Tag Archives: american barleywine

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 9.6%
Style: Barleywine – American
Other Notes: 90 IBUs. Malts – Caramelized & Two-row Pale. Hops – Cascade, Centennial & Chinook

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Extreme in the ‘80s and a force of flavor today. Bigfoot is a timeless beast of a beer, forever tracked for its enormous malt body and sheer hop intensity. Drink it fresh, or cellar each year’s expedition to unleash a world of new flavors over time.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.23
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle, 2023 vintage, packaged 10th January 2023. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy copper amber colour with a half finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Fruity, candied mixed berries, sweet grapes (muscat maybe?), piney, orange peel, caramel, toffee, and a touch of tea leaves.
Taste: Sweet beginnings, with a light to moderate bitter finish. The middle is a collection of candied dried fruit, pine, toffee, caramel, and orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice balance between sweet and bitter. Now that I don’t think I can find this regularly, I want more…

Mikkeller Big Worster

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 15.7%
Style: Barleywine – American
Other Notes: Brewed by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium

Brewer Description: (from bottle) American-style Barley Wine ale.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.77
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 375ml capped and foiled bottle, with a best before date of 1st July 2025. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A cloudy dark orangey brown colour with a very thin beige head that dissipated almost immediately while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, plum, prunes, and fig.
Taste: Sweet, dark fruit, dried fruit, plum, prunes, dates, fig, with notes of caramel, toffee, and booze.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft to no carbonation.
Overall: A little sweeter than I prefer, but still a decent sipper.