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

rdespain

California

4/5  rDev -4.1%

12-30-2011 17:53:19 | More by rdespain

WKole81

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-25-2013 12:21:09 | More by WKole81

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Downright gorgeous to look at, deep amber with copper notes, clear, with a great 3 finger head that lasted forever and laced the glass with sticky chunks.

More like an IPA in the nose, hops are dominant and the typical barleywine smells are secondary. Piney and even grapefruit hops are pungent. A little caramel malt and a little fruitiness provide something other than hops as a side note.

Taste is bold and again, very hoppy. Tastes more like a barleywine than it smells, but still, this one is quite a bit like a DIPA in the taste department. The hop profile is just dominant as hell, this fact cannot be hidden. Fruity and caramel malt flavors do balance out the taste more so than the smell though, and overall it's quite nice!

The body is thick and tangy but the alcohol is surprisingly well hidden. The hops even leave a bit of a bite on the aftertaste.

Honestly, this is a fine barleywine, albeit a lot hoppier and a bit different than I'm used to when I buy a barleywine. I really like this stuff. I can't wait to see how it mellows. I've put a bottle away for a year, and another for two years, will re-try it again next march (and the one after that) and report back.

I really like trying new beers, and I hadn't had this one yet. Overall I'd list it as "must try." Excellent job, SN!

Edit for 2013: once again, they nailed it. The original review is more than a year old, but now I've had 5 different years of vintages, both aged, and for the more recent years, fresh. Every time it's just fantastic! Gold standard of barleywines. Monstrous hops and tons of delicious malts, one of my favorite beers anytime, from any brewery.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 07:27:19 | More by AlCaponeJunior

Danmullens1

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-25-2013 04:32:47 | More by Danmullens1

foxyaardvark27

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-25-2013 03:59:36 | More by foxyaardvark27

DRTBrewster

Arizona

4.75/5  rDev +13.9%

05-24-2013 21:38:51 | More by DRTBrewster

Spaz7

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-24-2013 21:02:57 | More by Spaz7

tmaestro

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-24-2013 20:54:59 | More by tmaestro

Daktah

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -4.1%

05-24-2013 12:49:15 | More by Daktah

RBCIPA

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +13.9%

05-24-2013 00:10:37 | More by RBCIPA

SpecialN32

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-23-2013 22:20:52 | More by SpecialN32

drh1382

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-23-2013 20:02:50 | More by drh1382

kvnstfrd

Missouri

1/5  rDev -76%

05-23-2013 13:49:55 | More by kvnstfrd

ipas-for-life

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +13.9%

05-23-2013 13:07:02 | More by ipas-for-life

Summer78

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-23-2013 02:44:39 | More by Summer78

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