Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

Limited Early 2006 Release - 22 Oz. Bottle Crystal clear fiery amber, orange and fusion of ruddied sunsets, opposite the gray palor of today. Rimming this opulent liquid is a silky, lacing brown bag head, with nicely stacked micro bubble, champage carbonation and swirling lace. The aroma is subtle and deft, but not entirely exhilirating. It has a sultry sugar base, with floral explosions and rocketing rubbed herb savory touches. Definate bananas over plum sauce in a pot of ageing malt. Finish with a lightly medicinal curry of time. Flavor is an almost buttery mingling of cloying malts and hop residues. It’s quite enjoyable. At first I find myself melting a black cherry compote on the roof of my mouth, before it’s swept away into a sea of orange and pine cream, with delicious glowing florals. The hops are really elequently done in this beer, with the better half showing and the harshness backed off. The malt plays here too, with supple candied sugars and a touch of light milk chocolate. In the end, there’s an amalgamation of vegetal lemongrass on my tounge and a wistful smack of plums and cocktail sauce. I think succulent well describes this beer. Needless to say the palate is totally enjoyable, with heavy balance and gracefull movements. Alcohol is amazingly subdued, adding only appreciated quality and heightened awareness to the profile of the beer. Thanks for this awesome experience Andy!

I hate this style but this was a very good representation. Aroma of strong malt, Vick’s Vapo-Rub and alcohol. Pour was a murky light brown with no head. Taste was very thick and hot. Mostly strong caramel malt with a little hops aftertaste. Good as far as this style goes but way too big and way too much.

Amber red with a thick and creamy head with big lacing. Caramel and spice in the nose. Malt and alcohol. Some brown sugar. Very spicy flavors of caramel and figs. Some brown sugar. Alcohol. bittering hops. Tangy and spicy palate with a bitter malt finish.

Bottle. This is a gorgeous looking brew. It pours viscous and ever so slightly hazy red-amber color, with a creamy off-white head that diminishes leisurely and leaves nice lacing. Aroma is sweet with lots of malts, plentiful hops and abundant alcohol. This smelled a bit of pineapple, molasses and orange cough syrup. Flavor is bold, sweet and thick, assertive hoppiness and a brash alcohol finsh with a lingering syrup and pine finish. Full body and creamy carbonation. Good now, and I look forward to trying it in a year or two when it's mellowed a bit.

(2007 vintage) Decent sized off white head of medium sized bubbles. Minimal carbonation. Nice sweet and hoppy aroma. Lots of piney hops and some citrus. Very fruity. Color is a slightly hazy dark copper. Sweet and oh so smooth flavor. Strong alcohol presence. More fruit and hops. Some pineapple, caramel malts, hint of smokey grains and some resinous piney hops. Finish is bitter and somewhat dry. Noticable alcohol heat at the finish. Very smooth and easy drinking. This one could get you into trouble real fast. A very good barleywine. Will thry this one again after a couple of years of sleeping. Big thanks to etowneraser for this brew.

Some salty maltiness and ruinous piney hop action. Pepper. Lighter in body than I supposed, less effervescent that some. Very very good.

2006 edition, bright dark amber color, with a frothy beige head, nice sweet caramelized malt, with a candied orange peels fruitiness, hint of pine, butterscotch and toffeee accents, with a brandy note in the aroma follows through on a full-bodied palate with a sweet caramelized character, notes of toffee and crème brulée, candied oranges and apricots fruitiness, with a piney floral hops accent coat in a caramel english pudding , leading towards a well hidden alcoholic punch and a piney floral hops bitterness finish.

So, the question of the evening is this: when you come home from a long day at the office, and you look in the cabinet that holds your precious beer glassware collection, and you notice that 7 of your pint glasses are gone-and you haven’t used them-and the only explanation of their untimely disappearance is your brother in law, who you gave a room to when he had nowhere to go, to whom you extended a helping hand both physically and financial, has broken them or stole them, what do you do? That’s right, America-pour barleywine on the situation. Thanks a whole fucking lot, Phil. Bottle-2005. Pour is kind of hollow-dark honey with a wispy ring of bubbles that cries out to be more than what it is. Nose-husky, cereal, sweet like warm honey, thick. Taste-initial taste takes me back: as a child, my family raised honeybees. We had hundreds of hives, millions of bees. Honey flowed in my house like water, and I ate it everyday. One day, I wondered what would happen if I cooked the honey in a skillet on the stovetop. The honey quickly boiled and became a solid dark glass like substance. I ate a piece to see what it tasted lie. It tasted like this. Very burned. Very bitter back end that is surprisingly unbalanced by the malts. Incredibly unbalanced-this is all bittering hops and burnt malt. It isn’t all bad. There are some saving graces-the light dancing sweetness, and the muted aroma hops add to the drink, but they are hidden behind this mountain of burn. Seriously you fuck. I realize that to you they are just drinking glasses, but to me they are a collection. Respect that, you fuck. And find somewhere else to live. This beer, much like my in laws, is a huge let down.