Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale 2010 - Stone Brewing Co.

Reaper16

Alabama

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

22oz. bomber served into a snifter

Pours a sort of cloudy, muddy-water-looking shade of orange-brown that gets more yellow towards the top of the body. Less than a finger of whitish head that leaves some sparse, dotted-line lacing. Pretty basic looking stuff. The relative lightness of color is the most intriguing aspect to Old Guardian's appearance.

This beer has plenty of assertive aromas vying for attention. There is an abundance of deep malt smells, of course. Caramel, french bread, cinnamon rolls w/o the icing. Then there are the hops. Lots of hops. Floral honeysuckle sweetness along with a tiny flutter of mint. A massive crest of fresh-squeezed orange tries to dominate the nose. Seriously, there is a lot of bright orange flesh aroma to this beer. The herbal/mint quality makes for an enticing combination with the orange hop aromas. It gets to be like a cough drop after a while though. Feel free to interpret that as a positive or a negative, depending on how much you like cough drops.

This might be too young? I don't know. This bottle is one of the more perplexing beers I've had in a long time. Lots of hop resin leave a bitter orange flavor in the start and finish of the drink. Sweet, deep malts bloom in the middle. The aftertaste is equal parts sugary and ashy. Does this ever come together to form a congruent whole? Not for me it doesn't. This is a challenging beer.

This is among the thicker barleywines I've come across in terms of mouthfeel. Its viscosity and sticky nature compliment the orange, resiny flavors. As far as drinkability goes, well, this seems about average for the style. You can feel that 12% ABV and you can feel the heavy flavors accrue on your palate.

Strange barleywine. Too incongruous for me to fall in love with. If I had another bottle I would let it sit in the cellar for a while, hoping that the flavors cohere with age.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2010 04:19:30 | More by Reaper16

baybassboy

California

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-14-2013 04:44:03 | More by baybassboy

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-13-2013 22:30:56 | More by mikeincharleston

Megan1937

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-12-2013 01:07:59 | More by Megan1937

cadaugherty

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-07-2013 23:21:09 | More by cadaugherty

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-02-2013 04:51:05 | More by spycow

2beerdogs

California

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

04-19-2013 05:38:26 | More by 2beerdogs

jvillefan

California

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

04-06-2013 23:51:03 | More by jvillefan

MaseFace

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

03-29-2013 00:14:42 | More by MaseFace

Dirt

Ohio

4/5  rDev -3.4%

03-15-2013 02:24:12 | More by Dirt

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -3.4%

03-11-2013 23:31:29 | More by DaPan

whoneeds8

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

2010 Release poured into a tulip glass. Deep transluscent amber in color with a nice two and a half finger white head. Great retention and lacing. The scent is strong of carmeled malt. The alcohol scent that accompanies fresh bottles is very faint. The taste shows great aging. Flavors of carmeled fruits like figs. Very high in candied flavors. But there is still a piney bitterness from the hops present. For it's age, the mouthfeel is great: medium bodied, syrupy, and well carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 02:44:54 | More by whoneeds8

CaptainNomihodai

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.4%

02-28-2013 05:51:58 | More by CaptainNomihodai

t0rin0

California

3/5  rDev -27.5%

02-25-2013 02:17:49 | More by t0rin0

Jmick28

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

02-11-2013 16:21:51 | More by Jmick28

calcnerd

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

02-04-2013 03:05:29 | More by calcnerd

SoCal_Guardian

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

01-29-2013 03:35:24 | More by SoCal_Guardian

DmanGTR

New York

4/5  rDev -3.4%

01-28-2013 14:38:55 | More by DmanGTR

phishbone23

New York

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

01-25-2013 14:20:41 | More by phishbone23

DerekMorgan

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

01-24-2013 17:34:25 | More by DerekMorgan

MordorMongo

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

01-13-2013 23:38:36 | More by MordorMongo

jzapp

New York

4/5  rDev -3.4%

12-25-2012 03:55:25 | More by jzapp

andthevolcano

Delaware

4/5  rDev -3.4%

11-07-2012 02:26:35 | More by andthevolcano

chrisxmartin

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

11-05-2012 11:14:06 | More by chrisxmartin

speak72

Georgia

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

11-04-2012 14:54:41 | More by speak72