Sierra Nevada’s Colonel E.H Taylor Bourbon beer is its booziest yet

Sierra Nevada Brewing has released its booziest beer ever after barrel-ageing its Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale in ex-Bourbon barrels.

The beer, which weighs in at 15% ABV, is a brew created through happenstance after the brewer faced a decision of whether to ditch a batch of  beer, or age it.

The move, which was reportedly the result of a bad year in sales in 2015 and a glut of unsold award-winning beer, saw Sierra Nevada Brewery founder Ken Grossman rack the flavour-packed barley wine into barrels rather than dump it.

Speaking about the decision, Sierra Nevada brand manager and brewery ambassador Terence Sullivan said: “If there is one thing that I have learned during my twenty-eight years at Sierra Nevada is that Ken is not one to dump good beer down the drain.”

Sullivan explained: “We filled over 100 barrels with our unsold Bigfoot and parked them off to the side, coming back each year to sample them. I knew after four years something special was happening, but we didn’t know what to do with it.”

In early 2021, the team at Buffalo Trace Distillery reportedly reached out to Sierra Nevada to see if it was interested in creating a collaboration beer.

Buffalo Trace wanted to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Bottle and Bond Act – legislation that established the modern parameters for Bourbon and, as one of the oldest continually operating distilleries in the US, wanted to partner with one of the oldest craft brewers in the country.

This is when Sierra Nevada decided to transfer its ageing Bigfoot into previously used Colonel E. H. Taylor Bourbon barrels shipped to its brewery.

Taylor, a small-batch Bourbon and also a multiple award-winning spirit, then transformed the profile of the Bigfoot over its last year of ageing.

Sierra Nevada revealed the new collaboration at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and each night at 7:30pm hosted a special tasting that quickly became one of the event’s highlights, with long lines of drinkers reportedly queuing to get a sip.

Sullivan added: “It was fantastic to be back at the GABF and to watch the faces of our fans as they tasted this beer. It was such an unexpected beer from us, catching many people off guard. Each day the crowds came for more.”

The beer is limited to a run of just 15,000 and retail at US$25 per 750ml bottle. Bottles of the beers have already sold out online, but some are still available at select retailers while stocks last.