Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

2008 Bottle. Pours amber colored with thin head and decent lacing. Very sweet and strong aroma of malt, alcohol. Hops are not all that present in the aroma but come through in the taste. Very well balanced by the malt (caramel, toffee). Will definitely be picking up a few to cellar.

This barley wine pours with an amber body topped by a thick, off-white head with lots of lacing. The aroma is slighlty sweet and grapefruity from the hops with a slight pineapple note and a touch of pine and malt. The flavor is sweet, malty and fruity(grapefruit) with a pronounced piney bitterness. A great flavor. Full bodied, relatively smooth and warming.

Poured an orange to red color with a decent initial head at these ABVs. The aroma was of sherry and light fruits with a caramel attribute. The flavor folowed suit and the hopping was even more noticeable: pine an citrus hops. In the flavor, there was some sort of cherry and dark fruit combination. Mouthfeel thick in body and noticeably carbonated.

An attractive, slightly hazed medium reddish amber body catches the light nicely so that it seems to glow a little. The head is reserved and fades relatively quickly. Raisins and dried apricots meld with firewood and creosote on the nose. The body is full and a bit cake-like. The bitterness isn’t overblown, but balances the sweetness of the beer nicely. Nice barleywine.

Bottle courtesy of Hogtownharry: Poured a reddish color ale with a small foamy head with minimal retention. Aroma of sweet malt is pretty intense with some discernable hops on the top. Taste is dominated by huge sweet malt on the border of being disgustingly too sweet. Finish is hoppy but not overly so and provide a nice balance with the malt. Alcohol is well hidden. Overall, this is a nice example of an American barleywine and something I would probably seek again.

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.

Very pleasant malty aroma with hints of molasses, oak, and toffee. The taste matches the aroma with the addition of alcohol well balanced with the other flavors. Bitter finish.

Early 2006 release, aged over 2 years. Pours a dark, reddish-copper color with a lightly hazy appearance. A spongy, cream colored head leaves nice rings of foamy lace on the glass. Aromatics are that of a classic American barleywine, with sweet caramel and toffee notes being countered by a faded citrus hoppiness and earthy spices. Toffee flavors are joined by a buttery nuttiness, its sweetness balanced out by orangey hops and mildly peppery spicing. Nearly full bodied, smooth, and viscous, the easy going palate makes up for a slight alcohol burn. Overall, this is a very good barleywine that clearly handles aging quite well. I’m a fan.