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

neelyjr1

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Slight head, cloudy. Once it settles down it looks much like a darker scotch.

S: Very sweet, alcohol coming through at the end.

T: Sweet at first, alochol coming through towards the back end, with a bit of a hop aftertaste. The sweet sensation does stay on your tongue however.

M: At first I thought it was rather thin compared to some other barelywines I have had, but the beer does in fact coat the mouth quite well, leaving a lingering of malt.

D: Good, but not an everyday beer. I have had this one for a few months and thought it was time to break it out, but this will hold me over for several more months.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2006 00:27:56 | More by neelyjr1

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.53/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Spring 2006

A - Pours murky amber copper with 2 fingers of head and a touch of lacing.

S - Very malty with caramel and apricot. Some raisin, tropical fruit and alcohol is also present.

T - Malty with caramel and toffee. Malt forward with citrus grapefruit hoppyness.

M - Medium to thick with sticky almost syrupy mouthfeel. Light carbonation.

D - Very drinkable for the abv but I was expectingmore from Stone.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2007 03:15:05 | More by brewcrew76

Hunter

Arizona

3.55/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Rich, deep amber color, substantial carbonation. The head dissipates pretty quickly.

Smell: Alcohol is the first to make its presence felt. Behind that, caramel, sugar, heavy malt.

Taste: Alcohol is right there, mellowing somewhat as it warms to room temperature. Sugary malt is the only thing coming to mind here as the taste, but this is typical of the style.

Mouthfeel: Oily mouthfeel, cloying aftertaste.

Drinkability: Baarley wines are not to my personal taste, but this is a fine representation of the style. I can see it as a fine apertif, or paired with lamb or beef.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2006 20:23:15 | More by Hunter

danielocean03

Indiana

3.58/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Was given a sample tasting at Crown Liquors at 116th and Brookschool Road in Fishers, IN.

Poured a deep and dark amber color, slightly coppertoned at the edges. Slower pour still rendered a thick, sticky head that slowly faded to a heavier sticky lacing that coats the glass as it goes. Aroma is caramelly sweet and malty, with strong hoppy undertones in the end of the nose, smells hoppier than any Barleywine I've sampled, but not to the point of excess. Taste is very much the same in the smell, only with the warmth of the alchol finishing out the taste. Mouthfeel is rough, the hops definitely bite and so does the alcohol, both of which are typically not the stars of this style. Again, still welcome additions to my palate, simply unexpected in this style. Carbonation level medium, matched very well to the moderate body. Easily drinkable, still hides the 11% abv better than most, finishes out smoother on the tongue than it starts. Would likely purchase and try again, would nicely meet the standards of a hoppier barleywine kick.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2006 15:31:49 | More by danielocean03

pjwilson

California

3.63/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

appearance: favorite part? the prop. 65 warning that states: "some materials used in the colored decorations on this product contain cadmium a chemcial known to the state of California to cause birth defects". That made me laugh, gee if you are a pregnent mother and considering a drinking a bottle of Old Gaurdian, then i think the kid is gonna have worse things to worry about than the cadmium(what ever that is). ok but seriously...

appearance: got to admit, that's a fine looking barley wine style ale. the amberish beer seems to glow out of my white wine glass. the head is suprising solid and large as well. the head melts down into a solid lacing.

smell: drank the first half of the bottle right out of the fridge and there was no smell. now, at room temp. getting smells of prunes, brandy, fusel alcohols and other dried sweet fruits. all and all a little subduded. quite nice though, and little hops if any.

taste: a bit of alcohol in the taste, blended with hints of sweet figs, a dry bitterness. this is a pretty balanced beer, not too sweet, not to bitter. I don't think it needs much age, at least not to mellow the hops out, only to improve the blending a bit. it works good here.

mouthfeel: old syrup? about like drinking pancake syurp if that's your thing. for me it's a bit much, (would have prefered the beer a bit more dry)

drinkability: one 12 once bottle would be enough, but i can finish the bomber without much trouble. I am left at it's conclusion with absolutly no urge to have another untill next year. If i had the patience and money to age a bottle or two I would, but i don't think i do. I've been drinkin' lots of bigfoot lately and i just plain enjoy that more, along with hairy eyeball. all in all a good once or twice a year beer for me, but it's just a little thick... way more than your average BW.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2006 06:24:20 | More by pjwilson

nflmvp

Wisconsin

3.63/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a slightly cloudy copper/orange with 2 inch eggshell foam head that diminished to a light ring with sticky lacing around the glass.

Smelled of sweet and heavy fruit with some alcohol presence.

Taste seemed a little green to me. It hit hard up front with hops but seemed more subdued throughout the glass....probably a more drinkable beer in a year or so but good enough right now.

Mouthfeel was thick andsolid with a nice little reminder of the ABV.

Drinkability is good but I would think a review in another year would reveal a more drinkable beer. I look forward to it.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2006 21:59:13 | More by nflmvp

scooter231

New York

3.68/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a ruby red, clear with some floaties, some nice head, some lacing. Pretty enough. Smells like bready coffeed red wine. Similar to last year's batch, but definitely hoppier. Different. Taste is way hoppier too. Still some breadyness, some maltyness and some red wine- but hops take over. In full force. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and sudsy, nice but not incredible. Fairly drinkable for an 11% beer- definitely sneaky- but drinkable nonetheless. A good brew, but not last year's batch... sigh.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2006 06:24:11 | More by scooter231

drabmuh

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer served in the appropriate glassware because I'm a responsible adult. Step aside children.

Beer is ruby and clear, tan head of small bubbles, moderate retention, a little lacing, low carbonation.

Aroma is sweet, very yeasty / biscuit and bready, mild musk.

Beer medium in body, mildly bitter from grain on the finish, mild leathery musk to the beer, fine malt palate, good Marris otter feel, overall the beer is fine, not my favorite but a good version of it.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 18:34:27 | More by drabmuh

phisig137

Virginia

3.7/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours an amber color with copper highlights, and a two finger head that slowly disappates to a small ring around the glass, and no lacing.

Smell is dominated by floral and grassy hops. Small amounts of malty sweetness are also present.

The flavor at first is strickly hops, but after further sipping, shows a nice balance between floral hops and malt. The malt is prevalant on the mid-palate, but is overwhelmed by hoppy bitterness on the finish. A pleasant alcohol warming lingers for a while after your last sip.

Mouthfeel is full, but somewhat astringent. Slightly more carbonated than other barleywines. Drinkablility is good, but slow due to the high alcohol.

Good overall, but not quite as good as a few of Stone's other offerings. Perhaps this is due to the new brewery? Either way, I'll be curious to see how this develops in a year or two in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2006 00:50:31 | More by phisig137

mcallister

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had this against the '04 last night the review for the '04 is also posted. '04 won in every category accept appearance in my book but this will be much better with a couple years to settle down.

Very clean vibrant amber/copper color. Slightly less frothy head and lacing than it's brother from '04 but much prettier.

Cleaner more distinct hop aromas, a little brown sugar, and less malt noticeable. Not as delicate as the '04.

Subdued complexity overall compared with the '04. When I tried this in the bottle I thought the '06 was less hoppy and thinner bodied than the previous vintages I'd tried from bottle ('04, '05 withouth aging). But compared with the 2 year old '04 the '06 seemed like a monster. This was much more hoppy with a bitter caramel component, and toffee in the mid palate. Very clean tasting but after trying the '04 cellared for 2 years I would'nt touch a bottle till at least '07.

Drinkability was hit once again because of the high alcohol factor.

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2006 11:20:41 | More by mcallister

DarkerTheBetter

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured a beautiful glowing champagne pink and amber with a small collar of tiny bubbles.

Smelled of bread dough, creamy oats, strawberries and a light, oaky cedar. If a beer could ever smell smooth and silky, this one does.

Tasted of a light, thin syrup with a quick snap of oak that faded away leaving behind a light whole wheat toast and creamy bread dough.

The mouth feel is light and dry but feels a little dense with a light carbonation.

If dry and oaky is your thing, pick this one up.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2006 12:42:21 | More by DarkerTheBetter

Budlum

Maryland

3.73/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on draft at Zeno's in State College, PA, 03/06.

From notes:
Smells are aromatic; dried fruits with hints of hops and an ever so slight medicinal alcohol smell. Presentation with minimal head, possibly a delay from the tap to my seat. The first sips mimic the smell. Hints of raisins and prunes with a finish of a slight hops and alcohol. Further into the glass, the fruity notes disappear and the alochol presence takes over. A good barleywine representation lacking full depth in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2006 19:40:19 | More by Budlum

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of Hogtownharry: Poured a reddish color ale with a small foamy head with minimal retention. Aroma of sweet malt is pretty intense with some discernable hops on the top. Taste is dominated by huge sweet malt on the border of being disgustingly too sweet. Finish is hoppy but not overly so and provide a nice balance with the malt. Alcohol is well hidden. Overall, this is a nice example of an American barleywine and something I would probably seek again.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2006 20:12:58 | More by Phyl21ca

Brian700

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a 2004 bottle that Trancefishy brought over the other night.

This one poured a nice cloudy orange color with an off-white head.

The aroma was of raisins, figs, sweet malt, and mild alcohol.

There is a decent amount of residual sweetness in the flavor yet is has quite a bit of bitterness to it as well. There is a dark fruit presence like raisins, figs, dates, etc with a nice alcohol warming. There does seem to be something missing in finish.

The mouthfeel is full bodied with medium carbonation.

This is a pretty drinkable beer and I would like to try a few more of these during different stages to see how it is both young and old.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2006 04:03:13 | More by Brian700

GClarkage

California

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

08/11/06- Purchased at Beverages and More in San Mateo, CA.

Presentation- 22oz bottle. Vintage 2006. Poured into my Old Gaurdian Barleywine glass.

Appearance- Off brown, slight reddish watered down iced tea colored. Looks very lifeless. Pours with a 1/2 inch head, immeadiately evaporates into nil. The slightest sight of lace left behind.

Smell- Even smells a bit watery. Pretty harsh pine and grapefruit hop scent with a bit of fusel alcohol. A touch of caramel malt underneath.

Taste- Thankfully it taste better than it looks and smells. Gee, what a suprise...all hops. Not as harsh as I was thinking though. More grapefruit than pine, but the pine is there. Caramel roasted malt is hidden, but if you taste and smack your gums enough you can make it out. A tiny bit of cherry flavoring as well.

Mouthfeel- A bit watered down, about average maybe lower carbonation level. Bitter lasting aftertaste.

Drinkability- As all Old Gaurdian's....put them away for 1 year...no, make that a decade! A hophead delight as is if you like harsh numbing bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2006 01:22:31 | More by GClarkage

WaffleSauce

California

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Bomber from BevMo in San Diego. Greg’s gone crazy with this rant. . .it’s barely legible. . .

Pours into my trusty Stone pint glass. Loose-knit two-finger head, slightly caramel colored head. Flurry of bubbles swarms from the bottom of the glass.

Nose is close to Arrogant Bastards. . .but more subtle, and earthy. Malt dominated. Floral, earthy.

Very, very sweet caramel malt up front. Rolls into a warm alcohol at the back of the throat. A hint of hops, but nothing major. Alcohol isn’t at all overwhelming, in fact it’s superbly masked considering how much is in here. This is by far the most drinkable Stone special release I’ve ever had. Much more subtle and drinkable than its big-footed brethren, which in my humble opinion makes it much more appreciable.

I’ll look forward to trying these every so often over the next couple of years to see how they turn out. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2006 04:17:53 | More by WaffleSauce

maek228

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

appearance: a dark amber...nice head and great visible carbonation

smell: bready, malty, and some hop oil

taste: same as the smell, bready, malty, and a nice thick coating of hops and oils at the end. alcohol is def. present and has a warming effect.

mouthfeel: thick in the mouth

drinkabillity: decent for barleywine

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2006 03:30:17 | More by maek228

frothyhead

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

After a year and a half or so stored in a closet I decided to pour this one before it got too old.

Pours a cloudy amber/brown/red into a snifter with not much head to speak of. A little off-white ring around the glass. No lacing.

Nose is malty and boosy. Bready yeast, caramel, some apricot, a hint of chocolate. Smells more like an old ale than a barleywine.

Mouth is full bodied with minimal carbonation. Thick and velvety with an alcohol burn and dryness in the finish.

Taste is malty and straight up alcoholic. This one has a pretty rough burn. Some caramel, chocolate. Bready. Some bitter and citrusy hops in there, but I think they've faded quite a bit at this point or are at least overshadowed by the alcohol bite.

Drinkability takes a big hit as this is a serious sipper - the alcohol bite and lingering dry, bitter finish slow this one down quite a bit.

Overall I'm enjoying this but not as much as some nice fresh, hoppy barleywines I've had recently. This is my first Old Gaurdian, so I'll be interested in looking back on this when I crack a bottle of the 2008 I have in the fridge. There is something rather intangible about this 2006, though, that is going to make me inflate the scores ever so slightly. As it warms, the flavors are melding a bit and, even with all the strong flavors bursting about, it is balancing out in a way that makes it an enjoyable beer to drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2009 01:24:32 | More by frothyhead

audiojon

California

3.8/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I'm admittedly not a big fan of barley wines, but I picked this up at the Stone brewery this weekend due to its being a special release. Brought it back to a friend's place, where we proceeded to go to work. Appearance is great, nice copperish amber, smell was very pleasant, very sweet (as is to be expected). Taste was extremely sweet at first, but the back end had a nice hopped balance to it. I had a couple of glasses of this, as did my buddy, and promptly took a nap afterward. This is the exact reason I don't drink much barley wine, it seems to knock me for a loop even more than high gravity Belgians do. I would like to pick up a bottle of this for aging, as I'm sure it would benefit greatly from a couple of years in a cellar. Even still, it was very smooth, and the only thing limiting me from finishing the growler is the high ABV. Worth a try, but be prepared to get knocked on your ass.

Serving type: growler

03-12-2006 23:05:23 | More by audiojon

walleye

Michigan

3.8/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

early 2006 from the bottle poured a a nice deep amber with a biege head that left some good lacing. aroma, caramel, brown sugar, malts, just a nice sweetness, a touch of alcohol, hops. flavor this didn’t let me down got a nice sweetness brown sugar, honey, the hops were milder than the aroma, as this beer warms the sweetness comes out more and got just a hint of alcohol it was well hidden, nice smooth mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2006 01:15:38 | More by walleye

tonistruth

Nevada

3.8/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- clear copper, oddly similar to color of empty bottle little retent on a 1/4" white head, leaving little signs of its existence.

S- overload on malts, syrupy sweet, citrus tang, bready, caramel

T- heavy on malt sweetness, fruit(date, raisin), alcohol heat at finish, piney and grassy hop toward finish, citrus

M- medium body, surprisingly smooth, higher carbonation level than expected, coats palate

D- not the best barley wine but very enjoyable, recommended, its good

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2007 01:10:20 | More by tonistruth

DogFood11

California

3.83/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

My first dive into the old guardian series. I admit it the barley wine style was one of the last styles that I learned to enjoy. I'd always found them so wildly ranging in taste that it was a complete crapshoot. The Old Guardian is the one that brought me back and the 2006 version to me, as a novice, is exceptional.

An aggressive pour produces a nice sized eggshell white head that sits atop a copper body, with decent spider web like lacing. Any hop bitterness seems to wait until very late in the game to make its presence felt but when it does they are sharp and clean up nicely. Caramel, or rather more of a dark rich sugary quality makes up the jist of it, although there are subtle complexity that keeps me interested. The hop presence actually crispen this brew up quite a bit. Warming is evident, red cheeks wouldn't suprise folks who have that sensitivity.

I would say that this leans toward the malted, sweet side of the wide ranging style. Mouthfeel is a bit on the syrupy, rich side as well. I picked up 24 bottles and plan on sampling one every couple of months. So far this is my 2nd bomber sampled and its growing on me. Solid offering, well brewed.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2006 04:23:56 | More by DogFood11

jackorain

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Dark amber copper, a little cloudy. Big white head, very good retention and fantastic lace.
S- Carmel malt, biscuit malt. Alcohol carries a raisony smell and tripical fruit, nothing earth shattering here.
T-Great big malts, carmel, mollasses. After the swallow a great big dose of green hop bite comes through. The bitterness lingers quite long.
M-Creamy medium to fill body, mild nice carbonation
D-Drinkable for such a high ABV, but this is still the limiting factor.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2007 16:57:52 | More by jackorain

ChillMike

Alabama

3.85/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a beautiful amber-ish red with a hefty offwhite head that leaves nice lacing. Smell is of dough and fruit and not much of an alcohol smell (which is suprising seeing how it is 11.26%). Sweet taste that gives way to a bitterness that is pleasant with a noticeable presence of alcohol. Has sort of an oily feel to it. Definitely a sipper, and a one at a time kind of beer. Overall it’s pretty good, will be interesting to see how it tastes after being cellared for 6 months.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2006 04:47:12 | More by ChillMike

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.85/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Glazed dark apricot with a subtle cherry blush. A vigorous pour produced a thickly creamy crown the color of orange-brown sugar mousse. I'm surprised at the amount of sea foam lace given the ABV. There must be plenty of hop resins still hanging around. Good.

The malt portion of the nose smells like primarily pale with an assist from something slightly darker. Typical Old Guardian BWSA. Other aromas include orange liqueur and... not much else. Unless things open up with warming... not impressed.

This bottle of OG is about two years of age. In that time, the hops have faded significantly and the alcohol is still on the rambunctious side. I have always thought that more caramel malt would result in a better beer that would age more gracefully. Midnight Sun Arctic Devil is a prime example.

Perhaps the key is to drink Old Guardian super-fresh. Maybe then the alpha acids put a major smackdown on the ethanol and neutralize it more effectively. In spite of a flavor profile that is less than complex, this is good beer. It has the orange peel macerated in triple sec and Irish whiskey vibe that a lot of pale malt-dominant barleywines possess.

Even though hop flavor is no longer intense, hop bitterness does a bang-up job countering the prodigious, sugar cookie-like malt backbone. The contrast between the drying qualities of the hops and the alcohol on the one hand, and the stickiness of the malt sugars on the other hand, makes for an interesting tug-of-war on the tongue.

Now matter how the brewery changes this ale from year to year (hop bill only, I think), it always has a wonderfully full mouthfeel. This edition seems more firm than creamy, but that isn't a problem at all.

It's too bad that Stone (Greg) doesn't seem to be open to a major overhaul of the 'always dependable, but seldom outstanding' Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale. Tradition is all well and good, but sometimes thinking outside the box is the best way to go. There's no reason why this barleywine can't be as fantastic as most of the rest of their lineup.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2008 22:36:09 | More by BuckeyeNation