Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

1 June 2009, Vertical Tasting of ’01,’04 & ’09 at the Malt House: 2001: Pours a light ruby red colour with a medium vanilla head in the sniffer. Gritty, dirt floor and earth for sure. But super smooth, it might be runnign it’s course. 2004: In the sniffer glass, pours a darker orange-reddish colour caramel, syrup and and dank herbal notes. Bready and heady but wicked smooth and just the way it should be. Perfect to open this up if you’re sitting on some. The winner for sure! 2006: My first Bigfoot! (I think...) Pours a caramel colour body with a large beige head. Aromas of nugget, grass and some spices. Taste is generously hopped and astringent but lingers on with an incredibly smooth finish. 2007: Despite all the 8’s and 9’s I would like to say that unless youve experience the barleywine, the taste may be a little different then what youre used to. Gorgeous colour and a rich pleasent mouthfeel. This was great, not the best american barleywine I’ve had, but it suites my palate well. See Flying Dog Horn Dog. 2008: Pours an intense deep mahogany colour with small head but great lacing. Really nice, it without a doubt re-affirms my rating. 2009: The last one of the vertical tasting. After trying the other, much older BF’s I owuld have to say that this needs to sit for a while. Pours a beautiful mahogany colour. Big off white head again. Citrus notes, candi sugar, brown sugar dominate the nose. With underlying hops all the way through. It’s hard to ignore the earthiness of this beer. It seems so immature compared ot the others. Wait a little bit my friend, it will be your time in a few years.

From a 12 fl. oz bottle with a lot code of 7026A0831. 2007 edition. The pour is a ruby-brown but the head is very creamy, almost like a cream stout. Aroma of sweet barley and malts. Pungent but crisp. Flavor is bitter and sour and laced with barley, hops, and caramel. Alcohol is prevalent. Heavy in the mouth and a wicked dry finish. Unfortunate aftertaste but I guess it goes with the territory for a bareleywine with 9.6% alcohol. Not something I would drink regularly but most definitely a memorable experience.

Pours a ruby color with a fluffy white head that lingers. Aroma is sweet and slightly hoppy. Flavor is also malty sweet but countered with some bitterness. Palate is slightly heavy from the bitterness, but its just fine for a sipping beer like this. Overall a really good beer that I wish was a year round offering from SN.

On tap at pizza plant. Served in a goblet. Reddish amber with a small white head. Very nice looking beer. Smells sweet and malty. Tasted sweet, very hoppy. Very thick mouthfeel with carbonation. Finished very warm and bitter with some alcohol. Delicious.

An excellent beer from sierra nevada. Finish is awesomely bitter compared to the other barlywines i have had and really elevates this beer to a higher level.

2007 Edition Bottle. Pours Amber/Brown with a bih white head. Flavor is a bit sweet at first but then it gets really fruity and caramel like, and finishes with a brutal hoppy bitterness. Really good!

2009 Edition. 12 oz. bottle. Pours a clear reddish amber with a large off-white head that lasted until the end of the glass and a solid layer of lace all the way to the final sip. Very pleasant aroma of pine and caramel malt. The begins with caramel malt and brown sugar and is followed by fruit and pine hops. There is a nice dose of resin supporting the pine bitterness which keeping this from being overly bitter and out of balance. The mouthfeel is still rich and smooth, but I think is just a bit less so than last year’s version. Very enjoyable!

2008 Edition. 12 oz. bottle. Pours a hazy reddish brown with a moderately large off-white head that lasted until the end of the glass and left tons of sticky lace the entire way down. Very pleasant aroma of pine and sweet malt. The flavor starts out with sweet malt and is followed by fruit and pine hops. While there is plenty of hops bitterness, it is thankfully not overdone. I think the fruitiness of the hops helps too, as opposed to the bitter astringency of pine. The mouthfeel is rich and buttery and balances nicely with the hops. The alcohol is very well hidden. I wish I hadn’t waited so long to try this one. Good stuff ! 8-5-8-5-17

Pours amber-brown into snifter with off white head. Cascade/Centennial hops give real nice floral aroma. Real similar hop nose to Hopslam although not quite as in your face. Flavor is much better than I was expecting. Hops giving a citrus flavor with a very good herbal finish (mmm herb). Alcohol well balanced with the flavor and hardly noticable. Light carbonation and oily palate. The best SN has to offer by far and deserving to be in the top two percent.