Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

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.

Tap, this is quite the biting beer, not quite bitter, but definately on its way. This beer had a nice full roundness to the aftertaste, which helped. Warming, what with the near 12% alcohol content, but not a trace of it in the flavor. It should be noted I had this selection after a sweeter barleywine that I enjoyed much more. This definately holds its own against barleywines of a similar variety.

orange/amber body with not much head.smells of cherries,citurs,and cotton candy.flavors of grapefruit,sweet malts,and some hops at the end.pretty good but i bet some aging would help. 2005 BOTTLE RE-RATE:same color with a bit more alcohol in the smell.much of the same taste,again,this needs aging. 2006 LIMITED EARLY RELEASE:orange amber body with a nice creamy off white head.aroma was prunes,bubblegum,and grapefruit.first sip was very balanced with hops/malts.then an aftertaste of grapefruit,and bubblegum.the alcohol is more hidden in this years release.this is pretty good fresh but i bet a year and it would be superb.

22 oz. bottle 2006 release - Pours a deep copper color with a one finger thick off white head which faded quickly. Light fruity aroma. Flavor is also a little estery. Light alcohol warming. Initial bitterness is strong but fades quickly. Medium body. Good beer. Have to try it again after my other bottle has aged a year.
Re-Rate (1/07) This beer has mellowed nicely. More toasty malt is noticeable. Very smooth on the palate. Has lost some of its hop and bitterness punch. Time has treated this bad boy well. (numbers are adjusted to the year old bottles tasting)

Winter 2005 release one year later 22oz - Aroma is alcohol and hops with a touch of carmel. Appreance hasn’t changed from original rating. Flavor is the opposite of aroma with the carmel being dominate, alcohol follows, then the hops. It is very smooth with a warming effect but not the burn I remember from the freshy. A year has been nice to this one.

Original rate date 3/1/05 score: 7/4/7/4/16=3.8
Winter 2005 release 22oz bottle - This is a sharp and hoppy barleywine with an aroma to match. Hops, malt, carmel with an alcohol bite. Great looking reddish brown with quickly dissipating off-white head and spotty lacing. Flavor is lasting bite of hops, alcohol, and carmel malts. I’m sure a year or two will make this an awesome brew.

22 ounce bottle from Brad. 08 vintage. Hazy amber orange color, with an off white head, and plenty of lace. What a giant grapefruit bomb. In the nose and flavor. And bitter as hell too. Tasty though. A bit of candy sweetness up front. Medium body with medium carbonation. Balanced finish. I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve had this. I need to start getting this for the cellar.

Pours amber/orange with thick tan head. Aroma of mostly malt. Creamy mouthfeel. Nice flavor of malt, toffee, and caramel. Very good.

2005 bottle. Deep amber, almost ruby color, thin white head, left good lacing on my glass. Aroma is incredibly complex, fruits, alcohol, malt, some gentle spices in there, my nose was glued to the rim of my glass. Flavor is bold, malt, hops, a very noticable alcohol bite, finish has a lot of oak and smoky flavors in it. A little too aggressive in my opinion, a little harsh, it didn’t have the sturdy palate to back it up (like say the Speedway, which I lauded for it’s bold flavor, but since these are different styles it’s apples and oranges). Mouthfeel is smooth, the alcohol really stands out along with the oak after each sip. Wish I could have tried the older vintages, but then again this beer was still quite a treat. A small step below the Old Numbskull and the Old Horizontal (two of the finest beers I’ve ever had, so that’s legit company to be in). Hoping that after aging a bit the flavor will be a little more rounded and less overwhelming, I’ll check back in 6 months or so. Also, drinking an entire bomber by yourself will get you feeling great, I can sense my writing ability decline with the level of the beer in the bottle.