This place was a little surprising. The decor at Big Rock was interesting. Outside is a large rock with a big red sign that looked welcoming. Inside, you'll find wood, arches, and deep ultraviolet colors and lights accentuating the ceiling. Be prepared however, this is in Birmingham, and they have a sign asking for proper attire. We felt a little overwhelmed since we were wearing our usual jeans and ball caps casual attire while everyone else was a little more dressed up. We were served without any problem though. If you go, look for the giant flying buffalo hanging from the ceiling, it's pretty neat. Similar to Redwood Lodge, you will need a large bankroll to dine here. Best not bring the kids! Appetizers were mostly $9 or more and gourmet type fare rather than cheese sticks and nachos. They had two soups, spiced gazpacho and onion ale. I sampled both and found them to be equally tasty. The onion soup was one of the richest that I've come across. Entrees were high priced but tempting with big cuts of steak, lamb chops, and fish among the choices. They have a good pizza selection that was unique and all sounded very appealing and nicely priced in the $10 dollar range. I chose the pizza of the day that had asparagus, bell peppers, onions, and Italian sausage. The waiter originally thought the pizza of the day was alligator sausage so apparently they occasionally serve up wild game. As a side note here, there were awards on the wall of the waiting area that the chef received in a culinary competition in Germany. Finally, time to talk beer. They had six varieties on tap. An Oktoberfest was the seasonal, they had a pale ale, amber, stout, hefeweizen, and Belgian white. All of the beers were good and relatively true to style. I rather enjoyed the Belgian which was crisp and flavorful like I would expect of a beer of this style. Although I only sampled Chuck's stout, I found it incredibly appealing. There was plenty of deep roasted flavor in that one. The Hefeweizen will please anyone who enjoys a good wheat beer.
I had no idea what to expect going to Big Rock in Birmingham. What I got was definitely a surprise. Upon entering the doors, I knew this was not your average brewpub. There was a sign urging "proper attire" at the entrance and I noticed that all of the patrons and employees inside were wearing at the least ties and evening wear with a few full suits and glittery dresses in the mix. I was wearing jeans, a Shipyard brewing t-shirt, boots, a ball hat, and a blue sweatshirt material coat with a broken zipper. I was slightly uncomfortable. The inside is shaped like an airplane hangar with really neat lighting on the ceiling and a yuppie/outdoorsman theme. Very cool lamps and stained glass. The menu was very pricey which I was not prepared for but managed to find a pizza for 10 dollars. The grilled vegetable pizza was average at best. The onion ale soup Joe got was great...but at 5 dollars a bowl, it should be. The beer was wonderful. They were right on style wise and were very fresh and full-bodied. The stout had a deep roasted coffee and chocolate nose and flavor with a dry finish. The pale ale and amber ale were both very hoppy with nice vanilla and sweet balanced caramel malt flavors. The Belgian white and Wheat were also very good and tru to style. Although the beer was good, I don't think this is my type of place. It would be nice to save up and take my girlfriend there for a nice meal but it is not the type of place I would be comfortable sitting around chatting and having a few beers.