Old Guardian BELGO Barleywine - Stone Brewing Co.

dwilson01

California

4.22/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

poured from a bomber into my new belgium glass. The body coloration is great, it has the look of a ruby red grapefruit with a little more orange added in there. The head is thin and basically nonexistent after a minute.

The scent is interesting, I get a small amount of caramel from the toasted malt but a huge fruit component from the hops and yeast. I get apricot, a hint of citrus, and some darker fruits like plum, cherry, and raisin. The boozy esters I pick up on the very back end but it's subtle.

The flavor is great, follows well from the nose with a malty fruity slap in the face with a slightly bitter/sour finish to it. The fruits I get the most of are definitely apricot and plum. Those flavors get twisted around toward the end of the brew leaving you with a lingering malty sweetness that fades into the yeasty sour aftertaste I get. The whole profile together works very well.

The mouthfeel is right on for a barleywine, thick and very smooth with a slight hot alcohol lingering and washing down the throat.

Dangerously drinkable brew, 12%? Overall I liked it a lot although Im not sure how well I would have picked up on its belgian style without knowing beforehand. All the aspects of a trip or quad are there if you know to look for them but in a blind taste test Im not sure.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2011 02:54:30 | More by dwilson01

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

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