-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Life And Limb - Barrel-Aged
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Beer Geek Stats
| Print Shelf Talker
- From:
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
- California, United States
- Style:
- American Strong Ale
Ranked #38 - ABV:
- 12.8%
- Score:
- 94
Ranked #2,463 - Avg:
- 4.26 | pDev: 11.74%
- Reviews:
- 23
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 06, 2022
- Added:
- Feb 25, 2011
- Wants:
- 19
- Gots:
- 6
This new version of our sought-after collaboration brew with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton Delaware rested for 10 months in American bourbon barrels. Barrel-Aged Life & Limb is dark mahogany-brown in color with massive aromas reminiscent of rich roasted malts, with heady notes of vanilla and toasted coconut from the oak. Round and early flavors dominate this full-bodied beer, with hints of maple, toasted pecan, and raisin.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by OoReFLuXoO:
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Lucular from Maryland
4.21/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
On tap at Frisco Taphouse in Crofton, MD. Very complex with oak, bourbon, vanilla, and roasted malts. An interesting beer that I need to find a way to try again.
Dec 06, 2022Reviewed by CBlack85 from South Carolina
4.06/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at The SN tap room in Asheville, served in a stemmed tulip.
The beer pours a deep brown color with ruby highlights. The smallish tan head recedes fairly quickly leaving behind a fair amount of lacing
The nose is roasted malt, maple, caramel, and bourbon barrel.
The taste is similar to the nose; sweet, roasty, nutty, with a nice bourbon barrel character. Medium bodied and mildy carbonated, with a slick mouthfeel.
Overall this is a very nice beer
Oct 21, 2022The beer pours a deep brown color with ruby highlights. The smallish tan head recedes fairly quickly leaving behind a fair amount of lacing
The nose is roasted malt, maple, caramel, and bourbon barrel.
The taste is similar to the nose; sweet, roasty, nutty, with a nice bourbon barrel character. Medium bodied and mildy carbonated, with a slick mouthfeel.
Overall this is a very nice beer
Reviewed by mntlover from Tennessee
4/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Deep brown with a small tan bar pour head, good lace. Malty, nutty, maple good wood notes, vanilla smooth malty treat. Flavor is good not quite as nice as DFH Palo Santo wood but still nice the light bourbon vanilla hints are nice. Definitely worth a try. Smooth no hint of the 12.8%.
Sep 26, 2022Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana
4.41/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.41/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Sample pour at Mills River. Dark brown color. The aroma is sweet malt and barrel. The taste is semisweet bourbon barrel soaked rich malt. Minimal bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. 12.8% ABV completely hidden. Overall, excellent.
Aug 15, 2022Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina
4.49/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.49/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Arrives tea colored with a one finger head; strong persistence and shards of lacing
Smell: Roasted malt, maple and caramel with oak, nut and Bourbon tones
Taste: Roasted malt, caramel and maple tones forward with hints of chocolate, pecan and raisin developing; the Bourbon, oak and toasted coconut emerge, in the middle, bringing a nice balance of flavors to linger through the finish
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation; slight warmth in the gullet
Overall: After a disastrous encounter with the base beer a dozen years ago, I was very pleased with the BA version
Aug 02, 2022Smell: Roasted malt, maple and caramel with oak, nut and Bourbon tones
Taste: Roasted malt, caramel and maple tones forward with hints of chocolate, pecan and raisin developing; the Bourbon, oak and toasted coconut emerge, in the middle, bringing a nice balance of flavors to linger through the finish
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation; slight warmth in the gullet
Overall: After a disastrous encounter with the base beer a dozen years ago, I was very pleased with the BA version
Reviewed by BeanBump from California
4/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
tumbled upon this in my local bottle shop and was enamored with the idea of both maple and birch syrup being used in this ale, so I figured I couldnt really go wrong. I was right; I didnt. This is a very good beer and has a nice albeit light, richness to it. The syrups mingle together well and give the beer just the right amount of sweetness with a tiny bit of herbal underlay. Really tasty stuff.
Jul 08, 2019Reviewed by Pontzie from Florida
4.75/5 rDev +11.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.75/5 rDev +11.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A found pair of barrells aged since 2011 by the former brewmaster at my local watering hole lead to a tap takeover by Sierra Nevada to celebrate the pouring of the last known kegs of this edition. June 2018.
Kind of a cool feeling to get in to something that doesn't exist anymore elsewhere.
L: dark dark dark strong ale pour with a thin fine head. Still, inky dark mahogany brown color. The carbonation push out through the middle to the edge and slowly bubbles up to the surface.
S: I was told to expect maple but I didn't sense much of that type of sweetness. Instead, I encountered bready malts, a mellow vanilla and bourbon scent. However, there was not a lot of barrel aged woodiness to the scent, instead it was as if the bourbon were added as opposed to the beer being barrel aged. Earthy and delicious scent punctuate the age of this barrel.
T: All of the goodness of the smell translates across the palate when sipping this ale. A ripened plum note initially surprises and carries into warm and delicious bread and Earth flavor in the middle. The finish is crisp and clean for a strong ale. The alcohol is carried perfectly through.
F: The age of this barrel did some funky things here. The beer flattened out and the carbonation that was left tended to escape in odd patterns. Who knows what the real alcohol content was but it was surely significantly higher than the 10.4 percent on the label. All of that alcohol can be a chore to carry but the flavors here handle it well.
O: A unique experience but a slight metallic twang stops this from being a heavenly experience. Fun to talk beer history and discuss Brewers who were visionary about doing crossover barrells of the best flavor before it became the latest trend. I would highly recommend this if you are some sort of evil super villain with access to hidden treasures and the means. Otherwise I'll mark it up as a lucky guy being in the right place at the right time.
Jun 18, 2018Kind of a cool feeling to get in to something that doesn't exist anymore elsewhere.
L: dark dark dark strong ale pour with a thin fine head. Still, inky dark mahogany brown color. The carbonation push out through the middle to the edge and slowly bubbles up to the surface.
S: I was told to expect maple but I didn't sense much of that type of sweetness. Instead, I encountered bready malts, a mellow vanilla and bourbon scent. However, there was not a lot of barrel aged woodiness to the scent, instead it was as if the bourbon were added as opposed to the beer being barrel aged. Earthy and delicious scent punctuate the age of this barrel.
T: All of the goodness of the smell translates across the palate when sipping this ale. A ripened plum note initially surprises and carries into warm and delicious bread and Earth flavor in the middle. The finish is crisp and clean for a strong ale. The alcohol is carried perfectly through.
F: The age of this barrel did some funky things here. The beer flattened out and the carbonation that was left tended to escape in odd patterns. Who knows what the real alcohol content was but it was surely significantly higher than the 10.4 percent on the label. All of that alcohol can be a chore to carry but the flavors here handle it well.
O: A unique experience but a slight metallic twang stops this from being a heavenly experience. Fun to talk beer history and discuss Brewers who were visionary about doing crossover barrells of the best flavor before it became the latest trend. I would highly recommend this if you are some sort of evil super villain with access to hidden treasures and the means. Otherwise I'll mark it up as a lucky guy being in the right place at the right time.
Rated by mothman from Minnesota
3.17/5 rDev -25.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.17/5 rDev -25.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Batch 2
Oct 24, 2015
Life And Limb - Barrel-Aged from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
94 out of
100 with
80 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!