Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

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

Serve in Snifter

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2006 bottle (from a friend that forgot he had it and it sat in his basement) pours cloudy caramel brown color with brief off-white head. Aroma sweet malts with pine hops. Taste fairly typical but well done English barleywine with sweet caramel/toffee malts. Finish with a hoppy bitter dullness. Alcohol well disguised. Palate silky smooth and thick.

OK so this is an old bottle so don’t extrapolate it to a fresh one. I have tried fresh Bigfoot and it is much much hoppier. The hop sharpness in this one is gone although there is a persistent dull bitterness. I am not a big hop fan so like this cellared version better but obviously tastes will vary. If you’re looking to cellar some go for it.

This one was really not nearly as sweet as they say. The hops were really relatively overpowering and simply too much for my palate.

Aroma: Strong Hoppy smell : Appearance: Amber/copper : Taste: Caramel/toffee malt, with strong citrus hops and more bitter than sweet. Also alcohol taste was fairly prevalent. : I found it more enjoyable letting the beer warm up a tad, and overall one I enjoyed taking my time with.

12 oz bottle from 2012. Pours dark amber with a foamy, never ending beige head, a lot of lacing and lively carbonation. (There was some yeast in the bottle?!) Aroma is of piney hops, caramel malt and ripe fruit. Body is full, smooth and creamy. Piney, herbal hops and alcohol dominate the palate while caramel malt and ripe fruit are trying to provide some balance. Finish is long and very hoppy. I probably would prefer to age this bottle.

2011 received as extra in a trade. Pours hazy tan into the snifter capped by a silky looking light tan head. Nose is inviting with caramel base with strong pine on top. Taste follows in order. Mouth is full, but silky in its own way. Impressed.

2012 Bottle. Pours a dark amber color with a nice amount of head. Love the aroma, fruity, hoppy, and malty. I smell caramel malt, citrus, red fruit, pine, flowers. Taste malty and very bitter at first but then turns fruity and citrus. Finish is slightly dry and very refreshing leaving a nice malty and hoppy taste on the tongue. Don’t taste the alcohol at all and it’s very smooth even with the strong bitterness. Really great beer. I plan to age a lot of these to see what happens. I’ve read this beer gets even better.

350ml bottle from the 2011 crop. I’ve been looking forward to trying an American take on the barley wine and this didn’t disappoint. Nice amber shade with just under one finger of head. Aroma is great. Huge toffee notes battle it out with pine and fruit from the hops. Diving in to the deep toffee in the taste brings forth a little smoke and at times a hefty kick from the alcohol. I still enjoy the sweeter English barley wines but this was a fine counterpart.

Copper pour with a caramel sweet nose. Taste is hoppy bitter with a boozy and malty backbone. Finish is same. Good barley wine.

0,35l bottle from Csakajósör, Budapest. Clear, reddish amber color with medium, light brown head. Spicy hoppy aroma with alcohol and grain flavour. Resiny and oily. Dry, medium bitter taste. Medium body with creamy, oily texture and average carbonation. Long, dry finish. This is a very delicious beer. Not too sweet, like some barley wines. Deliciously hopped. Dry, characteristic, strong, delicious.

Pours a lovely murky copper color with thick tan head and decent lacing on the way down. Aroma is very faint of some hops and alcohol. Taste is all of the malts, very bitter with a nice burn on the way down. Solid barley wine that’s not too intense.