Bigfoot
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

BigfootBigfoot
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From:
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
Ranked #81
ABV:
9.6%
Score:
92
Ranked #4,590
Avg:
4.14 | pDev: 11.35%
Reviews:
3,224
Ratings:
7,909
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 20, 2024
Added:
Feb 06, 1998
Wants:
  445
Gots:
  1,930
Bigfoot is a beast of a beer, brimming with bold flavors of bittersweet malt and heaps of aggressive whole-cone Pacific Northwest hops. First introduced in the winter of 1983, Bigfoot is a cult-classic beer brewed in the barleywine style, meaning a strong, robust, bruiser of a beer with the refined intensity of a wine. Bigfoot is prized by beer collectors for its supreme cellarability. Under the proper conditions, it can age like a fine wine, developing new flavors and character as it matures in the bottle. Each new release or “expedition” is vintage dated. Collect your own and see the flavors develop and progress.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by CHickman:
Photo of CHickman
Reviewed by CHickman from New York

4.48/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
2010 BigFoot BarleyWine Style Ale: Pours cloudy blood red with a creamy/foamy 2 finger tan head that lasted a while and left a creamy layer on top as the beer went down; a lot of sediment floating in the beer and great lacing that clings to the glass. Love the artwork on the bottle as well!

Smells of floral hops, piney hops, really sweet malt, caramel, syrup, wheat bread and brown sugar. Very hoppy nose that is also incredibly sweet and inviting even with the alcohol present in the aroma. This beer lets you know from the star that it's got a kick.

Huge sweet malt and hop flavor up front, followed by the alcohol heat that tasted like rum or bourbon; this tastes of floral hops, citrus hops, piney hops, sweet malt, caramel, dark fruit like plum and or raisin, orange peel, grapefruit, light brown sugar, some vanilla as well as molasses. Very sweet, yet somewhat bitter like an IPA from the hops. This is a strong beer and has a very good balance, with a bitter pucker in the finish which leaves a combo of toasted grains, sweet malt and grapefruit or citrus hops. A real nice beer to sip and savor, I found this extremely enjoyable on the palate.

Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth with very little carbonation and an oily feel; body was heavy and chewy, but still managed to go down easy even with the alcohol presence.

Drinkability was good, especially considering the high ABV, but this is a beer to end the night with or just enjoy slowly. A very tasty beer that I would definitely have again and highly recommend!

2011 BigFoot BarleyWine Style Ale: Pours hazy blood red with brown and orange accents near the edges and a massive bubbly/creamy/foamy 2 finger tan head that faded very slowly and left excellent lacing with foamy rings going down the glass; the head was so solid it didn't move for a while and looked like a foam cloud and then when it was gone it left a creamy layer on top. A really great looking beer.

Smells of huge hops up front, with the malty sweetness, with caramel, toffee, wet bread, grains, dark fruits, brown sugar and some alcohol that smelled like it was aged in a wine barrel. Just like the 2010 brew, this has a very hoppy nose that's incredibly sweet and inviting even with the alcohol present in the aroma.

Tastes like it smells, with huge hops up front, floral hops, piney hops, citrus hops, then followed by the alcohol heat, sweet malt, pepper or hop spices, caramel, dark fruit like plum or raisin, orange peel, brown sugar, toffee, molasses and the wine barrel aging hints. It's sweet, but the hops provide enough alcohol punch to make it like an IPA with just enough spice flavor. A slight bitter pucker in the finish.

Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth with very low carbonation and an oily feel, a medium body, and some chewyness to it; it's heavy and you can sense the alcohol presence, but it's still a really great beer that goes down easier than it should.

Drinkability was very good, especially considering the high ABV. Not a session beer, but a very tasty beer that I look forward to drinking each winter. Highly recommend again!

2012 BigFoot BarleyWine Style Ale: Spot on and amazing again; had it fresh and just cracked open a bottle over a year later and this beer ages with the best of them. To me the most impressive aspect may be how well the head stands up and sticks around after a year of aging; taste, smell and experience are all equally impressive both fresh and aged.

9/13/2016: Had a 2016 bottle and it was equally malty and hoppy, with sharp piney hops coming off like rye before the citrus and herbal notes resume control. Smooth and well balanced, it goes down easier than it should for a 9.6% ABV brew.
Aug 08, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 5 by PhucklesTheClown from West Virginia

Mar 20, 2024
Photo of Mack-Thrice
Reviewed by Mack-Thrice from Florida

3.83/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Not much nose, could be just me. Mouthfeel is huge, alcohol is hidden.
Taste is really good, gets better as you go.
For the $, this is a bargain, considering what you’re getting.
Oh yeah! I’d buy this again. Good job from SN brewing.
Mar 10, 2024
Photo of Tolianych_Pivomnabuhanych
Rated by Tolianych_Pivomnabuhanych from Vermont

5/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
An annual seasonal fave of mine. A barleywine-style brew carefully balancing rich malts and respectable hop resin at a party in your mouth!
Feb 26, 2024
Photo of jonphisher
Reviewed by jonphisher from New Jersey

4.58/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
A beautiful looking beer; clear and a beautiful super ruby hued color, big fluffy off-white head that leaves some sticky lacing, above average retention, giving it a swirl revives a thick creamy cap that lingers and subsequently laces as it settles.

The nose is well; heavenly its pine and sap heavy but there are floral undertones that make it smell like a pine tree potpourri, malt presence is there, caramelized and melding with toasty qualities.

The taste is sticky and pine heavy, white pine needles in hop form, but so much better; they meld with the malt and give this a caramelized and sappy flavor all at once with just a hint of toastiness in the aftertaste.

Big beer; high medium, super smooth on the palette, its carbonation is so smooth and creamy as it coats the whole tongue with all the aforementioned pine and sap; which comes off as very resin heavy now in feel, big bitterness on the finish, a hint of alcohol but nothing off putting; it is there to remind you to beware of drinking to fast.
Feb 19, 2024
 
Rated: 4 by Oktoberfest from Ohio

Feb 18, 2024
Photo of FRANKHAZE
Rated by FRANKHAZE from Florida

4.07/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Beautiful copper red, aggressive hop presence, malty, smooth mouthfeel. Solid.
Feb 16, 2024
 
Photo of averageninjaface
Reviewed by averageninjaface from Alaska

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
very good, drinking this right now and i like the strength and easy drinkability, my only gripe is the nose is a bit isoproply, if thats a word? anyways, the taste is kinda heavy im not gonna lie but man this tastes like a beer the badass vikings would drink, heavy strong and raw, good stuff!
Feb 11, 2024
Photo of LeinenkugelDrinker
Reviewed by LeinenkugelDrinker from Nevada

4.05/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
Review for the 2024 Bigfoot only.

Look: Absolutely stunning deep cherry red. Medium-high head.
Smell: I have to say, the smell is underwhelming. Light malt.
Taste: Malty and boozy with a slight sweetness to it. Leaves a piney aftertaste.
Feel: High in the mouth with a good amount of carbonation on the tongue.
Overall: An excellent brew, very easy to enjoy. Yes, I would recommend.
Jan 25, 2024
Photo of wiggibow
Reviewed by wiggibow from Nebraska

4.59/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
2023 release, bottle says packaged on December 1st, 2022 so it's just a hair over a year old.

Absolutely loving this one, I won't claim to be any sort of expert in judging a flavor profile, but I can say for certain that this beer is very complex in (for me) the absolute best of ways. The almost caramel-like malty sweetness fights the intensely bitter piney hops back and forth on the palette, continuously saving it from becoming either too sweet or too bitter; always landing somewhere in the middle but never lingering there too long.

A lot to dissect here, which I could see being either a good or a bad thing depending who you ask. For me, it's a home run. This bottle was part of a mixed sixer, but I now feel obligated to go buy a full six pack and set a couple aside to see how things develop as it ages. Lovely beer!
Dec 04, 2023
Photo of guitarguyny
Rated by guitarguyny from New York

3.53/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Like most of Sierra Nevada offerings, much too hoppy/bitter for my liking. May need to age some
Oct 17, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by ctbeerman1 from Connecticut

Sep 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.19 by jbolger from Connecticut

Aug 15, 2023
Photo of robwired
Reviewed by robwired from Kansas

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
"Barleywine-style." Not a barleywine.
This 2023 brew came up with a two-finger beige head when poured into a snifter. Malty nose.
The flavor is intriguing. Roast pine, piney hops. Caramel.
The finish needs smoothed out with aging. A little bitter, which is OK, and malt on the back end. The label reads, "... or cellar ... ," but I won't.
Jul 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by Patches826 from Massachusetts

Jul 17, 2023
Photo of Otter-the-Beer-Man
Reviewed by Otter-the-Beer-Man from Maryland

3.97/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
L: deep red color. Beige head forms at the pour. Thin half inch head dissipates slowly. Active carbonation maintains throughout the pint.
S: malt, caramel
T: malt, warm smooth alcohol, caramel again
F: fizzy and warmth. Piney feel works up through the nose.
O: very nice beer. Will drink a couple and put a few away for later.
Jul 14, 2023
 
Rated: 4.22 by BLVBBERGIXLL from Arizona

Jul 07, 2023
Photo of Mindcrime1000
Reviewed by Mindcrime1000 from South Dakota

3.91/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
A 2023 iteration bottled on January 12, 2023 and poured into a tulip about five months later.

Pours dark/amber brown. Excellent head. Initially, it releases big bubbles from the bottom of the pour that slowly bubble up. Good retention and lacing.

Aromas of dark fruit and piney hops, along with some modest citrus.

The brew delivers initial sticky-bready caramel-malt sweetness balanced almost immediately by white pepper and pine hoppiness. As the brew warms, a distinct grapefruit citrus note rounds out the middle, along with raisin, peach, and molasses. Some anise, tobacco and leather are trying to manifest, but need some time to mature. Not as boozy as feared. There are quite a few different things going on here.

Full bodied for sure, it nevertheless is very drying and tingly, which makes each sip welcome.

Overall, I understand why this brew can be polarizing, because there is nothing subtle or nuanced about a newer bottle of this brew. Regardless, this is a very flavorful American Barleywine that is excellent, but would probably be better with a little more age to smooth things out from what is currently pretty wild.
Jun 25, 2023
Photo of talon757
Reviewed by talon757 from Montana

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This one appeared in our local grocery rural Montana grocery store and and I thought it worth a try. Up front, I'll admit that the word "Barleywine" grabbed my eye and I missed the word, "Style". While after buying the first sixpack for (at our store) a very reasonable price of $11.50 I then came back for the other four, I liked it very much for what it was, not what it purported to be. If you are looking for a Barleywine, this isn't it. If instead, you are looking for an very excellent dark imperial IPA this is the one! Hops to spare and definitely a worthwhile pint to keep in your stock. If this sounds like it works for you then by all means grab some. I am glad I found it.
May 19, 2023
Bigfoot from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 7909 ratings