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

soju6

Missouri

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

A: Vintage 2012- Pours a deep ruby color with a small head with nice lacing.

S: Aroma up front of citrus and pine. Nice caramel sweetness with just a hint of dark fruit. Just a trace of the alcohol in the background.

T: Taste starts with a bit of a nip from the hops. next comes some caramel sweetness with a bit of dark fruit, mostly raisin. There is a subtle bitterness in the background with a clean finish.

F: Medium body, smooth and quite creamy. Has a interesting character that develops as it warms.

O: Great sipper that goes down very easy. Best Barleywine I have had to date. Am looking forward to the next bottle from this vintage after it matures.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 10:39:12 | More by soju6

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

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