Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

The 2008 iteration of Old Guardian is a clear winner. Let it sit for a while to air out and add to the complexity. Very hoppy nose but mellows as it sits. Rich and buttery it’s like a fine cognac. Make sure you are already home when enjoyng this one because like a good creeper weed, it will sneak up behind you and will knock your dick in the dirt. I rate this highly and my recliner, which my wife woke me up in this morning at 5am, rates it even higher.

2008 limited release, 11.26 abv. I have been wanting to try this for a while and was fortunate to find it at Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA. Pours an amber/orange color with a thin head but it sticks around. Aroma is a lot of sweet malt, vanilla, fruity, particularly grapefruit, and a touch of alcohol. This is a wonderful tasting barleywine with many layers adding to it’s complexity. The flavors are sweet malts, sherry, tart cherries, oak, a dark fruit note and finishes off with grapefruit hops. Not a lot of bitterness but some mild alcohol burn and although you know the alcohol is in it the 11.26% hides quite well. A nice representation of the style and a beer that makes for a great evening. 2007 Version, Sampled 5/22/09. This pours a clear amber color with a thick initial foamy head that fades to a thin layer. The aroma is sweet caramel, tangy fruit, plums, resin. Flavor shows sweet caramel and plums along with orange peel and grapefruit. Toffee and sherry is picked up after it sits a bit. Warming, smooth, with a slight bitter finish. A nice sipper but I actually prefer this fresh when it has a bit more of an edge to it. The hops have clearly faded here and I prefer the sharper hop flavor to balance the sweetness. Rating for this bottle would be 4.1. A few adjustments to overall score.

A dark orange with a fluffy, pillowy head. Aromas of pine and malt. Tastes of resinous piny hops and sweet flavors of turbinado sugar and brown sugar. Has about the viscosity of a double IPA and drinks a mature one.

Tap at Stone, ’05 vintage. Poured kind of light for barley wine, but it was quite a beer. Super dark fruity, malty beer. Taste was much the same, very smooth and easy to drink, this would be very dangerous. The alcohol was very well hidden, great stuff.

2008 bottle. Clear, light copper. Nose of toffee and other malty sweetness and that hoppy aroma that I love from Stone. The taste is a balanced explosion... Syrupy sweet malt giving way to pine/citrus hops. Full bodied, oily/syrupy thick. Great beer.

While my personal preference leans more towards English style Barleywines, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a heartily hopped Barleywine with Bigfoot and Old Ruffian coming to mind. Stone is new to Florida and is slowly building their market and customer base. They are an excellent brewery dedicated to brewing exquisitely delicious brews of their own darkest desires. Whether you like them or not is of no concern to them; quality, commitment, and taste is their mission. It just so happens that with those steadfast qualities there can only be one end result: damn good beer. Each year Stone offers their contribution to the Barleywine market: Old Guardian. She ages beautifully and is equally decadent young, though a little rebellious and hot under the collar. This is my first year of Old Guardian so along with savoring her fresh, as you shall read below, you better believe I have a couple bottles set aside to mature and age for an undetermined number of years.

Available in large 22oz bombers with their mischievous Gargoyle mascot on the front, Old Guardian certainly embodies its namesake. Hazy amber-orange, lighter orange glints cower under the billowing head of coppery-orange doom which threatens to overflow. I can’t have that; a drop of beer spilt is a drop of blood spilt. After her release, she slowly settles down into a thick coppery layer of mousse-like consistency. A few large bubbles gather at the middle to converse and discuss their strategy for conquering my palate. Have I awoken a sleeping giant? Lifting my glass, I am immediately assaulted with hops of the sweet and succulent variety which hit hard and fast before stepping aside to allow her mossy, vegetal, grassy and piney nature to emerge. I can already tell this is going to be at least a one hour sipper with much contemplation, revelation, and inspiration. Keeping the balance are crunchy breadsticks lying next to apricots, oranges, and tangerines with their skins adding an extra snap of enjoyment. Wholly enraptured, my first kiss is like a wet dream of which adults can only dream. While the extreme wet mossy dankness tinged with tropical esters and crunchy breads had me a bit leery, her body is a whole different story. Balance is the name of her game. Her mouthfeel is soft velvet and gentle creaminess which coats with honeycomb sweetness. She lingers with dry grass while herbs such as basil, thyme, and rosemary linger in my breath. Splintered wood and citric skin dries my palate just enough to entice further mouth-watering thirst which I am more than happy to quench. Sweet in the front, dry and bitter in the middle to finish, with herbs lingering in my breath. A big Barleywine, it comes as no surprise that Old Guardian exudes warmth which my body equally echoes. The longer we mingle, the more warmth she exudes which leads into notes of bourbon and vanilla. I’m glad I am at home relaxing so that I can fully enjoy this beautiful beer.

Stone never ceases to amaze me. Even their few standard beers are a step above most, so it comes as no surprise to me that their Old Guardian has foisted the number two spot in my current beerfolio for Barleywine greatness. Make sure to grab a couple three bottles; one to enjoy fresh and one or two to age for future enjoyment.

a great solid example of a barley wine. balanced malty hoppy. I like all my beer warm and flat in a brandy sniffer. usually warm it up with my hands and let it sit for a bit... i spend some time with it. great front side and top of the tongue flavor, leaves a slight bitterness at the back.

Just drank the bottle and assumed I had already written a review. Guess not so I’ll have to do a "review light" until I drink again. Aroma: wonderful, full hops. Appearance: slightly cloudy dark golden, off amber. Flavor: Simply wonderful. I would put this close to Behemoth and my dark horse candidate, Big Foot. Palate: nice balance. Overall: Love it will but it again.