Big Red Coq - Brewery Vivant

Alextricity

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

No canning date. $3.49 for a 16oz can. Poured into S.A. Perfect Pint Glass

Appearance: What the hell. I barely moved the can, but even then, I poured it into a glass and the whole pint glass filled with foam with maybe an ounce of beer. Because the head wouldn't go anywhere, I had to spoon out a bunch of foam. Big Red Coq is a beautiful, hazy red color with a light tan, creamy head, and great lacing. I give it a 3 for appearance though because I had to spoon the equivalent of three ounces of beer out of my glass. Looks great after that though.

Smell: It smells a touch Belgian, but it's not much. There are plenty of hops and malts to go around in the aroma. The hops are mostly grassy, and the malt gives a sweet note to make it even more inviting. Smells fantastic.

Taste/feel: Quite interesting. That slight, Belgian sourness is definitely there, but it's not too much. The hops aren't as "bursting" as I thought they'd be, judging by the taste. The malt flavor is of caramel and sweetness, and it works well. This is an odd beer, and I'm not sure how to describe it, but it's really good. This is sour, sweet, and a bit bitter. The aroma makes Big Red Coq smell like an IPA (I wish MINE did...), but the taste is distinctively Belgian. For some reason, it's difficult for me to pull out specific flavors in this beer. It's just interesting. It's like a red in that it has plenty of the malt and sweetness that you'd expect, IPA-esque in that it smells like one and has a pretty significant hop flavor, and then it tastes Belgian because of the yeast. As it warms up, the sourness becomes more prominent. The feel on this beer is middle of the road, with a pretty active-but-pleasant carbonation.

This is unlike any other beer I've had before... an amber with more hops than usual, and Belgian yeast. Extremely unhelpful review, but I CAN tell you that it's a very tasty beer that's worth picking up if you can.

Serving type: can

05-07-2013 14:49:28 | More by Alextricity

SportsandJorts

Michigan

3.59/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Type: 16 oz can
Glass: Pint
From: Meijer
Price: around $10 a 4 pack

Appearance: deep red not quite clear but not opaque. huge foamy head that slowly recedes to a lacing on the sides

Smell- Hoppy, very hoppy, some caramelly malts and a touch of belgian yeast

Taste-the hops aren't as aggressive as in the nose but still there and strong. the belgian yeast is stronger than in the nose and caramel malts are the backbone. I would prefer the highlight to be the yeast rather than hops but that is my opinion.

Mouthfeel: a little bitter and sticky aftertaste but in a good way. pretty light in body with higher carbonation

Overall: pretty good beer. I like the cross over belgian-american beer. i would prefer the yeast to dominate but thats just me. Another good beer from Vivant which does little wrong to me. Glad I tried it but it might be a while before I revisit this one

Serving type: can

01-18-2013 02:14:12 | More by SportsandJorts

CloudStrife

New York

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16oz can poured into a tulip.

A: Pours an opaque reddish gold with a 1 finger off white head. Some visible carbonation in the body. Head sticks around for a minute or two leaving some lacing.

S: Lot going on with the smell here. There is belgian yeast flat out up front, but also a hopping on top of that and a solid almost sweet carmely malt backing.

T: Balanced comes to mind as I take my first sip. Has a smooth malty taste balanced by some yeast and hops. I'd say malt lingers more in the aftertaste

M: Full bodied with lots of carbonation. Has a nice clean finish, easy drinking.

Overall this is a beer I could enjoy on a regular basis. Has the Belgian drinkability with some amped up American malts and hops.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 03:29:58 | More by CloudStrife

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16 oz can courtesy of mseguin pours a hazed crimson color with a large, stcky cap of beige head. Nice retention and lacing.

Nose is grapefruit and pine with a toasted caramel malt. The Belgian yeast that made Triomphe so appealing seems to be missing here.

Taste is nicely hopped with plenty of both flavoring and bittering, malt is more toasty than sweet and the Belgian yeast is unfortunately tame. This one is not as tasty as Triomphe, but stil goes down fairly easy. It could use a bump in body and yeast presence.

Serving type: can

12-21-2012 23:58:01 | More by twiggamortis420

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.73/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Can courtesy of my parents. Served in a sampler glass. The nose brings a bit of light black pepper along with some strong citrus and tropical hops. Flavor isn’t quite as nice, as more of the yeast comes along, and doesn’t quite fit with the hop and malt profile. Body is medium and fairly bitter and dry. Pretty good, but not something I’d necessarily seek out again.

Serving type: can

12-15-2012 18:42:46 | More by Thorpe429

Duff27

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Ridiculous head which translates to thick and sticky lacing. Dark amber color body. Head retention is great

Spicy Belgian yeast mostly, muted hop profile.

Sweet caramel malts. Subdued Belgian yeast characteristics and also hops. 6.5%abv seems about right.

Creamy. Medium mouthfeel. Lower end of carbonation for the style.

I found this to be very drinkable...but not great or even above average by any means. Good outdoor beer I'd say. Thanks egrace84.

Serving type: can

11-27-2012 03:14:34 | More by Duff27

Mitchster

Michigan

4.13/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

I think this was $4.19 for a 126oz can at BigTen in East Lansing. 6.25% ABV. Pours out to a clear deep garnet, forming a tall whipped meringue like creamy yeallow head with superior retention and beautiful thick lacing. The nose is hops galore...I'm getting cat-pee Simcoe but also some pine and grapefruit. The mouthfeel is really gorgeous. Beautiful carbonation level, about 2.5 carbs with a medium body. Finishes really dry. Nice notes of tropical fruit like pineapple and pear from the yeast...very subtle compared to the hops. The bitterness is well-balanced with the dry finish, making it really quite drinkable.

Serving type: can

11-22-2012 02:04:32 | More by Mitchster

andrewjraab

Michigan

3.13/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Deep Copper orange / reddish. Nice creamy and foamy off white head. Mild head retention.

S - Hops, malts, sweet, floral, piney.

T - Hops present up front, followed by a lingering dry flavor. Lacks a finished touch.

O - I'm glad I gave this a shot, but I wouldn't really try it again. Nice hop profile, but not much balance and an astringent mouth feel.

Serving type: can

11-17-2012 03:55:55 | More by andrewjraab

carlborch

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a beautiful copper brown,with an ever-so-slight haze. Miniature flocculent deposits appear and settle to the bottom of the glass. 1-inch tan head forms and quickly dissipates to 1/16 inch. Distinctive hop and yeast nose. Very pleasant. Medium-light body. The palate is bright with lingering malt and bitter notes. Some Belgian lace. Dry. Great aperitif beer! This ale made me hungry. I would look for it again.

Serving type: can

10-28-2012 19:32:22 | More by carlborch

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I was expecting something hoppier still a decent brew. Gift of cans from SliverX IP. Reddish tinged colour, bubbly. Medium mouthfeel, well malted, some orange flavour, somewhat astringent finish. Drinkable.Decent drinkability, not getting hops in nose so do not make it out to be a Belgian IPA as promoted.

Serving type: can

09-04-2012 12:38:10 | More by northyorksammy

dfillius

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass

A: 1.5 fingers head from a moderate pour. Head is off-white, tight and pillowy. Clear copper liquid.
S: Citra? hops, maybe Simcoe, it's very fruity in a tropical way. PNW characteristics. Slightly dusty yeast aroma. Mostly hops. Like a nice IPA in fact! Some caramel malt upon warming.
T: Funky and hoppy up front with a bitter bite holding on. Much more Belgian taste than was hinted at in the aroma. Though it is still only slightly "Belgian" Grapefruit bitterness.
M: Very dry. Thin; I would like a tad more body as it borders on watery.
O: Enjoyable brew that I'd love another of and would buy again. Mouthfeel brings the overall down. Could be great with slightly more character in the mouthfeel.

Serving type: can

09-04-2012 01:31:18 | More by dfillius

superspak

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16 ounce can into tulip glass, no canning date. Pours fairly crystal clear orange copper color with a nice 3 finger dense light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice thick soapy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of caramel, pine, grapefruit, orange zest, herbal, floral, toast, mango, pineapple, and slight yeast esters. Nice, pleasant, and well balanced aromas with decent strength. Taste of caramel, grapefruit, pine, orange zest, pineapple, mango, floral, toast, earth, and herbal spiciness. Good amount of spicy pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, caramel, toast, tropical fruit, and herbal spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance of malt sweetness with bitterness; and good balance of hop flavors as well. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and crisp mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is well hidden as expected of 6.5%, with pretty much zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice hoppy amber ale. I did not really get any Belgian influence from the flavors; but it had some very nice hop flavor complexity, and is very easy to drink. Really pleasant and enjoyable.

Serving type: can

07-26-2012 04:21:57 | More by superspak

ChadQuest

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

there is a fluffy head that lasts with vigor, fades after a long while into lacing and a collar. Body is translucent pale amber.
Nose is balanced with cascade hop like notes and sweet sugar rolled strawberry.
The malts cover more of the hop flavors then on the aroma, but some citrus still cuts through. Summer fruits, caramel, noting some floral esters which are probably the biggest sign of the belgo yeast.
medium body.

Serving type: can

06-27-2012 05:34:52 | More by ChadQuest

david131

Michigan

3.53/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a clear orange-red liquid with numerous streams of carbonation making their way to the surface. The off-white head is thick and creamy with nice retention.

S- Oats, grass, flowers, caramel, and a touch of pine. Smells like a red ale with just a bit of something unique.

T- Flowers, grass, caramel, and orange rind. There is a definite oat aspect which is not super appealing to me, nut does not detract from the experience too much.

M- Abundant carbonation keeps it light and slightly spicy. There is some definite lingering flavors.

O- A well-made red ale. Drinks pretty nicely, but it is not one of my favorites.

Serving type: can

06-21-2012 02:48:51 | More by david131

chugalug06

Colorado

3.23/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Impressive, three-finger, caramel colored head sneaks up on you when poured. Brew has great red clarity. Circular lacing.

Nice belgian scents mixed with light, sweet, tropical fruits. Lots of biscuity caramels.

Not a bitter as I had hoped... More sweet then bitter. Smooth and mily without many overwhelming hop notes. A bit flat on the flavor scale, nothing overwhelming. Bready, biscuit, dry, and overly carbonated.

A nice refreshing brew, but not complex or deep. I kept looking for more as I enjoyed Big Red Cog, but it failed to deliver more then average flavors. Enjoyable, but not worth seeking.

Serving type: can

06-19-2012 01:19:48 | More by chugalug06

Ryan011235

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Duvel tulip on 6/14/12

Many thanks to beesy; I'd never heard of this brewery before.

Solid-looking beer; medium dark copper/amber with a mild layer of haziness. A billowy, two finger head collapses slowly, retaining a smooth, yet quite uneven grade. Scatterings of lace are left on the inside lip of the glass. Lace is thicker farther down.

The aroma has a pretty good showing of hops: piney, earthy, some floral and faint hints of citric zest. The hops are offset by toasted bread and some caramel; it's a decent enough balance between the hops and malts. I'm not picking up too much of the "Belgo," aside from a modest fruity twang buried within the mix. Smells like it'll be pretty dry.

And dry it is. Resiny, piney hops mingle with zesty citric tones; the hop flavor has a nice punch to it. Thankfully, the floral and earthy notions in the aroma are minimized here. Malt-wise, the focus on more on dry, toasty bread than on caramel; suits me just fine. As with the aroma, the "Belgo" yeast is rather unobtrusive; adding some of the aforementioned fruity twang, albeit in a slightly more prominent measure than the nose.

The feel is medium with an enjoyable amount of sticky resin hanging around. Carbonation bolsters the hops without outshining them. The finish is surprisingly on the clean side.

The subtle "Belgo" characteristics are a welcomed addition to the Hoppy Red/Imperial Red style and a nice change of pace from the floral/caramel combo that plagues so many of the lesser reds out there. I'd drink this regularly if I could.

Serving type: can

06-15-2012 02:04:20 | More by Ryan011235

beesy

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a can

A - pours a clear bright orange with a finger and a half of eggshell white head.

S - slight belgian note. A touch of citusy hops. I don't know where its coming from, but I keep getting a big peanut/peanutbutter nose.

T - a lighter belgian profile throughout. Hops are slighty citusy throughout, shining a little more on the late palate. A very soft beer with a reserved bitterness. A firm malt backbone with a slightly bready profile.

M - medium bodied. Very soft on the palate.

D - medium to medium low for me.

Overall, I can't find much to hate, but I can't find a lot to make me love it. The appearance is fantastic, but as the name implies, I was expecting more of a mahagony color. I'm not sure where the nutty aroma I get is coming from, I'll have to see if it exists in the other cans.

Serving type: can

06-15-2012 00:56:14 | More by beesy

FaceYourBeers

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First vivant beer. First BA review. First legit canned craft brew.

A. Intense head. Decent retention. Classic bright mahogany.

S. hoppity hop! Citrus. Floral. With a sweet punch. Mmm.

T. Malts hit you first. Moves to hops. Moves to bitter finish. Where's the belgo? Barely there. Nice blend tho. Love the style. Reminds me of a sessionable version of the FFF Brian Boru.

M. Not sure if the can makes the carbonation extra intense at first. But it dies down to a perfect creamy burn.

O. Wish I had more than 4! Definitely seek this out. Great session beer.

Serving type: can

06-12-2012 22:11:28 | More by FaceYourBeers

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Can from the brewery, 16oz can into a tulip.

Hazy mahogany with an offwhite head, almost yellowish. Chunky retention and good lace. Nose is predominantly citrus, lots of hops. Grainy breads, and some earthier and grassy character. Taste has grass and earth notes again, with a substantial amount of citrus hops. Caramel malt fits in there too. Grassy and citrus rind in the finish. Low carbonation for the style. Not an outstanding offering as I've come to expect from Vivant, but not all that bad either.

Serving type: can

06-12-2012 00:04:54 | More by liamt07

BellsFan

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A. Golden red

S. grassy, crystal malts

T. I have had 3 different beers from Brewery Vivant. I have liked each one for its own qualities. Tonight I realized that they all share a common underling flavor. It's makes me wonder if they use the same base malts in each or is it simple their house yeast that I'm noticing in each. The taste is hoppy with a husky grainy flavor.

M. Drying, lightly carbonated, medium body

O. Perfect take on an American red with a Belgian influence.

Serving type: can

05-23-2012 01:41:13 | More by BellsFan

StoutHunter

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I picked up a can of Brewery Vivant's Big Red Coq the other day for $2.59 at The Lager Mill. This is the newest beer from their Brewers Reserve Series, I am really starting to like this Series after having their Zaison, so lets see how this beer turns out. No visible bottling date but I know it's fresh, Spring 2012 Vintage. Poured from a 16oz can into a tulip.

A- It comes in their Brewers Reserve Series can with a nice looking big red rooster on the sticker that looks like it could be on a coat of arms, looks good to me. It foamed slightly out of the can and it poured a nice darker red color that took on a nice bright red/copper/ruby color with two and a half fingers worth of slightly off white head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and left some nice spotty lacing. This is a good looking beer, I see no flaws with it's appearance.

S- The aroma is pretty complex. The first thing that I pick up in the aroma is nice a malty presence that had a high amount of medium sweetness and imparted some lightly toasted malts, caramel malts, and a slight toffee like aroma. Next comes the yeast that distinctly smells Belgian, it imparts lots of spicy aromas like cloves, along with a good amount of bananas. After that I get some hops which are spicy, floral aroma but it was the citrus hops that stuck out the most. This was a good, unique, and very complex smelling beer, I like it, it has a little bit of everything.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma just a little bit more balanced, it starts off with loads of malts which have a lower amount of medium sweetness and imparted a nice caramel malts, lightly toasted malts, and biscuit like flavors. Next up is the Belgian yeast which isn't as spicy as it was in the aroma, but the banana flavor still comes through as much as it did in the aroma and adds some nice complexity to this beer. Towards the end I got a nice dose of hops which are mainly floral and citrus and it had a lighter amount of medium bitterness with a malty, yeasty, and slightly hoppy aftertaste. This is a good tasting beer, just like the aroma it was pretty complex and there was a little bit of everything in this beer, I like it.

M- Pretty smooth, crisp, slightly dry, medium bodied with a good amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel worked nicely with this beer, I have no complaints.

Overall I enjoyed this beer and I thought it was good and unique example of an American Red Ale, it had some things you wouldn't expect to see in the style but they all seem to come together nicely. This beer had pretty good drinkability, it went down pretty smooth, was a little refreshing, and it had a unique flavor that held my attention, I could see me drinking a couple cans of this if I was in the mood. What I liked most about this beer was the aroma and flavor that were nice and unique, there's no way you could mistake this beer for the Average American Red Ale, it's everything but average. What I liked least about this beer was that this was a special release, I think it should be added to the year round lineup. I would buy this beer again when looking for a good unique Red Ale and I highly recommend giving this beer a try. The first beer in this series was a little disappointing but after that they have all been good and solid beers, Brewery Vivant really knows what they are doing and are doing a great job with this series, if they keep the trend up this might be one of the better special series of beers around. I am glad they switched things up with this beer and put their own signature twist on it, it worked out pretty well, good job guys.

Serving type: can

05-21-2012 04:04:09 | More by StoutHunter

meepmeep

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16 oz can, no dating.

A: Clear golden reddish brown, bubbly off-white head.

S: Bitter hops up front, fading to caramel malts and some slight hint of Belgian yeasts as well.

T: More hop taste than a regular red ale, but most of the hop taste is up-front. The slight Belgian banana taste in the body off-sets the malt quite nicely. Could use a little more flavor on the end though.

M: Well-carbonated, crisp mouthfeel, a little light on the body though.

Overall - another enjoyable beer from Vivant. Generally I am not a huge fan of red ales, so I was pleasantly surprised. Glad they have this out in cans at the moment!

Serving type: can

05-19-2012 22:13:08 | More by meepmeep

sweett3k

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at a local Grand Rapids resturaunt. Nice redish brown color with great head and lacing. Not much going on for smell...notes of cherry and bread. Nice sweet taste of biscuit metalic hops. Nice and easy to drink. This is my first Brewery Vivant beer and I am quite pleased looking to go well with my fish tacos.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2012 17:15:46 | More by sweett3k

DJSpidey

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I was expecting a bit more from this than what is delivered flavor-wise--it seemed weaker/"less-intensely-flavored" than other similar beers made in this style which I have tried (e.g. Ale Asylum's Bedlam! or Belgo from New Belgium) ; maybe I would like this more if it was made as a double instead?

Besides this weakness, it was as I expected it to be in nose, color, and so on. It's not a bad beer, and I enjoyed it more than their Triomphe IPA (this brew seems to remove the "harsher" edges of the Triomphe while keeping the good parts IMHO of an American IPA), but enjoyed it less than their Farm Hand ale or their Brune or Solitude brews.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2011 03:44:36 | More by DJSpidey

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep reddish brown. Nice clear appearance. Looks gorgeous. Nice white head. Very pretty. 5.0
Smells bitter and malty. A nice roasty undertone. 3.5
Tastes sweet and hoppy. Lost of red moss earthiness. Bitter hops. A bit harsh. 4.0
Well carbonated. Nice mouthfeel 4.0
Overall this is a style that doesn't impress me but the beer is fairly solid 4.0

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2011 15:15:51 | More by Urbancaver