Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

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

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.

pours a gold maroon color with a medium sized yellow head. Thich caramel and citrus spice aromas. Full bodied with a clinging syrupness to it. Almost seems to get stuck to your teeth. Intensly sweet malt flavors with a strong lasting bitterness. Rich, spicy orange hop flavors comes through the initial sweetness. Full and powerful beer. I bought a six pack and it is going to last a while. Very good but definitely not a session beer.

Bottle 07... Damn! Smells like an IPA! Dark amber in color with a decent head. Bitter and sweet at the same time. Also fruit, malty and sugary. Did I mention HOPS! Thick in texture. Reminds me of Iron Hills Sasquatch but more hops. I want to let one of these bad boys age. Mellow out a little. Good brew though.

2007 Bottle. Pours ruby color in the glass with an off-white head that is almost yellow and leaves some lasting and lacing. Hoppy aroma with some herb spices and hints of pine. The flavor stays the same with hops, spices and hints of a fruit and malt background. Medium body and bitter throughout. Slight alcohol warming. (Rating from June ’07)

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.