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

RootedFool

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2007 vintage.

As soon as the beer evacuates from the bottle into my goblet, an immediate kick of grassy hop aroma smacks the snotty crust off of my face, buttressed by a substantial malt foundation (rum-bloated raisins, warm cotton candy). The hops, once I dig my nose into the brew, become more complex than simply "grassy" -- they're huge here -- an entire landscape of freshly peeled citrus rinds and cut grass, pinches of pine resin -- huge -- along with a mild flash of alcohol heat. The color's a translucent russet, has a sheen to it; the head's at least an inch tall, tan, and deflates slowly leaving curdled swaths of lace on the goblet walls. The taste opens from the periphery of my palate, for a split second, before the onslaught of hop bitterness caves in at a deliberately massive pace, like sucking on a thick wad of liquor-drenched grapefruit rinds that still have a bit of flesh, juice, adhered to them. The middle brings out the malts; they press through, in thin ribbons of caramel and prune, deep from the underbelly of the hop tsunami that's so intense even the roof of my mouth feels numbed. Mind you, this is entirely pleasurable to me. Bigfoot is violently sodomizing my mouth! I look forward to it every year.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2007 08:04:31 | More by RootedFool

Shogun730

California

5/5  rDev +19.9%

05-22-2013 23:23:45 | More by Shogun730

drrone

Arizona

4.44/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a Rogue Goblet. Dated 2013 (on bottle), but dated 2335, so 335 days into 2012.

A - pours a very nice amber/golden color with very about an inch of beige head with an aggressive pours. What head there was faded quickly and left a nice lace crown. There is sediment noted, not a lot but still there.

S - Still a good amount of hops noted, with nice malt and caramel highlights.

T - Really great taste. The hops are still prevalent, but toned down. A very nice nice balance of sweetness which follows with a slight bite. A touch of pine, caramel and grapefruit. Good malt backbone. I don't pick much booze for the ABV. Leaves a little bitter resinous taste afterwards.

M - Medium to full bodied. Good amount of carbonation. Easy to drink considering ABV.

O - Great beer overall. This strikes a great balance of the hops I love and barley wine I also love. Sierra Nevada does a great job. This did well with 6 months on it and I will hang on to a couple more to try at 12 months and beyond.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 21:49:55 | More by drrone

Rdc67

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -4.1%

05-22-2013 19:48:48 | More by Rdc67

KVNBGRY

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-22-2013 15:14:06 | More by KVNBGRY

GabeQ

Tennessee

4/5  rDev -4.1%

05-22-2013 15:02:08 | More by GabeQ

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-22-2013 02:45:29 | More by SmellsofMahagony

Andrew61923

Connecticut

4.3/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

2013 vintage poured into my Tree House tulip. I'm not sure how I've never had this beer before. Picked up on a whim as a single...we'll see if I go back to get more, as you can't beat the pricepoint for such a highly rated beer (given I end up liking it).

A: After an aggressive pour, I'm left with a gorgeous amber body with a soapy two finger off-white head that gradually fades to leave a substantial halo with some perfect lacing. So far, so good.

S: A lot hoppier than I would have expected, as this is one of the more hop-forward barleywines I can recall. Lots of juiciness for a beer I usually equate to more malt-based with a good amount of caramel sweetness in there as well.

T: Talk about complex. I'm having trouble even picking up on what I'm tasting. I'm getting notes of pine, caramel, Grapenuts, and toffee all mixed together quite nicely. Not at all what I was expecting from what I picked up in the nose.

M: Pretty much spot-on. The carbonation is a tad high, but for a beer that apparently ages so well, I'm willing to forgive this. Not syrupy in the least, which I think is most impressive.

O: I would never say that barleywines are my desired style of beer. That being said, I do love hoppy beers and I was pleasantly surprised by the hoppiness of fresh Bigfoot. I will likely pick up another single if I can find one to age for a while to see if I enjoy the brew that way, but I was happy with this. Now I understand the hype!

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 01:29:32 | More by Andrew61923

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-22-2013 01:21:45 | More by mikeincharleston

Kingcurio

Oklahoma

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-21-2013 01:51:39 | More by Kingcurio

Lucoli

New York

3.5/5  rDev -16.1%

05-21-2013 01:19:11 | More by Lucoli

BogBoyJD

Ireland

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-20-2013 22:32:44 | More by BogBoyJD

johntfox

Florida

4/5  rDev -4.1%

05-20-2013 22:04:27 | More by johntfox

Kreko7

California

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

05-20-2013 21:27:36 | More by Kreko7

BarrelAgedBrian

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-20-2013 19:47:31 | More by BarrelAgedBrian

tipfortap

New York

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-20-2013 17:22:09 | More by tipfortap

thampel09

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-20-2013 13:37:20 | More by thampel09

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev -4.1%

05-20-2013 04:06:24 | More by Kmat10

YeastEnthusiast

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

05-20-2013 03:30:30 | More by YeastEnthusiast

Dcunicelli

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

05-19-2013 22:21:52 | More by Dcunicelli

birdsellam

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-19-2013 18:07:42 | More by birdsellam

Fubar1453

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -4.1%

05-19-2013 14:17:41 | More by Fubar1453

nick_asian

Nevada

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-19-2013 07:17:51 | More by nick_asian

jkroese

Iowa

4/5  rDev -4.1%

05-19-2013 02:48:49 | More by jkroese

AGoodStout

Kansas

4.75/5  rDev +13.9%

05-19-2013 02:19:56 | More by AGoodStout