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

ColForbin

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2002 Vintage (reviewed 2/25/02): Can I give a beer five 5.0s? If any beer deserves it it is Bigfoot. The hops are all over this beer, but it has the malt and alcohol content to balance it out. I believe Sierra Nevada was the first brewery to realize that a strong beer didn't have to be sweet (i.e. most Belgians). If you've been turned off by the sweetness of most high-alcohol beers, Bigfoot is for you. A true American classic.

2004 Vintage (reviewed 3/1/04):The 2004 vintage of Bigfoot pours with a thick creamy, hoppy, head, reaching the top of an imperial pint glass. It fades to an inch-thick head with a lot of staying power. The beer is a deep ruby red. The nose is full of piney, floral hops. Taste is full of oily hops, with a thick body presumably from malt, but I can't taste a bit of it. Maybe a brief malt hint in the aftertaste underneath a boatload of hop bitterness. Scarily drinkable. I'm yet again reminded why I consider this my favorite beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2002 22:46:59 | More by ColForbin

Jordan

California

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Heady fruity and spicey and alchoholic aromas. A very thick malt rush start, then a semi-bitter rind/citrus peel coarseness is abrasive on the palate. Alchoholic notes. Complex and overflowing with a rich character. This has been a very difficult brew to find here in Fresno, CA.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2002 21:03:23 | More by Jordan

taez555

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

12oz bottle, 2003 vintage, tasted june 2003

This beer poured a very firm 1 inch dark white/tan head. The body was a ruby red/brown color.

The nose was in your face. A sharp citrus peel hop smell. Some black pepper and even pine needles. But overall an impressive tight in your face hop smell.

The taste was very full bodied and thick. Extremely bitter going down with that intence citrus peel/slight black pepper hop attack. The malt flavors are hidden a bit by the hops but are still there with a sweet malt flavor. It's as if this beer is pale ale concentrate.
It finishes about the same, very hoppy and bitter, lingering for quite a while.

Overall this is a great beer. Not for all occasions or something to be drunk in mass quanities, but... a must try.

2008 note.

I've been buying cases of this beer for the past couple years and aging it. Fresh this beer is stellar, aged a year or more this beer is heavenly. The malt and hops all blend together perfectly. The more I drink it the more I'm convinced this is THE greatest beer being brewed. Period.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2003 23:32:28 | More by taez555

oracle

Indiana

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2004 vintage 12oz bottle served in a 16 ounce shaker style glass.

Ths beer poured a deep dark amber color with 1.5 inches of thick tan head which gradually reduced to about a quarter inch which left lacing for the entire depth of the glass.

There is not much that is mild about this beer. It announces its presence strongly, right from the get-go with a smell that exudes hops with small malty undertone. The higher alcohol content is also evident right from the beginning as well.

The first few sips let you know right away that this is a beer to sipped, not gulped. The hops come through very strongly, as does a complex blend of citrus and carmelized malts

The mouthfeel is heavy without being too over powering. While the finish is strongly hoppy, it doesn't stick around too long afterwards.

For such a strongly flavored beer with this much alcohol, it is suprisingly easy to drink and can easily catch up with those who do not treat it with respect. Drinking an entire growler at one sitting is a mistake.

At $35/case, its not cheap, but it is one of the absolute best beers around.

Highly recommended

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2004 01:51:09 | More by oracle

kegerator

Maryland

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I just love Bigfoot.
pours out deep bronze/brown color with a big 2 inch head that is sticky and leaves great lace throughout. Smell is a nice caramel.brown sugar malt up front with a huge earthy spicy hop.
Taste was huge hops up front that were countered very nicely with the malt profile. Smoky earthiness in the hops with a finish of caramel malt and an alcohol warmth at the back of the throat. full bodied and finishes off fairly crisp and slightly dry. A Top notch Barley Wine that I buy every year.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2005 18:24:18 | More by kegerator

nortmand

Virginia

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2004 vintage. A perfect beer.

Deep amber-copper hued beer, with a nice, sustaining off-white head.

Raisins, sea air and soy in the smell. Sweet, yet not cloying. Very clean.

Slightly sweet rock candy up front. By mid-tongue the hops catch up. Raspy bitterness lingers on the back of the tongue. Much less green than the last time I had it. Light roast lingers with hops and shoots out the nose.

Rounded, almost creamy mouthfeel with ample bitterness, this is a very quaffable brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2005 03:42:02 | More by nortmand

ABV

New York

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2006 Edition. Case marked "Bottled 12/23/2005". I've enjoyed Bigfoot every year for at least a decade, and can say without question that Sierra Nevada has struck gold this year -- this is the best its ever been. One could say this offering is "over the (t)hop" in the best sense of the term. A wonderful blast of fresh hops seems to infuse the already classic monster barleywine, putting most other brews called "imperial" to shame. This is Bigfoot Imperial!

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2006 07:42:50 | More by ABV

scottoale

California

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

20 odd years of drinking the Bigfoot and this is the first time I've had it on-tap...where have I been?!?

Served in a pint glass, a dark copper with marginal carbonation and an ivory cream head of 1/2 inch...looks like my favorite.

On the nose is some sweet, rich malt with some heavy citrus notes that are quickly overcome by some mature piney hops...smells like my favorite. Tastebuts are watering already!

Oh yeah, sickly sweet rich malt fill the oral cavity, full and fruity. The citrus middle takes over briefly, only to be guided by a powerful, yet balanced, hop finish of bliss. More is mandantory...tastes better than my favorite, slightly aged yet still fresh!

Full body, full of flavor and full of alcohol...to me, it just doesn't get any better...year after year. As a major consumer of this Barleywine, I can't recommend it enough, may you get stomped by a Bigfoot, CHEERS!

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2006 09:57:39 | More by scottoale

HopsHops

Indiana

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This one is very consistent. I have had this about 3 years in a row now and i have liked it the same every time it is beautifully fruity and strong under the nose as well as the tongue...HopsHops and more Hops....bitter as all hell just the way i like it...I hunt this one down when it starts getting cold outside i love it around the holidays...nice and warm..an all out favorite...2006 is great...

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2006 19:09:41 | More by HopsHops

pmcadamis

Illinois

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - A very solid looking finger and a half of orangish-tan cream rises above a deep crimson blood-red amber brew that lets only a little light through. An enormous amount of gorgeous dry lace sticks to the glass, and the lace shows some flecks of orange too. Ok, it came to me...the head and lace are the color of the inside of the orange rind! Swirling deposits a huge amount of perfectly arced lace around the glass, and builds the head up to a full finger and a half again. The head shows outstanding retention for such a high ABV beer.

S - I could smell the mandarin orange hops before I put my nose in the glass, and that aroma only intensifies with my schnoz fully inserted cheek-deep into the glass. Has a lot of DIPA aromas, but with a dirtier malt aspect. Big sweet juicy mandarin oranges....real, not canned. Some piny aspects show the SN DNA, but this is all about hoppy sweet-citrus fruit aromas. I also smell some round sour cream notes that remind me of Orval. The malts are all fresh sweet bread with peanut butter and light caramel notes too. As it warms I get some dark fruits too, and it also becomes much more complex and boozy with warmth. I could sniff this all day. This has single malt quality aromatics.

T - Oh! There's the complexity I was looking for! Dirty, earthy, gritty, tobacco, and scotch malt grabs my attention straight away, then dark fruit and caramel in the mid-palate. Lots of hoppy citrus overlays the darker fruits, but doesn't distract from them. It's almost like singing row-row-row-your-boat and then somebody else starts singing brother-john-brother-john before you've finished...it's that complex! I also taste hints of sourdough bread, pumpernickel, sunflower seeds, pine sap, junipery gin and tonic quinine notes, and loads and loads of sweet and bitter citrus and pine (leaning towards the citrus in the beginning and leaning toward pine in the finish). There is a distinct black licorice anise twinge right before the swallow that I didn't notice at first. This is one of the most well put together beers I've ever tasted. Outstanding!

M - Big, fat, plump, full, rich, silky, and boozy. This is one of the fullest mouthfeels I've ever experienced! I can feel sugar, alcohol, and hop oils covering my mouth. The dry bitter and acrid finish reminds me of one of my favorite non-beer drinks....the dry gin martini, but it also has a lot of scotch-like qualities (scotch is another passion of mine...but I really can't afford to drink it with any regularity). This is really, really pleasant, and is pretty much the definition of full-bodied.

D - Screw the 9.6% ABV! I could drink this all day (slowly, and with plenty of water). Outstandingly complex flavors shine like a star, but the nose doesn't really advertise the greatness. A bit more pungency in the nostrils would garner this a perfect 5.0 from this fella.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2007 05:06:28 | More by pmcadamis

drpimento

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Whoa! this is one of those very rare breeds that is exactly what the commercial description says and does, indeed, rate a perfect score. The interplay and balance between the hops and malt is wonderful! It's hard to tell, but I think I taste the yeast in there too. Plenty of lace although the head mostly fades after a time. Looonnnngg finish.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2008 23:34:19 | More by drpimento

bierSnob

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

They did it again ... Sierra Nevada banged out a great 25th anniversary BIGFOOT. The 2008 batch if fine.

I enjoy big beers. But this beer is HANDS DOWN THE BEST BARLYWINE out there. Hoppy palate, and a balanced malty tase that somehow masks the high alcohol content. I think I was especially anxious to get my case this year and was not dissapointed.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2008 02:23:16 | More by bierSnob

Ryan805Beer

California

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

What a great beer. The 2008 25th year expedition version. This awesome beer pours a beautiful red in my pint glass. It is meant to be savored like a good cognac, but I can't. It is too good. I took a trip to the Central Coast of CA, and I brought two 12 oz bottles home. The one bar in SLO that serves Bigfoot, the Frog and Peach they limit you to only one serving, because of the high alcohol content. You really don't need more then one. I love this beer, I wish I could get a keg for home. Bevmore please carry this beer!

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2008 03:12:46 | More by Ryan805Beer

cowens22

Georgia

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Vintage 2009 poured into snifter. Color is deep copper colored brown with little head. Delightful aroma of hops and a little sweetness buried underneath the hopiness. Taste of sweeter hops and a little tartness after the initial hop character. Mouth feel is a little thick that as weird as it sounds, that goes away fairly fast off of the palate. A little malty, very little, in the after taste along with the hops. This beer is the definition of an American Barleywine in my opinion. Highly recommended by this guy to any barleywine fan or someone wanting to get into them. Cheers

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2009 17:14:25 | More by cowens22

Chugmonkey

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Best beer ever! Redefines complexity. I am in love.

Hooollly crap. What an amazing beer. 2009 bottle had while watching Superbowl.

Was expecting an alcohol burning malt bomb even though it was from SN. Uh, uh. Total bitter hop bomb - in a great way. Like having a bucket of hop tea splashed right in your face. But the hops are backed up wonderfully with a complex chewy solidness. The high abv is masterfully hidden by the outrageously hoppy taste.

This bad boy is hoppeee. It left me totally reeling in a great way. I wil be stocking up on this for sure. Do NOT miss out on this!

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2009 13:16:39 | More by Chugmonkey

BenJames1984

Michigan

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2009 Release poured into a pint glass.

Appearance- awesome deep ruby color with mahogany tone. This left a nice, thick beige head, leaving a LOT of lacing.

Smell- Hoppy. But not in a traditional bitter sense, but rather in a sweet way.

Taste- a complexity of malts, hops, barely, sweetness, and bitterness. A bit boozy, however.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- This beer is great, don't get me wrong. However, it's a bit aggressive. I could only drink one of these in a session. MAYBE two.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2009 06:00:50 | More by BenJames1984

goethean

Illinois

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Just had a 6 year old bottle of this beer, a gift from BA Metal. Wow! I'm not usually a big fan of the typical American Cascade hops profile which usually characterize SN products. However, at six years old, it is really nicely balanced between the figgy, date-flavored maltiness still strongly held back by the hops. I don't detect any oxidation --- a tribute to the quality of this brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2009 02:11:16 | More by goethean

happy4hoppybeer

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance= poured out of bottle straightforward into tulip glass without tilting a dark amber/red topped off with amazing head that lasts for minutes(probably more than five or ten) that leaves behind amazing lacing that sticks around long after consumed.

Aroma= Sweet barley malt, caramel, pine, fruit even some cocoa

Tastes of sweet hops which then turn to bitter hops, but a little subdued since this is aged. This is the vintage 2009 version.

Palate is medium a little thin therefore more drinkable. And dangerously so, considering the ABV and incredible flavors present throughout.

Another outstanding seasonal from SN, just as great as the previous years. Probably the best or at least one of the best BWs. Cannot wait for the 2010 version.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2009 01:37:55 | More by happy4hoppybeer

righlander

Florida

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2010 edition here. pours a deep dark amber from a 12oz stubby bottle to a tulip type pint glass. sinister fluffy sticky 4 finger head that clings mercilessly in gnarly soapy rings around the glass. the beer looks formidable. smell is very strong, very malty on the nose and very piney. maybe a bit grassy, a little toasty and sweet caramel but also a very fresh hop presence going on here. smells amazing! taste is absolutely decadent. stinging hops and wonderful deep malt character. very piney but with a big malt presence to even things out. almost has an imperial IPA feel to it but with way more malt. maybe some notes of an indescribable dark fruit. sits very nice on the tongue. carbonation is right on. drinkability is there. this IS a session beer IF you SIP it! I bought a whole six pack so i'll be a sippin' all night! ;)

A wonderful gigantic beer. absolutely beautiful

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2010 05:09:04 | More by righlander

HerrBob

Alabama

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I first had this brew 3 years ago before legal in AL. Drove to Ga @ bought a six. Kept the last bottle around 6 months or longer just because. Found it today in AL & bought all they had - 2 cases. This defines beer. I am an IPA guy & a hophead but like this even more. It defines what is good about beer. My favorite beer in the worl is Sweetwater IPA but I hve been flirting. This brew can make me unfaithful - to IPA!!!

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2010 04:17:59 | More by HerrBob

DavidST

Texas

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Initial review: 8-9-11

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter, 2011 vintage.

I had this when it first came out and I only remember the extreme hops (something I actually enjoyed a bunch).

This pours a dark reddish color with a nice tan foamy head. With the smell I get quite a bit of alcohol and lots of caramel malts, I don't get the slap in the face of hops like I remember. Medium to heavy body, a creamy texture. Still some nice hops with the taste, there is some definite malty sweetness and I get a little alcohol heat, but not terrible, I definitely don't get any sort of overpowering alcohol, I actually think its well hidden. Overall a nice thick and creamy beer with lots of hops and malts, I liked it a little more fresh with the hop explosion, but good now. A very tasty brew. I'll try to continue to review again when I open the next one in a few months.

--- Review 8-9-11
2010 vintage.

I'm not sure how smart it is to drink two of these in one night, but here's the 2010 I had lying around.

The appearance is about the same, still has a nice head. The alcohol smell is mostly gone and I get a load with caramel / toffee / sweet malts. Feel is still medium to thick. The taste has mellowed out a bunch on the hops, I get a bunch of toffee/caramel and some hop bitterness, with the less hops, I get a hair more alcohol taste than with the 2011. It a little sweeter and more of a malt bomb also (Is this closer to a proper barley wine?). Honestly, I prefer the ultra bitter DIPA taste of it fresh, but this is still pretty good. 4/5. A fresh Bigfoot might is probably my favorite SN product.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 03:42:03 | More by DavidST

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

4.98/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Pours a clear amber with a 1 inch creamy mocha head. Thick rings of lace last through the first half of the beer.

S - Big whiff of hop resin(almost stings the nose), dark chocolate, heavy toffee malt. Sweet alcohol notes. Candied fig.

T - A plethora of strong hops off the top, then melts into cream buttery toffee malt bomb. Finishes off with a heavy dose of crisp bitter hops along with a mild dark chocolate flavor. WOW! The aftertaste is a nirvana of malt and bitter hops. Mouthfeel is creamy and sweet(not sticky) but finishes quite dry. The hops sticks around for awhile.

This is my first taste of this style but I'm blown away. I didn't expect it to be as hopped. This beer just has giant flavor everywhere. Although it is very aggressive on the hops it also has a big assertive & established malt presence. It's really not that complex. It's just intense without going overboard in one direction. It's like the American "comfort" beer. Lot's of hops, big buttery malt, and plenty of alcohol. I can't think of anything wrong with it. I gambled and bought 2 six packs of it just in case I liked it and I wish I would have bought more. This review is sadly the last one I have. I will defiantly look for more so I can age it.

Also a BIG plus for the 6 pack! Thank you SN for that.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2010 01:35:15 | More by StaveHooks

jtw5877

Ohio

4.97/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2003 edition. Pours a dark amber color with a white head. This is an excellent beer. Prominent hoppiness with a massive malt backbone. Everything I want in a barleywine. The only thing that kept this from getting a 5.0 was a quickly dissipating head, but with flavours this tasty it's ok. A great barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2003 16:45:16 | More by jtw5877

sitarist

Ohio

4.97/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Side by side 2001 and 2004 Vintage, both served in a snifter.

Both pour an brown color with amber and copper hues. There is a fat finger of off white head. There is plenty of lacing.

They both smell of toffee, nuts, tea, and dark fruit. The 2001 is much more rounded with a nice dose of butterscotch, and pecan pie. There is an earthy/funky aroma in both as well. The alcohol is more present in the 2004. WOW!!!

The aromas carry over into the palate. The 2001 really is unbelievable; it taste like a butterscotch-peanut butter-pecan pie. The flavors in the 2001 are so well balanced. The 2004 is good just not as rounded. There is much more going on than I can explain.

The mouthfeel is great. The 2001 is a perfect; velvety smooth, not overly sticky, with a nice long drying finish. The 04 still had a little tongue bite. Both were pleasant and warming.

Both were unique, intriguing, and left me wanting more.

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2010 03:15:49 | More by sitarist

beerluvr

New Jersey

4.95/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2003 bottling:

Pours with a very nice rocky, foamy light tan head that settles on top of lovely crimson colored liquid with minute yeasties in suspension. Nose is a massive bouquet of fresh flowery resiny hops and bready, sweet and roasted malts. Taste is a mouthcoating melange of syrupy maltiness immediately followed by an all-out assault of hoppy bitters and then a wash of solvent alcohols. The hoppiness mixes with the malt to create a wonderful bittersweetness, then drys out to a tremendously hoppy and long finish. It doesn't get much better than this stuff right here!

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2003 16:01:14 | More by beerluvr