Regular Bigfoot is a beer that I've never really cared for, whether it's fresh, a year old, five years, whatever, which is why I'm surprised that I like this so much. It's not amazing or anything and twenty bucks a bottle is definitely asking a lot for it, but the barrel aging and whiskey notes, along with a bit of vanilla, help tone down the hoppiness of the base beer. I've heard others complain this is too boozy fresh but I'm struggling to notice it, and this is an 11.9% beer. It doesn't even have a big body, and even as it warms I'm still not getting that ABV. I have one I plan to let sit for a long time, just to see what happens as these flavors become more integrated, but even now i'm pretty happy with this.

All the flavors are there and enjoyable, you get the bourbon, oak and vanilla from the barrels, an excellent smokiness from the smoked malts and a decent spiciness from the rye. The body is right where it needs to be and this should be a very tasty and highly regarded beer for me. So what's the problem? Way hot, the booze is very noticeable (14%) and it really detracts from my enjoyment of it. My first had about 9 months of age on it so I'm thinking I'll let the other one sit for several years. I find it weird that the label said it's best enjoyed fresh. I thought the alcohol was unbalanced, but maybe it was just me.

This was just weird and I don't think aging would do anything to improve it. My main gripes are that it was a bit thinner than the regular Jesus (I guess that's why it's less?) and the tart fruitiness from the burgundy grape juice felt a little out of place. Not a bad beer, but not something I would pay fifteen dollars a bottle to drink again. I can say that I'm glad I tried it though.

Really nice beer, not cellaring for any reason other than to make sure I have some around for awhile. I really like how the tart, sweet and tasty raspberry flavor plays and mixes with the traditional fruity esters from the Belgian yeast. Fairly light bodied, higher carb level, akin to a Saison I'd say, and just delicious.

Holy hell this was good! Note to future me: do not share your last bottle with anyone!

Had one fresh, only about a month in the bottle, and at this early stage it's very comparable to something like Evil Twin's Molotov Cocktail. You can tell there's a buttload of hops and bitterness in there, but it's very well balanced by all of the residual sugars and sweetness. The 18% ABV is the most impressive part as this is crazy easy to drink. Sure it's still a sipping beer, but you could easily sip too often and get in over your head with this one. I think it's great now, but I'm really excited to taste what this beast turns into after a couple years in the bottle. I imagine a big, sweet English style barleywine once that bitterness fades away. Time will tell.

A year old and just past it's best after date of 2/24/15, although it doesn't seem to be drinking much differently than the last time I had it. Delicious and complex with a subtle tartness and flavors of raisins, brown sugar and vanilla. The booze is very well balanced and hard to pick out, and there are even notes of things like cherry and oak. The wine barrel aging definitely brings some unique characteristics to what is already a fantastic English style barley wine. This should age well for years to come.

Six months in the bottle on this one and boy is it drinking great! Pronounced aromas of oak, black licorice, tobacco and dark fruits. Taste follows suit with a body that's big and viscous. Will compare at a year.

This beer is phenomenal fresh, but I can't wait to try it with a year or more on it. This one has had just about two months in the bottle and it's very roasty and smokey even. It's got a big creamy, silky body and notes of chocolate and coffee, with a pretty high level of bitterness at the end I'm sure will mellow over time.

Just over a year and a half on this bottle, drank back to back with a six month old bottle. This is the sweet spot for me with this beer, but I've also never had it any older. The body is big, creamy, silky and exactly what I want out of a big stout. The bitterness has really mellowed at this point, with it now drinking more like a chocolate stout than the bitter roasty beer it is initially. It's super smooth and overall just impressive, big chocolate notes, along with caramel, toffee and a bit of coffee. With five bottles left of this vintage I'm very excited to follow it's journey in the years to come.

At 6 months in the bottle this beer has changed a bit already. The roasty bitterness that was pretty strong when it was fresh has mellowed into really nice coffee/espresso notes with some dark chocolate. Those IBUs are still there, but it's becoming something much smoother. The nose has a fantastic milk chocolate aroma as well. As a favorite beer of mine with about a year to a year and a half on it it's going to be fun to track this one's journey. Will try another in six months.

Bottled April 2012, so this is going on a three year old bottle. The nose is reminiscent of a Flemish sour: oak, cherry, some vanilla and a bit of the wine barrels. Blows up mid palate with a tartness like sour fruit candies, sweet tarts or lemonheads. For the absurd combination of flavors that went into this beer it has really evolved into a nice sour, I'm not getting much of the Belgian Quad (The Stoic) or Old Ale/Barleywine stuff aside from some raisin and brown sugar notes. I've never had it fresh, only with two or more years on it, but I do feel like this beer will continue to evolve and I can't wait to try it with 5+ years of age.

6 month old bottle, not drinking like an IPA. Really thinking fruit with a bit of the wood from aging. There is a definite bitterness and citrus fruit/floral hop character that comes across at the tail end of sipping this beer, but I would not call it IPA if someone asked what I just drank. This is a special beer designed to turn into something else.

This was bottled a couple months ago so I'm considering it "fresh". This is huge and delicious even now and I sense a lot of potential once the alcohol burn and hop bitterness die down. The ABV is balanced by an enormous body that's velvety and smooth. Notes of bitter dark chocolate and coffee, anise and dark dried fruits like raisins and cherries play with an earthy, woody and herbal hop character, finishing pretty bitter. I think this might drink very differently in 2-3 years. Can't wait.

Bottled about three weeks ago, so very fresh. Bourbon and oak are very heavy on the nose, as well as brown sugar, molasses, raisins and dried fruits (smells very similar to BCBBW). Pretty hot on the palate, at 11.5% the alcohol is noticeable, but not to a degree that spoils it for me. Also surprisingly high level of carbonation. Overall it's very good, not quite as good as Goose Island's, but more affordable and much easier to find. I have a feeling this will age very well.