingly soft. The base beer seems like a cream ale, sharpened by a quiet rye which adds character without overpowering. The overall effect is a beer that starts moderately sweet and smooth and finishes with a bit of grainy sharpness.
This is no traditional Roggenbier – it is a quaffable ale with a pleasant accent of rye sharpness for complexity. I enjoyed my pint and would happily order another. The base beer is solid and the rye creates a flavour unique to the prairies. Big Rock is to be commended for Magpie’s return and I offer that it is an encouraging sign of the semi-big boy’s return to experimenting with flavour profiles.
I will be curious to see how Alberta beer drinkers respond to its return.
November 9, 2010 at 10:51 AM
A lot of people have fond memories of Big Rock beers. It could partly be due to hindsight and that for a lot of us, Big Rock was our first introduction to “different” beer flavours, but it is also fairly well known that Big Rock has indeed dumbed down their recipes over the years, and upped the use of adjuncts.
Sure, it is nice to see them bringing back the Magpie brand name, but if the beer itself is nothing special, then how is this really an improvement? You say it is encouraging that they are experimenting with flavour profiles, but I certainly was not encouraged by their Espresso Stout or Winter Spice ale. When it comes to “pseudo-craft” beers, or whatever you want to call them, I have always said, “how is crappy stout any better than all the crappy pilsners?” I just want good beer, and I don’t really care who makes it.
By the way, my favourite Big Rock beer for years has been their Black Amber Ale (“an alberta sweet stout” is what Big Rock calls it). It is by far their most flavourful beer (even more than the once great McNallys Extra), and it is actually a fairly decent example of something in between an American Dark Lager and a Munich Dunkel.
November 9, 2010 at 9:09 PM
Hi Mark,
As usual you have insightful, seasoned observations about the beer world. I can hear what you are saying. Until recently I have been quite disappointed in Big Rock – especially being one of those guys you speak of who first experienced craft beer from them.
Big Rock is a bit of an enigma for me. I still use Trad as my backup plan – at Folk Festivals and such – because it is still a flavourful beer. However, their profile releases over the last decade have been very disappointing. That said, I am still a big fan of Warthog and McNally’s Extra – neither recipe has been dumbed down. So I have always thought we dismiss Big Rock unfairly.
As for recent developments, this is my take. They have recently installed a micro-sized test brewery (which they call Kasper Schultz). I think this is both a recognition on their part that they have lost their craft origins, and a commitment to try, at least on the margins, to produce some high quality beer. I have tried a couple of beer produced on the Kasper system and they were good efforts – not perfect but honest attempts at real beer.
The return of Magpie is symbolic for me. If they can muster the courage to bring back a friggin’ RYE beer – which hardly has the cache of wheat beer – then more kudos to them. I could be wrong, but I would like to think this is their next step back to respectability.
They will always produce beer that sells in substantial quantities – which I do not consider a criticism. For me the key is whether they are willing to also produce niche products that will satisfy guys like you and me. They are not there yet, but I am willing to give them time.
Besides, I really did enjoy my pint of Magpie. Sometimes a beer can just be about an enjoyable half hour on a bar stool.
Thanks. as usual, for your insightful comments.
Jason
November 10, 2010 at 10:34 AM
I’m sure BR sales are hardly slipping, but you have to think they know they have “lost cred” amongst the growing segment of beer drinkers that have developed more discerning tastes. I suppose the pilot system and Magpie may indeed be reason for some optimism, that Big Rock is indeed trying to offer better quality products, but I still can’t help but feel that it is all being done somewhat insincerely, and that they are not that much different from the likes of Rickards and Keiths with their token offerings at premium products or whatever catchphrase they want to use. Time will tell, but at this point I am not convinced.
So yes, pilot brewery system, bringing back Magpie, sure, sounds hopeful, I’m willing to give them a chance. But when you also see them introducting more weak lagers and lime beers, when they could instead introduce a flavourful yet still approachable product like a Creemore Springs or even a Steam Whistle, I can’t take them too seriously.
Maybe I am expecting too much, but I remember many years ago wondering why Big Rock (or Sleemans at the time, which now seems to have almost vanished from western canada) couldn’t be like a Sierra Nevada or Sam Adams. Why couldn’t they be a regional/small national brewery that doesn’t compromise on quality, and still be hugely successful? However, to do so takes passion, vision, commitment and belief the good beer is worthwhile. I still don’t see any of that with Big Rock – they claim to have craft beer roots (and I believe once upon a time they did), but you don’t see them playing any role whatsoever in today’s craft beer scene.
Remember the XO lager launch a few years ago? There were billboards all over the place claiming it to be a true czech pils and loaded with saaz. That is about as truthful as Keith’s being marketed as an IPA and being based on old Alex’s original recipe. This kind of BS does nothing to promote good beer. So offering up a few low profile beers that at best can be described as “passable” may be encouraging, but hardly makes up for this.
So yes, I am quite critical of Big Rock. I wish I wasn’t. I wish I could just enjoy their beer and even recommend it to others, but so much of what they do just rubs me the wrong way. I always say that ultimately all I care about is good beer, and for the most part I adhere to this, but at the same time so much of what I enjoy about craft beer also has to do with the community and close relationships one can develop with breweries, pubs and the like. Sorta like getting to know the chef at a small restaurant, or the local farmer; it doesn’t necessarily make the product taste better, but it improves the experience and overall enjoyment. Again, I have never, ever gotten this vibe from Big Rock, they are just a faceless organization that offers passable beer on occassion.
November 10, 2010 at 11:28 AM
I was unaware BR used adjuncts… is this a fact?
November 10, 2010 at 2:30 PM
I recieved fairly reliable info about 4 years ago that they use rice and corn. I find it interesting that on their website they list “key ingredients” for each beer… not just “ingredients.” The German in me is not happy with this… and again it reeks of half truths.
Also wanted to comment on Traditional Ale being flavourful. Yes, it is not the worst beer around. I probably drink 1 or 2 pints a year, whenever I am stuck somewhere with poor selection and feel a little “nostalgic.” The big problem I have is that this beer often has a metallic taste, which gets worse as it warms. I almost never finish my pint, and I certainly don’t want to order another. It could just be dirty tap lines or stale beer, like I say, I am not drinking these in better beer establishments. I have also heard it is a trademark off flavour of the Big Rock house yeast, though I can’t say I pick it up in their other beers.
November 10, 2010 at 4:18 PM
Mark,
Clearly it is up to BR to demonstrate to beer fans that they are serious about producing craft beer consistently, so your scepticism is fair. We will just need to keep watching, drinking and offering our feedback. It’s a tough job…
Jason