So, Friday night, Charlie and I went on a late night beer run to supplement our dwindling beer supply and to pick up something for the girls. After leaving the Beer Cave, I noticed the six pack you can see above you. It had been awhile since I've had any "good" beer and so I picked up this $11.00 six pack and dropped it into the cart. The real selling point was that this beer was a barleywine. A barleywine is a high gravity, high alcohol content beer and I'd never had one before and always wanted to try one.
Sierra Nevada BigFoot Ale is made, like I said, in the barleywine style. 2009 is its 25th year of production. BigFoot Ale has won 8 awards over the years in barleywine, ale, strong ale categories. The 2009 has 9.6% alcohol by volume and you can defintily tell. It's strong. Here's a brief rating. It's been awhile since I've had to think about the dynamics of the beer I'm drinking, so it's not great...but enjoy.
Appearance: Head starts out thick (depending on the pour) and falls to thin, tan head. Mid-range rusty brown. Looks delicious. Very appealing.
Aroma: Fairly strong Cascade hop aroma. To me this literally "smells like a Sierra Nevada". Cascade hops have a very distinct smell, and I've come to associate it with the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Sweet smelling. A little malty?
Palate: Heavy consistency. Almost feels like a lighter stout. Medium-high carbonation.
Flavor: Initially, very sweet-tasting. Very strong Cascade flavor - finishes like a Sierra Nevada beer. I'm not getting a whole lot of malt, but my tasting skills could be hindered by months of drinking Bud Light at football games. If it's there, it's being masked by the Cascade hops, which makes sense - you've got to hide the alcohol behind something in a barley wine. The Cascade might be just a little too over-powering, but I actually like it.
Overall: I'm a big fan out of this beer - after months of American pilsners (with few a decent beers here and there...mostly my home brew), this beer is simply a relief. The only problem I have with this beer is the flavor could be a bit more complex. I don't really have any other barley wines I can compare this with, but overall I like it. The alcohol is definitly BIG in this beer. I can feel it after making it through my first glass. At 11.00$ a pop, it's on the expensive side for a six pack, but definitley worth it (really, it's more like getting a 12 pack if you think about it).
Final Grade: A-
Here are some more facts about BigFoot Ale from Sierra Nevada's website:
| alcohol content 9.6% by volume | bittering hops Chinook |
| beginning gravity 23.0 Plato | finishing hops Cascade & Centennial |
| ending gravity 6.0 Plato | dry hopping Cascade, Centennial & Chinook |
| bitterness units 90 | malts Two-row Pale & English Caramel |
| yeast Top-fermenting Ale Yeast |
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