Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

Serve in Snifter

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Medium brown color. Large foamy white head. Aroma is malty and fruity. A medium to full bodied barley wine. Malts are fruity and sweet. Hops are grapefruity and spicy. Hints of an alcohol bite, but pretty smooth for a 10% alcohol beer. Nice touches of orange, cherries and citrus in there as well. Seems a little hoppier than the older versions. Still very nice barley wine and well age well. As usual a nice etched beer bottle. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

UPDATED: FEB 18, 2007 Boozed-up pine trees treading on wet earth...Dried apricots and plentiful pale fruit falling like leaves and grabbed by hop bitterness and alcohol...At this point in its young life, it feels agressive and not cohesive...I’ll have to come back in a year or two...3.5/5

1-year-old bottle : Hops have wonderfully laid back and let the rich malts shine...Superb unity of flavors, balance is achieved and the smooth and nourishing mouthfeel warms the body...4/5

Young 2007 vintage: This newly-bottled vintage was quite disappointing to me...None of the complex maltiness required to develop with age, none of the blooming hops to seduce the nostrils and tastebuds, this is just a smooth, überclean barley wine for those in search of a thoughtless evening sipper...Not what I usually expect from Stone...3.2/5

Amber body with a low off-white head. Aroma is mostly resinous hoppy, but has an alcohol extravagance that is hard to tolerate. I find the hops profile to approach soap at times, I wonder if it’s all amarillow, but I know I don’t particularly enjoy that breed. Taste is citric, very bitter, slightly oily, not too pleasant for me and just too alcoholic. There’s a good floral character going on, but it’s annihilated by the almost fuelic counterpart. Thin-medium bodied with medium carbonation. I prefered the 2003 I must say and I can see why some people like this, but you’ve got to be in the mood for hoppy alcohol.

UPDATED: MAR 7, 2013 Draft. Fruity aroma. Lots of berry--esp cherries. Malty ans sweet aroma. Didnt ask the bartender what vintage this was. Pours a transparent copper/amber color. I wasnt expecteing transparentcy ): It has a small off-white head. Start is sweet and very malty with a definitely alcohol burn. Hoppiness to finish, but quite bitter. This is kind of harsh. Prolly best off being aged. Sampled at Blue Tusk in Syracuse. (7/3/6/4/12) ~~~~~~RE-RATE~~~~~~~2013 Vintage. 22 ounce bottle from Nugget in Woodland, CA. The aroma on this is a bit hoppy with more of an herbal and grassy character present. Lightly floral and light caramel. Not much else here. Transparent ruby-amber body with a medium, somewhat quickly dissipating light yellow head that leaves good lacing. This starts extremely sweet, sugary, and cloying. I don’t remember this beer ever being this out of balance. Finishes with a little spicy and herbal hop flavor, before a large amount of booziness follows. Holy shit, what happened to this beer?

Hazy, golden red body with a creamy, white head. Fruity sweet aroma full of citrus, tart berries, pine sap, caramel, a touch of toffee and a little warming alcohol. The body is fairly moderate in thickness but has small, tight bubbles that stick to the glass. Good flavors that start sweet with the malt before becoming intensely bitter. Hoppy as hell that finishes with a bitterness that really makes the tongue curl. Alcohol makes its way into the finish to warm the ming, body and soul. Another strong Barley Wine from the folks in San Marcos.

Very nice. Poured a deep, rich ruby red with nice subdued carbonation. Aroma is wonderful: raisiny, sweet. Syrupy on the palate with a sweet, rich flavor. I’m a sucker for barleywines, but this is definitely one of the best I’ve had.

Ruby-amber body with just a tinge of cloudiness. Medium head of white froth. Smells wonderful, but unusual for a barleywine; it is much like the stone IPA’s and Arrogant Bastards - pineapple juice, raisins, sweet ruby red grapefruit and sugars. Taste is huge, syrupy and sweet. Begins rather bitingly, alcohol is present throughout. Sweet malt (pineapple, pitfruit), bitter hops (roasted coffee) work and transition in lockstep. Normally a barleywine goes sweet to bitter, this flavor is all at once - genuine, crafty and delicious. Aftertaste is sweet and bitter, fades into a yeasty, dough-like ending.

Copper pour with medium lacing. Very hoppy aroma immediately present. Alcohol very noticeable in the taste. Hops, grapefruit rind, slight malt come through strong. Slight malt/alcohol finish. This one needs to rest for some time, a little too raw at this point in its life.

Bottle pours a light copper with a large off white head and plenty of lace. The aroma is of fresh smelling hops and sweet white grape and apple juice. The flavor is grapefruit, malt sweetness, pine, ale fruit notes, and very nice. The palate does not overwhelm, but holds up to the strong flavor profile. Overall, this is a very nice Barley Wine.

pours golden brown with a large off white head. aroma is fruity apples mostly, and hoppy, with pine needles. flavor is hoppy, and of grapefruit with a strong alcohol flavor. this beer is strong though not sticky like many other barley wines. however I prefer the previous old guardians to this one. maybe aging will do this one well.