Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

I love the guys at Stone, but this one goes the same way most Barleywines go for me... they look and smell better than they taste. Great copper color and malty notes with just a touch of hops. But this one was overdone - especially on the hop smack. Can you say balance in a beer? Greg missed it on this one. There are many other better styles, especially from Stone.

beautiful copper color, small off white head. wonderful malt hop flavor, good palate. only downside is the slight metallic hop aftertaste.

Poured from tap a hazy orange with a white on top, tan on bottom foam head that lasts quite a while. Low carbonation however. The aroma comes off as apricot with a little bready note to it. The flavor is of apricot with a malty bread sweetness and a short bitter aftertaste. Warms to a more yeastier bread flavor with a little grass and astringency. Overall a nice mellow BW that is easy to drink.

Aroma is a floral hop scent with some sweet malt back tones. Color is a hazy orange with light carbonation and a tight head. Taste is rich and hoppy. Starting with a full/medium body it goes down smooth with a gentle fizzy feel. Finish is sweet with a touch of malt and a bold hop flavor that builds to a citric taste. After taste rolls out of the citrus with a nice bitterness that fads and leaves you with a warm alcohol feel. This is a very good brew, its just a bit hoppier then I feel a Barley Wine should be, I think its more like a double or imperial IPA. This is not the first time I have had a hoppy Barley Wine and I really hope more breweries go back to brewing rich, sweet, malty ones and save the hops for good Pale Ales.

22 oz bomber bottle in Flagstaff AZ. pours a rich amber color, with a powerful taste. another great beer by Stone.

22oz bottle, 2008 release. Amber-orange with a creamy beige head. Big malty aroma with strawberries, peach, and lots of pineapple and alcohol. Sweet and fruity flavor, with hops that are struggling to get over the massive malts. Warming alcohol in the throat. Finishes with enough bitterness to make it drinkable for it’s size. Full and smooth body. Nice enough, and pretty balanced, but none of the flavors are good enough to warrant the amount of alcohol in it; you just can’t drink enough of it.

Very nice Barley Wine. Not too malty. Pours an amber with a slight head. No lacing. Taste is mostly hops with some cereal malt poking through.

on tap at papago...i got to taste these side by side

2008 release... rich amber color with a fluffy head that fades slowly to a ring. the aroma is caramel, malt, breakfast cereal, spicy hops and sting alcohol. it’s hard to smell because it burns... the flavor is amped up maltiness and spicy hops with bitey alcohol. it’s got a yeasty character in the aftertaste. medium bodied with out the usual stickiness as the alcohol won’t allow it. these have to sit for a while... far too sweet and too harsh. 6/3/5/3/15 =3.2

2007 pours a hazy rich amber color (a bit lighter than the ’08) topped with a white ring. the aroma is full of raisin like fruit, cereal and piney hops. the alcohol has calmed down noticeably but is still present. the palate is a lot less fiery allowing some of the nuances to show through... caramel, honey, pine and grassy hops. the body is medium but it is much smoother than the new batch. it’s neat to see what a year can do. 7/3/7/4/15 = 3.6