Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

22 oz bottle poured into a snifter has an orange color with light carbonation and a thick half inch white foamy head that died to a ring in the glass. aroma has brown and candy sugar, caramel malt, vanilla, fruit, light oak, and alcohol. mouth feel is medium with a thickening but creamy. flavor has more alcohol than the nose, hefty sweet malt, brown sugar, some spice, wet herbs, oak again, licorice, and anise. the hops are there but well integrated and as it is drank it becomes smoother with every sip. finish is sweet with some bitterness. some interesting aroma and flavor twists and turns that had me interested to the last sip.

Pours a reddish orange with a fluffy head. Aroma is candy sugar, grapes, alcohol, sweet malt. Taste is pretty good for a barleywine. Sweet apples, port wine, brandy, spice, and very little alcohol. This is the only barleywine I’ve ever had that could be mistaken for an actual wine. Take that however you want.

Glass: snifter Purchased at: Joe Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ Price: $6.49 Size: 22 fl oz ABV: 11.26% IBU: n/a Estimated Calories: 400C RateBeer Rating: 97 Aural: uneventful opening, quiet carbonation, simple easy pour Aroma 10 out of 10 Intensity: strong Balance: sharp (alcohol) Impression: nice Malt Aroma: bread sweet nut caramel roast coffee Hops Aroma: mud mold clover rum rubber mango Other Aroma: grapes arugula pepper Notes: An amazingly deep set of aromas - very interesting. Appearance 4 out of 5 Color: dark Clarity: slightest cloudiness, almost clear Head Retention: poor Lace: poor Notes: The color has great depth and character, but there is little head to speak of. Flavor 10 out of 10 Intensity: strong Balance: sweet start with bitter finish Impression: amazing Malt Flavor: brown sugar rye walnut caramel dark chocolate liqueur roasted espresso Hops Flavor: dirt grasses star anise smoke grapefruit Other: mango, ashes Notes: One of the best barley wines I’ve ever had, and no surprise from Stone. Palate 5 out of 5 Mouthfeel Sensation: drying warming Body: full Carbonation: average Finish Length: very long Intensity: very strong Balance: very bitter Notes: A fantastic finish that leaves you looking forward to the next sip. General Impression: 19 out of 20 Craftmanship: excellent Freshness: fresh Personal Taste: loved Notes: Except for the slight critique of the missing head, which is forgivable considering the alcohol content, which is well hidden, this is a nearly perfect BWSA. Great job, Stone, as per the usual. This brew was purchased to celebrate the finish of my summer 1 Mediation class at Rider University in the Graduate Program for Organizational Leadership. The review of this fantastic ale is dedicated to the efforts of Jon Millen and the COM 390 class. Collaboration, not litigation. Address : <http://beercritic.wordpress.com/>

Limited Early 2008 Release Clowdy copper beer with an off-white disappearing head; aroma is dried fruit and a touch of malt; silky feel, with a pronounced hop bitterness and dried fruit; finish is bitter in the mouth and warm in the throat. Hop is a bit large for my taste, (in this genre) but a good barley wine, nonetheless.

Pours and orange-ish peach color. Creamy head and very carbonated. A lot of grapes and alcohol in the nose. Great spice presence and a small amount of hops. Strong alcohol flavor, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and grapes. Great mouth feel smooth and comfortable. Good beer but a bit unbalanced.

Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 01-29-2007 23:16:39 I had been anticipating this one for a while. It pours a nice ruddy orange color with a really good head (maybe I poured too fast). The smell is not very strong. The taste is average barleywine and alcohol. This is the first Stone beer that has ever disappointed me. it wasn’t bad but I always expect to be blown away by Stone seasonal beers (I usually am). The alcohol was pretty noticeable but I think in a year or two this one will be awesome. I plan on picking up a case for aging purposes. Update: 06/2007: This tastes much, much better after having six months behind it. I have to adjust my review accordingly because the flavors really made me smile this time.

So I’m crushing with my Honkeybra, aight, and he’s like, "I wanna hear the description." So I pull out my microscope and read the whole thing off and by the end he’s almost done with the brew. Needless to say, he was in a much more intense mood than I by the end of the description.

2008 Version: Apricot colored with a white head sitting atop it; spotty lacing and little head retention. Pine, strawberries, caramel, and even some mint in the aroma. Brown sugar, caramel, toffee, some citrus, and some strawberries in the taste. Medium to full bodied with medium carbonation. Alcohol is very well hidden for 11+%. I always look forward to trying this every year, the 2007 was a bit disappointing, but the 2008 was quite enjoyable.