Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

Early 2008 version poured into a Stone Old Guardian tulip glass for a perfect union of beer and serving container. Appearance is super clear bright orange hue, head is a good amount of white, condensed creamy foam, great swaths of lacing on the glass. Smell is fairly muted for a barleyiwine, some subtle caramel malts and a mix of pine/grassy/floral hops, tinges of alcohol. Taste is pure Stone, big pine resin hops and caramel malts mix together initially, transitions to some grassy sweet floral tones, finishes with sweet malt and alcohol warming. Mouthfeel is full-bodied, thick oily texture coats the mouth region, nice ample carbonation. Drinkability is good, this is a surprisingly sweet and mild barleywine and the 11+%abv is very subtle, a good candidate for aging- while it is solid now I can imagine that it may move into the exceptional range with a few years of aging as noted by some of the aged OGs at the most recent Stone Storm.

Early 2009 release purchased at Central Market in Mill Creek, WA. Pours a beautiful cloudy orange color. Flavor: Dried fruit, medium hops, sweet malt, and a hint of citrus.

Still clear pour with a little haze. Brown-orange color with a thin light tan head. Lots of malt and caramel flavor. Floral and fruity with pineapple and peach. Bitter malt flavor with caramel and molasses. Fruity with some grain and an alcohol finish. Bitterness lingers. Very heavy.

bomber from grape & gourmet, 2008 release. pours a hazy, bright orange gold with a very thin, off white head with a ring of lace. aroma is great with big caramel malts, earthy hops, dried raisins, figs, mild citrus, and a hint of cider. flavor is outstanding with a wonderful balance of big, roasted caramel malts, toasted pistachio and bitter, earthy, citrus hops with a background of subtle chocolate, toffee, and pine notes. palate is full bodied and slightly syrupy with a well integrated, warming alcohol presence and a long, roasty, bittersweet finish. overall, one damn good barley wine.

07, 08, 09 vintages sampled from the tap at same time as a vertical tasting at a local beer bar. All are an orange/amber with medium size off-white head. Aromas of 07, 08 are brown sugar, caramel , sweet malt with a hint of hops. 09 has the malt with much more hops in the aroma. Flavors of 07, 08 are very similar, 07 is softer and smoother - Brown sugar and caramel with slight hints of hops in the background at the finish, alcohol well hidden. 09 however is very different, much bolder flavor of sweet malt and lots of resiny hops present - quite enjoyable, though alcohol much more noticeable. 07 is my favorite now, but 09 I bet will beat it hands down cellared for a year.

2004 Vintage. On tap at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens. Pours dark-rich amber and opaque. Nice aroma of rich and complex hops. No real head. Flavor begins spicy and hoppy and finishes with a really nice sweet green apple lingering after taste. There is still a hint of alcohol, but it is subtle and very enjoyable.

Pours a golden amber that is a bit hazy. Aroma is strong with malts, hops, and dark fruit. Notes of raisin, caramel, and a tad bit of pine stand out. On the palate, the feel was full and strong. The taste brought out the hops even more and added a bit of pine to the aroma. A great barley wine.

On tap at Winterstorm. Verticaled the 04-08. The fresh was good, but the aged were better. Each year mellowed, and the jump between the 07 and the 05 was huge. The best by far was the oldest, at 04. It was cloudy and deep amber/orange. It was warm and fuzzy. Spicy, fruity, boozy, sweet. I don’t know how much better it could possibly get with any more age.