Bigfoot - Barrel-Aged
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Small pop when I removed the cork, it pours a clear dark reddish brown with a small amount of foam that shrinks to a ring around the glass.

The smell is of bourbon, vanilla, caramel malt that has a burnt character to it.

The taste is stronger than I even thought it would be. Bourbon is inmy face big time. Next big thing is the burnt/charred taste I mentioned in the smell.

Setting down with the flavours at hand, delicious notes of vanilla make a partial rescue to the flavour overload.

The mouthfeel, to me, is much lighter than expected and I reckon that's a good thing.

Overall, it is a cool brew to try, especially considering how limited a distro, I'm guessing it sees, but it needs time to mellow out like its little brother.

Edit: I forgot to mention that this is the newly released 2015 and is 11.9% abv. And as the beer warmed, the base beer's hoppiness came through.

 

2015 vintage, opened at 10 years old
750ml cork & cage bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours a deep ruby-amber color with a one-finger creamy off-white head that reduces to a ring and leaves some lacing behind

S- after 10 years, this one smells much more like an English style barleywine, with the malty sweet notes coming forward. Opens with caramel & toffee, followed by brown sugar, fruitcake & brown bread. Fruity undertones of dark cherry, fig & raisin. As it warms, the barrel emerges, adding oaky bourbon and a hint of vanilla''

T- caramel, brown sugar and toffee malty sweetness up front, immediately followed by some faded floral hop notes that are still sticking around. Mid-palate gives oaky bourbon barrel. The finish gives faded floral and citrus hops, with a linger of caramel. barrel and brown sugar

M- medium body with low carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that turns slightly creamy into a warming finish

Very good beer, a little too much alcohol flavor for my liking, I've had a lot of high ABV beers, and this one has more alcohol flavor than beers I've had with higher ABV's. 2018 & 2019 editions 90 IBUs Rated 4-3-2020

Had in 2023
Look - amber brown with nice rimming and lacing
Smell - caramel toffee and malty
Taste - very slight barrel but mostly a caramel toffee malty
Feel - medium full body lighter carb
OVerall - not much barrel

2015 bottle; drank Jan. 14, 2023.

**
2/2/2022

2015 bottle to snifter....following up a 2015 regular bigfoot.

Still boozy sfter 6+ years. Whiskey, hint of rum character.

Also lots of raisin, oak, leather ,

Sappy sticky finish.

Strong and bold and still untamed.

**

 

 

had this, 2016 bottle, while on a zoom call with my friends on what would usually be our yearly wine and cheese night, covid got in the way of those plans, also barelywine has wine in the name so good enough, this beer was crazy, so complex, such great depth of flavour, very floral and earthy, lot of pine, whiskey, brandy, dark malt flavours, pumpernickel bread, ovaltine, honey, caramel, honey, nicely sweet, medium to high bitterness on the finish, malt flavours linger, great beer

 

 

2015 vintage. Poured form a cork'n'cage bomber into a Dogfish head tulip

L: Cloudy chestnut brown pour. Thick foamy white head leaves great lacing.

S: Bourbon and vanilla. Booze... sweet sugars and spice.

T.F: Follows the nose. Brown sugar and toffee... bourbon and booze. Dark fruit, bread, and whiskey. Complex... some vanilla and spice. Thick and heavy bodied... sticky mouthfeel. Some bitterness comes through as well. Boozy but dangerously drinkable. Better as it warms a bit.

O: An outstanding BA barley-wine. It's hard to do this style this boozy this well, but Sierra Nevada nailed it. 5 years in the bottle and drinks like a dream.

 

Been waiting to do this for a while. A long day with lots of yardwork, I'm sore. Then campfire and smores with the kids, this is a nice top off, 2015 vintage

It has the consistency of fresh motor oil when it pours, thick and viscous, light foamy off-white head fair retention, fair lacing as well, long sticky legs, dark hazy mahogany brown color

Nose brings a great barleywine aroma, juicy malts, lots of sweet candy like malts but not too sweet, toffee, caramel, really nice soft almost winey aged slight oxidized malt character with some malt-derived ester fruits like plum, little raisiny, rich caramel, vanilla cream and mild barrel notes, with some smooth whiskey in the background almost Irish whiskey,

Taste starts with more of the rich malts, but this time big whiskey comes through, more American whiskey almost bourbon like, lots of vanilla barrel and vanilla cream, a little toasted oak, plenty of sweet malts, burnt brown sugar, candi sugar or rock candy like, lots of caramel and toffee, with more malt-derived fruity esters, light plum fig like, and a little aged malt slight oxidized sherry or port wine characters, toasted oak and a little baking spices, touch of coconut even, typical Bigfoot hoppy note, earthy spicy hops kick in with med-high bitterness, mild sticky finish with a bit of stickiness and lingering spicy hops

Mouth is med to fuller bod, rich almost chewy, med foamy carb, light warming alcohol

Overall what I expected, delicious, wish the barrel was a bit more, but maybe age dropped the barrel out a bit, hops are still very prevalent, and aged malt characters were nice, so overall still a great beverage, but hard to justify the huge price tag

 

 

 

5 oz pour on tap. This is a big, boozy barleywine that features caramel, oak, toffee, and citrus/pine hops with some bourbon. Too sweet and boozy for my taste. Mouthfeel is surprisingly thin. Unfortunately this one is a letdown for me.