Colonel E.H. Taylor Bourbon Barrel-Aged Bigfoot celebrates complexity

Beer and bourbon have become favorite collaborators. Over the years, beer aged in bourbon barrels have imparted the rich American beverage legacy into the world’s oldest beverage. While each offering has its own characteristics, both beer and bourbon drinkers are always ready to explore the latest offerings and sip on the nuances that they offer. With the Colonel E.H. Taylor Bourbon Barrel-Aged Bigfoot, a collaboration between Sierra Nevada and Buffalo Trace Distillery, the cult classic Ale receives an air of sophistication.

For some beer drinkers, the iconic Sierra Nevada IPA was their first foray not only into the style but their introduction to the craft beer niche. While the beer brand has become a legend since its first beer decades ago, the attention to craft and the willingness to innovate has never left the conversation.

Buffalo Trace Distillery is another icon in the beverage industry. For two centuries, the bourbon distillery has been dedicated to honoring the past while innovating within the industry.

With the limited release Colonel E.H. Taylor Bourbon Barrel-Aged Bigfoot, the offering is the first time that an E.H. Taylor Bourbon has collaborated on a nationwide beer. The small batch bourbon has a distinctive flavor and it comes through clearly within this ale.

This exclusive Barleywine-Style Ale has been aged seven years. Coming in at 15% ABV, it is a beer that is meant to be sipped slowly an appreciated.

As Sierra Nevada Product Manager Terence Sullivan alluded to, “The time in the barrels has changed the beer and made it so complex.” The barrels imparted a richness that highlighted the notes of molasses, caramel and burnt sugar.

At the same time, the whole-cone Pacific Northwest hops are not dismissed. When paired with that classic Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bourbon the bitterness becomes more rounded. Never losing either beverage’s character, the results Barleywine-Style Ale is one that will be appreciated by both beer and bourbon afficionados.

Like Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley stated, “Both companies have made a massive impact on pushing the boundaries of craft beer and American whiskey, leading the foray into premiumizing the industry.” Given the excitement over this collaboration, it will be interesting to see what the future holds.

The Colonel E.H. Taylor Bourbon Barrel-Aged Bigfoot is a very limited release. For more information on this offering, please visit the Sierra Nevada’s online shop.