Sierra Nevada And Buffalo Trace Are Teaming Up For A Bold New Brew

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has teamed up with Buffalo Trace Distillery to produce a special "barleywine-style ale" called "Colonel E.H. Taylor Bourbon Barrel-Aged Bigfoot." According to MasterClass, barleywine is a type of beer that has a high alcohol by volume (ABV) content and is made with large amounts of hops. The hops overload creates a bitter taste, so barley is added for some sweetness and to tone down the flavors.

In a press release sent to Tasting Table, Harlen Wheatley, a Master Distiller working for Buffalo Trace, said, "Both Sierra Nevada and Buffalo Trace Distillery are pioneers in innovation amongst their categories. Collaborating on a project like this is quite special. Both companies have made a massive impact on pushing the boundaries of craft beer and American whiskey, leading the foray into premiumizing the industry." 

Here's what you need to know about the popular brands' exciting new brew.

Per the press release, the ale has been aged for seven years, spending its last year in small-batch E.H. Taylor, Jr. bourbon barrels. This limited-edition ale is a big deal for several reasons. First, it's the strongest beer that Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has ever released, coming in at 15% ABV. The new beverage is also a first-time nationwide beer collaboration for both Buffalo Trace Distillery and E.H. Taylor, Jr. Bourbon.

The exclusive ale comes in 750-ml bottles and sells for $29 on Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's website, with a limit of three bottles per order and shipping only available to California, District of Columbia, Kentucky, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Vermont. The bottle is packaged in a canister inspired by E.H. Taylor, Jr. Bourbon, and the ale itself has "rich flavors of molasses, caramel, and burnt sugar balanced by whole-cone Pacific Northwest hops found in Sierra Nevada's cult-classic Bigfoot Ale," with a "distinctive flavor of Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bourbon."

The collaboration is exciting news and Terence Sullivan, the Product Manager at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, divulged, "The time in the barrels has changed the beer and made it so complex. We love collaborations. But something of this magnitude — some of the finest beer and some of the finest bourbon in the world — it's really something special."