There are two conclusions that I've come to, and both are my fault.
1) I was exhausted when I had this beer. I had been painting all day. When I drank my double hefe earlier in the day, it really hit the spot.
Why? Well, even though high in alcohol, it has a lighter body & is on the dry side. It's also citrusy and therefore, refreshing.
Barleywines are full bodied and have a residual sweetness. That combo is not "refreshing."
2) this is a drink-with-food beer. In doing my reviews, I have been waiting until after my daughter goes to bed before opening the bottle. Why? So I can focus on the beer and not have any distractions. This means, dinner was hours earlier in the day.
Lighter beers -> good on their own. Heavier beers -> need food to accompany them.
From now on, anything over 7%, I'm going to drink with dinner.
Original Review
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Tonight I'm Drinking the 2012 Bigfoot Ale Barleywine from Sierra Nevada
I don't know if it's that I just spent 5 hours painting in my kitchen or the piney Chinook hops in this beer, but it isn't "hitting the spot."
The beer has a nice malty backbone of 2 row & caramel malts.
What I really like about this beer: the dark reddish hue is incredible. I could ogle this beer all day. Also, the beer has a nice malty backbone of 2 row and caramel malts. The sweetness comes through.
What I don't like about this beer: this beer obviously subscribes to "the bigger the IBUs, the better." I suppose the IBU = 90 is well within style for an American Barleywine, but it seems a bit overkill to me. It also puts the OG to BU ratio at 93 to 90. I'd like to see a little more OG than BU on a Barelywine.
Maybe I'm just objecting to the assertiveness of the hops. To me, the hop profile is more suited for an American IIPA than a Barleywine.
Or maybe it's just the Chinook. I've written before about my dislike for pine flavor.
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