Beer and StuffIt’s true!! Bigfoot found!!
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale 2013 is in my local grocery store, and I picked up a four pack. Such an amazing brew! This is the definition of barleywine if you ask me. Although a bit hoppier than most barleywines, I haven’t found one that I like more. Well, Dogfish Head Olde School is pretty damn awesome too, but that one is kind of a different beast: it’s got way more alcohol, for one thing, and isn’t comparable to bigfoot ale. Although both brews are fantastic, this post is about Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot ale, so we’ll stick to that!
I’m going to post my original review from more than a year ago, along with my edits for this year’s vintage:
Bigfoot!
Downright gorgeous to look at, deep amber with copper notes, clear, with a great 3 finger head that lasted forever and laced the glass with sticky chunks.
More like an IPA in the nose, hops are dominant and the typical barleywine smells are secondary. Piney and even grapefruit hops are pungent. A little caramel malt and a little fruitiness provide something other than hops as a side note.
Taste is bold and again, very hoppy. Tastes more like a barleywine than it smells, but still, this one is quite a bit like a DIPA in the taste department. The hop profile is just dominant as hell, this fact cannot be hidden. Fruity and caramel malt flavors do balance out the taste more so than the smell though, and overall it’s quite nice!
The body is thick and tangy but the alcohol is surprisingly well hidden. The hops even leave a bit of a bite on the aftertaste.
Honestly, this is a fine barleywine, albeit a lot hoppier and a bit different than I’m used to when I buy a barleywine. I really like this stuff. I can’t wait to see how it mellows. I’ve put a bottle away for a year, and another for two years, will re-try it again next march (and the one after that) and report back.
I really like trying new beers, and I hadn’t had this one yet. Overall I’d list it as “must try” Excellent job, SN!
Edit for 2013: once again, they nailed it. The original review is more than a year old, but now I’ve had 5 different years of vintages, both aged, and for the more recent years, fresh. Every time it’s just fantastic! Gold standard of barleywines. Monstrous hops and tons of delicious malts, one of my favorite beers anytime, from any brewery. If I decide to try and brew a barleywine, it will be based on this!
Cheers to Sierra Nevada for 2013 Bigfoot Ale!
Bigfoot Found!
Was working on a deck over on that side of town, and stopped at Freetail Brewery to see what bombers they had for takeout. There were four bombers available, and I didn’t know what any of them were all about, nor did I have the time to read about it or discuss it with the staff. So I picked the two IPA type beers to try later that day.
Two days later, we finished the job early, so we went to Freetail for lunch and a couple of beers. I saw that there was a third IPA in bombers for takeout, so I picked that one up too. I guess it’s Freetail “IPA week” for me! I’ll post the review of Soul Doubt IPA below.
The other two IPAs I picked up:
Velocihoptor (what a great name for an IPA!).
In addition, I had another round of Spirulina Wit, a delicious rye witbier with spirulina added to give it a wonderful and deliciously strange green color! At 3.9% ABV, it’s damn easy to drink, and I could easily have several of these in a sitting.
I also tried Uglie Ollie Stout, a delicious dry Irish stout that’s full bodied, but only 4.1% ABV. These two brews made a nice lunch (along with some delicious pizza from their food menu).
I am going to try to make it there this Saturday for the “battle of the wits” where they’ll have various varieties of their witbier for your drinking pleasure!
Cheers to Freetail!
Pours a nice amber to copper color, mostly clear, with a creamy head that left about a 1/4″ sheet of dense foam capped on top the whole way down, leaving sheets of nice sticky resinous lacing.
The aroma doesn’t blow me out of the water, by any means. It’s somewhat subdued, but I get Cara-Munich malt first, then some herbal, earthy hops.
Flavors much follow the aroma, but they stand out more, and leave me wondering why I don’t make it out to freetail more often! The Cara-Munich and aromatic malts (along with whatever crystal malts they used) make a great base, and an unusual one for an IPA. I like the innovation! It’s well hopped, but balanced very well with the moderate ABV and bold malty backbone. There’s a little citrus, but I am getting mostly heavily earthy and lightly floral or grassy hop flavors.
This IPA is very unusual, and very likeable. Just don’t expect to be getting a standard west coast 47 lbs of hops per five gallons type of IPA. This beer is well crafted and delicious, but it’s not Pliny the Younger or Heady Topper.
Cheers to Freetail brewery for this brew!
Pike IPA is next on my blogging/reviewing list. It’s pretty darn tasty stuff!
Coppery and clear, light tan head wasn’t bad and lacing was good.
Aroma is subdued but nice, earthy hops, piney resin, light malts.
Taste is pretty balanced, if a bit heavy on the earthy hops side. Malts are ample and create a nice balanced beer. I think the munich malt adds a nice dimension, it’s not something I see a lot in IPAs.
Body is medium and actually pretty drinkable, despite the rather heavy malt and hops assault on your tastebuds.
Overall this beer makes me want to try more of Pike’s beers. That should say it all right there.
Beer and Stuff 