Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

ChadQuest

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

09 bottle, right at one year old,into a pint glass.

dark amber color, nice big head, very sticky retention.

Piney resin, woody, hoppy.

Piney Hops are first in line, but not far behind is that malt sweetness holding this in check, keeping it pretty balanced,
But the Hops are still winning the battle a bit. A bit of alcohol flavor from the 9.6%. damp earthy-ness.

sticky, creamy, sticky, burn, coating. Bold.

A good beer, and one of the best Barleywine values, but not one that knocks me to off my feet. That said, i always want to buy a case, to age and explore. worth the price any day, any week.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2010 06:21:06 | More by ChadQuest

Jadjunk

Georgia

4.16/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

"Bigfoot is a beast of a beer, brimming with flavor from massive amounts of roasted malt and spicy hops; brewed in the barleywine style, with a rich, bittersweet body and whole-cone Pacific Northwest hops." Brewed in the style of an American Barleywine. Released annually in January. 2013 marks the realignment of this beer into the 4-pack imperial series amongst Narwhal Imperial Stout and Hoptimum Double IPA. Despite the dropping of 2 bottles, it's still a bargain at under $10 per 4-pack.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a snifter. Served north of 57º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a frothy caramel cream head with a mild airiness to it. Body color is a medium hazy red amber with light sediment and moderate carbonation. Retention is slightly above average and lacing is light and thin. Head quality is oddly shallow for the fresh batch. 3.5

(Smell) Aromas of roasted, clean caramel malt, piney, herbal and mellow citrusy hop blends, followed with a pinch of sharp alcohol. Aroma is well rounded with a decent touch of grain husk and hop character to round out the malt sweetness. Altogether it's a very accessible aroma. Potency is medium. 4

(Taste) Up front waves of husky grain malt, rough around the edges and a moderate slick sweetness with a touch of bready smoothness. It finishes out with a peppery, citrusy and herbal hop bouquet with a strikingly bitter and perky dry finish. The alcohol makes its way into the finish but is nicely concealed by an abrasive hop perk. It's a slow sipper, but a worthy one. 4.25

(Mouthfeel) Texture is slick with just a touch of carbonation. Body is medium amongst Barleywines, medium/heavy overall. Balance is slightly hot over bitter over malty. Malt depth is a touch reserved for a fresh batch, but will likely grow bolder given time and thicken up the body some accordingly. Carbonation is just right for the style, not too perky and not too shallow. 4.25

(Overall) Bigfoot Barleywine is a beast of a beer with lots of bitter hop action and a slick, candied malt sweetness to round it out. I spoiled myself by drinking this alongside the verticals and found it a fantastic beer on it's own, yet wait until you try it with some age on it. The possibilities this beer has to age are seemingly endless. This is certainly a great staple representative of the American Barleywine style and I have been picking up some annually for the value and quality it maintains. If you choose to start your Barleywine expedition with any given Barleywine, this is a prime candidate. 4.25

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.'s
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale
4.16/5.00

Vertical Notes:

2012 Bigfoot (1 Year, 6 Months Aged):

Pours a slightly more golden cream head, thicker in consistency albeit much improved retention and lacing. Sediment is far more heavy. Aroma is notably more husky and robust, collectively less clean. The hop character is fading but still largely intact, herbal hops prevail and the subtleties or citrus and floral notes fade to the background. Alcohol is still notable, although a touch less hot than in the fresh batch. One year makes a difference in flavor with a more revealed sweet malt character and a faded, but still highly potent hop bitterness. The flavor gives way to some unusual yeast characteristics- hints of pronounced pepper, figs and raisins are subtle but far more notable with a milder, more rounded flavor. Alcohol is still very perky and hot, but collectively this is a more drinkable beer than the fresh vintage. Feels very much like a work-in-progress with a half-developed malt and hop profile, still a little rough around the edges and too young to settle down.

2011 Bigfoot (2 Years, 6 Months Aged):

Appearance is similar in quality to the 1 year batch, a touch more foamy and lighter in complexion. More intense carbonation and finer sediment. Aroma is similar to the 1 year batch, the malt bill is slightly cleaner and more bready with hints of peppery and herbal hops still permeating, but becoming increasingly one-dimensional in light of a smooth barley-led character. Aroma is rounding out significantly, the alcohol pinch is tough to spot out in the open. Two and a half years has given this beer a great deal of time to mature and round out any off-notes even more. Expect a faint growing dryness amongst a developed slick malt base with just a touch of creaminess and a fuller body. Hop presence is relegated to some mild bitterness, still balancing out the flavors well. Candied malt characters are coming out from the yeast- dark fruits more notable than ever before, yet still traces of the depth this beer has. Alcohol presence is finally backing off. This beer is going places with age, much more committed than 1.5 years but still certainly not at the end of its journey. I'll keep aging a few bottles to see where this takes us in the coming years.

Recommended Vintage: Fresh or 2.5 years+

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2013 03:54:16 | More by Jadjunk

NoetheMatt

Kentucky

1.75/5  rDev -58%

06-19-2013 03:11:09 | More by NoetheMatt

BColton1

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-18-2013 01:37:30 | More by BColton1

Hoptron_3000

Australia

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-17-2013 14:57:22 | More by Hoptron_3000

spw109

New York

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

06-17-2013 07:12:07 | More by spw109

Cleaver35

Oklahoma

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

06-17-2013 01:12:00 | More by Cleaver35

ryutheblade

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -22.1%

06-16-2013 22:32:28 | More by ryutheblade

adityashekhar

India

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-16-2013 14:08:53 | More by adityashekhar

anson42

California

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

06-16-2013 02:15:22 | More by anson42

His_Royal_Hoppiness

United Kingdom (England)

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-15-2013 21:39:43 | More by His_Royal_Hoppiness

Bockerdoppel91

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

06-14-2013 11:46:57 | More by Bockerdoppel91

Rosanne

California

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

no aroma, hoppy taste upfront, sweet linger.

Shared a taster on-tap as part of four flights at the brewery; Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, Chico, USA. As part of a six-week West Coast beer tour. I rate to taste, not to style. See my blog for more details: carbeers.wordpress.com

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2013 07:37:56 | More by Rosanne

Illmaticzx

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

06-14-2013 04:28:14 | More by Illmaticzx

gleemonger

California

4.48/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Deep reddish brow, mostly clear, with a large tan head. Looks delicious, like a dessert. Good head retention with lots of lacing.

Big hop aromas, with citrus, pine and grapefruit. Plenty of sweet caramel malt. Nice punch, but also smells like it's going to be smooth.

Massive flavors, way bigger than the aroma even suggested. Tons of the same blend of hops I'm getting from the aroma, but with a big bitter smack too. The malts are just as big with the thick caramel sweetness that never takes over the hop show.

Pretty heavy, moderate carbonation, lingering. Bitterness takes away from the smooth drinkability, but that's pretty normal for the style it seems.

Barleywine as a style is pretty hit or miss for me, but this is definitely one of my favorites. There's no medicinal backbone that many have, yet this is definitely all barleywine. I really appreciate the crazy levels of everything here - maybe just a little less bitterness would've taken this one further for me.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 19:37:14 | More by gleemonger

pajonkunz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-13-2013 16:39:50 | More by pajonkunz

themilkman87

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

06-13-2013 02:42:25 | More by themilkman87

ChalupaBatman

California

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

06-13-2013 02:21:48 | More by ChalupaBatman

Paccamacca

California

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-13-2013 00:13:00 | More by Paccamacca

Jas45678

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

06-12-2013 23:35:09 | More by Jas45678

utopiajane

New York

4.35/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a mahogany red with 2 fingers of tight creamy foam that fell off when it was good and ready. Amazing clarity. Left some yeast floating on top and some sticky, sticky lace. Just beautiful. Nose is big sweet malt. Delicious and fat with caramel, toffee and grain. Hops round it out with dark fruits, cherry and floral. Touch of spice way, way in back. Malt opens up fat and bold as it warms. It’s sweetness deepens but never goes over the top. Hops character is always forthcoming, enlivening and bursting with resin and bitter. Alcohol stays well hidden until the end and contributes to the dryness in the finish. Balance is perfect between the big sweet grain and the oily bitter. This is a strapping, and downright huge beer that was a pleasure from first sip to last.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2013 09:17:47 | More by utopiajane

Tlab3

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

06-12-2013 00:36:27 | More by Tlab3

bpasquini

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

06-11-2013 23:17:53 | More by bpasquini

Matthewpakula

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

06-11-2013 18:56:49 | More by Matthewpakula

BKBassist

New York

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-10-2013 23:20:11 | More by BKBassist