Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale - Whiskey Barrel-Aged - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

tectactoe

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to Jeff for cracking this one open and sharing, saved me from having to search the city for it. Pours a murky, deep-amber color, nearly copper and almost on the verge of being called raw sienna. The light-tan head settles rather quickly and leaves very spotting lacing on the edges of my glass.

Light whiskey and bourbon on the nose - more standout-ish on its own, rather than integrated into the rest of the aromas. Slight wood and oak with some sweet plums, crispy burnt vanilla, and brown sugar. It's hard to remember how similar this is to the regular Bigfoot, but I believe this one packs a more powerful punch. Of course, that's to be expected, given the whiskey barrel aging and all.

The taste is full of brown sugar and an underlying bourbon heat that starts off on the smaller side, but crescendos throughout the sip and actually becomes quite hot. Sweet figs and dates which tasted like they were soaked in a bourbon bath for years. The malt provides a huge caramel and molasses backbone which becomes washed out a bit by the booze and fruits.

This one is also quite hoppy, and if I recall correctly, the original Bigfoot had a nice hop profile to it as well. They seem even a bit stronger, here. Ashy and leafy, providing a small amount of bitterness to the aftertaste, which is largely dominated by boozy dark fruits and wet wood. Thick body all around with a slick and sticky mouth feel, medium carbonation.

A nice addition to regular Bigfoot, although the whiskey barrel aging made this one quite hot and somewhat difficult to easily drink. Hopefully this one will become more readily available, because I'd like to pick up a few more and age them to see if it blunts the heat a little. Thanks again to Jeff for this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 23:52:31 | More by tectactoe

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.05/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

750 mL bottle poured into a pint glass. 2013 bottle.

Appearance - Deep copper/amber. Small off white head. Settles to naught but a medium collar.

Smell - Very nice barrel character. Lots of nice vanilla, oak, and an inoffensive whiskey. Moderate liquor aroma. Blends nicely with the caramel. Still a hint of hops to it.

Taste - Still has quite a hop presence. Caramel builds, but is quickly overwhelmed by whiskey. Pleasant. Lots of vanilla and oak. Hop bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium high carbonation. Medium body, could use a little more body. Not boozy. A little bit astringent.

Overall - This could use a few years to kill off the hops. Otherwise, it's fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 23:37:24 | More by Alieniloquium

anson42

California

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-16-2013 02:16:24 | More by anson42

srandycarter

California

4.33/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Fairly clear dark amber, nice off white head, leaves slowly. Lots of cling.

S - Big sweet malt hits you right in the face. Wood is secondary, along with the whiskey. Hard to discern the hops with so much going on.

T - Yum. GIGANTIC beer, full of syrupy sweet malt, hot booze, lots of wood and hops to hold it up.

M - Medium to heavy body, great carb, very good balance, especially for such a big beer.

D - Dangerously good.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 19:19:29 | More by srandycarter

djre4orm

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

06-13-2013 18:28:43 | More by djre4orm

Soonerick76

Oklahoma

3/5  rDev -28.1%

06-13-2013 01:39:34 | More by Soonerick76

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

06-11-2013 12:14:13 | More by t0rin0

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This poured out as a mahogany brown color with a thin white head that fades quickly leaving no retention or lacing. The beer appears to be pretty thick, due to the syrupy residue on the glass. The smell of the beer is pretty boozy, definitely a high octane brew with the help of that barrel aging pouring out of it. The taste of the beer is malty, sweet, it's got some bitterness to it along with a subtle whiskey flavor in the mix as well. The mouthfeel of the beer was smooth and boozy with a light carbonation. Overall it's a big beer, and sure to please any fan of the regular Bigfoot. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 01:58:38 | More by Knapp85

dogfishandi

New York

4.19/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml cork and caged bottle a little above fridge temp. "2013 expedition"

Pours out a deep orange/ brown color, cloudy, almost murky. Big off white almost light tan colored head that shows very good retention and lacing.

A very woody aroma from both woody hops and old barrel wood. Carmalized malts, A bit of seaweed and whiskey booziness.

Bitter hops and sweet malt balance each other nicely. Not as bitter as regular Bigfoot, but a hell of a lot sweeter which I'd suspect comes from both the barrel itself and the time spent in the barrel. Caramel, burnt sugar like malts with maybe a slight hint of almost raisin bread. A nice whiskey barrel flavor but not quite as boozey as some BA beers tend to be. Woody, slightly piney like hops and slight hints of seaweed.

Thick and full bodied, even a bit more so than the original version.

A very good barleywine, spot on for what a BA barleywine should taste like, but still there are a lot of better examples out there that offer maybe a touch more complexity.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2013 02:16:47 | More by dogfishandi

3rdto1st

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

06-06-2013 22:18:25 | More by 3rdto1st

Phyllisia

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

06-06-2013 17:31:19 | More by Phyllisia

RBassSFHOPit2ME

California

3.5/5  rDev -16.1%

06-03-2013 04:34:33 | More by RBassSFHOPit2ME

itracy63

Alaska

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

06-02-2013 19:21:17 | More by itracy63

MarkJBurch

New York

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-02-2013 17:17:29 | More by MarkJBurch

ethanmc12

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

06-02-2013 02:52:54 | More by ethanmc12

FUwolfpacker

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-01-2013 03:17:48 | More by FUwolfpacker

Massbmx

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +13.9%

05-31-2013 01:05:28 | More by Massbmx

herman77

Minnesota

4.23/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: Very dark amber/brown. Looks really rich. Small off white head. A bit of lacing.

S: Lots of carmel and toffee. Roasted sugars. Musty wood, whiskey and a bit of vanilla.

T: Tastes like an aged bigfoot with a kick. Hops have faded a lot, but still very present. Still some of that resin bigfoot hops. The more malt forward profile comes ahead, lots of carmel, burnt sugars and vanilla. Bourbon is there, not too strong, not too light.

M: Medium to heavy body. Average carbonation.

O: Fairly good drinkability for being over 12%. Does not taste that strong. A great twist on an old classic. Looking forward to see what develops a few years from now.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2013 00:40:49 | More by herman77

jbar920

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-29-2013 18:00:56 | More by jbar920

slapperloon

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-29-2013 16:17:45 | More by slapperloon

tchipharveyslake

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.1%

05-29-2013 14:10:46 | More by tchipharveyslake

RobertColianni

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2013 Bottle
12oz. Victory Golden Monkey Tulip

A: Unlike base Bigfoot, Barrel-Aged Bigfoot is bright red in color. The head still offers the thin, spotty, frothy perfection that I love and the whiteness stays consistent up to the edges, where the red shines through and gives off a stunning burnt tone. The only downfall is that the head and lacing have thinned out considerably so everything dissipates fairly quickly.

S: Barrel-Aged Bigfoot offers a huge, prominent banana and coconut aroma to the nose. These scents absolutely over-shadow a still-vibrant whiskey background.

T: The flavor profile of Barrel-Aged Bigfoot is absolutely tremendous. Huge bubblegum and rose pedal tones are backed heavily by one of the most smooth, perfectly hitting, delicately aged, mellow whiskey driven cores I have ever experienced. This barleywine is to die for.

M: The mouthfeel on the tongue from Barrel-Aged Bigfoot is off the charts! The carbonation is there and the lacing is low, but the beer only offers a subtle tingle; enough to make the whiskey waft perfectly, but little enough to stay quiet and keep me feeling like I'm drinking a fine spirit rather than a beer. It's smooth, soft, creamy, but thin. I love what Sierra Nevada did to spin this sensational ale!

OVERALL: I suppose that spirits mellow out and tone down the maltiness, bring out a sharp finish, and thus thin the head retention, so Barrel-Aged Bigfoot isn't as sexy as the base counterpart, but this barleywine is perfect in every other attribute. Similar to base Bigfoot, the complexity between taste and scent is extraordinary, but the tonal spiciness from barrel aging just does this beer wonders. A beautifully balanced, intelligently complex work of brewing art that will not be forgotten...

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 19:56:01 | More by RobertColianni

RangnaR

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

05-28-2013 18:19:40 | More by RangnaR

Omensetter

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-27-2013 23:24:32 | More by Omensetter

ZombiesAteMyDog

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

05-27-2013 23:20:42 | More by ZombiesAteMyDog