Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

on tap at hop devil in manhattan. deep amber pour with off white head. aroma of vinous fruit, spice and floral hops. hops, toasted malts and some dark chocolate on the taste. also cherry, bourbon and vanilla notes. great texture. smooth, long, slightly hot finish. K-7

(2008 Spring Release) Slightly coppery golden color with a medium to thin off-white head. Aromas of caramel - just a touch nutty and bits of orange. Very creamy mouthfeel, somewhat viscous with inital flavors of toffee and caramel, lightly roasty, moving toward a more bitter finish toward the end. Finish is not crisp but with a lingering bittering. This is still a very young barley wine - it should mooth out in another 6-12 months. Maybe will revisit it in a year or so...

Decent barley wine but not a favorite. Aroma, appearance, and palate were all very nice. The flavor was not the finest as the alcohol taste was much more present than in some other barley wines with about the same ABV (i.e., not quite as smooth). Has a fair amount of bitterness. Still did enjoy and would partake again.

2008 limited release, 11.26 abv. I have been wanting to try this for a while and was fortunate to find it at Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA. Pours an amber/orange color with a thin head but it sticks around. Aroma is a lot of sweet malt, vanilla, fruity, particularly grapefruit, and a touch of alcohol. This is a wonderful tasting barleywine with many layers adding to it’s complexity. The flavors are sweet malts, sherry, tart cherries, oak, a dark fruit note and finishes off with grapefruit hops. Not a lot of bitterness but some mild alcohol burn and although you know the alcohol is in it the 11.26% hides quite well. A nice representation of the style and a beer that makes for a great evening. 2007 Version, Sampled 5/22/09. This pours a clear amber color with a thick initial foamy head that fades to a thin layer. The aroma is sweet caramel, tangy fruit, plums, resin. Flavor shows sweet caramel and plums along with orange peel and grapefruit. Toffee and sherry is picked up after it sits a bit. Warming, smooth, with a slight bitter finish. A nice sipper but I actually prefer this fresh when it has a bit more of an edge to it. The hops have clearly faded here and I prefer the sharper hop flavor to balance the sweetness. Rating for this bottle would be 4.1. A few adjustments to overall score.

Pours a slightly hazy amber with a lasting thin head & lacing. Pungent butterscotch aroma - nice! Tastes very, very sweet with very present alcohol. Very tasty - astringent & hoppy, slightly dry finish. Thick body with passable carb. I like this one, it’s very very sweet, though!

Draft sample at Bier Tasting event at Boston’s Bistro & Pub. Great appearance with an enticing aroma. Has a sweet finish, not much as far as bitter hops as some of other barley wines. Complex and tons of character.

A reddish-amber without much haze. Smokey sweet malts with some dark fruits and a small pinch of hops. Very warming and satisfying.

Brassy colour with minimal white head. Aroma hints at banana, caramel/toffee, nuts and hops. Suprisingly syrupy and pushing towards sweet. hop bitterness is present, but not as strong as i’d have first expected... esp. in a beer from Stone. the 11.26% abv is well hidden in this beer with the exception of the syrupiness. Excellent.