The Financial Post reports in its Thursday edition real-ale pioneer Ed McNally, the founder of Calgary's Big Rock Brewery, died Tuesday night at age 89. Postmedia's Amanda Stephenson writes Mr. McNally started Big Rock in 1985 at age 60. Mr. McNally was a successful farmer and lawyer when he decided to take on an industry dominated by three giants -- Molson, Labatt and Carling O'Keefe -- and start brewing the kind of beer he wanted to drink. "That was a risky venture at the time," said Bob Sartor, who assumed the helm of Big Rock after Mr. McNally's retirement in 2012. "I dare say quite a few people said to him, 'you're crazy, don't do that.' And that's the mark of a real courageous entrepreneur -- when he sees something that other people don't see." Mr. McNally wanted beer that was something other than the pale, fizzy, mass-produced lagers at the time. From the beginning, Big Rock Brewery focused on setting itself apart by making a traditional European-style beer without additives, preservatives or pasteurization. Using the clean Alberta water and golden barley Mr. McNally knew and loved, Big Rock beer was determined to give consumers something different -- quality. The company went public in 1996.