Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

12oz bottle, 2008. Deep red-brown with a sticky yellow head. Big malty and hoppy aroma, with lots of brown sugar, caramel, earth, and citrus. Big malty flavors cut by lots of hops, and the balance is great. Big alcohol flavor as well, warms you nicely. Definitely a tasty barley wine, on the hoppy side, which works here. I can definitely see the IIPA comparisons, but the rich and complex malts definitely set this apart. (3.8) Rerate: 2004 release served on June 29, 2009 on-tap at the Rose And Crown pub in Palo Alto. I love that SN just released these five-year-old kegs from the brewery. Rich malty aroma with caramel and dried fruit, plus a surprising level of hops. The flavor has mellowed into an epic balance. Malty, but the bitterness is still quite strong and pulls everything together. I was really surprised at how much hop flavor this retained. That chinook is still a punch in the mouth. Damn, this ages like a champ. I would never guess that this had been sitting in the SN vaults for over five years now. A little better than fresh, but I do still like the big smack in the face that fresh Bigfoot is.

12 oz. bottle - Poured clear burgandy color with small head. Scent is very nice, like leather mixed with hops. When I first purchased this brew I was slightly hesitant because barley wines are really not my style. Sierra Nevada changed all that, this beer kicks some major ass!!! It has high ABV. and is silky smooth. This has to be one of the best beers I’ve had EVER!!! Sierra Nevada is one of my favorites and encourage everyone to try this world class brew !!!!!

355 ml bottle. Brown color. Off-wite head. Aroma is hops, fruit and malt. Flavor is sweet fruit, malt and a lot of hops. Very bitter finish. A beer for me! (At Rogers place, with Kjetil B. and Roger)

2008 25th Expedition. Poured into a snifter. Ruby-orange with a thick off-white head. The head slowly drops leaving behind copious lacing. Aroma is fresh, citrus and malt. Taste is a powerful blend of citrus hops and bitterness. The caramel malt backbone carries through. The finish is clean with just a bit of bitterness in the aftertaste. There’s noticeable alcohol in the taste but it is not overpowering or out of balance. I doubt I’ll be able to keep this around for aging, it’s quite drinkable now.

Intense beer. Pours a ruby red with a thick tan head, great lacing. The flavor is a wonderful balance of really strong malt and hops; like an IPA in hoppiness but much more malt behind it. A bitter, alcohol warmth on the finish. Nice.

Who would’ve thought that SN could make something this good? Bursting with flavor and intensity. Great coloring, nice aroma of fruit and malt. Flavor is both intense malt and bitter hops. The only issue is maybe it needs to cellar for a bit, a year or so to mellow out the intense bitterness. Other than that....its great!

(2008) Very big beer pours a rusty red. This is my first barleywine so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Flavor was complex with a nice balance of citrus and hops. Oh yeah, it also tastes like alcohol.

Bottle: Dark brown pour with a minimal light brown head. Aroma is a pretty strong citrus. First taste and alcohol hits you head on. No hiding it. Not bad seems more of a IPA than a barley wine. Not really a fan of brews with nothing else to offer except for alcohol.