Cracked my last 2013 open tonight, the next oldest Bigfoot I’ve ever had was 3 years old. It’s been a while since I’ve done proper tasting notes on a beer, so I’m curious if what I’m tasting lines up with the experience of others. Mostly I just want some assurance that the beer is still good…which would mean my cellaring method works…
Anyway, here goes:
Appearance:
Crystal-clear reddish copper. Thin head that still laces nicely. Doesn’t show any legs when swirled.
Aroma:
Best described as cherry pipe tobacco. Honestly the more I smell it the more it reminds me of aromatic style pipe tobacco. Maybe a hint of anise? Or cinnamon?
Mouthfeel:
A touch tannic/astringent…ok maybe more than a touch. Medium body, good bit of drying/puckering on the tongue.
Flavor:
The first thing you notice is a slam of hop tannins, then a slight caramel almost-sweetness. Honestly it’s still so bitter it’s hard to call it sweet, but there’s some there. Then it fades to just bitter…and kinda resolves to almost a pipe bite like tannic thing. Maybe almost anise? Kinda almost a Jagermeister herbal/Anise thing.
Yep. We’ve had many vertical tastings with Bigfoot in my club and I find that somewhere in the 4 to 6 yr old range is the sweet spot for that beer. Younger than that and it tends to be too hoppy and harsh, while older than that tends to show its age with excessive sherry notes.
I was just looking at my cellar this evening. I’ve got one 2008 left and a few from every vintage since. I had a 2008 earlier this year and it still had a lot of bitterness, but the flavor was very smooth. I was expecting more sherry-like flavors from oxidation, but it wasn’t there. I agree with Martin that 4-6 is probably the peak, but I’ve enjoyed trying beers that are older than my 8 year old cats.
I was part of a group in spring 2017 that went to SN in Chico and got to try a flight of Bigfoot vintages, from the (then) recently released 2017 vintage, all the way back to 2010. Further back it went, the stronger the sherry/oxidation/caramel character got. The 2010 vintage was actually pretty gross, it was just too old. The best vintage was 2014, the three-year old one. I’d say 3-4 years is the sweet spot for this beer. More than this, and unpleasant oxidation character dominates.
Is this something that Sierra Nevada promotes? There’s a wine/beer shop near my house that every year does a Celebration vertical that goes back 5 or so years and I don’t quite understand it, although I’m interested to try it this year and see what the big deal is about. I get that it’s a wintery/seasonal beer, but it’s also a fresh hop, so that just kind of baffles me. Interesting to see a different SN brand that has a vertical aspect to it.
I’m sitting on a case of 2014 (well most of a case at this point) and IMO it’s just becoming drinkable.
When it’s fresh I do not enjoy this beer at all.
But the case was a good price and someone convinced me to get it. I am aging it next to a case of Dragons Milk. The Big Foot will outlast the Milk for sure.
Consistent with Martin’s comment above, the longest I’ve held one back was 5 years and it was in a “sweet spot” - hops bitterness had mellowed, had nicely integrated flavors as described - caramel, anise, and yes, a bit of cherry pipe tobacco would not be inaccurate I believe. I don’t care for this beer young - too bitter for my personal tastes. I buy one or two a year to lay back for a while.