Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

HUGE in taste a blast of hops and malt this may be true ruination on taste buds as nothing after this will compare very pretty dark redish orange huge malt scent from goblet no head damn one bottle is more than enough i recomend sharing

2005 bottle courtesy of crosling poured into a snifter. Pours a light, crystal clear amber with a small creamy beige head that recedes to a small collar and leaves some legs after each sip. The aroma is wonderfully sweet. It’s got caramelized dark fruits, toffee, brown sugar. There’s not much left of the hops, maybe some orange peel and musty grasses, but the aroma has taken on a brandy-like aroma that’s extremely appetizing. The taste is just as sweet. It’s got tons of caramelized sugar, oranges, and toffee. There is a much more prevalent spiciness in the taste, maybe from the remaining hops. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and sticky sweet with a low, tight carbonation that keeps things from getting too cloying. This one has held up exceptionally well and I think I may prefer this to the fresher bottles I’ve had. It’s really mellowed and turned into a sugary sweet after-dinner sipper. Excellent.

22. 2009, probably. Not very old, anyway. Rich deep murky bright amber with a towering fish eye tan head that leaves sheets of gorgeous white lace and a little film of off white head. Big sweet pine and floral hoppy nose, lots of sweet caramel, toffee, and butterscotch cereal goodness mixed in. As always, the quintessential west coast american hoppy beast barleywine with tons of malt mixed in to undercut it all and balance it out. So intense it has almost a basementy funk to it. But it’s just powerhouse ingredient profiling. Creamy, sticky body, pretty thick, plenty of carb. Rich roasty caramel, lots of toast on the mid palate, along with alcohol twang, bitey piney hop, and lots of deep earth and wet leaves. Very intense flavor. Be nice to see this in five years when things have turned into tobacco and leather and softened out. Long roasty dark finish. Nice stuff.

dark orange pour with a very small off white head , sweet aroma and taste .

Draft at Teresa’s. Pours hazy, off-center orange with a relatively thin, yet smooth and rich off-white head. Aroma is mellow and subtle; hints of butter, vanilla, barley, toffee, caramel, and even odd hints of marshmallow. Body is thick and silky with a sugary sweet, sticky mouthfeel. Finishes with a crazy boozy, warm pop. Very good barley wine, but the aging removes some of the aggressive carbonation that makes the fresh variety of this brew much more well-balanced and enjoyable.

Draft at teresas with pat. Pours a dark orange amber body with nice haze. Aroma is very sweet, some malt, and something else. Mouthfeel is subdued from aging I assume. Taste is a bit dominated by sweetness with other notes of fruit, malt, ang a slight alcohol sting

Pours medium, red-brown with a foamy, beige head. Massive hop aroma literally fills the room. Flavor is unsurprisingly hop forward, but is balanced in the middle with a nice crystal malt character and pleasant grain huskiness. The finish is characterized by a bit of roasted malt bite, like one would expect in a dry stout, and a fleeting metallic flavor. Medium, rounded body. Really complex and pleasing. This could only improve with age.

2010 Release; Very nice sweet, malty aroma with a blast of alcohol, pours a very distinct reddish amber, with minimal head. Pretty strong up front, mellows a bit. Very smooth, full bodied, with some serious IBUs that kick in pretty hard. Finish is a little rough and lose some points, probably will do much better with age.