Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

The 2008 iteration of Old Guardian is a clear winner. Let it sit for a while to air out and add to the complexity. Very hoppy nose but mellows as it sits. Rich and buttery it’s like a fine cognac. Make sure you are already home when enjoyng this one because like a good creeper weed, it will sneak up behind you and will knock your dick in the dirt. I rate this highly and my recliner, which my wife woke me up in this morning at 5am, rates it even higher.

Tasted at By the Bottle tasting in Vancouver, Washington--Poured a deep copper color with a fluffy off-white head. Monstrous hoppy bitter, and malty nose. Lots going on. Sharp and bombastic. Finishes with a big bittering grasp. High ABV well masked. Another nice Stone offering.

650 ml bottle from Bevmo. This is the Jan 2008 batch. Pours a rich copper color with one-finger, off-white color, head quickly fades to a thin covering. The aroma is strong and complex with oranges, roasted barley, sweet caramels, and berries. The flavor is unlike the aroma, in the forefront is that classic Stone biter hops taste that just wakes you and slams your head against the wall. God, I love it already. More flavors of roasted barley, walnuts and biter chocolate fill in nicely. The mouthfeel is full, smooth and satisfying with a big malt backing. The finish is long and glorious with more biter hops lingering. Overall: I absolutely love this beer. I suggest that if you rate this beer while drinking, make sure that you finish typing your rating before you finish drinking the beer cause the 11% abv will cause you to write gibberish. And, that would do this beer an injustice. I highly recommend this years old guardian.

Early 2008 release -- Pours an orange red with a yellow/tan head. Aroma is sweet and thick. rich with malt and grain scents. Flavor is strong malt with hops balancing it at the back end. smooth with that slight hop bitterness, but surprisingly no alocohol taste given the high abv. Good beer

dark amber with strong white/tan head. nose is sweet, flavor is powerful with strong malt component with hints of crystal malt. nice hop balance but no obvious flavor. consistency is thick and syrupy. hides the 11.26% but maybe could use a little more depth. very nice though, a top of the line barley wine

2006 vintage. Pours a light ruby brown in color. Smell is hops, alcohol and some malt. The hops are still shining through in the taste even after more than a year in the cellar. Nice huge mouthfeel. This one will definitely hurt you at over 11%. A decent warmer on a cold winters night.

Rusted copper in color the beer left little head with some tiny bubble lacing. The beer is quite aromatic with scents of caramel, fig, currant and spices. In the mouth it is full-bodied and dense with a rich mouthfeel that is balanced by tart acids and finishes with some dryness. The flavors follow those of the nose with a mineral taste lingering on the finish. This is a very nice beer that should drink well for a few years.

2006 Vintage. Perfect beer for the cold weather! Pours dark amber with a slight haze. Big Fluffy white head and thick lacing, Complex nose with Caramel, malts, hops, and dark fruit. Flavor was similar with hints of brown sugar and a big malty backbone.