Stone Bourbon Barrel Old Guardian Barley Wine

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

Serve in Snifter

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500 ml bottle to snifter (shared with the wife during an unexpected stop in Lafayette, IN in the middle of a blizzard; thanks deftim13). Looks good; a hazy amber with fluffy light beige head. Smells and tastes good too; sweet and boozy with a nice, creamy mouthfeel. Great stuff.

Tap at the Graduate in Davis, CA. Pours amber with an off-white smear. Medium body with creamy carbonation. Aromas of toasted malt and citrus/pine. Flavor is sweet malt with cirtus hop. There is an oaky astringency that pops up in the finish. But it’s barley wine sweet overall. Nice drink.

I believe this was the 06. Tap at Small Bar Fullteron. Pours hazy amber with minimal head. Aroma of wood, vanilla, sweet malt, caramel. Good mix of the bourbon flavor, I thought it was well done.

On tap at the Stone Bistro. Pours a burnished caramel amber color, partly cloudy, topped with a thin layer of wispy off-white head. Woody aroma of stringy oak, mild vanilla, and a moderate bourbon booziness. Softer notes of caramel malt, fruitcake, and mild pear esters lie beneath. Medium bodied, softly carbonated mouthfeel with a slightly sticky texture. Flavors of caramel and vanilla up front, along with some sherried pear. Mild fruits, light bitterness, and wood. There aren’t any clever tricks or miraculous transformations happening here; it tastes exactly like OG with bourbon. The BB character isn’t overdone and works well with the base beer.

2012 batch. hoppy for a barley wine and that keeps it from getting too rich. there’s still plenty of brown sugar and fruit but it’s more like a ’triple ipa’.

Excellent brew. Notes of raisin toffee, wood, bourbon , vanilla. A beautiful warm sweet finish.

Bottled, new production release. Appearance is deep brown, clear with a light fine head. Lovely aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut & bourbon. Flavor is mellow, with notes of oak, bourbon and caramel. Perfect amount of sweetness and a nice dry bitterness is still evident. Smooth mouthfeel. Tasty!

~RBSG ’08~

On draft at Stone. Pours a ruddy brownish red color, with a fuzzy white head and minimal lacing. Aroma is spicy, with bourbon, some chocolate, and subdued caramel. Flavor has a nice feel to it, with caramel, some chocolate, sweet malts, subdued hops, and an interesting liquor element. Surprisingly crisp. Bitter, sticky body. Slides right down the throat easily, and considering what this beer is made of, is fairly impressive.

2006 vintage served on tap at the Stone 15th Anniversary Celebration. The appearance is a clear boded golden brown without much head. The nose has a good oak/wood thing with some bourbon. The flavors have a lovely mild chard lighter oak, bourbon laced with vanilla, and aged hops. The mouth is medium to full boded and really smooth. A fine beer that has a nice union between the bourbon barrel and base beer.

On tap at the terrific, and very popular, Rattle’n’Hum 2010 Stone event. Tangy aroma. Smooth, nicely balanced flavors - sweetness and bourbon. Very good.