Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

Gorgeous hazy peachy appearance, with a slimmish layer of foam on top. Exhilirating nose...yeasty and citric at first, toasty and potent, from the top of it...wide open citric fruit character, not what I’d expected...serious smell, leaking in the alcoholic content, slowly, tingling with further fruitiness, begging me to finally taste... mmmm...this is a new kind of yumminess, one I don’t remember from other versions...citric sweetness, a delicious oxymoron, is chief among the flavor contributions..peach and apricot, mix with honey and spice, while the booze facts stands tall above it all, as well. Very happy, humming, brilliant brew, this is...lands gladly on the palate, too, though it makes no considerable impact. Sits there comfortably, imparting juicy, jubilant flavor ...very interesting, and not what I expected, less like a typical American barleywine, and more like some English old ales, or even like certain Belgian brews, certainly in an exclusive class...this is a tangy thing, a powerfully flavored ale, confident and kind,it delivers it’s goodness, assured in it’s mission, it drops this delicacy and moves on, like all good soldiers should...

Thanks to Kook, tried at homebrew club night. Clear tawny brown body with a short lasting light tan head. Big malt aroma but with strong notes of pine and then the alcohol. The palate is easy drinking but not as promising as the nose, burnt caramel, toasted and some more dried fruit. Don’t pick up the alcohol as much in the taste as in the nose.

Pretty copper, very clear, good head. Aroma is hop oriented around boiled grapefruit. Maple syrup malts greet you initially, followed by a peppery bitterness and more grapefruit. The alcohol is also clearly evident. I think I preferred the 2003, although I can’t put my finger on exactly why. NOTE: Rerate of the early 2006 release. Notes match almost identically, but alcohol not as evident as previously. Adjusted score accordingly, much higher now (previous 3.7), probably an indicator of my growing love for barley wines.

Draft. Fruity aroma. Lots of berry--esp cherries. Malty ans sweet aroma. Didnt ask the bartender what vintage this was. Pours a transparent copper/amber color. I wasnt expecteing transparentcy ): It has a small off-white head. Start is sweet and very malty with a definitely alcohol burn. Hoppiness to finish, but quite bitter. This is kind of harsh. Prolly best off being aged. Sampled at Blue Tusk in Syracuse.

22oz bomber. 05.24.04 Bright orange-gold. aroma has what seems to be the typical Stone signature. Sweet. Taste is appropriately sweet, but the beer is terribly hoppy for a barley wine. Not much alcohol presence or depth as I’d expect for the style. Tasty, but I can’t figure what about this beer actually makes it a ’barley wine’ as it is not at all about malts except briefly at the start, there is little depth, nothing lingering except hop burn, crazy astringency.

bottle, golden orange pour with faint white ring, nose of strong refined sugar and flavor of caramel, malt and ripe dark fruits, finish is long lasting

Bottle, 2007. Lots of sticky grapey malt in the aroma with equally strong hops (peach, grapefruit) and some alcohol. Notes of orange and butterscotch. Clear pale orange-amber both with a tanned creamy head. Sugary alcohol taste with very strong, pronounced bitterness. Principal flavors of butterscotch, caramel, and peach dominated by hop resin and some pine. Viscous, fat malt body. Warming and boozy. The malt factor is really amped up here to try to make the hops bearable, and thankfully, a successful balance is struck. Dry resinous aftertaste. Just loaded with flavor, takes a long while to dissect. Seems a little raw.

Brassy-orange body with noticeable viscosity. Initially dense white head dissipated more rapidly than expected. Suprisingly malty sweet nose of lightly toasted caramel, maple syrup, wood, and hops. Flavor is like candied hops. Distinctly different from previous vintages (as billed). Profile intially strikes me as more English than previous renditions of the Guardian. However hop intensity, which didn't seem so assertive at first, builds with each sip and gradually takes over. But I think this vintage will lay down faster and peak sooner than others. I predict one year for maximum quality here. To be continued in 2005...