Big Rock Maple Road Farmhouse Ale
Big Rock Chop & Brewhouse

Big Rock Maple Road Farmhouse AleBig Rock Maple Road Farmhouse Ale
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From:
Big Rock Chop & Brewhouse
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Saison
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
88
Avg:
3.91 | pDev: 13.3%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
15
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 13, 2015
Added:
Feb 02, 2009
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by jrob21 from North Carolina

May 13, 2015
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.88/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle from Steve. Funky from 2009. Pours with enormous head on thick beige. Slightly sour aroma. A somewhat sour but controlled faromhouse, thick lace, good sipper. 8% abv on bottle, and it did not taste boozy at all. Wild dopplebock got my attention, and I am glad it did.
Jun 17, 2012
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

3.77/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to Steve for another Big Rock beer.

Pours a sort of hazed amber color. The flavor is lightly sour/tart with a mild sweetness--sort of oud bruin-like. There is some bread as well as notes of lemon and grass. The flavor has a bit more of a fruit character. Like with the nose, a light sweetness to go along with the tartness. Lemon peel and apples enhance the fruit flavor. Light to medium carbonation with high carbonation.
Jan 24, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by rmaste6282 from California

Jan 23, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by WeisGuy from New York

Jan 14, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by imperialking from Illinois

Jan 09, 2012
Photo of JAXSON
Reviewed by JAXSON from Pennsylvania

2.12/5  rDev -45.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1
Bottle. Pours a glowing copper/orange with lots of sticky lacing, very attractive. Goes downhill from there. Nose is mostly acetone and cider vinegar, with some stone fruit tucked in behind. Mouth opens with some nice fruit, but a wicked acetone and vinegar quality just sweeps through. Vile, in that way. This might have been quite good before the acetone took over.
Mar 03, 2011
Photo of chinabeergeek
Reviewed by chinabeergeek from Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
thanks to flandersned for the trade. 22oz bomber. no date found. from notes, tasted in june 2009. poured into tulip glass.

slight gusher, controlled by slow uncapping. murky despite attempt to decant. brownish sienna amber, almost like... maple syrup? haha (tho murkier of course...). 2-finger, fizzy, light tan head, creamy on top. duvel glass' laser etching and very active carbonation work to maintain constant thin wispy layer.) great lacing, almost curtainous.

aroma: some farmhouse funk upfront, with fruity, sour apple tones and a maple syrup base, into caramel and gentle malt character. touch of peppery phenols in back, plus more farmhouse character, almost footy

taste: quite tart upfront,with cider vinegar tones. funky brett character come through too; slightly woody and leathery. malty and yeasty underneath, as hay-like hops bring in mild bitterness for balance and complexity. maple is subtle, but present and is a nice touch. tart, semi-dry finish. just a touch watery at times tho.

medium body, alsto sometimes slightly thin, but smooth, punctuated by acidity, astringency, and a crisp, almost fizzy carbonation that also gives a creamy texture.

a very intresting brew, defies categories somewhat.
Oct 04, 2010
Photo of CoolJosh
Reviewed by CoolJosh from Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured from a 22oz bomber into a tapered glass. Pours a hazy ruddy orange brown with a fairly creamy light corn yellow head.

The smell is surprisingly reminiscent of a wild. A nice fruity mango and peach funk. Sour lemons flourish and a slight vanilla scent. Very nice.

The taste is packed with flavor. Tart peach and lemon, in addition to a lot of tart cherry. This beer tastes similar to a wild ale, I'm guessing that this was fermented with a wild yeast strain. It is mouth puckering. Very sharp mouthfeel, a little bit too agressive. All in all a very surprising beer, and would love to try this again. This is proof as to why you should never turn your nose up to a beer that you have never had before.
Aug 27, 2009
Photo of ballewblake
Reviewed by ballewblake from New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into Duvel tulip from bottle.

Low off white head, not much retention, foamy lacing. Amber colored body. Sweet funky saison nose. Excellent body on the palette, flavor of funk, sweet, almost sweet-tart apple like. Huge carbonation presence on the tongue, almost too much, but still very drinkable. Head rebuilds fast with some swirling action.
Jul 13, 2009
Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

4.14/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Sampled April 2009
A standard pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a fat-two-finger thick, tanned head. The beer is a murky amber color that shows quite a bit of haze (this despite a month long rest in the fridge), and an amber tinged, copper highlighted color when held up to the light. The aroma has a sweet fruitiness to it that reminds me of a combination of pear, honeydew melon, ripe plums and a berry / raisin note. This has a backdrop of malt character that adds caramelized notes as well as a solid biscuit like note. A musty, earthy note plays a secondary role here. Coming back to the nose after a bit has me noticeing an interesting kiwi note as well as other tart fruit aromas.

The taste is fruity up front, but quickly picks up a nice lactic tartness through the finish. A fizzy carbonation provides an effervescent prickle as it roles across the tongue, which helps to lighten the body up. This beer is pretty dry, but has more body to it than the dryness will suggest. The beer has a tannic, spicy oak like character to it in the finish (though I wouldn't necessarily say this was actually aged with oak). The fruitiness and tartness combines to suggest flavors of sour plums, berries and lots of tamarind like flavors. The finish has a touch of acetic character to it that helps to spice things up a bit.

This is quite nice, I forgot that this was a sour beer; so I was expecting a Saison'ish thing; and am pleasantly surprised by the Flemish Sour like beer that ended up in my glass. The beer is perhaps a touch too fizzy from the ample carbonation, but this is easily remedied by some aggressive swirling. This is a very nice beer that I am quite happy to be drinking.
May 16, 2009
Photo of joe1510
Reviewed by joe1510 from Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
22oz Bomber

This bottle comes my way courtesy of the man, myth, and legend. Thanks Derek! The body of this farmhouse styled ale has the appearance of heavily tarnished copper with some random red highlights throughout. The head grew slowly until finally peaked at about one finger on a harder than usual pour. The head quickly faded to a collar and thin skimming over the body that leaves behind impressive lacing.

The nose on this beer is interesting to say the least and nothing like what I expected. The nose shows off everything from cherries and balsamic vinegar to oak and sweet tarts. The cherries lead the way and are met by a mild mustiness. Vinegary sour is mixed in at intervals that are balanced out by the sweet tart sweetness. At time the cherry reminds me of cough syrup but a quick swirl brings the vibrancy back into the glass.

Each drink brings across spritzy tart cherry and cider vinegar. Sweet tries to balance the sour but falls short as the sour intensifies while moving through the mouth and peaking on the swallow. The flavors are soft and well integrated while the acidity is now starting to bubble up into my chest. A slight mustiness sort of hangs over the beer but never really takes hold.

The body has a light fell and the carbonation is lively enough to keep this one flowing with ease. The tartness hits the sides of the tongue and a mild sourness coats my throat. The carbonation and tartness leaves behind a rubbed raw feeling on the tongue. There's no sign of alcohol which could be dangerous in a brew of this style.

The drinkability is high as a kite. The light body and tart qualities combine to make this brew incredibly refreshing. I can't stop with just one.

Maple Road is my first brew from Big Rock Chop House and I'm impressed. I'd love to have a couple of these to set aside. The tart character is super nice and this beer can be quaffed with the best of them. Thanks for the treat Derek!
Apr 27, 2009
Photo of Floydster
Reviewed by Floydster from California

4.17/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
22 ounce bottle brought to the SeaO'Floydster tasting by Carlos, thanks for allowing me to try my first Big Rock brew, consumed 3/28/09, reviewed from notes, poured into my Rader snifter

A-Color is a mix between a red and medium orange, 1/2 inch creamy off white head that leaves a nice ring, decent retention
S-Red grapes, vinegar, cherries, caramel, other malts, leather, wild yeast, funkiness, and dark wine
T-Starts off with lactic acid, berries and vinuous grapes in the middle, finish is moderately sour with a lot of wild yeast and oak, great funkiness in the flavor, get a lot of peach flavor by the end too
M-Sour, funky, and yeasty mouthfeel, medium bodied, moderate carbonation, taste lingers a long time, nice rich feel overall
D-Could drink this bomber, light enough on the stomach, for eight percent it is hidden quite well, can even be refreshing at times

Nice first crack at this brewery and this is more of a wild ale than anything, nice sour flavor overall and a nice blend of beers, I heard this stuff is still available at the brewery so get out there and grab some, would drink again, recommended
Apr 02, 2009
Photo of SaucyA
Reviewed by SaucyA from Michigan

3.71/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
22 oz bottle from the brewery... A blend of two ales, Raymondo El Rojo Red Ale and a Belgian Tripel that were aged and soured with a wild yeast for over a year. Bottle-conditioned.

A - Pours a deep, hazy, rusty amber with a minimal head. Bubbles are present but nothing crazy.

S - Super sour, nice, complex nose. Slight vinegar notes. Fruit cocktail. My grandma's perfume. Super-aromatic. I sure hope Grammy hasn't been drinking all these years.

T - Grape juice? I get major grape juice on the back end. Minimal funk. What tartness is there is rather subdued on most sips, and nonexistant on others. Slight dryness. Not nearly as complex as the nose, and manages to fall short of the mark it's intending to hit.

M - It's rather thin and the carbonation that is there is pretty weak. It seems like a brighter carbonation would open this up.

D - For its downfalls, it has its moments.

Notes: By no means super-refined, yet it's worth a try. I'm intrigued to get into the other brews I've got tucked away from Big Rock. If nothing else, the labels are well done.
Feb 02, 2009
Photo of hopdog
Reviewed by hopdog from Pennsylvania

4.59/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12oz bottle (thanks George!).

Poured a medium to deeper and cloudy golden color with a large sized off white head. Aromas of barnyard funkiness, leather, grapes, yeast, and some fruitiness. Tastes of tart cherries, grapes, vinegar, some woodiness, and funky. I found this one to have a light sweetness with a nice sour and tartness.
Jan 28, 2009
Big Rock Maple Road Farmhouse Ale from Big Rock Chop & Brewhouse
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 15 ratings