So many hops I think I'm a frog. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale/Barley Wine
Written: Aug 16 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A Hoppy Treat.
Cons: Strong (in alcohol and mouth-numbing hops)
The Bottom Line: Great after dinner desert beer for the hop-head.
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| roymeo's Full Review: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale |
Ribbit
Well, Pookie and I headed down to what we had believed was to become our local watering hole here in Rochester NY, MacGreggor's, to show off our new hair/hair-colors. And for some reason, after we'd eaten and already had a beer, we both, completely independently decided that we'd like a Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale from the Barley Wine section of the draft beer menu.
That noise you hear is the jealousy of beer nerds everywhere. Yes, I'll say it again. We have draft Bigfoot at a cool, local bar. 20oz Pints, a door-guy reading Akira, their own exclusive Custom Brewcrafters microbrew: MacGreggor's Amber ale, and $3.00 goblets of Bigfoot.
So, knowing that a barley wine has a high alcohol content, we decided to split one so we could drive home sometime that night and not have to sleep in the bar (We left the tent at home this time). The sassy bartender brought us out our goblet with two straws since we said we wanted to split it. (Pookie says, "Don't drink it through a straw." Apparently it not only goes all foamy, but jumps back to the back of your throat and makes it go numb.)
This is the first Barley Wine I've ever had, so much of this was new to me as far as the style goes. I'll have to report back on others available as MacGreggors...
Propaganda
Since we had this on draft, I've had to check out http://www.sierranevada.com/html/beers/bigfoot.htm for propaganda (which refers to the bottle version, IFF there is any difference).
Gold Medal Winner
Great American Beer Festival
Ales: Brown, Bitter and Pale 1987, Barleywine 1988,1992,1995
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale is an award winning example of the English barleywine ale style. It boasts a dense, fruity bouquet; an extremely rich, intense, bittersweet palate; and a deep, reddish-brown color. This ale is superbly balanced between an almost overpowering maltiness and a wonderfully bittersweet hoppiness.
Alcohol Content: 9.6 % by volume
Beginning Gravity: 23 Plato
Ending Gravity: 6.0 Plato
Yeast: Top Fermenting Ale Yeast (Pacman)
Bittering Hops: Nugget
Finishing Hops: Cascade
Dry Hops: Centennial & Cascade
Malts: Two-row Barley Malt, Caramel Malt, Dextrin Malt
Head
I was surprised at the amount of head that something with "wine" in it's name had. Our goblet had about 1/2 an inch of head when we got it and it kept a bit of a head on it the entire time. Perfect for any beer.
Color
Just shy of garnet colored. Clear.
Aroma
"Old school hop aroma, Saaz/Haulertauer/Tettnaug" I'd written down in the bar. I was surprised to read on the website that it's dry hopped with Centennial and Cascade hops, I was expecting it to be Nobel hops from the deep dark hoppy bouquet.
Flavor, Body, Finish
This started out bitter on the lips, which was the first sign that this was going to be something else. This is malty, but you have to pay attention to that part, because it is extremely hopped. "Cascade!" hops all over the place.
Medium to Full body, or at least that's how it felt as my tongue and the roof of my mouth went numb from the hops. A touch of citrus on the finish.
Not having the two side-by-side to compare, mind you (though they do have that on tap, too), this reminded me quite a bit of a Rogue Brutal Bitter, due to it's over-indulgent use of hops. This does have quite a bit of malt to it, though, which the Brutal Bitter does not, so that does help balance it a little.
Pookie said, regarding this beer the next day, "But I LIKE to be kicked in the face by my beer." Have I mentioned that she's a hop-head?
Aftertaste
This very bitter aftertaste lasts as least for a couple of minutes.
Warm
More round, a touch less of the bitter (or maybe I just couldn't taste any more).
Conclusion
Pookie (the hop-head) was trying to lick the remaining "Belgian lace" from the goblet after we finished. We might have ordered more, but the bartender said "Sure...Next week." when I asked for two more goblets.
This is a good BIG beer, nice to have every once in a while, on a full stomach. I'd recommend beer lovers and hop heads to give it a try after a spicy meal.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
roymeo
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Location: SF, CA
Reviews written: 79
Trusted by: 105 members
About Me:
pseudo-intellectual altie-poser taken to self-deprecation
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