Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2008 vs 2009

This marks the first time BK Beertasters goes vertical. I recently reviewed Bigfoot 2009. It's super hoppy (90 IBUs) and features an aggressive bitter finish. It's confusingly similar to a double IPA and so hoppy that the malt characteristics don't shine through at this point. 

Bigfoot 2008's body is leaner and longer. 2009's body is tight, which is a good thing in certain circumstances. 2008's aroma is brothy and appealing. It smells like lightly burnt caramel, and is candy-like. There isn't a touch of hops in the aroma or flavor aside from the bitter pine finish. 2008's flavor is predominately malty, with notes of bread and cookie. Bigfoot is more elegant and refined after a year of aging, but it quickly loses its heavy dose of hop flavor and aroma.  

The other difference between Bigfoot '08 and '09 is the labeling. Mike Krzyzewski still recruits jerks, and I hate Duke as much as stupid beer labels. The worst quality of Bigfoot 2008 from an aesthetic standpoint is the unexplained label change. The classic label is great (pictured on the right), but in 2008, Sierra Nevada departed from the classic label for a landscape scene (pictured left). 2009 compromises by reincorporating the beers name sake in an updated version of the classic label for the 25th anniversary (top left). 

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2008

I miss barely wines during the summer. I know everyone wants their light, zesty drinks during the hot summer, but I'm sitting in air conditioning right now so what does light and zesty matter? I want some complexity that packs a punch. Today I found it. A beer buddy of mine gave me the heads up on a store that still has the elusive and summer averse Bigfoot. I'm not even giving out the name of the store in case there are actually people reading this and they fiend for Bigfoot.




Anyway, I'm having a Bigfoot and his big ass is stomping on my senses. Bigfoot comes out in winter, so the one I'm sipping now is aged six months and it's already changed. When it's released Bigfoot is has a hop character like an Imperial IPA. I've heard people claim it's mislabeled as a barley wine and is really an Imperial IPA. I don't buy the argument because the malt flavor is richer and more dominant in Bigfoot than in Imperial IPAs. Bigfoot is well hopped but it's not crazy hopped like Imperials. There's also that maple syrup coloring that Imperial IPAs don't usually have. However, I can see where an argument like this come from. Beers like Great Divide's Hercules Double IPA can blur the line between a big IPA and a barley wine. Bigfoot is aptly named. It's flavors are epic, and some of them are reminiscent of the forests Bigfoot is said to lurk in.


After six months the hop aroma becomes less aggressive, and a spicy malt aroma is more apparent. The aroma still has a deep pine forest character, there is just more malt accent with light aromas of spice, beef broth, cinnamon, sherry and spice.


The mouth feel and flavor of aged Bigfoot become leaner and longer, respectively. The body is more syrupy, but the thick malt still sticks to the side of your mouth. The malt flavor and hop bitterness are more harmonious, while the malt flavors develop new characteristics like caramel. There is still an aggressive bitterness in the finish, but it's fitting, pleasant and more in harmony with the other flavors. There are strong flavors of unsweetened dark chocolate and pine, with slighter notes of fig, char, forest, spice, earthy autumn leaves, and dried fruits (cherry, apricot). Bigfoot is less drinkable at refrigerator temperature and livens up as it warms.

Twin Sisters Double IPA

I learned some sign language working in a beer store. There was a new girl hired who was hot but hard to communicate with. She had a massive hearing aide that didn't do much good, so she could only understand me if she was looking at my lips. I was always shouting at her to no effect and constantly surprising her because she couldn't hear me coming up behind her. One day we were looking at the Left Hand beers and she got excited. She started flashing her hands around. She explained she was signing "left." Left Hand's Sawtooth Ale has sign language on the label. She taught me more sign language after that. Hello, good night, that sort of thing. She didn't stick around for too long and my sign language got rusty. The last time I used sign language, I inadvertently asked a woman if she wanted to make out all night. The gaff ended my dabbles in sign language.

The Twin Sisters are identical mountains on Colorado's Front Range and the namesake of Left Hand's Double IPA. I'm not much for the Rocky Mountain tributes unless it's concerning Jackson Ho. I'm more interested in finding the other three sisters from the Left Hand logo. The twins are big gals and weight in at 9.8% abv according to the bottle.

This is the second time I've sipped the Twin Sisters. The one I'm drinking now was brewed two years ago. Since then, it's sat in my "beer cellar" (AKA the cardboard box of beer in my closet) for two years. My first glass of the aged Twins was lovely. There were strong hints of creamy oak followed by dark chocolate flavors reminiscent of a barely wine. There was little hop aroma and flavor in the aged version, The hop bitterness remained in the finish but with more harmony than a younger ale. It was crazy hopped in flavor and aroma the first time around. My old notes indicate a piney hop aroma similar to the Maharaja coupled with a soft body like the Houblon Chouffe. The aged version is still light of body for such a big beer but it tastes more like a barely wine than double IPA.