Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

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

This is by far one of the best barleywines that I have ever had. The aroma is extremely fruity with a bit of a sharp cheese smell. The taste is slightly oily with a liquid vitamin kind of mouthfeel, no head at all, just pitchblack in the appearance. Lots of dark fruits, with a very balanced and full bodied flavor. Very warming and satisfying, I wish I could get a case of this.

2006 bottle Clear ruby-tinged amber with a small tan head. Friuty, caramel-malt aroma with Flavor has fruit and pine notes combined with caramel-malt tastes and a medium hop bitterness especially in the aftertaste. 8/4/8/4/16 4.0 2005 bottle Similar but a little hops in the nose. 1998 bottle from mwsf. Still very decent but a little oxidized with a little hop bitterness in the finish. 7/4/7/3/14 tasted on 1/24/08 2001 bottle 4/6/08 Still great with some hop bitterness and hops in the flavor but mostly gone from the nose! No longer an argument about TIPA or BW, just a great BW! 8/4/9/4/17 4.2 1999 bottle from mwsf! (4/20/08)Excellent, not oxidized at all unlike the 1998 I had. Still hoppy in the flavor along with all the caramel, dark fruitiness, and light sweetness. Excellent! 8/4/9/4/17/4.2

OK, I love hops and all, but does Seirra Nevada have to put so many into ALL of their beers, regardless of style? The hop character is great in their pale ale and celebration ale, but it ruined the stout for me, and it pretty much ruins this one for me, too. It has a fruity, almost vinous aroma, with hints of alcohol. The flavor has some malty, sticky sweetness, with some fruity esters, but the hops kick the crap out them, steal their lunch money, and force them to hide in the background. I think this will be great with some age, if the hop character mellows out, but my young sample isn't all that great. [re-rate, original: 3.4] Alright, after some consideration, and several additional tasting, I must appraciate this beer for what it is, and not penalize it for what it is not. I am quite the hop head, and this has hops out the wazoo, and it has enough malt to satisfy the malt lover as well, so it is really the best of both worlds. I need to pick up SEVERAL more six packs, some for drinking, some for aging, because I know this will be great for years to come.

The aroma is really nice with spruce hops, fruit, oak, and molasses. The flavor on the other hand is not as nice. It is way beyond bitter. There is a nice caramel flavor but the oak, alcohol, and pine/turpentine bitterness are hard to take. The appearance is red brown with a huge head. The palate is rich and full. While there are certainly nice elements I think this could have been so much better. It took me a loooong time to drink it.

(Draught at Bishop’s Arms, Västra Hamngatan, Gothenburg, 31 July 2007) Dark ruby colour with firm beige head. Fruity nose with notes of grapefruit, blood oranges, rubbery hops and a strange, herbal notion of dill (?). Fruity, hoppy taste with loads of hops, grapefruit and blood oranges, evolving into marzipan and chocolate, ending in a heavily hopped finish. Full body, oily texture. Rather sweet, actually a bit too sweet. Hardly balanced, but loads of malt and loads of hops make this a lovely beer to be savoured slowly.

35,5 cl bottle. No yeast at the bottom. Amber colour with a nice small lance head. Very hoppy aroma of fruit and alcohol, also hints of maltness. Extremely hoppy flavour, speciel for an English Barley Wine style, but ends up with a warm feeling from the alcohol.

(2004 Draft: O'Brien's in SD) True to barleywine ales, Bigfoot is thick, sweet, alcoholic, malty and strong flavored; True to Sierra Nevada, Bigfoot is strongly bitter, especially in the long lasting finish; Deep red, almost brown in color with a lot of fine, muddy sediment in the bottom of the bottle which yields a thoroughly cloudy beer; Light tan head with average retnetion and a fairly dense lacing

My first barley wine. Pours a rusty copper with a consistent tan head. A great hoppy Barley Wine. The malty back offers hints of raisins and roasty caramel. Very fruity and dry with tons of cascade, floral hoppyness. Finish is long and warming. A classic!