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

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2010 bottle poured into large snifter glass.

A - Pours a hazy auburn with orange and copper hues. A creamy, one finger high, off-white head retains nicely with layers of lacing littered across the glass.

S - Crispy dark malts, caramel, and a bit of warming alcohol.

T - Surprisingly bitter and juicy hops on the front end, mixing with citrus such as grapefruit. A beefy malt backbone lies underneath with caramel and toasted grain. There's a touch of fruit sweetness hidden in between everything along with a bit of astringency, which might be capable of turning people off. Finally, a flair of alcohol heat warms up the palate during the finish.

M - Medium to full body, somewhat chewy, yet ultimately smooth.

D - Between the biting hops and boozy touch, this is definitely more of a sipper, but for 9.6% everything is masked well.

This is hands down one of my favorite Sierra Nevada beers by a longshot. I'd really like to try some more vintages and see how much this mellows out over a longer period (5-10 years).

---

12oz bottle poured into snifter - 2011 vintage

Pours dark cherry auburn with a decent beige head which fades to nicely retained film with assorted patches and spots of lacing.

Strong pine resin and hops in the nose with some scents of fruity esters followed by malty sweetness.

Intense hop presence up front with sticky pine. Malted sweetness with caramel, burnt brown sugar and bready tones. Softer fruit notes and cherry hidden in between the more aggressive hop profile. Thick malted backbone laden with some warm alcohol presence. Smack of sticky pine hops, dryness and boozy warmth in the finish.

Full medium body, higher carbonation, a bit creamy and sticky. This is probably the freshest Bigfoot I've ever had, and it's definitely a different animal than the aged variety. This almost resembles a complex DIPA, but still remains super tasty and drinkable, although ultimately I enjoy it better with age.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2010 03:28:44 | More by xnicknj

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

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