The Beer Czar's Vertical Bigfoot Tasting

For those of you that pay attention to this blog, you know I recently hosted a vertical tasting of one of my favorite beers, Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot barelywine. For those of you that do not know what a vertical tasting is, its basically a tasting of the same beer, over a period of different years, or "vintages". For this tasting, I had saved samples of Bigfoot from years ranging from 2009 to present. Six years of bigfoot! This was the first vertical tasting I ever hosted, and I learned a few things.....

One of the things I learned, that seems obvious, keep it small. I've hosted a number of tastings and beer parties of various sizes. While they are all fun, to me, the small, more personal and intimate settings are what works the best, for "serious" tastings. We hosted a summer beer tasting that was a TOTAL blast, sampling some 20+ beers, with upwards of 50 people. It was a great time, but a lot of work, and planning. At the bigfoot tasting, we had just 9 people total. Small enough for all of us to be able to sit around a couple of tables, in our living room, and all talk and discuss the beers we were enjoying without the need to yell across the house.

Second, know a lot about what you are serving, or do what I did and invite someone that does! One of those in attendance was
Ben VanderMeer. For those in the "community" know that Ben is our local rep for Sierra Nevada. I will also say, having an expert there in not only the beer we were having, but the company that makes it was just awesome. Not only was he able to tell us much about the beer, and the brewing process, he was also telling us tid bits like Sierra Nevada's founder Ken Grossman's own preference on how, and when is the best time to drink Bigfoot! Not only was Ben an amazing resource of information about Bigfoot, Sierra Nevada, and the Arizona beer scene in general, he also brought a few unexpected treats to the party, mainly, a bottle of 2010 Barrel Aged Bigfoot (aged in Whiskey barrels!) which was nothing short of amazing! He also brought a few goodies for the tasting attendees (Sierra Nevada glasses) and even some décor for the party! Thank you SO much Ben, it was great to finally meet you, and I would like you to know you are welcome here anytime!

The thing I learned the most from this tasting, and to me, is the reason why you do this sort of thing is  if you want to enjoy Bigfoot barelywine at its absolute best, let it sit for at least 2 years! This was the first time I ever had an aged bigfoot. Normally, I buy it, and drink it (with the exception to the six I set aside every year). I heard it ages well, and decided I would start cellaring it, until I had a complete "vertical six pack". Once that happened, I knew I wanted to host a tasting party.

Like I said previously, this was a small event (just 9 people) mostly due to the limited space we had, and the limited amount of beer I had set aside (maybe I should set aside a 12 pack from now on??). So, myself, my wife, and a few of our close friends (all fans of beer, and trying new beers) and Ben all gathered around the table, settled in and enjoyed 6 years worth of this amazing beer. Just looking at the six sample glasses in front of me you could just SEE the difference. It seemed the older the vintage, the darker the beer got. All while maintaining that slightly yellow, almost manila colored hear. An aroma seemed to sweeten as well as the years go by. The big hoppy nose sort of steps aside, giving way to a more balanced, caramely sweet smell. The flavor follows suit as well. While the big, in your face hoppy character maintains throughout the years, it does mellow a bit, and balances out nicely letting in more of that malty character. My favorite years were the 2012, and the 2010. Both were just a smooth, sweet, cup full of hoppy sweet goodness!

We finished off the evening with a small glass of whiskey barrel aged bigfoot that Ben provided. This beer was nothing short of amazing to me! You could smell the huge woody aroma wafting from this beer! You could taste the whiskey the very moment it touched your lips. What I loved most about it was the fact it left that warm tingly feeling in your mouth, the same one you get when you take a sip of fine whiskey or bourbon. Truly spectacular beer, again, thank you SO much Ben for brining that to the table!

So, again, my advice to you, when you buy bigfoot, try setting some aside for a year, or 2, or 4. You will be amazed at the subtle, yet very perceptible changes that take place in this beer. I know it takes an amazing amount of while power, but it is worth it, trust me!




I want to thank every one that was there, Daniell, Bobby, Chris, Julie, Nate, Sabrina and Ben, and especially my wife, Mrs. Czar for making this such a fun, and educational and stress free evening. I can't thank you all enough, and I can't wait to do it again, maybe next year???

You can see a complete set of photos from the event on our Facebook page here (like us while you are there if you haven't already!)



Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

 

 

 

 

I found Bigfoot, the hunt is over!

The movie poster

I make so secret about the fact that I love all things "bigfoot". Not only do I love the beer, but I am fascinated by the large hairy ape that "allegedly" roams the pacific northwest. It started at a very young age, when our father brought my older brother and I to our very first movie in a movie theater. That movie was "Sasquatch, the Legand of Bigfoot". Ever since then, I have sucked up all info on the elusive cryptid, be it books, movies, documentaries, whatever. So, you will not be surprised when, while browsing the beer isle a few years back, I saw a six pack of a beer called "Bigfoot", a barelywine style beer from the fine folks at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico CA, the makers of the ubiquitous, delicious Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Now, barelywines are one of my favorite styles, and I must say, Bigfoot is a fantastic example of the style. So, it only took a sip or two for Bigfoot to rocket to the top of my favorite beers list, and not just for the name, its a great beer. It has remained there to this day.

Now, I also heard that this particular beer ages well (as is the case with most barelywines). So, after enjoying this beer for a few years, I decided to start stashing some aside for aging. So, every year, starting in 2009 I started stashing a six pack of this fine beer aside. Well, in a few weeks, Bigfoot 2014 will hit store shelves, and when it does, I will have 6 years worth of this beer. I plan on having a small gathering at my place once I get it, and doing a vertical tasting, to take a look at how the beer changes over time, and I plan on writing about it, photographing it, and maybe even video taping it for a short video. To tease the tasting, I was going to write a sort of review of what to expect from the beer etc., but you know, I find beer reviews to be boring and really just too subjective to be of too much use. Well, then I found this video. It's part of Sierra Nevada's video series "Brewer and the Beer Geek". A great video series that covers the range of SN brews and other info. They talk a lot about the brewing process of the beer, the science behind the aging process of it and just do a far better job of explain this beer then I ever could, so here, check out this video....







So, make sure you keep your camera's at the ready, so you can snap another grainy, shaking photos of the big fella! And, keep an eye out for news on the first annual Beer Czar Vertical Bigfoot Tasting, 2014, you might even get an invite!

So, do I believe in Bigfoot? Maybe? Not until one is captured (alive or dead) or some real compelling video is captures, or until I see one myself, I can't believe it 100%, but man, wouldn't it be awesome if he really was out there...I hope he is.

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

S.L.I.F. Vol VII

Its back! 2014's first edition of SLIF!!! Its a short one, but still a good one I assure you. 2014 will see a lot of changes for us here at the Beer Czar, so stay tuned. Lots of fun things planned in the upcoming year, and I can't wait!!
So, without further ado my friends, lets jump into the weekend, beer in hand!



Bigfoot Fermenting in time lapse!

I make no secret, Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Barleywine is one of my favorite beers, year after year. In fact, once I pic up a six pack of 2014's version, I will have a six pack from each of the last 6 years of this fine beer! That aside, check out this cool video of the 4 open air fermenters filled with this glorious beer!

Exit 6's epic response to a Cease and Desist letter.

It seems not a week goes by where we don't read about some big bully multimillion dollar corporation sending a Cease and Desist letter to some tiny, mom and pop brewery fear "damage" to their brand. Well, its Starbucks turn. They sent a Cease and Desist letter to tiny little Exit 6 Brewing in Saint Charles, MO (I had to look that up!). Well, the response from owner Jeff Britton is just classic. Its clever, funny, and hits on a few really good points, mainly how friggin stupid it was for Starbucks to worked up about it. All it did was help Exit 6 sales and exposure. Check out the back and forth here, its awesome......



Arizona Beer continues to grow, Grand Canyon Brewing is expanding....

In the last few years, we have seen massive growth in the Arizona beer community. Our big boys, both Four Peaks and San Tan both expanded their operations, now its little Grand Canyon Brewing's turn! They are moving into a 27,000 sq ft facility in Williams. At a cost of $2.7 million, they will increase their capacity to 40,000 bl system (the state limit) although, I would expect production to be below that for a while. You can read all about it here, in the HDE press release....





So there you have it! Lets head into the weekend, grab a beer, and enjoy your time, not that the holidays are behind us, and life is returning to some sort of normal.

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Olympia Beer is looking for........Bigfoot???

There are a few things that are just synonymous with the Pacific Northwest, rain, coffee, hipsters, Microsoft, grunge music and my personal favorite, Bigfoot! Now, I make no secret of the fact that Bigfoot fascinates me. Not because I believe there is a big hairy ape running around the NW, avoiding capture and only occasionally allowing a grainy, fuzzy photo be taken of him every 6 months or so. No, I am fascinated by the people that devote their lives to searching out this allusive, questionably real animal. Much like some people are fascinated with and study serial killers, the "Bigfoot Community" fascinates me in much the same (no, I am not comparing the two, don't worry). How they can take a piece of completely subjective, unidentifiable piece of "evidence" and pass it off as hardcore, indisputable proof of the hairy fellow is amazing to me. All logic and common sense goes out the window, and passion and bias takes over all their senses. It is incredible to me. Now, let me be clear, I am not saying that I do not believe in Bigfoot, I am not however, convinced they do in fact exist. These people are seeing something, what is it? I have no idea, but I am pretty sure it isn't a 9 foot tall, bipedel gorilla, but I do think that it could be something, as to what it is? Who knows.

The Beer Community often embraces the large allusive primate as well. Mostly tongue in check hat tips to the the big guy, Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot, Great Davide's Yeti, and even locally, Four Peaks Hop-squatch all pay homage to America's most famous Cryptid. Well, now it seems the NW's own Olympia Beer is jumping into the Cryptozoological fry with a new contest! Offering $1,000,000 for the safe capture of the biped (paid in an annuity, $25,000 a year over 40 years). Check out the company's post, and to enter the contest, and get the rules, click the link below.

$1,000,000 Reward for Safe Return of Bigfoot!

OK, now the thought of an extra $25,000 a year for the next 40 years is pretty attractive! Maybe there should be a "Beer Czar Bigfoot Expedition"! I wonder if we catch the Mogollon Monster (Arizona's "version" of Bigfoot) if that would count? Who's with me? Pack up your camping gear, we got a "squatch" to catch!!!!

Until next time

Bottoms Up my Friends!

The Beer Czar

New Video from Sierra Nevada

OK, Sierra Nevada has long been one of my favorite brewery's. They consistently release quality beers, year after year, at a great price, and its widely available, easy to find. They have an impressive, and ever growing line up of fine brews. My love of Sierra Nevada started with their Pale Ale, and later, moved on to Tumbler, their brown ale, then their Porter, and later, one of my all time favorite beers, Bigfoot (of which I have 5 six packs from the last 5 years waiting patiently in my cellar, well, closest). Most recently, I've been digging on their Narwhal, and I still even have a bottle of Ken and Fritz's 30th Anniversary Stout, one of my all time favorite stouts! Again, the fine folks at Sierra Nevada are always impressing me.

Just this evening, I stumbled upon this video about their humble beginnings and subsequent rise to the forefront of the American craft beer movement. Check out this video, if this doesn't make you love Sierra Nevada even more, well, then, I am not sure what will.

I might also ad, I think Sierra Nevada also has some of the best, classiest label art in the beer world! From the playful Bigfoot label, to the elegance of their "Ruthless Rye" and now their Narwhal label. I just love their labels. OK, so, enough of the Sierra Nevada love feast, I just thought this was a pretty cool, very well done video, and wanted to share it with everyone.

So, raise a glass of Bigfoot, or Narwhal, or Pale Ale, and enjoy the fruits of Ken Groomsman's dedication and passion for beer, we've all benefited from it.

Until next time by friends
Bottoms Up
The Beer Czar