Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Bigfoot

Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Chico, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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A - Hazy brown with a bit of ruby and a finger of frothy khaki-tan head. Fades normal. S - Sweet caramel and caramelized malts, oak, vanilla, whiskey, brown sugar, grapefruit, citrus, and pine hops, booze. T - Sweet caramel and caramelized malts, oak, vanilla, whiskey, grapefruit, citrus, pine hops, resiny bitterness, brown sugar, a touch of dark fruit, booze. M - Full bodied, moderate carbonation. Smooth with a sweet, warming, bitter finish. D - Nice big barrel character with enough balance.

I have had a few of these now, but wanted to give a bottle a proper review. Pours with a short lasting khaki head... and only has spotty lacing... the brew is polished deep amber. Christ it is amazing how hoppy this is... thick resinous pine combines with caramel, lite vanilla and dry toast... pretty damn boozy, not from the barrels but from the 12%.. with warmth, I get something that I associate with coconut. More barrel presence on the palate helps balance out the hoppiness... again, thicker caramel and vanilla.. hints of dried cherry.. as it warms up, the oak gets a bit drying, almost like a tannic quality... long bitter bite on the finish clashes too much with the barrel presence and the hefty A lighter than expected carbonation accentuates an already pretty thick brew. Honestly, a bit of a mess right now, but the bones of a great BA BW are there.. but it is going to take a long sleep in the cellar to round out the flavors/aromas. The hops and the barrel qualities fight each other too much right now.

Bottle @ home from my friend javit.... Thanks! It pours clear deep amber with a medium light tan head... The aroma is raisin, caramel, vanilla, oak and bourbon... The flavor is just fantastic! smooth, full body, fruits, nice balanced bourbon flavors, vanilla and caramel....

750 ml bottle shared by a stranger at DLD- thank you, kind stranger, for reading my wants list! Pours a clear tea-amber color with a small off-white head. Man, the bourbon is big in this one. Alcohol burn in the nostrils and on the palate, with vanilla and caramel notes throughout. But the undeniably heavy hops of the Bigfoot shine through, too. Very cool. Medium-bodied, with a sticky, sweet, bitter mouthfeel and moderate carbonation. Excellent, though might do even better with some age on it.

Draft. Clear mahogany pour, with a light tan head. Nice bourbon soaked bread, raisin, caramel, vanilla, oak, resinous hops, pine, and a bit of citrus. Wow very tasty. I wish I had a bottle.

Bottle, 04/28/2013. Mahogany pour, light creamy pour rests to a crema on the surface, thick sudsy lacing. Aroma is foremost bourbon, caramel, and vanilla coconut, sweet dark malts, dark bread, light plum and cherry, still pronounced citrusy piney hops on the end, much like regular Bigfoot, with woody finish. Taste is nutty dark malts and chocolate, vanilla, toffee, and wood, piney hop bite with coconut and bourbon in a long aftertaste, nice. Thick, chewey palate. Overall, back in the day if I were to imagine what Bigfoot would taste like in bourbon barrels, this would be it and I like it.

Tap at Blind Tiger. The aroma is bourbon, candi sugar. The appearance is clear, slightly translucent red/brown, off-white head. The flavor is sweet fruit, bread, bourbon. The finish is light booze, sweet, pine needles. Nice. Good example of where barrel aging doesn’t swamp the base beer, but enhances it.

Awesome stuff. I’m a fan of the normal big foot but this one adds so much more. Pours reddish brown with a tan head. Smells.of sweet caramel Bourbon. Taste is a nice malty and hoppy whiskey profile that burns a little. Nice big vanilla flavor that lasts and an oak background. Enjoyable and definitely a sipper.

Scent of bourbon barrel aging, oak, and hops. Has a strong bite of alcohol and also the resiny degraded hop flavor.

Besides scores - Unfortunate nonsensical notes from tasting. I think I prefer the original actually. Very boozy - perhaps too much so. Still very nice, but this is what stood out to me.