Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale 2005 - Stone Brewing Co.

trancesk8er

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

06-09-2012 04:25:31 | More by trancesk8er

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev 0%

02-25-2013 02:19:59 | More by t0rin0

beerpadawan

California

4.25/5  rDev 0%

08-27-2012 14:43:38 | More by beerpadawan

drabmuh

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Old Guardian served in an Old Guardian glass, this beer does not really improve with age but it also doesn't get much worse.

Beer is ruby and clear with a thin lazy off white / tan head of small bubbles, some lacing, low carbonation. Looks good.

Stone biting house yeast with nice MO grain / malt aroma, strong throughout.

Beer is medium in body with a mild bitter and hoppiness on the back end, it is a fine beer with a nice finish but there is this underlying faded, musky hoppiness there. I don't like it as much as the newer ones.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 18:30:55 | More by drabmuh

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle courtesy of drabmuh at last weekend's Stone tasting. Served in a Stone goblet.

Pours a semi-hazy golden-caramel color with a bit of an orange hue. Short head without much in the way of retention or lacing.

The nose brings some caramel and brown sugar, as well as some older hops. Faint fruits in the background. The flavor has a good deal of sweetness and still just a touch of lingering bitterness. Medium body with low carbonation and a mixture of sugar and alcohol.

This was okay, but it's not something I'd really plan to age all that much of in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 11:26:19 | More by Thorpe429

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.53/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Shared by drabmuh. Thanks Matt.

The beer is copper orange hued with a small head that leaves sparse lacing on the glass. The aroma offers caramels, malt, light oxidation, even some old basement. The flavor is decent, but I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as the 2004 version. I was quite surprised by how different they were from one another. Pretty simple and straightforward, with a slightly sweet malt bill leading the way. Hop character is nonexistent at this point. A pretty decent brew and fun to try.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 17:39:28 | More by Huhzubendah

codynevels

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

03-06-2012 00:29:00 | More by codynevels

bearisprime

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

02-08-2012 22:44:44 | More by bearisprime

PhineasGage

Iowa

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

01-27-2012 18:56:31 | More by PhineasGage

whartontallboy

New York

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

01-15-2012 01:54:50 | More by whartontallboy

rab53

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +17.6%

12-09-2011 04:27:19 | More by rab53

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +17.6%

12-08-2011 20:19:37 | More by Rochefort10nh

JohneHoodlum

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +17.6%

12-05-2011 23:40:07 | More by JohneHoodlum

jerz

California

5/5  rDev +17.6%

11-18-2011 05:18:33 | More by jerz

nanobrew

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

11-18-2011 01:36:10 | More by nanobrew

Wadsey

Indiana

3.03/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Stone Old Guardian, Winter 2005

Served in DFH signature glass. 

A: Pours clear amber with the faintest skim of a head. A light but steady stream of bubble course through beer, which is unexpected. 

S: Caramel and golden raisin notes dominate, indicating a hefty bill of crystal malts. Additional aromas include cherries, alcohol, light oxidation, and honey. Smell is more subdued than I'm describing. 

T: Taste does not follow particularly well. Malty sweetness, alcohol and medium bitterness comprise lion's share of taste. The alcohol and bitterness have undoubtedly diminished over years, but the other flavors have worn away more rapidly; therefore, alcohol and bitterness have no opposition. The alcohol has a solvent-like edge. However, caramel presence increases a notch when beer hits room temperature. 

M: Medium-heavy body an light carbonation. Warming and a little numbing. 

O: This bottle of Old Guardian was cellared properly and would certainly be "drinkable" for many years to come. It has not, however, improved and seems to be well past its peak. Too bad. 

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 12:11:41 | More by Wadsey

dirtylou

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

"limited winter 2005 release"

appearance: served in my great lakes chalice, bright clear amber-orange body, cream white head with light retention

smell: pine sap, thick caramel malts, honey, dark fruits, orange peel

taste; for being almost 6 years old, this beer still has a tight flavor profile. the citrus hops are gone but sticky pine remains, along with lots of honey, bitter orange peel, caramel, booze. I was worried this may have passed its prime, but it's still on point

mouthfeel: rich, creamy medium body, moderate bitterness in the finish

drinkability: good

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2010 21:32:22 | More by dirtylou

DeanMoriarty

California

4/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2005 Vintage Old Guardian

Had this out of a snifter at Holiday Wine Cellar's special event for San Diego Beer Week 2010: "Stone Vintage Archives & Decadent Chocolate Pairings" hosted by Dr. Bill Sysack of Stone Brewing. Paired with North Park's Eclipse Chocolat - Pumpkin Muscavado Truffle.

A: Pours a reddish/copper hue with a decent head and tons of thick lace from start to finish.

S: Earthy fruit, sweet and malty, finishing a bit boozy.

T: Booze up front that is balanced quickly by sweet malt, the hop that was missing in the nose comes through in the flavor nicely with the booziness mellowing as it warmed up a bit.

M: Medium to full-bodied, sticky but not syrupy at all with mellow carbonation giving it an overall smooth mouthfeel.

D: Wow - enjoyed this one a lot, but man it's only tolerable in small amounts. Heavy duty sh*t here! My wife had a sip of hers and passed it my way, which I appreciated, but I was good after her and my tastings...granted this is not my preferred style.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2010 04:00:14 | More by DeanMoriarty

srandycarter

California

4.25/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Stone popped this bad boy today.

A - Pours a beautiful deep amber, almost clear, large creamy head that is slow to leave and lots of lace.

S - Heavy malt, booze, some medicinal quality.

T - Sweet heavy malt, caramel, boozy, hard hops hitting it back.

M - Med to heavy body, from very sweet to very harsh. Hard to reign in those huge flavors. Done pretty well, though.

D - I bought the 2 litre growler of this sucker, and I had better find some friends to share, cuz this is not a session beer!

Serving type: growler

09-20-2010 01:15:58 | More by srandycarter

gford217

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2005 bottle courtesy of crosling poured into a snifter.

Pours a light, crystal clear amber with a small creamy beige head that recedes to a small collar and leaves some legs after each sip.

The aroma is wonderfully sweet. It's got caramelized dark fruits, toffee, brown sugar. There's not much left of the hops, maybe some orange peel and musty grasses, but the aroma has taken on a brandy-like aroma that's extremely appetizing.

The taste is just as sweet. It's got tons of caramelized sugar, oranges, and toffee. There is a much more prevalent spiciness in the taste, maybe from the remaining hops.

The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and sticky sweet with a low, tight carbonation that keeps things from getting too cloying.

This one has held up exceptionally well and I think I may prefer this to the fresher bottles I've had. It's really mellowed and turned into a sugary sweet after-dinner sipper. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2010 02:16:55 | More by gford217

asabreed

New York

4.38/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber into a Brooklyn tulip.

Appearance: Cloudy and very hazy. Lighter from the bottom to the darker top. Darker brown top and a lighter copper orange at the bottom. Pretty color overall, but little lacing and only a few thick drops cling to the bulb part of the glass. The color and depth save this one on the eyes.

Smell: Orange peel soaked in honey and drizzled caramel. There's also some leafy citrus hop presence, orange marmalade, and a lot of raisins. In addition, there's a nice peppery and spicy presence from the hops.

Taste: Chocolate nibs soaked in orange marmalade and drizzled with honey. Can't believe it's held up this well, especially considering the spicy and pungent hop presence. Fruit esters are mostly citrus, and there's some raisins and possibly figs in the mix. As it warms, the hop presence is still, seemingly miraculously, extremely strong and lingering, especially for this being five years old.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly rich and creamy, with good full and prickly carbonation, which was completely unexpected. Doesn't remain cloying at all, which is also surprising.

Drinkability: I wonder how long this could hold up. I'd say for at least a few more years, and that's what bumps this up from my originally planned half-lower rating. A pretty awesome brew overall, and I hope to try more vintages in the future. I'm sure they all bring some great characteristics to the table.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2010 22:15:06 | More by asabreed

Vancer

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Review 1600, time for one from the cellar.

Oh man oh man, what a classic brew - pure amber pour, even after the years the ivory head still materializes in the Corsendonk tulip.

Perfect barleywine aroma of orange liquor, sweet malt and caramel. I can tell this is gonna be good. And yes it is, sweet lip smacking bubble gum of thick orange booze, but no alcohol bite to be found. This is like drinking an orange cognac that's been aged for 10 years.

A very good brew, now gone forever. Bummer there.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2009 21:40:32 | More by Vancer

LordAdmNelson

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This one has aged so well! Aroma puts together the normal English Barleywine flavors--figs, raisons, syrup, sweet malt. Flavor is about the same--big sweet syrup, some light malt, some citrus hops, big fig and raison flavor... some spiciness as well. Good stuff here, '05 is drinking well, Oh god this is good... some creaminess, little or no head, some carbonation has been retained, I'd make a good session out of this.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2009 04:27:30 | More by LordAdmNelson

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.83/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured a lightly cloudy orangish color with a small white head. Nose is nice and malty, chewy caramel, with some of the floral and ctirus notes still hanging in there. Taste is caramel, deep and malty, mellow and damn tasty with pine/floral notes and it was not near as hot as a nw release OG. Still had good carbonation and this barleywine was down right excellent! OG is one of the best aging bwines I have found to date.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 20:19:39 | More by barleywinefiend

bovinecrusader

California

4.6/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

[On tap @ Naja's Vertical Barleywines. Cheers to you, Martin)

Pours a gilded, brassy note..almost TOO shiny, as one feels inexorably compelled to drink it. Sand-colored head immediately dissipates with a soft off-white sheen.

Mouthfeel? Uber-creaminess front-to-mid palate, but finishes with just enough lifting Fruitcake spice to warn you of its underlying indulgence.

Huge: brandy soaked apricots, undercooked/overspiced ginger bread, and spruce-tip-infused hops bitterness.

Drinkability? Its like liquid peer pressure emanating from a glass. Truly a testament to aging, and its benefits upon Beerdom.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2009 09:45:46 | More by bovinecrusader