Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

Pours copper/amber and very bubbly with small head. Decent lacing. Flavor is sweet with a little honey or currant. Slightly hoppy, slightly malty. Very smooth, and very strong. I’m finding it hard to type from this beer. Nice.

Bottled, 2006. Clear orange color, short head. Aroma of a typical barley wine, malty, slight caramel, fruity, candy sugar, very hoppy. Bitter taste, hops, quite straightforward.

First of all... I’m not usually a big barley wine drinker. They’re usually too sweet or too fruity, or too malty. This is a wonderfully balanced specimen. The aroma gives forth the malt characteristic. The initial taste lets me know there’s some nice hop backbone. Great beer!

2007 spring vintage. Pours from the bomber a slightly hazy copper-bronze color under a creamy beige 1" head. Admirable head retention throughout the snifter with just some spotty lacing coating the sides. Aromas are nicely balanced with notes of dark caramel candies, toasted malts, toffee and honey initially coming to the forefront with supporting background notes of citrus, oak and herbs. Palate was quite full, round, creamy and slightly oily. Just a touch of fine carbonation to tinlge the tongue. Flavor profile was expertly balanced between the malts and hops. Sugar Daddy candy, toffee, caramel are perfectly balanced with moderate tones of citrus, pine, spice and oak. No gettin’ away from the 11.26% abv. It makes its muscular presence well known in the finish, but is just right for a relaxed sippin’ big ole’ Barley Wine.

old rating: 7/4/8/4/17 - 4.0 (limited early 2008 release). 2009 vintage pour is a cloudy brown-orange with a medium size beige head, and excellent lacing. smell of sweet fruit (pear, apple) some roasted nuts, some caramel, spice, and grain in the back. taste is thick, semi-tart, burnt caramel, roasted nuts, malt, some fruit, and a touch of citrus, ends a little dry and a little bitter, gets sweeter as it warms.

Bottle, 2008. Cloudy orange-brown with a thick orangey-tan head. Aroma is intensely fruity and sweet, of candied citrus, hops and a hint of something sharper. Powerful flavor of malt, citrus hops, dates. Big, full mouthfeel and a lingering bitterness. Really nice barley wine.

Bomber 2008 vintage poured a hazy copper with a small lasting amber head. Aromas of carmel, citrus and light pine. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of carmel, grapefruit rind, earthiness and light orange with a smooth lingering bitter finish.
Tastes more like a DIPA to me!

Having only recently started to enjoy barleywines, i was really looking forward to the one from my favorite brewery. Id have to say i was a little disappointed. I really expected more hops. It wasnt bad at all just not what i expected.