Old Guardian BELGO Barleywine - Stone Brewing Co.

bobhits

Kentucky

3.68/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Reddish orange, extremely clear, good amount of active carbonation, tall white head.

You can smell this bad boy a mile away. That fruity/funky Belgium yeast is over powering. We have another beer reminding me of the 08 epic and the cali whatever ipa they make. A touch more alcohol at the finish and a bit more caramel malt sweetness coming through. Hops are certainly making a showing here. The problem for me with this is that there's a clear burn/metallic /bitter presences but it is hard to be sure this is from the hops or the high abv.

Opens with a sweet caramel malt followed almost instantly by the fruity (somewhat a funky rotten fruit, apples, pears, and some candy) flavors from the yeast. The finish leaves the American hops (armallo) and a very harsh alcohol kick. There's also some bready malt that's coming out as the beer flattens out.

This beer has a weighy thickness without any creamy full body effect. The 12% is extremely apparent in the mouth, the weight, etc. There's a bit of carbonation but the alcohol wins that battle.

The alcohol kick certainly knocks the drink ability down a good bit. If you want fresh hops that's the trade off here. Age this and the carbonation and hops will die rather fast. I fear leaving a far too sweet beer. That said this may turn out to be an amazing beer to age. I certainly see more potential here than the 08 epic. .

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 23:27:31 | More by bobhits

jaxon53

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

06-01-2013 12:39:22 | More by jaxon53

chromeratt

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3%

06-01-2013 12:17:07 | More by chromeratt

sludgegnome

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

05-25-2013 22:10:55 | More by sludgegnome

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

05-20-2013 20:53:20 | More by stereosforgeeks

afrokaze

California

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

05-18-2013 22:37:31 | More by afrokaze

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

05-13-2013 14:49:28 | More by mikeincharleston

cadaugherty

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +23.6%

05-07-2013 22:55:09 | More by cadaugherty

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

04-27-2013 09:08:40 | More by Kelp

generallee

New York

4/5  rDev +9.9%

04-26-2013 23:55:11 | More by generallee

tuka

New York

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

04-21-2013 21:36:24 | More by tuka

Yoda22

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

04-20-2013 20:59:24 | More by Yoda22

randylangford

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.9%

04-15-2013 00:55:10 | More by randylangford

Caleb

Colorado

4/5  rDev +9.9%

04-04-2013 20:41:00 | More by Caleb

Sparky44

Illinois

4/5  rDev +9.9%

03-26-2013 02:15:57 | More by Sparky44

BedetheVenerable

Missouri

3.58/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 22oz brown pop top bottle with typical Stone painted label. 2011 vintage, supposedly best by 4-14-11...I guess this was supposed to be drunk young...woops! Poured into a Duvel tulip 3-23-13. This wasn't very popular, from what I remember, but I bought it anyway, as I've been curious what a 'Belgian' barleywine would taste like ever since I heard of 'M' from Midnight Sun.

Appearance: This beer pours a deep orange amber, with glowing burnt orange highlights and good clarity. A dark ivory/light beige cap shows decent stick, especially considering the abv and age.

Smell: Interesting, though I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. Some generic dark fruit, sticky, sweet tropical fruit (especially pineapple), a brief whiff of alcohol, and sticky caramel. Rich, and fairly potent; I'm just not sure if I like it or not.

Taste: It's a bit more balanced on the palate, where the riotous fruit aromas of the nose are not quite replicated. Still fairly big booze here, even after two years. Clean, firm bitterness is still fairly forward as well, though not over-the-top. Moderate brown sugar, caramel, and juicy fruit notes make this somewhat reminiscent of pineapple upside-down cake. Not a ton of depth, and it's a bit strange, but it's not exactly unpleasant.

Mouthfeel: On the heavy side of medium-bodied.

Overall: Certainly not the best barleywine I've ever had, but this certainly isn't bad. I'm not sure how much the 'Belgian' character comes through here...perhaps it's fallen off somewhat over time, or perhaps the tropical/pineapple fruit flavors derive from the Belgian yeast. If I remember correctly, this was between $6.00-7.00 for a bomber, which is a great price for a bottle of barleywine. Overall, not a bad value for the money, and not a bad beer, though I PROBABLY wouldn't pick it up again if it was re-released.

Overall: 83 = B

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 02:44:07 | More by BedetheVenerable

AWL

California

2/5  rDev -45.1%

03-17-2013 02:21:54 | More by AWL

Lare453

Florida

4/5  rDev +9.9%

03-13-2013 02:48:47 | More by Lare453

DenverLogan

Colorado

3.35/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

22 oz bottle...2011 date...poured in a big tulip shaped Gulden Draak glass.
Pours a copper color with amber head.
Aroma of big malts but a touch of oxidation.
Big carbonation and mouthfeel.
Flavors are overwhelming with oxidation. Yikes...one may say I shouldn't rate an over aged barley wine, but the fact is these get circulated, and amongst geeks/tasters, we want to try aged beers. Stone prides themselves with unique and aged beers and that I respect. Flavors are of a brilliant mix of hops and tasty malts, strong alcohol but not bitter and biting. Lovely brew that should have been poured relatively fresh.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 03:12:41 | More by DenverLogan

spycow

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

03-09-2013 21:49:06 | More by spycow

Brownsfan13

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +30.5%

03-03-2013 00:37:56 | More by Brownsfan13

laminam

Washington

4/5  rDev +9.9%

03-01-2013 20:00:46 | More by laminam

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev +3%

02-25-2013 02:26:13 | More by t0rin0

chugamugofsud

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

02-22-2013 16:30:59 | More by chugamugofsud

NateMac13

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

02-18-2013 16:29:27 | More by NateMac13