Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Escondido, California USA

Bottle. Copper red colour. Small head. Big complex aroma. Smells soy, tar, dried fruit. Very bitter taste. Hops, raisin, barley, orange. Thick beer with huge body.

Bottled early 2008 release. Pours a beautiful red copper. Thick frothy off white head with nice lacing. Aroma is licorice, fruity, pine and resinous hops. Flavor is caramel and toffee, molasses, licorice, pine, and phenols. Palate is smooth. The alcohol isn’t overpowering or really disguised, but well suited to the overall taste. Really strong flavor and well balanced. Finish is resinous and bitter but not cloying, and dry. Very good.

22 oz bottle of the ’’Limited Early 2008’’ release. Pours cloudy reddish brown with a creamy light tan colored head. Aroma has sweet caramel malts with a dried fruit backing and light hops. Flavor is actually quite hoppy with lasting bitterness combined with a nice warming roasted malt and alcohol finish. Nice full bodied warming beer.

Hazy orange beer with a minimal head. Lacing isn’t anything to write home about. Aroma is of grapefruit hops. Flavor is cascade dominated as well, with the malt supplying a nice caramel note to it. Palate is almost perfect. Soft full body, with the right amount of carbonation. With the hops supplying a dry, bitter end, you wouldn’t think this is a 10%+ beer. Very good.

Pours adeep copper to amber color has an unfiltered appearance thick tan head strong alcohol burn sweet malt flavor good hop bitterness not as much aroma as BIgfoot still nice fruity malty aromas and flavors a little light on the bite chocolate flavors emerge upon warming, good solid malt lacks depth in the hops but still a good barley wine.

22 oz bottle. Pours a thick lasting tan head, with nice lacing, over a dark golden slightly cloudy body....nose of malts, resin, bitter and slightly floral hops....initial taste of sweet malts, then hop spice, with a bit of molasses, finishing with a pronounced hop bitter. These big creations must be hard to balance. KUDOS!!!

Aroma of sweet and spicy fruit. Lovely amber beer with small beige head. Fruit, nuts, bitter almonds. Grassy and dusty hops balances the sweetness impressivly. Alcohol warming in the background and in the finish. Outstanding!

dark orange beer poured into a glass. aroma of mostly malt with a hint of hops. the taste has a good balance of hops and malt. it leaves a satisfying taste of hops hanging in your mouth after a bitter finish.