Bigfoot Goes Vertical
A couple nights ago a friend invited me and some others over for a “vertical” tasting of Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot. He had been saving vintages and now had 1999-2008. This kind of tasting is fairly common in the wine world, but more rare with beer. The tasting produced two general observations from the group: 1. The Bigfoot recipe has changed over time. It was clear different hop varieties, at least, were introduced at different vintages. 2. The hops didn’t fade with age nearly as much as one would expect. Even the ‘99 vintage remained, balanced toward the bitter after almost a decade of age. I would encourage all of the aspiring Beer Geeks to think about picking some beers to cellar and see how they change over time. As with cellaring wines, pick things with higher-alcohol content and bolder flavors. In the case of beer, hops are also preservatives, and so, hoppy beers tend to age well. We were able to make specific observations are only because we put a group of beers side-by-side. This kind of tasting improves knowledge and appreciation for beer’s subtleties. It’s definitely worth the effort!
