Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

Bottle. Heavy malt aroma of caramel, moderate to heavy hops of orange peel, a light yeast smell of broth, and toffee, brown sugar, bourbon, alcohol and a spiciness like vanilla in the background. Head is smell, off white, wispy/bubbly, mostly diminishing and has good lacing. Color is a hazy orange/tan. Flavor starts lightly sweet and acidic, then finishes lightly acidic and moderately bitter. Palate is medium, oily/creamy with a lively carbonation and finishes moderately alcoholic and lightly dry and astringent. A well rounded barleywine with bold aromas and great balance in flavor. Even better when it warms

’07 Bottle: Pours a dark, murky amber color with a medium-sized cream head. Big caramel malt aroma with some slight notes of dark fruit, candy and a mild hop tone. Creamy, full bodied mouth feel. Sweet, caramelly flavor, a bit fruity and has a subtle warming sensation.

Early 2007 release, 22oz bottle.. Big foamy head. Citrus scent similar to an IPA. Tastes strongly of hops, toasted malts and little bit of dark chocolate. Texture is thick with light carbonation. After taste is caramel followed a few seconds later by bitterness. Alcohol is masked well for 11 %... it leaves a pleasant warming sensation in your chest. Flavor wise, Old Guardian reminds me of a cross between Imperial Russian Stout and an IPA. Another great beer from Stone.

A hazy orange color with a foamy head that quickly fades to a small island of bubbles. Thick sweet malts, chewey & rich. A bit of grapefruit & floral hop scent. A sweet front, loads of malt, fruity flavor quickly transitions to a bracing bitter citrus peel middle. A bit of cotton candy at the finish and a lingering bitterness. A bomber to myself, life is good!

Orangish/ amber in color. Head was pretty white, but not quite. Really fruity smell, sweet with a little earthiness to it. Alcohol taste is disguised well, it comes out in the aftertaste slightly...Not that that is bad. Mostly sweet to begin with then it gets thicker and warmer as time goes by.

Winter 2004 bomber, been looking forward to this one! Poured brilliant, translucent medium orange with a stately initial cap of off-white head... settled down to a dusting after a couple minutes. The aroma picked up a rich, deep bouquet of darker, vinous-inspired fruits, rum-laden caramel, deep earthy herbs, and a solid dose of alcohol (more as an amplifier than a distraction). The flavor had deep caramels and vinous sweetness at the core like the aroma, accented by bitter herbs, warm alcohol, and sherry-like oxidation.. quite a lot of bitterness on the warm finish, but it seems to be more from age than hops (which are markedly faded). Thicker-bodied and syrupy on the palate with some graininess on the middle.. enjoyed the feel. This certainly showed signs of age, but I thought the change in character did more to increase complexity than to degrade the goodness.

Bomber - thanks Josh. Clear amber with a light white head.. .. Big malty aroma with some hints of hops. .. Very bitter flavor, especially in the finish. Malty, carmelly to lend a little balance. .. Medium body, light carbonation. .. Very nice Barleywine -smooth in spite of the bitterness.

Taster - Gravity Room - Olympia, WA
Aroma – Deep molasses with tons of great spices and malts. With a high amount of alochol.
Appearance – Dark reddish brown color. clear and with no head.
Flavor – Thick malty flavr with a deep spice and hops in the brew. This is a sipping brew. Nothing tame about this . Sae it for those cold days and lots of great friends.
Palate – This was sweet and warm with a great flavor for the tounge.
Overall –This was great stuff. I will buy some for storage and sit on them in hoping they will mature nicely.