Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

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

Red,with a head of three inches. Aroma of hops and freshness. The smell of fruity pine.(hops) The first time I found it astringent and soapy (northwestern hops) . This time I enjoyed it more. Fills the mouth with many tastes. They aren’t competing as much as filling the whole mouth. The head clings to the glass like cement. hmm... I like it twice as much the 2nd time....hmmm is that because of the other beers I was drinking. Its not easy drinking beer with Bigfoot...not a session beer. A 12 pack a year.. mmmm though..

12oz bottle, 2008 edition, purchased from Bauer Wines in Boston. Pours a ruby gold with big head. Strong hop aroma. The first sip is big and bold. A lot of sensations at once. Starts with a tiny bit of sweetness, with maltiness in the middle, followed by a strong hop and malt aftertaste. The aftertaste is heavy and warms the throat. Flavourful stuff that makes you take notice. Different from what I think is a typical barleywine. I’m enjoying this more and more, the more I have it.

One of the stupider food-and-beverage labeling laws in the U.S. is the one that prevents barleywine from being marketed as such; the oh-so-lame "Barleywine-style Ale" being the result. It’s enough to make a socialist into a libertarian. Because, at the end of the day, there IS a difference between "Barleywine" and "Barleywine-style-ale." Barleywine is a very old, traditional, revered style of strong ale hailing from the UK. Any number of American variations and interlopers on the style exist, taking liberties and experimenting with the brew. Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot is a tremendous offering in the classic English vein, a true "Barley Wine." It exhibits robust hopping and strong malty tones, with a whopping 9.6% ABV. Sip slowly and enjoy. They don’t come much better than this, especially this side of the pond.

Flaske. Mørk ravfarvet med en utrolig duft af blomster. Virkelig en fantastisk duft. Smagen er ikke ligeså fantastisk men er dog udmærket afbalanceret med en kraftig sødme der er lige ved at kamme over men bliver holdt i ave af en bitter eftersmag der brænder godt igennem. Kan godt forstå dette er en lassisk BW. Årgang 2007.

A- Pours a deep ruby hue and is very transparent with a nice 1.5 finger head which is white in color. S- Smell is dominated by piney hops with a deep undercurrent of sweet caramely malt. T- Taste is very hop forward. To those saying that this years bigfoot isn’t hoppy, I would beg to differ. First comes the piney hops followed by a light fruity character which leads to a harsh hop bitterness that clings to the tongue and completely destroys my tastebuds (in a good way). M- Much lighter than expected with a good amount of carbonation. D- The fact of the matter is that this is a brew that is meant to age. Right now I can tell that with time these flavors will mold together a bit better as the hops drop into the background and the carbonation settles down a little but fresh i’d say it seems too hot. Enjoyable brew none the less.

(2005 Vintage). I sat on this one till my birthday this year. I was surprised that there was still a hops bite after so long in the cellar, although it was no where near a younger version. The malty sweet character of this beer was much more apparent, and it seemed a little boozier than the 2008 vintage. A much different beer after a few years in the cellar. Exceptional.

2008 bottle at home ... ruby colour ... piney american hops ... quite bitter pine hops with a bitter malty back bone... too bitter for me.

Bottle 07.Chestnut with a chuffin great head,aroma is sweet and hoppy,taste is of alcohol bitter hops and molases.