Life And Limb - Barrel-Aged
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

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From:
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
Ranked #38
ABV:
12.8%
Score:
94
Ranked #2,462
Avg:
4.26 | pDev: 11.74%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
80
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 chippo33:
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Rated by chippo33 from Vermont

2/5  rDev -53.1%

Dec 04, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of Lucular
Reviewed by Lucular from Maryland

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, 2022
 
Rated: 3.84 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Nov 24, 2022
Photo of CBlack85
Reviewed by CBlack85 from South Carolina

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, 2022
Photo of mntlover
Reviewed by mntlover from Tennessee

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, 2022
 
Rated: 4.54 by BeardedWalrus from North Carolina

Aug 16, 2022
Photo of jkblr
Reviewed 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
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, 2022
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed 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
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, 2022
 
Rated: 4.21 by dbrauneis from North Carolina

May 07, 2022
Photo of BeanBump
Reviewed by BeanBump from California

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, 2019
Photo of Pontzie
Reviewed by Pontzie from Florida

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, 2018
Photo of mothman
Rated by mothman from Minnesota

3.17/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Batch 2
Oct 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.35 by Sanderson from Washington

Jan 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Moerdertaktiken from Texas

Aug 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by EROCK75 from Illinois

May 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by IPAIsaac from Delaware

May 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Mar 09, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Woodee from Texas

Feb 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by ChuckHardslab from Texas

Jan 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by deadliest from Texas

Oct 31, 2013
Life And Limb - Barrel-Aged from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 80 ratings