Bruz: American (5.7%): My 1st bottle was found by a bit of luck & a bit of genious. On my way to Montreal I remembered hearing that Big Bear was seen somewhere in upstate NY, but didn't recall where. Deciding to try my luck, I stopped at a gas station, and went in. I spotted it as soon as I started opening the door. I don't remember the original review, but I just swilled a new one, so here ya go: thanks out to ImissMy64oz for the hookup! This seriously flowed down like water! Tasted great & I could hardly wait to pour more of it down my throat! Mild taste, easy goin' drink, & mild buzz! Absolutely no complaints! Maybe it's a bit old & the taste disappeared? Or maybe since it's been awhile since I've had a 40 I got overly excited? Overall rating is 9/10 swills, not a 10 'cause I'm a bit skeptical as to why this was so great... but either way, I had a very enjoyable experience. CHEERS! (that may have been the gayest thing I ever said)

American (7.5%): This bottle is #300 in my collection & much love to 40oz Crew member "IMT40s" for making it so! This was an overall very good 40! Nice crack when opening it, the taste was above average, the buzz was above average, I pissed twice while consuming it, and the swill was no problem. If I had this near me I'd swill it on the reg. This 7.5% has me feeling a bit better than other stronger 40s do I think. Definitely an enjoyable 40, one of the better ones out there no doubt. Not best, but no where near the worst. Overall rating is 8/10 swills, this is a very solid 40oz in every aspect. (edit: however, now looking at my old 5.7% review, I see no reason why this one shouldn't be better or at least "just as good"...? Maybe I was too horny for brew back when I reviewed that one... regardless, the moral of the story is any Big Bear is worth swillin!)

Canadian (8.0%): Sipped it down while watching Scarface, a definite movie classic. Reminds me of a cross between Steel Reserve + Budweiser. Not the movie, the brew, idiot. The buzz factor & swill is more similar to Steel's than Bud's. I have nothing else to say about this, sorry. 6/10 swills. Much thanks out to RickCarling for this, and neufutur for the 7% (empty) variant!

7/08/08 91firebird: First off many thanks to SRSER for the hookup on the "Big Bear" He sent this me from the Pacific NW. Been saving this for a special occasion and since today is my birthday, I guess that constitutes as a special occasion lol. Cap was pretty hard to twist. Finally got it off and it produced a great crack. 1st sip and my mind tells me Olde English 800. Which is no surprise from the reviews. It has a heavy malt taste that I like. I knew it was very similar to OE, but IMO this is almost identical to OE. The label is classic, probably one of the best ever produced. I laugh my ass off every time I see the label because it's so goofy. Overall a great swill. Buzz was pretty decent too. This is one I have wanted to try for a while and am glad I finally got the oppertunity. 9/10 swills overall for being a very solid 40oz.

211 Swilla: I finally got to try Big Bear. Like Bruz, my Bear came from upstate NY, a friend who lives there brought me 2 which I immediatly threw in the freezer. I started swillin while I played Mario cart n64. After the 1st GP I was talking tons on shit because the malt had zoned my in- I was unbeatable. Nice buzz and very drinkable, but nothing special. 7/10 swills because its kinda generic.

40 Ounce Killa: 7.5%: Many thanks out to orentha for the hookup on this 7.5% version! I really, really liked this 40. Very nice crack & hiss upon opening. I noticed on the first swig that it has a very strong malt taste, which I actually like. The taste was consistent throughout, with a little bit of a bitter bite to it (in a good way). The swill was very bearable. The buzz factor was also excellent...even at 7.5%, this hit me just as hard as a 8.1% Steel 211 or a 8.2% Ides. Overall, one of my favorite 40's ever. I'd buy this by the case if it were available in my area. 9.5/10 swills for this one.

40ozcasualty: First off thanks to satan165 for hooking me up! Overall this brew really reminded me of Colt 45, the alcohol content is about the same, they smelled the same. Big Bear didnt taste the same as colt 45 but it was delicious as colt 45. Definitely a solid tasting brew, tasted the same all throughout, drank it in about 20min so the swill factor was almost zero but I'd like to think it would taste just as good should I took longer. Very good malt, very tasty, I give it 8 out of 10 swills.

4TDogg: Since the bear on the label looks likes he about to tear someones nuts off, I had high hopes for a true ass kicking. Happily I was not disappointed. Good flavor, good buzz factor and overall pretty smooth. Went down real easy and i was ready for round two. No OE to be sure, but one of the better fringe brands to get. 8 out of 10

662: the shit is not selling
the bottle is cool and all but the shit tastes funny and makes violent

Alvin Karpis: West Coast 7.5% Picked this up at the Short Stop on California St. in West Seattle WA. Good crack and hiss. You have to draw comparisons to Olde English 800. The same taste the logo the color of the brew. The taste is also on par with OE. Sweet tasting malt that is easy to drink. The buzz is also very close to OE. In a blind taste test only true malt gangstas would be able to tell the two apart. Big Bear is a very good malt. I am going to pick up a case and bring it with me back to Cali beacause I have never seen it there. Final score Taste 8/10 Buzz 8/10 Swill 7/10 Overall 8/10

bbooze: Classic cheap 40, I go 8/10. Dont have any impression that hasnt been sahred so far, so I'll just sahre history. When I was 18-19 we would go to house parties, and without kegs, the owners were trying to recoup $$ by selling 40's of Big Bear for $5 (this was also very common at festivals in wisconsin, not just Milwaukee). We were so poor and unwilliing to part with cash that we would find the half full BB 40's that were laying around because girls bought them but didn't drink them, and then stuff them in the ice filled sink these people always had going in the basement or upstairs. 10 minutes later, you got yourself a free 20oz of Big Bear.. ice cold.

beam21: 7.5%: I kinda commented on the Big Bear previously, but I think this old favorite deserves a proper review... For me, this is the standard by which all malts are judged. Low carbonation, hence little crack and hiss; however in the world of the Bear this is no indication of anything really. Has a straight up, sweet, strong-ish malt flavor, with the perfect 7.5 % taste. Seemingly Big Bears are easily skunked or something, as I mentioned before; the taste can be pretty variable, but the good ones are truly top tier. Buzz is just about my favorite malt buzz ever. It's clean, moderately strong, and real mental, pretty destructive if you tackle 2 of them, but at the same time you can probably still hack if you dare to go for 3. This shit is old reliable for me; I've probably drank more Big Bears than any other 40, and in fact I joined the site here while drinking my first Big Bear in Jan '04 (beforehand I drank mostly OE, Mickeys and H Ice; the H Ice bailed, and the others, I realized, suck). Big Bear is definitely the most well-rounded true malt 40 there is as far as I'm concerned; however I don't consider it an 'everyday' kinda malt, cause it unfortunately brings some fucking ruthless hangovers. It's totally worth it though. 9/10; taste A- buzz A-

Buzzcore: American (5.7%): There's like a foot of snow outside my door, so I decided it would be a great night to sample some of the Big Bear I recently bought. That damn label is so fine, and it looks even better when the 40 is sittin' in the snow gettin' all chill! Everybody I've shown the bottle to, does the exact same thing.........throw their arms in the air and say "Grrrrr!" haha! C'mon, what other malt liquor can induce such reactions? Then again, this is no average malt liquor. It is both "the superior malt liquor" and "premium" according to the label. I guess you can't go wrong with that, right? Anyway, on to the brew itself...............my hopes were high, because a lot of the 40oz Crew rank this pretty highly. They had me hoping for a unique or above average taste. Unfortunately, I was slightly disappointed. It tasted good, but nothing special or different. Much better than sub-par malts like Night Flight and Crazy Horse but on par with other second-tier beverages such as The Eagle and King Cobra. I was amazed to see that Big Bear produced almost ZERO swill. Weighing everything together with the cool label, no swill, and a decent yet average flavor, I hafta' give this a 7/10. The west coast version with it's increased % would of gotten an 8/10, I'm sure. Definitely would drink again.

American (7.5%): Wow, another high octane version that tastes smoother than the eastern version. Smooth is good, and an almost 2% higher alcohol content is even better. When on the west coast, you can do no wrong with Big Bear.......this scores an 8/10, for sure!

Canadian: Okay, I'm fuckin' proud to be one of a select few to have tasted all three Big Bears that are currently on the market. With that being said, I have no idea why this Canadian formula isn't available anywhere in the USA? Actually tastes very similar to the west coast version, but provides more of a kick in the ol' ass, there. This pisses me off when I think about it, because we've got three formulas of the "same" brew being made by two different breweries. What the fuck is that all about? Anyway, it's a pretty good malt for sure. I give this 8/10 because it's the strongest Bear in the woods, and tastes the same as the west coast version.

DEAN/nrsv: I've discovered a "new" flava that i'm kinda attached to - it's called BIG BEAR 40oz. The label and taste is remakably similar to Olde-E, although it seems a bit lighter in color and flavor. It's dope, the label is cool as hell - it's got a growling BIG BEAR on it. The colors and design of the label are very similar in a lot of ways to OLDE-E. The price is too right at .99 cents per 40oz. around my way.

devnull: went out on a cruise to pick up some new stuff and spotted this one.

$1.50 after tax. sweet.

the label is fucking hilarious, alternately telling me "superior malt liquor" and "premium malt liquor".

cracked and down to the shoulder, real tasty so far.

(anything malt is tasty right now, my last 4 fortys were coors light, miller lite, mgd, and bud light, ahahahaha)

working my way down, almost to the swill, but it's still tasting okay. considering the $1.50 price tag, very fucking impressive.

8/10.

if i could find it closer to home, i'd drink it on the reg.

DolbyZero: Thanx to White Mike for hooking me up with this malt. The crack was sharp and had a good hiss. My first reaction was it tasted like a slightly stronger version of pabst blue ribbon. About mid-label it started getting a little sweeter and more malty. This 40 was smooth as hell all the way thru. There was no rot gut swill, it was very crisp the whole way thru. I wish this was a local 40, I could make this a regular 40. Overall a fine malt. 8 outta 10 swills.

doublej708: This is my first encounter with Big Bear. I'm diggin' both the Canadian and American. I'm also having big problems finding differences. The two seem very similar in color, taste and smell. Neither the Canadian or American taste too bad. In my opinion the two are identical. I would drink them both again with no problems.

DPX: Just finished a Canadian Big Bear. I love it. Drank it too fast this time, though. Couldn't have been more than 10 minutes (maybe that's weak, but too good for me). If I drink it too fast at the end I have a feeling like I am about to throw up, so I have to burp like hell to fix that. Got a good buzz...I wasn't looking to get shitfaced today, so I succeeded.

Drastic Mezures: Like Colt 45, Big Bear's one of my favorite 40s. This is one of the easiest 40s to pound down fast. One time I killed one off in the Taco Bell bathroom. It was cool watchin' myself drink it in the fish-eye lens reflection of the hand dryer button. Plus, when I came out it had me growling like a bear. Raaaaarrrrrrrrrrr Big Bear.

elantrax: Thanx to Orentha for hooking this up once again. So its Big Bear, this crazy ass 40 with a big ass pissed off bear with red eyes and blood red tongue from destroying its prey. Who can resist but try this 40 but lets say the crack of the bottle was ok, the taste was a typical 7.5%. By the time I hit last few swills it was still tasting decent and buzzwise it gave me a decent one nothing like a HG in the 8%+ but it did the job and its a good 40 either way. I give this stuff 7 out of 10 cause its got a cool ass label that makes you mimic the bear, taste is decent, and buzz isnt bad. big bear is good stuff.

Fat John: Not bad at all.The taste kinda threw me off at first but I'm glad I kept drinking.After the first few drinks it went down good.Got a nice buzz from it.Swill was gross but then again swill is never great.Bottom line,I'll drink this one again if I get a chance.I'll give it a 7 out of a possible 10.

FultonCounty40z: Great malt. Tasted good; smooth and cold all the way. Nothing like a good 40 and some Halo 2 to kick off the weekend.

ImissMy64oz: Big Bear sucks
taste like crap
headache and no buzz

IMT40s: Big Bear is the younger brother of the almighty OE800, both are 7.5%, both used to be made by Pabst and both have the same basic flavor, even the labels have some similar patterns. The only drawback is that it seems to give me a headache. I've made Big Bear my choice of 40's to swill while camping, why?..........because it's strong, cheap, tastes great, and has a "red eyed, hungry ass" bear on the label. The strong alcohol content, great flavor and cool label makes this one of my favorites. Even the final swills don't promote a God Awfull Facial Cringe. I rate this missile a strong 9.5 out of 10 swills. "now if you'll excuse me, I've got a BIG BEAR to kill"

JoeWebberlione: Thanks out to Beam for the hook up on the 7.5% Big Bear. This 40 had a decent swill to it, although wasnt half as good as the 5.7% version. Although at the same time the 7.5% gave me a hell of a lot better of a buzz, due most likely to the fact that its higher in alcohol content (obviously) and also due to the fact that I was tierd as shit when swilling it. I'd deffinately drink on the regular if it were around my area, but still doesnt have shit compared to the 5.7%. 7 outta 10 swills.

kingklick420: what can i say.....tried it for the first time a couple months ago and damn was i surprised...i thought it would be shitty being the only 40 the store on my corner carried but damn is this shit good(if it's fresh, which it usually is where i get it from) it goes down smooth without that damn black label 211 alcohol taste and has a good buzz factor. no repulsive burps like OE and no morning headaches like mickeys.. all around good malt flavor. i give it a 9/10 the only reason it's not a ten is cuz of the fact it ain't 8.0 at least

LMSCRacer: This was just a nice 40 I picked up at "Beers of the World" in Rochester, NY during a recent visit. Average crack and hiss. Decent enough malt taste; very drinkable. Nothing special as far as alcohol content, but so what? If this were available in these parts, I'd drink it on the reg. The label is a classic. 7/10 swills.

lookin 4 a 40: Drastic Mezures hooked me up with this shit. As i drank it it went down smooth and stayed cold through out the swillin,this tastes like any other malt liquor you would encounter,it's got a cool label, it's cheep as hell,was my 1st 40 and gives a good buzz..8/10 brown paper bags

MarkBlackout: I thought I liked Big Bear at one point, later I thought it sucked but STILL wanted to like it. Then I started realizing that every fucking time I drink Big Bear something bad happens. That is, I cause something bad to happen to myself when under its influence. It's not too bad to drink, but it brings out the worst in me in terms of overall decision-making and overall mental/physical equilibrium. I might never drink this shit again; my last experience with the Big Bear almost landed me in the Big House. 2 out of 10: the label is top notch.

nitz011: Pretty good, smooth for an 8% ''Strong Beer'' compare to others 8% like Colt 45, Bull max, St-Ides... Big Bear is way better. The swill is smooth too I give Big Bear: 9/10 for the taste 7.5/10 for the swill

pman433: good stuff tasty but cheap kinda king cobraish maybe even better definitly worth a try

RickCarling: Ah, the Bear. The Baker's brew of choice. I had never drank one of these before but i figured it couldnt hurt to try. and i was right. I had already polished off 2 Crest supers and was feeling a bit tipsy, but i didnt let that stop me from enjoying my bear. The first few sips were very tasty, nice and cold, with a good flavor. As i reached the middle of the bottle, the 8% (canadian version) alcohol content started to hit me. And by the bottom, my vision was blurry, and i had a good heady feeling goin on. The final swill wasnt so great, but it wasnt unbearable either. I like this brew a lot, im definitely gonna try it again. 9.5/10 Swillz for the Big Bear!

satan165: canadian: Special thanks to my man Sgt. J-Mo for the hookup on this Canadian 40! I love American Big Bear. The Canadian tastes a bit stronger and the wide mouth was a true challenge. I was drinking with my eyes closed as I try really fucking hard to concentrate and swill as much as I can without spitting malt on the wall. This 40 definately fucked me up, although the taste was a bit rough. The other 2 wide mouths I've had -- Black Bull and Crazy Horse -- were both vicious, this time I just committed myself to swillin' hard. It was a fun expereince. i give this 7 of 10 swills, the taste was a bit lacking but it was more then made up for by the strong buzz and the awesomest 40 name and label of all time! Buzz: B+, Taste: C+

Sgt JMo: Big Bear, I dont think I had fair judgement of because when I drank it it was warm. We ran out of ice to chill them with and the store at the lake had no more ice for sale, but I sucked that bitch down! It tasted like swill from top to bottom and I really didnt enjoy it at all. But I think I will give it another shot, it had potential if only it had been chilled properly so my opinion isnt final for the Big Bear.

thinkbreakfast: The other day I walked about a mile in the snow to pick up a 40 of the bear. This shit makes me happy just thinkin about it. It bears a definate resemblence to OE. Nice malt sweetness, goes down easy. I slammed half of it at first and felt a decent buzz off that. savored the rest. Avg buzz overall. Overall an excellent missle to drain. 8/10

ThUgWiGGa: Eastern 5.7%:
Pretty average
a run of the mill malt
nothing bad about it
but nothing too great about it either
next to no aftertaste when cold, but when warm the sickening malt swill is apparent
6/10

uk82chaospunk: first time i had big bear, its canadian at 8% ui'm pretty drunk first i had a glass of martini thanx to my cousin misunderstanding what i wanted, t hen i drank the 40 while cooking some pork chops with my dada nd cousin, after that i had a bud and a glass of whisky, i'm pretty drunk, the 40 tated great, my colt 45 8% canadian is waiting for me in my cousins ffridge...thjis vacation isnt the4 greatest, nothing much going on outhere but i'm having a gerat time with my faimly and i hope you guys are having sucgh a time as i am...CANT WAIT TO MEET UPW ITH DIRTY D AND J-MO!!!! fucking love canada...9 out of 10 staerts for 8% big bear (wide mouth)!!!!!!!

Vile Fiend: My favorite malt. I’ve been lucky enough to try both the Western style (that I can get all around me), and the Eastern style (Thanks to Satan for the hook up). I think the taste of both was actually very very similar. The eastern was slightly lighter, but not too much different. The western packs a much better buzz ( 7.5% compaired to the eastern 5.7%). Other than Rainier Ale, this is my 40 of choice around me. It has a similar taste to OE, except a bit sweeter, almost like a drop of honey is added or something, I don’t know. Big Bear is the shit, recognize, Great taste, GREAT buzz, great label, great brew, 9 outta 10 swigs.