Old Guardian BELGO Barleywine - Stone Brewing Co.

kylehay2004

Florida

3.4/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Single finger head with excellent lacing on a cloudy amber with a slight golden hue body. Lots of malts, caramel, candy sugar in both the aroma and the flavor. The flavor is fairly boozy though and very sweet. This upsets the smoothness and drinkability of the beer. The flavors are overwhelming and the alcohol content makes it worse. Body is medium with moderate carbonation. Overall the malts are over the top and the flavors produce contrasts that make the beer seem disorganized.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2012 01:29:15 | More by kylehay2004

Glibber

Idaho

3.7/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap at Bitter Creek in Boise. Was a little hesitant to try this because I have had some overpowering Barleywines, but this one was pretty good. A full pint for $5 at 12 ABV was a value that could not be beat. Not much of an appearance, but that is common with barleywine. There was the hop presence, but not overpowering at all. A little bitterness, but mild. One of the easiest drinking barleywines I have had. My wife hates Barleywine and she liked this one.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2012 17:39:41 | More by Glibber

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Last beer of my flight a 5oz pour.

A - A a nice clear dark amber brown with some pretty sweet foam and lacing for 12%.

S - Damn that smells hoppy. Along side of that I get some Belgium yeast, a bit of sugars and warming alcohol.

T - Wow this was all over the place! It seems the Belgo yeast does balanced the ABV somewhat but the harsh levels of alcohol along side of bittering hops made this very hard to drink.

M - Very heavy with distinguishable ABV.

Overall pretty much in the same ballpark as the regular Old Guardian. Hash, hoppy, and warming. The only way I would try this again was with an aged bottle at least 3 years.

Serving type: on-tap

01-13-2012 19:57:58 | More by DrDemento456

GreenGoblinCC

Ohio

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

Recently found on Draft at Melt, Lakewood OH over the weekend. I like it better than the Normal Old Guardian. Slightly more sweeter than the normal version and packs one hell-of-a punch if you don’t watch yourself. At 12% a glass I highly recommend you sip and enjoy. Definitely if there were any 22oz bottles floating around I would highly encourage anyone to pick them up, will definitely age nicely!

Serving type: on-tap

10-27-2011 02:15:54 | More by GreenGoblinCC

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap @ The Deli in State College, PA.

A - Medium amber colour with a half finger of off-white head.

S - Caramel, Belgian yeast, brown sugar, some dark fruit.

T - Brown sugar, Belgian yeast, cloves, caramel, sweet candy.

M - Medium body. Light to moderate carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2011 22:34:57 | More by TheSevenDuffs

smakawhat

Maryland

3.45/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured on tap into a snifter at ChurchKey as part of a group tasting.

A ruby cherry red and clear bodied color, really dig this body color. Light off caramel head with some stickiness and good lacing.

Nose is kind of closed, but a small sense of mild cinnamon. Very muted with perhaps some small cherry fruit. Not really dynamic or exciting.

Taste is malt mostly and quick sharp alcohol even for a barleywine, but just tolerable enough on the palate. Estery fruit sense with a novocaine numbing finish and sharp bitter probably from hop stinging.

Kind of odd but not too bad. Sort of a mixture of good and bad overall for a barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2011 03:23:34 | More by smakawhat

Gueuzedude

Arizona

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

Sampled on tap at 1702; March 2011
The beer arrives with a half-finger thick, pale amber tinged head that sits on top of a rich, amber hued beer that shows clear with gold tinges around the edges when held up to the light. A bright berry aroma is backed by notes of candied citrus zest (tangelo and grapefruit being the most noticeable). There is a solid, toasted and caramelized malt character that adds some depth and savoriness to the nose.

The beer has a chewy texture to it, though it is not overly heavy, but it is definitely a sipping beer. Bitter herbal hop flavors try and temper the rich, caramelized malt character that is in this beer. The hint has a touch of coffee-like flavor to it as well as a toasted, whole grain character; though it doesn’t really get roasted. The finish can also have some hot alcohol warming to it at times. Big caramelized hop notes have lots of citrus flavors as well as a softer berry like note and there is also some herbal / menthol like hop contributions here. This is somewhat sweet up front, but it is not nearly as sweet as the nose would have suggested. The hop notes that are herbal and bitter quickly dries this beer out, though it remains chewy and sipping beer throughout. An earthy spiciness with notes of clove, and a definite phenolic character in the finish is noticeable from the yeast. This is enjoyable, but for some reason doesn’t quite seem to be doing it for me.

Serving type: on-tap

08-01-2011 14:42:15 | More by Gueuzedude

SubpoenaDeuces

California

3.55/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Stone Belgo Old Guardian Barleywine 12% Abv

A: This has a murky penny color to it with lots of tiny bubbles. The lacing didn’t blow me away but it comes off with a solid barley wine appearance.

S: This is where this beer excels. It has a smoky raisin note to it with underlying figs and burnt cherry. There is a big boozy backend that imparts some heat on the finish.

T: This is sweeter than I was anticipating but the dark fruits are still lingering around like a lurker in the parking lot of a 7th grade dance. You know that they are there but they don’t really make themselves known in a material way. It has a drying hop finish with more maltiness than I would prefer.

M: There is a hop great balance way that I feel is much better than the original old guardian in this regard. There is a big drying taste on the palate but with a lingering sweetness that kind of gives with one hand and takes with the other. It is a stern stepfather, but loving in execcution.

D: This is a bit strange and, I don’t feel that it is exceptionally drinkable over long periods or in a variety of circumstances. Again, I dislike almost every barley wine that I try so that it with a grain of salt. The Belgian yeast gives this distracting sweetness that makes you not want to drink this in the sun. It relegates this beer to this tawdry secret beer you enjoy by yourself, in a closet, sobbing.

Narrative: “Hello? Is this recordin-pshh- hello?” Taylor Carmen tapped the monitor pleadingly. He never meant for this to happen. Just three weeks ago he was your average Orange County youth, slammed Silverado, flat brimmed hat, Crazy Town not an uncommon artist within the ambit of his auditory selection. But now here he was, an ad hoc astronaut. To be fair, the prank war was getting a bit out of hand. “Please, if anyone sees my step mom, tell her, I am so sorry for mistreating her-” Taylor started it by down tuning his friends bass to E flat. Then the classic bucket in the doorway, things escalated, and they tricked poor Taylor into boarding the launch of a new Verizon satellite. “And if you see Aiden, tell him he is a total dick. . .I am running out of air. . .but he should know. . .those texts never came from a. . .chick-” He layed against the GPS monitor and gasps the sickest final breaths of a bro cut down before the pinnacle of his sickness.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2011 06:11:33 | More by SubpoenaDeuces

UpToMeBeer

Colorado

2.5/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Ordered this on-tap at Fresh Craft in Denver. I like barleywines-- and I've liked other Stone offerings a lot-- but this one is disappointing.

A -- goldish light brown; one-finger head with minimal lacing.

S-- a combo of floral yeast, spices, alcohol, sugars, orange.

T-- a strange arrangement of conflicting flavors. Not as much alcohol as I like in a barleywine. I don't claim to know why, but the prevailing taste I get is what I imagine soapwater would taste like. With a hint of honey on the finish.

M- My palette was too confused to enjoy any aspect of this let alone the overall experience. A fuller body, I think, would help.

Overall, it's just too out of balance. Seems like a daring experiment gone wrong.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2011 00:35:28 | More by UpToMeBeer

BigMcLargeHuge

Arizona

3.88/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured up on tap at Papago’s in Phoenix with amber – ruby red body and thin tan head. The aroma is full of spicy Belgian yeast with faint dark fruity esters in the background. The draw ends with some boozy heat too. The taste is similar with bold spicy Belgian yeast as well as apples, peaches and some drying booziness. It stays that way into the finish. The yeast has totally changed the experience of this beer. It seems this version, today, is less complex than the original version. I wonder how it will age though. Note to self - "save a couple of bottles for cellaring."

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2011 03:00:20 | More by BigMcLargeHuge

glid02

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Taco Mac Metropolis in Atlanta.

Pours a hazy brownish-copper color with a one-finger cream-colored head. The head recedes into a patchy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of burnt caramel malts with hints of booze-soaked pears and plums. Also present are hints of toffee.

Tastes more robust than it smells. Smooth caramel malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by candied dark fruits – plums and raisins. Midway through the sip the flavor profile sweetens a bit with the addition of toffee and light chocolate. Finally, the fruit flavors re-assert themselves near the end of the sip, carrying through to a moderately bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is very good. It’s got a smooth thickness with grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I didn’t have a problem finishing my glass and could have another.

Overall I found this to be a good enough beer but it’s just not as good as the original version. Worth a shot for curiosity’s sake.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2011 16:57:20 | More by glid02

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from tap into a sampler shaker. Poured red-orange with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, dark fruit, and alcohol. The flavor was of sweet malt, dark fruit, banana, and alcohol. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this wasn't too bad, but it also wasn't too good. I liked the regular version a little better than this one. The banana and booze in this one kind of clash in my opinion rather than complimenting each other. The aroma was decent though... This one is still worth trying at least once for the curious.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2011 14:27:09 | More by thagr81us

thain709

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Served with a dark, murky body...copper-orange in color...one finger, white head that started with decent retention but fell into a wispy cap which slowly faded to a thin ring...no lacing

S - Belgian spices dominate with notes of clove, coriander, banana, and the yeast strain

T - The beer starts out with almost wine-like characteristics...it's sweet and juicy, with a big fruity middle...underlying flavors are banana, the spices, and some sweet caramel...it finishes sweet with notes of caramel and fruit, but it never becomes cloying...no trace of alcohol

M - Medium bodied...the warming sense of alcohol is there...sweet, but not cloying...soft carbonation

O - I enjoyed the regular version of the Barleywine, but I prefer anything version over a Belgian version I guess...with the exception going to Stone's Belgian IPA...as I mentioned this one had winey notes and big sweetness with nice carbonation

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2011 10:59:09 | More by thain709

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Common Table.

The beer pours a reddish color with a white head. The aroma is very fruity. I get a lot of oranges as well as some yeast, brown sugar and alcohol notes. The flavor is full of alcohol, Belgian yeast, orange citrus notes and some brown sugar. Overall, I get a lot of standard American Barleywine with a nice Belgian yeast spin to it. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2011 04:32:50 | More by Mora2000

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a dark, amber with mild carbonation and a creamy layer of white foam across the top. Poured into an 8 oz snifter and looks pretty good.

S - Bready, moderately boozy, and filled with alot of Belgian spice and some nutmeg.

T - Nutmeg, Belgian spice, dark fruit, mild tang acidic zing, some anise, slightly earthy, and some brown sugar and molasses blend. Somewhat bready and very filling.

M - Heavy body, sticky, leaves the mouth with a layer of Belgian spice and a fair amount of hop bitterness for a barley.

O - A Belgian inspired barley which makes for a very unique representation of the barleywine style; however, I much prefer the regular Old Guardian instead. Kudos to Stone for creating a unique interpretation of the barley style and experimenting with a different yeast strain. I absolutely LOVE Stone brews, BUT, this one doesn't work so much for me.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2011 05:34:01 | More by jzeilinger

jera1350

Minnesota

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

On-tap at The Muddy Pig.

A beautiful ruby red grapefruit juice color with a cloudiness as well. A trace of foam, but that's it.

Big sweet and hoppy barleywine nose with the addition of a strong belgian yeast presence that adds some bubblegum notes.

Wow, kind of like the blending of two beers. Definitely a barleywine with all of it's hoppy and sweet goodness. Big time flavor. In addition, the belgian yeast really stands out. It's really like a big time belgian ipa with a huge malt presence. It's different, and I dig it.

Full bodied and sticky with a slick presence. A nice clean finish though.

I enjoyed this beer quite a bit. I would have this again. I think the base barleywine really makes this beer and the yeast just adds a unique twist that I enjoyed. Well done Stone.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2011 19:17:06 | More by jera1350

tewaris

Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12% ABV; 85 IBU's
Served in a 10 oz. Chalice like glass.

Hazy and dark amber, this beer was noticeably darker than 2007 Old Guardian. Poor head and poor head retention, but that could be these glasses too. The aroma is very different from what I expected in the sense that bubblegum and fruit notes have completely obliterated any notes of hops and malts. Not bad but not what I would want in a beer of this kind.

The taste retains the bitterness but has flavorful Belgian twist to it. The resiny character that I associated with many American Barleywines is missing. However, the strong Belgian notes don't seem to gel as well with the sticky and heavy mouthfeel on this one, as they do with the relatively lighter body on Belgian-D/IPA's. I don't see the need to resort to Belgian yeast for a beer of this kind and in that sense it doesn't work.

Further, the Belgian character is not complex, but rather full of bubblegummy notes. A well done beer for what it is but I am not buying it again!

Scores: Appearance 3/5, Aroma 3/5, Taste 3/5, Mouthfeel 4/5, Overall 4/5

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2011 02:33:49 | More by tewaris

kaseydad

California

3.98/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pint glass pour and it's brought to the table showing off a nice dark ameber colored ale with a heavy dose of off-white colored head and major lacing on the glass as the session starts. Big time rose aroma. Flower power. There are some fruits I am whiffing as well (tangerine, orange). The taste is very floral on the initial sip with orange hints and then a very big bitterness smacks the palate on the swallow. Think Raging Bitch but without all the harshness. Very smooth drink. Full bodied ale. Creamy smooth. Like a meal in the mouth. At 12% this is dangerously drinkable if you like a floral hybrid Belgian/Barleywine. I want the original back but I applaud the effort on trying something different and recommend searching this out. Don't understand some of the hate for this...but I don't know if I would call this a Barleywine. Maybe a Strong Belgian IPA. Either way...I enjoyed it on tap. Not sure it translates as well from a bottle but I will find out.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2011 19:19:20 | More by kaseydad

BretSikkink

Mexico

3.93/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Clear, red-brown color served with a pleasingly tight cap on board. Somewhat sticky.

Nose is great: caramel and candi sugar on the sweet, cherry and lemon zest on the fruit end, and alpha acids, phenols, and white pepper on the bitter spectrum. Great complexity and power for the nose.

Surprisingly full-bodied, gushing with flavor compared to the way I remember the bottle. Caramel mingles with citrus hops for that awesome American barleywine hugeness, but the ripe cherry, booze, and hint of earthy Belgian twang keeps everything down to the ground.

Dry finish, velvety smooth and pretty full body. I didn't love the bottled version, but I wanted something different on tap the other day at Papago Brewing. I got that and more with this one. Definitely needs to be refined, but I think they're on to something.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2011 04:01:22 | More by BretSikkink

SDtastentune

California

4.97/5  rDev +36.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Nice lighter look, more ipa look & bronze, little head but great lacing.

S - Smells of hops and alcohol, mixed with some malty bubblegum.

T - Bubblegum hops, mixed with alcohol some sweets malts and great beer'ish taste.

M - Great carbonation, larger bubbles and goes down hot & tasty

O - GREAT barley wine! Love this stuff, its like a hoppy barley wine on steroids. Highly recommend this stuff! Thumbs WAAYY UPPP!

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2011 05:50:36 | More by SDtastentune

hickmancase

California

4.5/5  rDev +23.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Brewery.

A: Hazy brownish orange. Thick-bubbled two-finger head.

S: Glistening hops.

T: Robust. Solid. Excellent and unique hop profile. Strong malt backbone. The strength of the other ingredients didn't quite seem to let the belgian yeast come out.

M: Just like it should be.

D: Quite strong, so it's a sipper. Great sipper, though. Gotta have another one just to double check everything.

9/10

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2011 15:56:20 | More by hickmancase

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Old Guardian Belgo

Ontap, pours a clear mahogony and a small off white head. In the aroma, candied fruits, yeast and booze. Tastes almost like a belgian quad, big time maltyness, fruit notes, alcohol also checks in. Toffee, cherry, kiss of piney hops rounding it out. A nice big beer and the belgian yeast really made things interesting. Would have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2011 16:23:00 | More by Stinkypuss

raszputini

North Carolina

2.73/5  rDev -25%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I must say to begin with that I am very picky with barleywines. Many I just dont' like. This is an interesting combo a barleywine with belgian style yeast and sugars. Nose is what you'd expect - a combo of belgian fruitiness and phenols along with the yeasty nose from a barleywine. Taste starts like a trippel with coriander and belgian sugars and then morphs into a barleywine. Complex - definitely not a session. Rough around the edges. I think simply pouring a blithering idiot into a cheap trippel would yield similar results.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2011 02:55:06 | More by raszputini

AgentZero

Illinois

2.93/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Hazy orange colored beer that poured with a big, foamy head on it. Surpringly low stick on the sides.

S - Belgian yeast is upfront and center. Quite pungent, with a smell of fruits and ethers. Some coffee, toffee, and floral notes round out the aroma.

T - A dose of caramel and toffee with some floral and herbal notes. Then the yeast really takes over. I don't particularly care for the combination of strong belgian yeast and barleywine notes, it is overly pungent.

M - Too much soapy carbonation and fizz, pretty full bodied.

D - Kind of hard to drink this, not even considering the high ABV. It is just an odd tasting brew that I don't care for in most circumstances.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2011 19:03:54 | More by AgentZero

metter98

New York

3.93/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is very dark amber in color and poured with a finger high beighe head that quickly died down but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface. The head also left lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of chocolate malts in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste is malty and has some notes of chocolate and hints of vanilla.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied, smooth and thick on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: The beer isn't overly difficult to drink because most of the alcohol is well masked from the taste.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2011 04:35:53 | More by metter98