Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale 2002 - Stone Brewing Co.

BeerManDan

California

4.6/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The best barley wine beer so far that I've ever tasted. Well balance, with a hint of carmel and a hint of raisn's. Good balance of sweetness, alcohol and bitterness. Also I like the balance of malt and hop's. Love the thickness of this beer. Easy to consume and very enjoyable!

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2002 14:27:24 | More by BeerManDan

Bierman9

New Hampshire

4.78/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Wow!! What a bier to end the work-week and start a vacation with! A good friend of mine came across this and, knowing I love "good" bier, let me have it! Gorgeous auburn color, with a small, fine, thin head and some lace. The good appearance rating is due to the color....I love it....wish my wife's hair was that color!! (But I digress...) Nose was a superb, strong combo of sweet, raisiny notes, alcohol, and hops. Whoa! Mouthfeel? Real good body, almost chewy, and real smooth. Sweet, rich, malty flavor to lead-off, some caramel notes present; almost similar to some Doppelbocks. Follows-up with a kick-ass hop finish, and it makes it's way down the hatch in a real warming fashion. Damn, I love this bier! How can I get another? Prosit!!

overall: 4.75
appearance: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | mouthfeel: 5 | drinkability: 4.5

224

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2002 16:08:29 | More by Bierman9

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.83/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Various years of the Old Guardian have become blended in one set of reviews. I couldn't add this to that set since I recently reviewed the 2001 edition. So I added a date to the name and created a new beer category.

This clear mohagany brew throws a nice dense off-white head. The aroma is pretty hoppy with a hint of alcohol (not surprising). The taste is very spicy. By spicy, I mean the spiciness that alcohol and hops impart. But it is pretty refined. I really like this taste. I don't think it is as subdued as the year old Barleywine I recently tried from Stone, but this is very drinkable in my opinion. It has a nicely polished bitterness to it. (Apparantly Tomohak was the hop of choice for this brew.) There are some nice fruity tones present. A melon aspect. The body is about medium. Wow. This is really good.

After trying about 8 different styles from Stone, all of which were excellent, I would say that Stone is now my second favorite brewery after Kalamazoo.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2002 20:38:31 | More by Bighuge

mickeymac

California

4.4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Spring 2002 release. 9.91 ABV according to the bottle. The head faded rather quickly. With an ingredient list including "tons o' Hops," I was expecting more bitterness. I found it to be a bit lighter on hops than other barley wines and very drinkable now. The malty sweetness is nicely balanced by a bit of spice. All in all, pretty good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2002 21:08:37 | More by mickeymac

joecast

Australia

4.05/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

enjoyed on-tap at lucky baldwins

what a beer. never tried this edition before, but i bet its never been this smooth. looked fantastic in a chimay goblet. served at absolutely the right temp.
the aroma had melded together so well it was hard to pick out each constituent, same with the taste. the only one that stuck out was the alcohol. expected in something of this strength, it just managed to poke its obnoxious head out from such a now-refined brew.
as good as it was, it was tough to finish. very potent, and very good.

Serving type: on-tap

05-30-2007 01:45:15 | More by joecast