Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

Daytona 500 tasting. Bomber, early 2006 vintage. I remember trying this fresh and hating it, so I didn’t rate it at the time. Glad I stowed a few bottles - this is WAY better now! Clear orange with almost no head. Resiny nose, peachy and some booze. Flavor has really mellowed out and become dry - bready and floral, more pine. Nice!

2005- color is a brown ruby, with no head. caramel, dried fruits, alcohol in the aroma. Still has some of it’s hop bitterness in it, i should have tried this fresh to compare. Taste is of dried fruit, alcohol, hops, sugar

Pours a clear sparkling deep amber with definite orange hues. The head is a frothy light tan consisting of small particles. Glass lacing is acceptable. The aroma is a quite pleasing: sweet licorice, floral and fruity. Alcohol is also noticeable, especially as it warms. The flavor is sweet and malty up front then a wallop of bitter hops socks your mouth. The finish has a good bit of alcohol burn to it, but the palate itself is not too thick and creamy, it is actually kind of light. Overall it needs to age and mellow. This could develop into a real wonder in 6-12 months.

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.

Bottle. Pours a rich amber color with a thin off-white head. Aroma is hoppy with caramel, fruit, light pine, and some citrus. Flavor is caramel malt, fruitness, warm alcohol and a hint of toffee with a medium bitter finish

Thanks abcfan. Poured a nice thick peachy copper with a one finger creamy light amber head. The nose was much sweeter than I would expect from Stone, figured it would be a bitter hopbomb, sweet, caramel, very malty, citrusy, mainly some grapefruit peel, a little alcohol. The flavor is similar, alcohol could be much worse, sweet, malty, a little bitter, citrusy, grapefruit peel at the sides of the tongue. Finish is initially sweet and gives way to a warm bitterness.

Bottle sampled. Pours amber with a large off-white head. Aroma of fruit, citrus, caramel, and alcohol. The flavor is sweet, caramel, fruit, brown sugar, finishes bitter.

Beautiful old brass door knob color. A big thick head and thick sheets of lace stick to the sides of the glass like cobwebs. In the nose, huge, rich caramel malts, slight grapefruit rind hop notes, distant baked apples and oak-barrelled alcohol. Bursts of flavor on the tongue and even the sides of my mouth and all the way down. Big doughy, caramel and fancy orange liquor flavors are immediate. Dry burning hops, more soft warming alcohol, and slight woodiness in the finish. caramel and alcohol warm on the way down and in the aftertaste. Side by side with the ’03, this is stronger in firey alcohol but a little lighter in malts and hops.