Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

Vintage 2009, bottle from Central Market Plano. Dark gold, thick lingering head & lacing. Fine brandy, alcohol & hops on the nose with caramel & sticky dark fruit. Bold blast of alcohol on the tongue, rum soaked raisins & cedar, nice bitterness. Smells sweeter than it tastes. A very sophisticated representative of barley wine. Gasp...after taste lingers with a nice brandy-like warming sensation. Would order again- a great beer for a special occassion or as a winter-food companion.

Bottle thanks to rallison, I think. Thanks, buddy. Aged about 18 months. Impressive pour--hazy bright orange-copper with one-finger off-white head. Still some citric hops on the nose as well as fruity malts. Not just a caramel bomb, though it’s there along with some vanilla notes. Hops still there, even after 18 months; makes me want to try it fresh, though I bet it might be more harsh/boozy. As it is now, it’s great. Light, smooth, slick carbonation and palate. Quite good American take on a barley wine.

Pours a hazy copper with medium off-white head. Aroma of of malt, caramel, fruit and hops. Similar taste with a boozy, bitter hop finish. Oily on the palate. Great balance of hops and malts.

Just drank the bottle and assumed I had already written a review. Guess not so I’ll have to do a "review light" until I drink again. Aroma: wonderful, full hops. Appearance: slightly cloudy dark golden, off amber. Flavor: Simply wonderful. I would put this close to Behemoth and my dark horse candidate, Big Foot. Palate: nice balance. Overall: Love it will but it again.

Newer bottle 2009 I think. Pours an unclear hazy orange brown with a large dense frothy creamy off-white head, clears up to a clear glowing red, beautiful. Dry piney cotton candy light caramel aroma, not all the impressive 7.5. Flavor is the same, thin creamy milky taste, super piney, no citrus, light caramel, some cotton candy, scorchingly bitter 7.5. Thin body, a bit milky with a medium full mouthful, large but subtle carbonation.

Had on draught at The Libertine. This beer is a full on bitter hop assault, maybe more so than any beer I’ve had. Nothing masks that fact. Great 1 finger head and lacing, there is alcohol in the nose despite all the hops I smell too. The hops mellow somewhat with warming, dark orange/red in color, smell of pine oils. This beer has nice carbonation and oily slick palette but it is way too hoppy for the style.

Pint on tap at the Stone tasting in Tallahassee. Cloudy orange pour with a nice white head. Flavor was good, nice bitterness, but doesnt stand out in any way like the many of their other beers. Still very good though.

This beer tastes more hoppy, lik ean IPA than a barley wine. A bit disappointing for me to be honest, but still a decent beer. Seems more bitter than I would expect from a barley wine.