Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Barleywine (2009 edition) is quite a common beer;however, I have always passed it up in the beer aisle. Why? Who knows? It just never enticed me. So drinking it last night for the Sip With Us Saturday was the first time I had tried it. I was excited to try it, as I’ve been on a bit of an unseasonal barleywine kick, and was hoping Bigfoot Barley wine was a home run for me, since I was forced into buying a six pack instead of a single.
The Pour:
As I pried off the bottle cap, only a slight “hiss” escaped from the bottle. I poured into a brandy snifter (my vessel of choice for transporting beer into my throat when consuming barleywine style) and was surprised to see how uncarbonated this beer was. When I pour my beer, I like to pour so as to encouraged head and release aroma. But with this barleywine, there was little to no head. In fact, there was only about a millimeter of head that gathered only against the glass.
The Aroma:
Perhaps it was a moment of divine premonition, but even before I put my nose to the glass, I just knew that this beer was going to be hoppy. I was right. Escaping from the coppery liquid were intense floral and citrus hop notes, classically grapefruity(not classic barleywine, classic Pacific Northwest Hop Addiction). Caramel undertones and mocha tones backed up the acidic aroma. I was instantly skeptical…it just didn’t smell like what I was looking forward to.
The Taste:
Hello hop. I was so taken aback by how IPA-ish this brew was, I had to do a double take to pinpoint the flavors. The hop flavor tasted like it came right out of a double IPA. Rich and floral, gin like qualities, with a most distinct white grapefruit flavor. The malty flavor, once you could push further, was pretty good. There were some roasted nut qualities I missed in the aroma, similar to hazelnut. There were some typical barleywine qualities: burnt grain flavors with fig and grape notes. However, these flavors were hard to discern, due to the constant bitter hop. The aftertaste was absolutely delightful. After swallowing, out of nowhere comes a powerful cocoa flavor, that reminded me of a Fruit and Nut Cadbury candy bar. Delicious!
Overall thoughts:
Overall, I was a bit let down. I felt like this beer was WAY overhopped and thus strayed quite far from the style it was going for. Don’t get me wrong, I encourage diversity in style, but this beer tasted more like a barleywine flavored IPA than a barleywine with IPA qualities. It was like opening a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup package and finding a Snickers Bar inside. You like Snickers, but wanted what you payed for…the Reese’s! I am going to drink one more of my six pack to see if it is as non carbonated, and stick the rest in the cellar and wait for it to age and mature.
Nate’s Rating:
Overall Satisfaction: 
Among other Barleywines:
I hear if you drink the whole 6 pack you actually see Bigfoot.
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Here’s a guy that disagrees with your review:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f218/LJDolan/Bigfoot5a.jpg
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@beer_scientist…as a closet conspiracy theorist, I may have to.
@howardf…fantastic pic. I think it may inspire a post along the lines of “what beer would you tatoo across your back”
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What an ape. There was nothing more meaningful to this guy than that beer?
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I’m with you on this one! BUT, I bet in 2 years when the hops have become an underlying flavor, this will be a great beer. I just did a Barleywine Beer Brawl™ (http://www.simplybeer.com/blog/2009/07/29/beer-brawl%e2%84%a2-20-barleywine/) What we found is the Barleywines that were 2-3 years old, were consistently a full grade better then the current production year. If you can, find a 2007 version of the Bigfoot and I bet you might have a different opinion.
I also noticed that rogue and schlafly just released there 2008 Barleywines. Unlike Sierra Nevada, they aged the beer for a year before releasing it to the public. That will have a huge difference in taste.
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I saw your review of this beer. What the hell was with that last jerk. Man! Talk about taking it personally. I also agree about the beer. Those hops acids really break down and become less pronounced. Also, the beer tends to become a little sweeter. I’ve had some stuff that I’ve aged and it does make a difference. Actually, I just wrote an article about some of these brewers that tell you not to cellar their IPA or whatever style. http://thankheavenforbeer.com/2009/07/27/who-do-you-think-you-are-dont-tell-me-how-to-drink-your-beer/ Of course, I give them their due attention and ignore such admonitions. I’ve got about 200 or so beers cellaring and am excited to see what the future holds.
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@SimplyBeer, right on…I’ve got a few in the cellar now. My plan was to drink one every six months just to see how the hops flavor disintegrates. I did read your barleywine beer brawl…I’m with you on the schlafly.
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