Stone Old Guardian (Vintages 2004 and later)

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

"You know how when you go to a restaurant, they call out your name? Like "Dufrain, party of two... Dufrain, party of two." And if no one answers, they’ll say it again "Dufrain, party of two, Dufrain, party of two." But then if no one answers, they’ll just move on the next name: "Bush, party of three." What happened to the Dufrains? They’re missing, and no one cares. Right now, they’re tied up in the trunk of someone’s car, with duct tape over their mouths, and they’re hungry. That’s a triple whammy! "Bush, search party of three. You can eat once you’ve found the Dufrains." 2008

I hate this style but this was a very good representation. Aroma of strong malt, Vick’s Vapo-Rub and alcohol. Pour was a murky light brown with no head. Taste was very thick and hot. Mostly strong caramel malt with a little hops aftertaste. Good as far as this style goes but way too big and way too much.

Rating #650. 2008 bottle. Light reddish orange with a frothy off white head that dies quickly. Nice syrupy looking body. Aroma is citric hops, caramel malt, alcohol. Taste is huge citrus hoppiness on top of some toffee and caramel. Nice warming alcohol finish.

Courtesy SoLan. Pours a hazy orange amber with a light white head. Alot of toffee malts and molasses in the smell. Very rich. Tastes of citrus hops and caramel. Slight bitterness in the finish. Hops pretty present in the finish as well. Alcohol is definitely present in the taste and I believe its 11 %. Another solid brew from a great brewery. Cant wait to bring some back to Fla from Cali!

I hate to reiterate but this beer is pretty light for the style and much lighter in color than last years version. The head: white and creamy and the lace: intricate in its falling. Quite the handsome beer for sure. The nose is quite alcoholic but also quite tropical. Dripping juicy hops, caramel, melon and pineapple are all over the nose. This tastes odd. It is quite tasty but this doesn’t taste even close to any other barley wines I have had before. The so called "tropical notes" that I experienced in the nose appear old in the flavor and smashed with a hammer. Strong and very pleasant citrus notes in the mid-palate with mandarin oranges, caramel and lemons. The finish is long, quite alcoholic and very bitter.

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.

Bottle. This is a gorgeous looking brew. It pours viscous and ever so slightly hazy red-amber color, with a creamy off-white head that diminishes leisurely and leaves nice lacing. Aroma is sweet with lots of malts, plentiful hops and abundant alcohol. This smelled a bit of pineapple, molasses and orange cough syrup. Flavor is bold, sweet and thick, assertive hoppiness and a brash alcohol finsh with a lingering syrup and pine finish. Full body and creamy carbonation. Good now, and I look forward to trying it in a year or two when it's mellowed a bit.

(2007 vintage) Decent sized off white head of medium sized bubbles. Minimal carbonation. Nice sweet and hoppy aroma. Lots of piney hops and some citrus. Very fruity. Color is a slightly hazy dark copper. Sweet and oh so smooth flavor. Strong alcohol presence. More fruit and hops. Some pineapple, caramel malts, hint of smokey grains and some resinous piney hops. Finish is bitter and somewhat dry. Noticable alcohol heat at the finish. Very smooth and easy drinking. This one could get you into trouble real fast. A very good barleywine. Will thry this one again after a couple of years of sleeping. Big thanks to etowneraser for this brew.