 Perm (135), Tryon, North Carolina, USA
Apr 28, 2008
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.
timfoolery (344), California, USA
Sep 5, 2008 2008 bottle. A very good Barleywine put out by Sierra, the Bigfoot shows a different side of the company. Usually, all of their beers taste the same, due to their signature hops and process, but the Bigfoot is much more malty and tasty. I couldn’t drink it all night, but it’s great for sippin.
NomDeBeer (150), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Sep 4, 2008 2008 bottle. Aroma is sweet caramel and floral hops. Mahogony color with a small off-white head. Taste is caramel, mabey a touch of peat, alcohol (but not too much), bitter citrus hops. Sticky mouthfeel that completely saturates the palate. Long after taste that seems to include a bit of oak Huge beer with very assertive flavors.
FlssmrBrewAlum (205), South Chicago Suburbs, Illinois, USA
Aug 27, 2008 Draft at the Clark Street Ale House (Chicago, IL). Paid a visit after the bachelor party dinner at Fogo. Pours a very nice reddish brown pour fairly hazed with a nice tan head. Aromas are strong, large hoppiness and sweet malt profile are clearly there with this brew. Initial is lovely, a very well hopped barleywine. The hops take center stage in the upfront bittering but lead the way to a mellowing out through the sweet malts. Very well balanced. Heavy bodied with the bitter hops moving to caramel malts, sweet fruits, and touches of more bitterness. Very nice and well worth the wait I’ve given it. Cheers!
hirigalzkar (15), Stockholm, Sweden
Aug 26, 2008 Updated: Aug 30, 2008Bottle (Vintage 2005). I´m not sure if this vintage Bigfoot was better or not than a fresh one. It was definitely more balanced, but on the other side less hoppy.
skoisirius (477), Seattle, Washington, USA
Aug 25, 2008 Have sampled on draft, bottled, and aged 1- 12 years. There’s not much left to say about a beer that has been brewed for around 20 years with over 1700 ratings! So I’ll say this: this was the first barleywine my palate ever touched, and I owe it to Cory and the Bigfoot for my appreciation of a huge ridiculous beer with too much malt and hops going down in it...thank god for American Barleywines!
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