Bigfoot barleywine on draft

Fellow BeerAdvocate member DoppleThis reports that the Mellow Mushroom in Citrus Park (map) has a keg of 6-month-old Sierra Nevada Bigfoot barleywine on tap. A barleywine is a strong ale and one style of beer than can be aged. Bigfoot can be aged for years.

Bigfoot is a monster of a beer: bitter, sweet and alcoholic. It's very agressive and will be a shock the first time you try it. I love it. It's one of my Top 10 beers. Sierra Nevada only releases it around the new year and dates each year's release on the bottle caps and labels to help those who age it. The beer also seems to vary slightly from year to year.

I prefer to drink Bigfoot fresh because that's when its huge hop flavors are the strongest. Over time the beer becomes more mellow and balanced, and who needs that?

My notes on the 2009 vintage:

Pours a deep copper in color with a sticky off-white head that leaves chunks of lace in my glass.

It's got that barleywine smell: Citrus hops mix with toffee and caramel notes and a hint of alcohol. Nice.

The taste is perfect. This is what I think of when I think barleywine. It's bitter and malty with lots of hop flavors and a nice warming finish. It is not just a bitter beer: This has depth.

The body is thick and smooth and almost chewy with its heft.

This is one of my most favorite beers. I could drink nothing but this for the rest of my life.

If you're in Citrus Park, check out the Mellow Mushroom and have a glass of Bigfoot.