Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale 2006 - Stone Brewing Co.

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This 2006 barrel was on tap at Three Floyds. I just happened to ask if was the 2010 and was pleased to hear it was the 2006! Had to try it.

Served in a goblet styled chalice.

Pours a nice coppery hued golden orange color with a tanned head and sticky clumps of lace. Smells sweet and malty with enough of a hop presence-- citrus and slight pine-- to make you know it's still an American barleywine as oppesed to the British style. A nice caramel malt flavor presents with a great smoothness... Mouthfeel is perfect. Smooth would be the one word to describe this beer at this moment.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2010 17:57:49 | More by AleWatcher

HopHead84

California

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2/19/2011

On tap at Stone apposed next to the 2011 vintage.

A: Hazy dark orange with a large yellowish white head. Good retention and scattered lacing.

S: Aromatic candied grapefruit with a rich caramel and toffee presence. Oxidation is graceful and complementary. Alcohol is well hidden. Gives the overall impression of malt richness and depth with an overtone of citrus and resinous hop aromatics. Very nice.

T: Sugary caramel with faint oxidation notes. Upper moderate bitterness with notes of pine and candied grapefruit. Somewhat boozy but there's a lot of flavor to overshadow that aspect. The finish displays an increase in bitterness with lingering caramel and grapefruit rind.

M: Upper medium in body with upper moderate carbonation. Sticky mouthfeel with alcohol warming and some astringency.

Overall: I'm sure this was cold stored, regardless, it has aged quite well. 

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2011 03:03:19 | More by HopHead84

GratefulBeerGuy

New Hampshire

4.3/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into a goblet, Deep-red amber 1" thick white head, dissipated fast, nearly totally gone within a few minutes.

Smells seriously roasty and sugary. Hickory smoked with honey and a slight hop.

SWEEET malts, like honey. An early hop bitterness and some slight earth greens, maybe green peppers.

Light body, Thick full taste, sweetness resonates on the palate, mellow herbal greens take over later.

Powerful stuff, big ABV%, two MAX!!

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2006 23:46:09 | More by GratefulBeerGuy

Orrshow

Alberta (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance – The color is a clear but dark reddish brown. The head is small but a nice beige color and it leaves lacing all over my glass. Something about the look of this one is almost sophisticated.

Smell – Up front alcohol aromas are dominant. There is toffee, caramel, bread, wood, and a bit of citrus hop. I did not find the scents overly strong until it warmed though. Good here.

Taste – It begins very sweet with brown sugar, toffee, and caramel flavors. Not surprisingly this is accompanied by alcohol. There is some citrus hop up front that leaves a slight bitterness. The finish is slightly woody with pine arising. It’s a well balanced ale and very tasty.

Mouthfeel – It has chewy feeling with a slightly oily texture. The carbonation is quite noticeable.

Drinkability – Good. Its very strong but its smooth as hell.

Like this beer a lot. It was a great experience and I must thank my Father for bringing it to me from the states.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2006 06:23:04 | More by Orrshow

lackenhauser

Maryland

4.3/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep, somewhat cloudy orange in color. Huge nose of dried fruit-apricots and figs come to mind. Very malty up front. Slick and viscous flavors of fruit, malt and alcohol. Very heavily hopped. Big, wet, slick grapefruit flavors. Loose some of the alcohol to round it off a bit more-aging would do that I am sure. Good body-pleasant tongue stripping quality to it. Very drinakble and enjoyable barleywine. It has been a year-a few more would calm this down into a real gem. Get some/horde some.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2007 02:55:39 | More by lackenhauser

ypsifly

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz from the Limted Early 2006 Release that is silkscreened and has a novella printed on the back. Acquired via trade and poured into a snifter.

Dark amber with less than an inch of aged ivory that struggles under the weight of the abv and falls into a veiled ring in a minute or so. Not much for lace.

Big almost candy like malt aromas mixed with warm alcohol and piney hops. Very strong and aromatic with caramel and brandy. Oh shit, I'm in for a ride.

Big burst of full malt upfront followed by an equally large blast of pine and spice followed by a slow warming from the abv. The middle has some oil from the hops but they, burn off, pleasntly, by the finish which carries a lot of the spice. Normally I do not like to taste the alcohol, but this beer embraces it well.

It reminds me of the story of the A-10 Warthog. The USAF came to the aviation industry and said, "Here's a 20mm Gatling Gun. Build a plane around this." Both plane and weapon were integrated perfectly. In this case its the same with the abv and the beer. I would like some more hop flavor, but this is a really good example of big beer done right.

Full mouth that is a bit slick from the oily hops, but as I mentioned above it finishes clean. For a beer of this caliber, this is quite drinkable and I can't wait to try more Stone beers and after finally getting to sample one of their beers, the rumors that they will come to MI will get me even more excited.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2006 04:03:21 | More by ypsifly

taez555

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber served at cellar temp.

This beer poured a amber/orange body with a small white head.

Nose has a thick sugary butterscotch and caramel candy malt smell. Day old sweet bread with a surprisingly mild hop spice. There's definitely a little prick of alcohol or sharp spice in the nose but it's mostly lost in a sea of big juicy candy like malt smells.

Big full bodied beer with a very smooth texture from start to finish. This beer goes down wayyyy to easily. Nice well balanced huge caramel malt taste. Candy like with mild butterscotch tones. Black pepper, milder citrus peel, pine needles and just that classic chinook stone sort of hop taste. All big and present but leaves plenty of room for sugary sweet caramel malt to dominate. There's a very present bitterness that takes hold more in the finish.

Another fantastic year of Old Guardian from Stone. A great balance between English and American Barleywine. Not pure malt, yet not over the top with hops. More brewers should aim for this middle ground. Great beer, and very drinkable now. I couldn't imagine aging this, although I'm sure it change it some equally good ways.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2006 23:58:36 | More by taez555

sweemzander

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz. bottle poured into a snifter. Thanks for sharing Chris!

(A)- Pours a fairly dense reddish chestnut color. Some tan froth.

(S)- A nice rich profile of toffee and caramel. Bits of fig and wood.

(T)- A nice malt profile and smooth finish. Lots of toffee and caramel.

(M)- A great carbonation level and a great balance too. Smooth and malty with almost no bite to it.

(D)- Aged gracefully, but I think it can go for even longer and longer.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 23:08:38 | More by sweemzander

UCLABrewN84

California

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to queens1130 for sharing this one at AndrewK’s tasting.

Pours a murky dark orange with a foamy beige head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of malt, brown sugar, caramel, and citrus zest. Taste is much the same with an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a mild hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer that is tasty and has aged really nicely in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 19:40:12 | More by UCLABrewN84

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

pours a dark red, reminiscient of an irish ale, decent carbonation visible and a creamy white sturdy head. hints of orange peel aromas add to the overal smell
tastes warm, bitterly smooth as it goes down. slight orange taste that sweetens at the end, like a caramel or butterscotch taste. sure warms the stomach.
my first Stone Brewery brew, and i look forward to more, this beer is great.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2006 23:03:20 | More by sinstaineddemon

flexabull

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle courtesy of BeerBeing from way back when, thanks again! (wherever you are...)

Have been thinking of drinking something from the cellar, figured this one would be prime for the drinking now that it's 3+ years old. Let's see...

Pours a bright and dark orange color, a little cloudy, with a nice off white head.

Aromas are quite grainy, like sweet grape nuts, a little bit of hard candies, and with some earthy hops on the nose. Very complex and nice.

Taste has some definite boozy flavors, but it doesn't totally kick you in the teeth with all the alcohol. Up front, there are light malts, a little creaminess, easy and sweet cereal grains, and some bright stewed fruit flavors. Finish has a mineral hop bite, a light bourbon flavor, and some alcohol warmth. As mentioned before, there is plenty of alcohol here, but it manages to not overwhelm.

Mouthfeel is nice, and this beer manages to be smooth and full, without being to heavy on the mouth. Manages to go down and feel easy on the mouth.

Drinkability is quite good. This beer is drinking quite nicely. Goes down very easy for such a huge beer, and is light years from the big beast that Old Guardian tends to be when released. If you have one in the cellar, it wouldn't be a bad idea to crack one open, and see what you think.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2009 03:15:54 | More by flexabull

TheBungyo

Washington

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It looks like a liquid ruby. Very little head. Smell is like cognac with a burst of sweetness. Taste begins with banana but not similar to a hefe, this is very unique. That initial banana is followed by a syrupy berry taste mixed with caramel. Very very complex. The back is slightly bitter hops. The massive alcohol is well hidden but apparent enough to let you know you are indeed drinking a barley wine. I plan on drinking this many more times and buying some extras to age. I've heard that Stone advises us to drink this fresh but I can't help but think that some years under the belt would make this a more complete beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2006 06:13:16 | More by TheBungyo

kmo1030

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

rich clear ruby brown with a thin tan head.
the nose has tons of raisins and some fresher grape juice aromas. there is also a good dose of brown sugar and caramel. some slight orange rind aromas. very little in the hops department, maybe just a little grassy herbal hops. actually the hops do come out quite a bit when approaching room temp. a little boozy.
the taste is big and fruity, with a butt load of hops on the back end (i was a little worried there, judging form the smell). lots of brown sugary raisins with rich caramel, washed over by a flood of pine needle hop bitterness. butterscotch and pepper on further inspection. alcohol is moderately present, but doesn't detract at all. the taste desreves a little less than a 4.5, but i'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
lighter full body with sharp carbonation.
good drinkability, fairly easy drinking. by all means a good beer, but not as good as last year. funny, but in reading the back it says it's the same exact recipe as last year, doesn't taste or smell like it. last year didn't need a lot of warmth for the nuances to come out, this one does for sure. let it sit for at least 15 minutes

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2006 00:53:06 | More by kmo1030

orsulacp

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This beer poured into the glass with a soda like fizz, really weird. It had a copper color with some ruby highlights and an off white head that disappeared quickly. A bit of hops in the smell, but the sweet malts take over and dominate. Almost like candy it is so sweet. The taste is very good; I get sweetness at first, like grapes and some other fruits that I can't come up with now. There is a sharp alcohol bite at the end combined with the bitter hops. The mouthfeel is very nice, not as syrupy as most barleywines, somehow it is heavy and light at the same time.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2006 02:03:19 | More by orsulacp

KilgoreTrout27

North Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a standard pint glass.

Nice ruby/copper color and a decent foamy head to start off. The smell is of bread, molasses and alcohol, letting you know what you are about to get into. Lovely bready caramel/molasses taste with fruit and hints of bitter hops and a warming alcohol finish that was pleasant and not overdone. Mouthfeel was thick. At 12% alcohol, you don't want to drink too many of these, but the flavors make the drinking expereince pleasurable.

One of the better American barleywines out there, and another reason to seek out anything that says Stone on the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2006 13:18:17 | More by KilgoreTrout27

gotbeer

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This 2006 batch has really grown on me. I went from liking it to really, really liking it.

It pours a reddish orange with a white head. Little lacing. The smell is of molasses, ripe fruit, and in typical Stone fashion- a hint of citrus hops. Very nice.

The taste includes the prerequisite citric hops, but also a beautiful malt backbone. There is overly ripe fruit, molasses, sweet bread, and a little alcohol heat at the end. This is huge and complex on the palate.

The mouthfeel is chewy and it satisfies. Drinkability would have to be above average for the style.

Another great beer from Stone. I'm glad their new brewery has higher production. They will need it to satisfy my thirst for their products.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2006 01:30:43 | More by gotbeer

tattooedtolley

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours an odd color for me to describe, goldish, amber, slightly brown, if all those colors can comine into one color I'd guess this would be it. Little head left quickly and left no real lacing.

Smell: Some hops up front with plenty of malt coming through, mostly caramel.

Taste: I half expected to be blown away by the hops in this one, but it is predominately all malt. I realize this bottle of mine is getting on a year old so maybe that extra time helped out in this. I had a fresh one and it was not near this good. It has turned into a great Barleywine.

Mouthfeel: Medium body.

Drinkability: Drinkable for what it is, the alcohol has tamed out a bit over the short time it rested and the hops have toned down a bit. I typically like'em like big hop bombs but this was a pleasent surprise. I'll keep my other one put away for a while longer.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2006 15:00:52 | More by tattooedtolley

objectivemonkey

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Early spring release, 2006. Into a chalice, pours a deep orange color with a small whitish head, but little lacing to speak of. A swift swirl yields a falling sheet of lacing that doesn't stick. The aroma is well tempered by now, the malts well developed, lots of caramels and a hint of citric fruit, the hops a little more laid back from the aging, and the alcohol probably a little more assertive. True to Stone form, the taste is much more hoppier than the nose, even at this age. They lend a oily orange to a thick, sweet, juicy malt base, and then, more subtly than should be legal, the alcohol creeps in, warming, soft even, a very well crafted sucker this is. The mouth is smooth, sticky and sweet, slightly carbonated still and very much warming. Overall, I was hoping for more, but perhaps thats just because I expect the best from Stone.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2007 02:45:28 | More by objectivemonkey

ArrogantB

Colorado

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewery, this was the last sample I tried. It was identical in color to the 2007, golden with a white head. Aroma was syrupy. The taste was also syrupy, toffee, chewy, delicious. To be honest I couldn't tell the difference between this and the 2007 except maybe less hops. This was by far the best beer I sampled at Stone with fresh Bastard coming in a very close second. It was also nice to not have to track down a bottle of this to try.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2007 16:55:35 | More by ArrogantB

kdmorse

California

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: After a big of an overzealous pour (have been dealing with RIS’s and DIPA’s recently) ended up with 3+ fingers of creamy, tan head. Clear copper color with lighter hints at the edges.

S: Sweet caramel (and slightly fruity) smell. Hops are present but not pronounced.

T/M: Sweet and balanced taste. Very similar to the smell. Has a crisp, floral hop finish. Carbonation is a little much, but not out of line.

D: At the start the drinkability is great, but doesn’t last long. 22oz of 11.2% is more than enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2006 22:38:57 | More by kdmorse

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

...and the granddaddy of all American Barley Wines. This is what this style is all about. Strength, substance, character, power and finess, all in one offering. Colored a deep mohogany, viscous red with an amber-ish firm head that whisps away like you'd expect a brandy to. Starts out with strong malt flavor, taking on syrupy proportions with deep amber malt sweetness. Fruitiness from deep over-ripened fruits of dates and figs to tart ripe fruits of cherries and berries. All with an underlying yet powerful alcoholic warming and sweetness. Full and rich right into the finish with a light sour astringency before the beer enters the throat.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2006 03:42:12 | More by BEERchitect

jameaterblues

New York

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Hop Devil Grill
A-Very dark amber brown color....1/4 inch white head, and a light white lace that surrounds the glass.
S- Musky, dank and citrusy the hops are definitely big...there are light sweet malts with caramel, red fruits, and sugars present as well.
T-Big hops all throughout the beer...big hop pick up in the finish...nice citrusy hops, slightly muskiness....as this beer warms up the maltiness really comes out...with nice caramel, and a slight hint of cherry.
M-Moderate carbonation for the style, long finish both nice malts and hops that linger...the beer lightly coats the tongue...
D- I found myself wanting a little bit more than just the 12oz pour that I got on tap....I will definitely sit down with a bomber of this one when it gets colder...great example of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2006 14:53:54 | More by jameaterblues

Stockfan42

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had lunch at deep ellum this afternoon before work. Had great selections on tap and this one I could not pass up.

The tap poured a color mixed of orange and amber, pretty creamy head that eventually withers down.

Could both taste and smell the alchohol in this one. Very nice aroma that consists of some grapefruits, figs, a hint of caramel and some bitter hops.

Taste pretty damn good. Nice malt touch to it, bitter hop bite, very well balanced. You can taste fruits that lingre in its aroma. the shnazberrys taste like shnazberrys. Sweet figs and caramel. Alote of great flavors just lash out at you.

Not to heavy, you warm up to it after the first few sips. Overall a great and highly recommended beer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2009 08:41:50 | More by Stockfan42

Wildman

Ohio

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This beer poured a clear reddish amber color and formed a nice off white foamy head that coated the glass with lace as it slowly subsided. A medium amount of carbonation was present. An aroma of malt, hops, caramel and pine. The flavor was heavy with malt and hops with a slight caramel aspect with a pine presence in the background. It has a medium body and a sligtly sweet, yet astrigent finish with the warming aspect of the alcohol coming through. Undoubtedly will get better with aging.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2006 02:21:45 | More by Wildman

Gritsak

Indiana

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- nice bright amber red color with a decent offwhite head that slowely dissapates into a thick film that laces down the glass.

S- malty sweetness, some citrus hop presence. also a slight alcohol aroma.

T- very well balanced. The initial taste is sweet from the malt and alcohol, but then the hops show through to even out the taste, but not dominate it like with some barleywines. The finish is very smooth and even.

M- medium to thick body, very lightly carbonated.

D- besides the light sweetness that the alcohol adds to the overall flavor, its suprisingly drinkable. the finish is so smooth and blanced that you dont even suspect this is over 11%.

overall- i hate to repeat what ive already said, but this is a very well balanced and smooth beer. It is totally different from bigfoot, which the hops are the dominate flavor.

Im not sure how well this would age either because it seems so balanced and smooth now.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2006 23:53:08 | More by Gritsak