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

wsantas

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Translucent amber. Small rim of froth with a glaze of carbonation.

S: Citrus and malt with alcohol.

T: Hoppy and Bitter. Carmel on the back end.

M: Smooth, medium body, dry ending

O: Love the hoppiness. Provides a complex taste that keeps you coming back for more. Heavy.

Serving type: growler

02-20-2012 18:39:36 | More by wsantas

welldigger888

South Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2009 Vintage keg!!!!Poured from growler in to imp. pint glass, nice off white head with excellant lacing. This brew is a nice copper colored orange hue.
Huge malt bill here, caramel & grainy goodness. Some hops, but this is a vintage 2009 so the strong hop is gone.
Creamy smooth caramel and golden brown biscuit with a dry boozey smooth finish. Alot is going on here,I am not refined enough to pull it all out.
Huge creamy chunky mouthfeel with good carbonation.
The booze holds this back a bit, but a huge big drink. Worthy of having more than one, Drink up! As for the 2 yr age, well I like the hop profile in the younger version but still love this!!! Thank you Wes & Joseph for aging this.

Serving type: growler

02-12-2011 00:27:49 | More by welldigger888

kirkpjr

Alabama

4.1/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass.

A: Deep caramel and amber color. Getting close to not being able to see through. Pours about 1 finger head developing some nice lacing.

S: Sweet candied malts. Some cascade hops as well, a little piney and citrusy. Caramel and vanilla.

T: Huge bitter hop kick with a nice vanilla malt flavor to round the taste out. Very earthy and piney tasting hops. The sweetness brings this one true to style. A couple of dark fruits and maybe a little apple here.

M: Very creamy. I don't know if this is just because of it being draft but this beer was probably creamiest, smoothest barleywine I've ever had.

D: I wish this could me my go-to barleywine but we don't have it in bottles yet in AL. Lucky to get it as draft to go. Very easy drinking with only a little alcohol detected.

Serving type: growler

03-13-2010 00:15:10 | More by kirkpjr

TheDreadnought

Pennsylvania

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

A) Pint glass. Pours an auburn caramel; very thick head with rich lacing.

S) Floral; hop and caramel notes

T) Powerful hop and malt flavor; and just like a barleywine, a big warm climactic alcohol finish. Impressive.

M & D) Crisp; very easy to drink. Very Sierra Nevada. Very good.

Serving type: growler

03-02-2010 03:13:09 | More by TheDreadnought

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler obtained via Growling at the Moon from khiasmus. 2007 Vintage. Thanks for the opportunity.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 3/4" dense beige head over the clear orangey brown brew. Head recedes very slowly, with heavy coating lace. Aroma is sweet, with ample piney hops. Taste starts sweet, but quickly cedes the conn to the overpowering pine hops. Hops character powers on through to the close, with ample bitterness and a warming close. Mouthfeel and drinkability are both great.
Excellent brew, and really hasn't lost a single step in the cellaring of the keg for the past two years.

3/29/04 - 4/4/4.5/4/4
German-style refillable growler filled at Oliver's Beverage, Albany, NY on 3/27/04, begun to enjoy on 3/29/04. (I have a feeling this will not be a one-session growler...)

First imperial pint glass pours with a HUGE 3+" head, which was very dense, and probably all my fault for using the hard pour that most growlers seem to require. Head shrunk down to a manageable 1/2" level after a few minutes, leaving lace, lace, everywhere, all the way up to the tippy top of the glass. Deep copper in hue. Very strong aroma of hops, and alcohol isn't hiding very well in there, either. Taste is upfront barleywine, mostly malt and alcohol, with the aftertaste of the ample hops that were smelled originally. This brew has an interesting symphony of flavors working here, and is to me quite a show of craftmanship. A bit overpowering to me, the combination of large amounts of hops and alcohol, but I can certainly appreciate their efforts.

Serving type: growler

02-22-2010 02:12:50 | More by ppoitras

dotsonjamesg

Arkansas

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Served in my favorite pint cup that reads "My pint gives troops a fighting chance" I received when I donated blood to the Red Cross for persons to receive overseas.

Appearance: This lovely brewed poured a deep amber/copper color with a low density, two-finger, light brown head. Some good retention is present along with some pretty lacing.

Smell: The brew has some fruity esters and a rich scent of hops. The brew also had a little pear scent and toasted malts in the background.

Taste: The flavor hits you like a ton of bricks all at once. Alcohol is very present with the initial taste then moves in to a nice malty body backed up with a rich hoppy bite. The flavor then subsides and moves in to a deep bitterness that lingers through to the end and then some. A nice alcohol warming is present through much of the end. Its been about two minutes since my last sip and still I can taste the rich hoppy bitterness that is Big Foot Ale.

Mouthfeel: Thick like a milk-shake and with a nice level of carbonation.

Drinkability: The brew is surprisingly drinkable if its your speed of brews. I know it is entirely too hoppy for many amateurs so beware, if you dare!

This brew is definitely a god among beers. That's all I have to say.

Cheers!

-Dotson

Serving type: growler

04-16-2009 23:07:32 | More by dotsonjamesg

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.3/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Obtained from Trinity BP, bours orange/amber with a finger of sand colored head. Good head retention & insane lacing

S: Doughyness & piney hops

T: Piney & herbal hops, dryness, plus booze smack & whisper of caramel up front. Cakeyness, resiny hops, & pineyness as this warms. finishes with a bit of boozey tangerine, apricot, pine sap, grapefruit & dryness

MF: Chewy, moderate carbonation, skews hoppy, true to style. Stickyness & warming booze show as this warms

Drinks alright, if you don't like a hop smack, stay way, otherwise I'm good for a few points before getting sleepy.. I believe I prefer the bottled version, but would never say no to this hairy beast!

Serving type: growler

12-06-2008 04:48:50 | More by russpowell

hellomcfly

South Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a growler into a snifter.

A - Pours a nice ruby-amber; great color. Head isn't huge but I attribute this to being from a growler and not being very easy to pour.

S - I really love the way this beer smells. Nice citrusy hop aroma but also very malty and bready in the smell. Alcohol smell also detected.

T - One of the best all around barleywines in my opinion. It has a certain sweetness but is rounded out by a big hop profile and slight alcohol burn that lets you know you're drinking a big brew.

M - Nice mouthfeel. Full bodied and creamy with the right amount of carbonation.

D - Not the most sessionable beer in the world but for a barleywine it rates pretty high with me.

Serving type: growler

08-19-2008 00:10:24 | More by hellomcfly

cproioi

Ohio

3.28/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours a lovely amber color with a light tan head that crowns the beer that leave behind sticky lacing. The aroma was largely of American hops giving it a red grapefruit aroma with a slight sticky malt notes that fight to be recognized. The taste gives off slight alcoholic notes with a red grapefruit taste that overwhelms all in the first taste with a malty backbone following in the middle. The mouthfeel was bitter with sugary sticky feeling that lasts a while. This is a slow drinking beer which is quite nice.

Serving type: growler

03-29-2007 16:04:02 | More by cproioi

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

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

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

hackmann

Michigan

4.13/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: copper body with a one finger beige colored head; not much on the lacing

Aroma: nice spicy hops tingles the nose with a rich malt backbone

Flavors: spicy hops up front, pine on the mid and finish along with alcohol, white grapefruit peel on the aftertaste, brown spice bread in the background,

Mouthfeel: rich style, thick, oily, alcohol warmth and alcohol peppery feel, moderate fizzy carbonation, bitterness up front followed by the sweet brown spice bread, white grapefruit lingers on the palate, full body, more bitter than sweet

To the Point: I like this ale; it is a sipper;

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 19:46:33 | More by hackmann

verge

California

3.95/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

2013 12 oz bottle from Total Wine & More in Brea, CA. Cool label and funny drawing inside the bottle cap of Bigfoot enjoying a beer with two humans!

Poured into a snifter/goblet forming half a finger of head. Gorgeous deep ruby/copper color, with just a hint of haze.

I can already smell this beer while it sits on the desk in front of me. A deep whiff reveals complexity, some smoke, dark malts, hops, and some alcohol as well.

My first sip is while the beer is still cool (I expect the flavor to develop as it warms), but it is already a perfect harmony of the malts, hops and yeast, with each taking its separate place but also supporting the others. No alcohol flavor yet, but there is some warming after gulping it down. Also a lingering dry hop aftertaste.

(My palette is not the best at finding specific flavors in the mix, but I've drunk enough good beer to recognize interplay between parts.)

As it slightly warms, I find the bitterness taking over more, and some alcohol shining through, and less of the malt is holding up. The balance is lessening, and it seems it's actually becoming more harsh.

A little bit of malt sweetness returns now after a few more minutes have passed. This seems to be the optimal temperature now, with some sweetness in the beginning, some alcohol in the middle, and minutes of hops at the end. Definitely complex! The balance is complete right here. Take note: serve slightly cool, not refrigerator cold!

Mouthfeel is right in the middle. Not creamy, not too prickly, maybe just a little on the watery side.

I'm still new at barleywines. This is a BIG, bold, hoppy version of one, which I'm sure would mellow out with age. Not really my thing, but I can certainly enjoy this as I drink it. Lots to take note of during consumption. Certainly wouldn't turn one of these down if offered to me again.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 19:28:18 | More by verge

standardcherry

Massachusetts

3.79/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

2002 vintage! I was surprised to find that this was a screw-top.

A: Dark red/brown color. Thin white head with little lacing. Looks alright I guess.
S: Surprisingly this still smells a bit floral from the hops! Never tried it fresh to compare but I imagine it's a hop bomb. A bit of caramel followed by a slight metallic aroma.
T: Huge flavor. Sweet roasted malts, caramel, toffee, a slight hoppy bitterness. There's a bit of a stale flavor, not sure how to describe it. A big alcohol bite as well.
M: Thick bodied, creamy and sticky. Nice carbonation to my surprise.
O: This beer has held up very well for being 11 years old. I will have to try it fresh to compare but I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 04:56:00 | More by standardcherry

themind

New Jersey

3.81/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Paterson was right, Bigfoot lives! what a good example of a quality barleywine. ABV hidden well with a good aroma and satisfying taste. The brew was pretty smooth, if your looking to try a barleywine beer look no further. This is a great introduction to the BW style for newcomers to the craft beer World.

Bottom Line: Get some!

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 03:59:42 | More by themind

Vogie

Michigan

4.34/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

P: Served in a Duvel tulip glass. Pour is a nice amber color with about a half finger of pancake like head that leaves some lacing around the edges. Added some smoked cheddar cheese on the side.

S: Strong aromas reminiscent of a DIPA. Roasted malts and grapefruit are definitely present here.

T: Very hoppy and roasty. Definitely getting a strong grapefruit presence with some other tropical fruit sweetness in there as well.

M: Light body with a strong bitterness on the backend. Almost gets smoother as it warms.

O: Not a huge fan of this style or hoppy beers in general. I felt the taste was a bit rough and maybe would mellow with some age. However, I am trying to remain objective in this assessment. I did serve this with some slices of cheddar cheese, which was an excellent touch with the hop bitterness. Well made, not my favorite, but I appreciate the complexity.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 20:48:22 | More by Vogie

dc87

Washington

4.03/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Very attractive dark red to brown colour. Thin head, a little lacing.

S - Nice sweet caramel/maple smell, particularly after warming up. Getting a little floral hops.

T - Huge, nicely balanced taste. Wonderful sweet caramel taste up front, followed some spice and pine. Boozey. The aftertaste is very bitter and hoppy, with some orange rinds, and a little sweetness.

M - Thick, very light carbonation.

O - Very drinkable. Huge malts and hops. Would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 01:01:41 | More by dc87

MikeOlheiser

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

2013 bottle served in a pint glass.

Appearance- one of the best looking beers ive seen in a glass. ruby red with a bit of a brown. almost has a glow to it. has a nice creamy head that sticks around.

Smell- im not big on the smell, some alcohol, and obvious hops and malts in there. I dont get much else.

taste- very sweet with roasted malt. toffee and caramel. and a huge hit of bitter hops. it will linger and even hop heads may not like it. its not my kind of style, but even with the most objective review, this will bite. you get some alcohol in it as well, but not too much.

mouthfeel- syrupy, sticky sweet. a nice amount of carbonation. little creamy. im not big on the feel of this beer.

overall- this is my first taste of this style, and ultimately its a BIG beer. tons of sweet roasted malts, and tons of bitter hops. i wouldnt purchase this again just because its not my style, but for those who are looking for this, you may find alot to like in this beer. 330 calories worth! haha. enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 04:56:45 | More by MikeOlheiser

nbaeteer

Pennsylvania

4.01/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: 2013 version poured into a wide bottom wine glass. Nice ruby red color that really only lets light through in the center when held up to my tv. Sizeable fluffy cloud like head forms right away but dissapates fairly quickly although a thin layer covers most of the top of the beer all the way through.

Smell: Close my eyes and this could be mistaken for a big double IPA except for the more noticeable alchohol smell hiding behind the hop aromas.

Taste: Would be much, much better with some caramelly, toffee flavor to offset the huge hops. Taste in the back of the tongue balances everything out a little bit. Aftertaste says double IPA and when drank without any food or chaser the bitterness lingers too long for me. I get the feeling I'll still taste this tomorrow morning at breakfast. On the other hand, when paired with a nice blue cheese like I have here in fromt of me it's damn near a perfect pairing.

Mouthfeel: Viscous. Thick. Nice level of carbonation considering the style.

Overall: Man, with this amount of hops I would imagine this would be a great candidate for aging. Would be just awesome to do a ladder for a bunch of them and see how they age from one year to the next.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 05:22:03 | More by nbaeteer

nootch23

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This review is for a 2004 vintage bottle. Poured in a tulip glass.

A - poured a dark maroon, molasses color. Can't see nothing through it. Very little to no head on this.

S - all booze. Smells like a barrel aged beer would smell. Picked up on dark fruit notes, cherries, raisins, caramels underneath the booze smell.

T - absolutely delicious. Tastes nothing like it smells. Very smooth, fruity, no booziness to the taste. A little tartness to it which was expected but the fruit tastes definitely are in at the forefront of this little number. Really picked up some raisins, apricot, a little oakiness to it. Bunch of caramel.

M - didn't leave too much of a dry finish. Very smooth going down. Mouth was left with tastes of cherries and dark caramel. Really tasty aftertaste.

O - I was very impressed with how this bottle aged. When smelling the aroma, the booziness made me a little nervous since big boozy beers aren't my thing, but once I took a sip I was impressed with the different flavors that came to the front, more so than a bottle of a fresh Bigfoot. The smoothness really made it enjoyable to drink and it definitely mellowed out over time. Very well crafted barleywine perfect for aging.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 14:04:49 | More by nootch23

Apellonious

North Carolina

4.21/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle from 4-pack, 2013 version.

A - Cloudy dark ruby red. Thin head. Decent lace retention.

S - Grapefruit, dark fruit sweetness, toasted grains, faint booze

T - First sip is a decent punch in the face for your tastesbuds. A little harsh, but this is new, so I guess that is to be expected.. You get some dark fruit and bitter up front, toasted grains in the middle, and some sweet tartness and alcohol on the finish. The tartness makes the mouth water. Which makes you want more right away. Which makes this dangerous.

M - If I knew what perfect was, I would say this is close. Carbonation is on the milder side, almost creamy, but enough to keep it from being overly slick or sticky.

O - Still getting accustomed to the barleywine style, but this is one of the better offerings I have tried. WIll be setting aside a few of these for some years (at least that's the plan, we'll see how that goes) to see how they pan out.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 00:06:24 | More by Apellonious

Dave1999

Virginia

3.84/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a bright reddish brown with a small white head.

The smell is sweet and malty with some citrus hops.

The taste is very bitter with a sweet malty backbone. The hops are definitely at the forefront though. There is also a burnt flavour coming through.

The mouthfeel medium bodied with medium carbonation.

A pretty good beer, I wanted to like it more but the bitterness is a little to dominating.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 02:16:13 | More by Dave1999

flayedandskinned

California

3.91/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2013 vintage
Poured into a standard tulip glass

Appearance: Pours a lightly hazed amber/orange with a towering, frothy 3 finger off white head that has amazing retention. Loads of web like lacing left behind.

Aroma: Big resinous pine-y hops and sweet, juicy grapefruit. Wow, very hop forward for a barleywine. There are notes of sugar-y bready vanilla infused malts tucked underneath the hops. A little bit of alcohol shows more and more as the ale warms in it's glass.

Taste: A big wave of juicy grapefruit and pine resin similar to the nose strikes your palate immediately before a sugary and bread-y malt backbone calms everything and brings the flavor profile back into traditional sweet barleywine territory. The beer finishes off dry and bitter with even more notes of woodsy pine needles and sweet caramel malt left dancing on your palate. There is a light alcohol presence that becomes more apparent as the beer slowly acclimates to room temperature.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, somewhat viscous in texture with moderate carbonation.

Overall: This is the first time I've had this beer in a few years, and I can definitely see why it is often heralded as an American Craft Beer classic. It is definitely hard to believe that this beer has been brewed for over 30 years. It's bitterness can definitely stand up to a lot of imperial IPAs that are brewed today. It is somewhat stripped down in it's complexity, as this bottle very young, but I can definitely tell that this beer will just become deeper and deeper with a couple of years of age on it.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 03:15:21 | More by flayedandskinned

SportsandJorts

Michigan

3.54/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

2013 Vintage

Appearance: a deep brownish red. pretty hazy a little bit of floating sediment. three fingers of a tannish head. leaves a bit of a lacing.

Smell: strong vanilla and toffee sweetness smell, very pleasant start. followed up by some piney and spicy hop kick

Taste: strong piney and spice hop, not nearly enough of the vanilla and toffee or malts. some toastiness from the malts. This one needs a bit more time on the shelf

Mouthfeel: pretty bitter and sticky. i wanted to be a bit creamier

Overall: This one just didn't do it for me. i liked the idea of the toasted malts in the barleywine but the hop choice was off for me. I will hang on to some and see how it ages

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 00:33:43 | More by SportsandJorts