StoneWall Ale

Formerly brewed at Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Escondido, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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I was lucky to be able to attend this party at Stone Brewery. If i knew then what i know now, i would have spent at least the 250, just so i could take some of this home. We only received one half glass per guest. It was darker than i expected, but not as dark as some barley wines. Nice darkish head that left a Very sticky lace all the way down. I have to admit i was expecting more hops, probably due to the huge build-up, but truly i was not let down. It seemed reminiscent of Bigfoot. Would love to taste them side by side. Great Job Stone.

Got a double pour out of the bottle at Stone Winter Storm. Really looked forward to trying this out of the bottle instead of draft. The pour had a small amount of slightly tan head the dissipated somewhat quick to a small lace around the edge of the snifter. Smell- wow, the aroma is sweet fruity malt with just a hint of alcohol in the very back of the nose. mouthfeel- this brew is pretty thick nice and coating on the palate. Taste- lots of sweet mild cherry like malt in the front with very clean and crisp finish in the end. The alcohol os almost totally hidden. I drank through my full pour way faster then I had planned. Time is doing this brew wonders for sure!

C.T. 3.0- Amber with a white, thin head and strong aroma of hoppy citrus. Big beer, very much like most barleywines with the malty sweetness, vanilla and caramel, but hits you with some nice hops and a dry finish. Everything I could want in a beer- malty, hoppy, rich, yet clean.

Opened the 3L growler at Stone today. An exciting pop of the flip top let me know that this one remained well carbonated over the last couple years. Poured a rich amber / mahogany to my 8oz snifter. This beer held a beautiful color, almost like a autumn maple leaves. A solid single finger layer of off-white head faded in just a few minutes to only rim the glass. The nose was slightly boozy, but a pronounced sweet, caramel aroma entices me. Also picked up vanilla notes and a roasty characteristic. Initial tastes were fantastically smooth. Clean malt flavor. Stronger than expected hop presence surprised me. More caramel and toffee tastes. Vanilla mixed in the complexity. A very well-rounded and balanced. I found StoneWall to be extreme drinkability. I would never know this one was 12.2% ABV by drinking it. Despite being a bit boozy on the nose, this one warmed up and drank so easily. I would jump at the chance to try this one again.

Beer as life marker. Received my bottle upon initial release. Had my dogs names put on the bottle. The oldest was put down this past Thursday. At the time of release, I was working for the man and hating it . . . I’ve since made a series of decisions that led to me working for myself. This beer sat in my fridge while time passed and life changed . . . and when the bottle was opened it was good, really good. Deep, thick texture and golden belgium yeasty goodness. 1 of a kind; never to repeat. I like it that way.

Had this one at the Stone Brewery during The Stonewall Ale Party. They were only pouring half glasses, and you had 1 ticket you had to redeem. This is the strongest beer to date from Stone, and the alcohol was present in the smell and taste. Poured a dark amber color, rather large beige head. Taste was sweet, with a nce hop finish. It was like a "hopped" up version of Old Guardian. I hear this might be available at the Bistro in limited amounts when it opens, for on premises consumption only. I am also hoping to see it at the Stone 10th Anniversary this year.