Old Guardian BELGO Barleywine - Stone Brewing Co.

dciBA

Maine

2.78/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Poured from the bomber into my big DFH snifter(c'mon DFH make these available again). On the red side of copper in color and a little hazy. Some sudsy head formed initially but faded quickly to just a skimming. A decent amount of soapy lacing.

Smell is boozy initially, followed by lots of caramel sweetness. There's a noticeable fruitiness as well as some hop aroma. The smells fight for attention and honestly don't mix well with each other.

The flavor is much improved over the smell but still a little messy. Fruity on the front of the tongue, caramely and sweet in the middle and plenty of bitterness on the sides. Plenty of good flavors, but none of them interacting well with each other. I can't help but think this is the fault of a strong booziness that penetrates every sip.

Mouthfeel is slick with hop resin and has a pretty hearty body. Carbonation is good for the style, just enough to bring out the hops. Finish is fairly sweet with a solid warmth after every sip. Lot's of good pieces to this puzzle but as a whole it just doesn't work.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 23:23:08 | More by dciBA

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

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

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

Azrael

3/5  rDev -17.6%

02-07-2013 05:35:57 | More by Azrael

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.26/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

650 mL bottle poured into a CCB snifter. 2011 bottle.

Appearance - Pours a deep burnt orange with a small off-white head. A little bit murky.

Smell - Smells like honey. Really. Exactly like honey. Fruity. Apples. Fascinating.

Taste - No honey here. Slightly sweet up front. Fruity, like the aroma. Apples. Immediately caramelly and then a strong hop bitterness. Astringent in the back. Hot, too.

Mouthfeel - It's hot, but not that bad. Well carbonated. Sweet without being syrupy.

Overall - The reviews make this sound like it's going to be awful. It's a rough beer, but its flavors are just a bit better than average.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 01:48:30 | More by Alieniloquium

harrymel

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

01-28-2013 03:56:09 | More by harrymel

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

01-24-2013 21:04:10 | More by RblWthACoz

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -17.6%

01-21-2013 18:11:13 | More by ryan1788a5