Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

had the 2009. super potent barley wine with a nice malty flavor. hops were also present and balanced out the flavor very nicely and gave it good aroma. would like to try some of the older ones for a vertical tasting.

22oz 2009 bottle. Pours copper with a nice white head. Smells of hay, some citrus, and hops. Tastes of brown sugar, floral hops, and some dryness on the finish. I expect more complexity from a barley wine like this. The hops just dominate both the flavor and aroma. I would have no idea this was a 11+% or a barley wine if I tasted this blind.

Vintage 2009. Cloudy garnet with a cap of off-white heat which recedes to a patchy film. Aroma is bitter, resinous hops, alcohol, and sweet fruit. Taste is extremely bitter and alcoholic, though the malt shows up as the beer warms. An odd ash-like flavor gives this barleywine a refreshing crispness. Nice.

22oz - I try to like barley wines. They smell great, look great too. Then I have to taste them, and for me, sometimes more is just more. This one was better, but there’s too much going on for me. Too sweet, too strong, too much.

Vintage 2004: Pours a deep pink with no real head. The aroma is thick and sugary with the funky sour smell of an aged beer. Some floral hops in there too. The flavor is surprisingly hoppy even after 5 years. The hops are bitter, with a slight malt background. There is a kind of soapy aftertaste that is a bit odd (no I don’t wash my beer glasses with soap), but not entirely unpleasant. Funny as it may sound, this could probably use another few years of aging to take its hop profile down a little more and give it some more complexity, but it is still a fine beer.

22oz bottle. Early 2009 release. Pours a mostly clear, deep and rich, honey-orange-red body with a finger-width, off-white, thick looking head that dissipates slowly and leaves a veil of lacing on the surface and glass throughout the session. Very pretty color and luscious looking head. Aroma is big, sweet caramels up front with plenty of orange, citric hops. Lots of peaches and apricots as well with a light perfume-like spice and toasty caramel. Noticable booze, but not distracting. The flavor is pretty malty with big caramels up front. The rich malts continue throughout with a light toast coming through as well. The initial sweetness fooled me for a split second before a slap in the face, intense amount of piney bitterness took the reigns. With the momentum quickly turning, the hops really take over for a heavy, bitter finish. Some slightly smoked honey candy and plenty of fruity apricot-peaches are in there as well. A spiced alcoholic finish accompanies the aggressive bitterness and leaves a very dry, somewhat resiny mouthfeel. Some sweet malts attempt to creep in there at the end, but there’s no question as to who finishes this game stronger. Long, bitter pines and fruit aftertaste with just a slight toasty caramel and booze spice. Medium bodied and somewhat chewy. Overall, a very aggressively hopped barley wine. It has a nice sweetness up front, but the hops quickly put this beer’s malts in their place. I love intense barley wines and found this very tasty, but even after letting this sit for about 8 months, it needs more time. I look forward to trying this again...say at the 2 year point.

Tap. Have had this before but never rated it. This was the best its ever been. Fruity nose, citrus with sweets, caramel. Flavor similar, nice brew.

Nice. Big. Bold. What do you want? I had some on tap at Rattle n Hum in NYC. Pours an opaque brown/orange with a lingering head. Complex nose of fruits and sweet candies. Flavor is nice blend of sweetness, maltiness and slight bitterness. Highly complex with myriad sensations. Give it a whirl.