Bigfoot
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

BigfootBigfoot
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From:
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
Ranked #84
ABV:
9.6%
Score:
92
Ranked #4,599
Avg:
4.14 | pDev: 11.35%
Reviews:
3,224
Ratings:
7,908
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 10, 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 DaPeculierDane:
Photo of DaPeculierDane
Reviewed by DaPeculierDane from Wisconsin

4.07/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Simultaneous tasting of 2000, 2003, and 2006 vintages in midwinter of 2006.

Appearance: The 06 and 03 are fairly equal in terms of carbonation and head. 00 is lacking. All three are semi-cloudy, light orange/ruby brown. 00 lacks some life in color and body.

Aroma: The 06 reminds me more of an IPA than a Barley Wine. I’m still getting used to American Barley Wines so this is a learning experience as much as anything. Pine sap is oozing out of the 06. I think I could smell it clear across the room…just checked…I could. Strong alcoholic caramel notes are also present but really covered by the hops. Citrus and floral spice are strong as well. Everything hops are supposed to be and more can be found within these confines. As expected, the 03 is less blistering but still heavily hopped – actually to a degree considerably greater than I would have expected. One can tell that SN really loads the hops into this one. After three years, a lot of hop oils must have broken down yet the 03 barley wine still ranks with the hoppier of American Barley Wines that I’ve tasted. It’s pretty cool. Also as expected, the 00 has really lost most of its hops. This isn’t exactly a bad thing. I prefer English Barley Wine and I find the 00 to be just delicious. The caramel is a alive as ever. It’s deeply earthy and subtle dark fruit flavors that go entirely missed in the younger vintages are present here. I think I pick up cherries and plums.

Taste: Following aroma, the 06 is largely hops with some minimal caramel content. Hop lingering in the finish is up there with perhaps the 5 hoppiest beers I’ve had. One sip leaves a hop oil residue for a good two minutes. Intensity is exceptional. The 03 is a step down but once again surprises with some pretty discombobulating hops. Caramel flavors are more pronounced but only slightly. Some wood and sweet grains are present. The 00 vintage on the other hand is loaded with sweet caramel, earth, dates, and Japanese plum wine.

Mouthfeel: Obviously, the 06 is dry as Antarctica and blisteringly bitter. Beyond that the sweet alcohol plays a large roll as does lively biting carbonation. 03 compares as in the aroma and flavor – same as the 06 but smaller, although bitterness in the finish is considerably lessened here. The 00, despite its many fine qualities, has lost a lot of its zing here. Carbonation levels are below where they should be. A lot of the bite is gone. All that remains is a burn from the alcohol but even that seems mellow in comparison to the ass kicking tongue attack of the 06 and 03. Body is too flat and lifeless compared to following years.

Drinkability: The combination of high ABV and crazy hops in the younger vintages is a problem for me when it comes to drinkability. My taste buds simply aren’t that mature (read old and dead) yet, maybe if I started smoking… At any rate, it’s not a knock on the beer, just personal preferences coming into play. The 00 would be more drinkable for me because of the hop mellowing but the lack of vitality in the body becomes a problem.

Overall: Impressive beer that ages well and changes drastically, although not necessarily for the worse, over time. I am pleased by all three vintages and curious to try others. Peak seems to be sometime before the beer hits three years.
Jun 19, 2006
More User Ratings:
Photo of Mack-Thrice
Reviewed by Mack-Thrice

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
Photo of MadMadMike
Reviewed by MadMadMike from France

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 ounce bottle, fridge chilled. Dark amber, khaki foam.
Aroma is a bit all over and it takes a moment to call out the pine and malt and woods.
Taste is malty and hops balanced at first drink, then comes apart on the palate., caramel, pine, white pepper. Solid bitterness. Alcohol is present, as it should be for the American Barleywine style.
Feel is mid-weight, mid-carb.
Overall, good sud, a little busy, but not in a bad way. Better as it warms.
May 15, 2023
Bigfoot from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 7908 ratings