Old Guardian BELGO Barleywine - Stone Brewing Co.

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.78/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Poured a copper color with good carbonation leaving a nice white cap

S: Fruits, bubblegum and caramel is what I got

T: Immediate bubblegum hint, some candy sugar, caramelized sugar, hints of fruits and caramel

M: Sticky, warm with a nice hop bite, thinner bodied than I expected or wanted

D: Its on the verge of average. I would not want another or go back to this. Maybe in a year or two I would give this another shot.

Serving type: on-tap

03-03-2011 14:29:24 | More by barleywinefiend

womencantsail

California

3.8/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Stone

A: The pour is a dark amber in color with a finger of off-white head and minimal lacing.

S: Wow, a lot of spice (coriander and pepper) going on here. Lots of phenols with a bit of bubblegum. Quite a bit of booze on the nose and it cannot really be covered up by the caramel and bread.

T: A surprising amount of fruit flavor: banana, pear, and citrus. Like the nose, plenty of spicy phenols. The malt is prominent and is mostly of bread and semi-sweet toffee. Noticeable alcohol flavor as well.

M: The body is medium to full with a moderate level of carbonation.

D: This is significantly better than the previous Belgian Old Guardian, but it's still way too boozy for its own good.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2011 18:55:45 | More by womencantsail

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on draft at the Stone Total Tap Takeover in Baltimore.

A-pours a transparent orangish amber color with an off white dense and creamy head.

S-the nose brings light notes of yeast, very citric aromas, orange peels with notes of caramel malt backbone.

T-caramel malts and light notes of brown sugar set a foundation. this gives way to a nice spicy yeast. a big time citric hop presence is strong in the back adding orange peels with a hint of pine. the finish has a moderately aggressive bitterness to it.

M-medium body, very syrupy with a slightly muffled palate and medium to light carbonation.

D-tasty and balanced, nice amount of spice with enough malt body. the typical huge hop presence in the back.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2011 18:22:05 | More by cpetrone84

sweemzander

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

on tap at the Barley House. Poured into a snifter.

(A)- Pours a caramel colored amber and produced a minimal but present white cap of foam that stuck around for a bit.

(S)- Very dry with a mineral-like yeasty bite. Bits of fig and caramel.

(T)- Similar to the smell. Very yeasty. That belgian yeast strain rlly takes center stage with some caramel and fig bits in the far background.

(M)- A good carbonation level to it. The one plus to the overpowering dry yeast is that it really covers up the 12% this carries along with the hop addition.

(D)- All in all an interesting take on Old Guardian, however I far prefer the regular version to this. I would be curious to see how this one would age, but from what I am seeing in this glass, I would be hard pressed to buy a bottle if the regular was next to it on the shelf.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2011 03:49:14 | More by sweemzander

beertunes

Washington

3.95/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in fluted tulip. Poured a clean, clear, reddish mahogany with 1/2 inch of head that had low retention and OK lacing.

The aroma was on the sweet side, was malty and had a slight fruit aspect floating behind the yeast perfume. The taste started out the same but was noticeably fruitier than the aroma. The beer was sweet and had a definite alcohol flavor.

The body was good, but was noticeably lighter than I look for in the style. Drinkability was very good, the two I had went down very easy and I look for having more.

Overall, a pretty good beer. I was expecting a trainwreck and it wasn't. Certainly worth trying when you see it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2011 02:53:48 | More by beertunes

HopHead84

California

3.45/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

2/6/2011

On tap at Stone Winter Storm 2011.

A: Reddish orange with a big beige head.

S: Decidedly Belgian, with faint coriander and a lot of bubblegum. Old Guardian lurks beneath: toffee, grapefruit, orange, and pine, with a little candied sugar.

T: Grapefruit, orange, and a little pine. Belgian yeast is pronounced. Spicy phenols are evident, reminiscent of white pepper and clove. I detect some coriander.

M: Upper medium in body with moderate carbonation. Mouthfeel is sticky

Overall: Not bad, though the regular version is better.

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2011 17:04:38 | More by HopHead84

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Reasonably clear, amber-gold body with a thinning, white head.

Smell: Very modest hints of caramel and bread underscoring the simple pale maltiness, a splash of hot orange liqueur, and the expectedly spicy notes from the new yeast strain.

Taste: Sweet and candyish on the first sip. Lightly bready pale malts, some hints of caramel, but they're mainly overridden by a cutting sugariness. Soft touches of clove as well as coriander. Cirusy hops, prominently featuring an orange-like flavor, with a firm bitterness. Like the original version, the alcohol really shines through. Dry, bitter finish with ample alcoholic warmth and some roundabout phenolic accents.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Some noted stickiness to the mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Truth be told, the Old Guardian barleywine was never at top of my favorite barleywines list, and was always one I generally considered to be merely OK. Dosing it with a Belgian strain, well, it's still OK, but now with a different yeast.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2011 16:24:24 | More by ChainGangGuy

cwguy5

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Enjoyed at Duckworth's in Charlotte on tap in a glass chalice. Reviewed from notes of 10/09/10 tasting.

- poured rich amber color with haze; thin head but with good lacing

- a lot of hops; fairly boozy with some floral and mild herbal

- nice foamy, chewy mouthfeel

- overall a bit bitter for me in combination of some mildly hot boozy alcohol; would this benefit from laying down? i would prefer if the hops faded a bit and the alcohol settled some. still a decent brew for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2010 09:02:14 | More by cwguy5

MasterSki

Illinois

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

Had this on-tap at Small Bar Fullerton. Got a stange-like taster glass of this one.

A - My buddy Andres had a goblet of this, and it looked almost identical to the other versions. Perhaps a touch cloudier body and slightly more foam.

S - Huge Belgian yeast, with some fruity esters that evoke stone fruits. Very yeasty and bready, with much less overt caramel sweetness. Not as hoppy as regular Old Guardian either. You can definitely pick this one out of a lineup, but I don't think it's an improvement.

T - Taste is again very evocative of a Belgian Strong Ale rather than a barleywine, with plenty of yeast and fruity esters mixed with sugar and toffee. Better balance of sweetness and other flavors here. It's hard to believe such a minor change in recipe results in a drastically different beer, but such is the power of the Belgian yeast. Again, the hop character seems muted - I think this batch was available at EBF, so it's not super-fresh at this point.

M - It's a little thinner than the other Old Guardians I had, with some dryness in the finish rather than unabashed stickiness. Seems appropriate for the Belgian style.

D - My sample went down easily enough, but I don't think I could have done a full goblet of this one.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2010 16:34:23 | More by MasterSki

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Churchkey.

Pours a ruby red with a bit of rust. Slight off white head that leaves a pretty good trail of lacing. Nose is a bit faint in that while there is a lot going on, it is almost too much and it was hard to discern individual elements. The taste helps clarify things quite a bit. While we had some drink confusion throughout the evening, this was plenty unique and easy to identify. Large quantities of Belgian yeast esters and a good amount of accompanying fruit. Some malt sweetness and also spice. Hop profile is pretty strong win nice citrus and pine notes. Medium feel is nice. Fairly drinkable but not one of my favorites of the evening.

Serving type: on-tap

10-05-2010 22:52:02 | More by Thorpe429

drabmuh

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Yep, on draft at Churchkey, after drinking more than 20 Stone beers last night, its no wonder why I woke up with the taste of hops on my mouth.

Beer is ruby red and has a tiny head of off white tiny bubbles that leaves some lacing on the glass.

Aroma is malty with these odd esters in there from yeast and bready and fruits. Smells really interesting.

Beer is big bodied and very malty up front but the midpalate gives way to these great Belgian characteristic esters and some late bitterness finishes it off well. Its a very good barleywine IMO.

Serving type: on-tap

10-05-2010 16:04:05 | More by drabmuh

Florida9

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap, served in a snifter. Orangey-copper in color. Served with a good 1/4" of head billowing over the top of the snifter. Good retention. The nose on this was surprisingly muted, leaving me a little surprised. The flavor was on the sweeter side. Malt, orange and citrus with a bitterness that seemed fade as the beer disappeared from the glass. The Belgian yeast were trying to assert another dimension to the flavor profile, but it wasn't showing through clearly. In all actuality, the flavor was quite tame for a beer of this caliber and alcohol content. It did have a very nice smoothness to it - not at all harsh - that encouraged another sip.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2010 01:21:28 | More by Florida9

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap in a snifter.

Appearance: Slightly hazy caramel color. Soft white head with a ring of lace around the edge.

Smell: The Belgian yeast first makes itself apparent in the smell. As opposed to the regular Old Guardian, the aroma contains a variety of spices - cloves, all spice, and cinnamon. Smells like Christmas.

Taste: I found the taste of the Belgio-Barleywine to be worth an extra .5 in the taste department compared to the regular Old Guardian. Bready notes are present up front, balanced with a variety of spices. The robust malt flavor gradually fades to the light citrus hops. Almost no alcohol is tasted over the course of each sip; it is masked perfectly. The ending is smooth and balanced, with nearly no aftertaste. I am actually left with a nice floral aroma in its place. Still a little hoppier than most barley wines, though.

Mouthfeel: A nice, bubbly feel. There is also a slight graininess here.

Drinkability: Great taste, but knowledge of the ABV will slow me down.

Serving type: on-tap

04-04-2010 17:26:20 | More by KickInTheChalice

Duhast500

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the tap into a tasting glass.

The color is a red/amber that is clear with a finger or two of white foamy white head and some nice lacing.

The smell is a little fruity and has a pretty strong yeast flavor that comes right out as well. This was a bit surprising for Old Guardian.

The taste is a pretty sweet fruit flavor with some plum and dried apricots. There is a nice bitterness as well in the beer on the back end where the hops takes over and gives a bit of a knock at the taste buds. Some grapefruit and tangerine flavor.

The feel of this beer is pretty light and is a bit easy to get down then Old Guardians in the past. The alcohol does not seem to be as pronounced and does not seem to warm the palette as much.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2010 18:15:11 | More by Duhast500

jrallen34

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I drank this from a tasting glass at EBF.

The beer pours a clear light brown with a little orange hightligts. The head is light with no retention or lacing.

The aroma is typical belgian hops you'd smell in a belgian ipa with a little bit of apple.

The taste is super hoppy, doesn't remind of a bw at all. Its not too hoppy or ipa hoppy, just hop dominated. I like it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2010 13:51:10 | More by jrallen34

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

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

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

dfillius

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass
A: 2/3 finger cream colored head with good retention. Crystal clear burnt sienna liquid is sublime!
S: Cocoa, caramel, Belgian yeast phenolics - clove, banana, no alcohol at first. Upon warming, the alcohol is there, but not super-bold. Citrus hop aroma builds.
T: Sweet, then a tad high on alcohol, then bitter from hops, closing with Belgian funk. Fruity alcohol is apparent more on the second sip than the first - almost overwhelming. Some apple. One of the better barleywines I've had. I think the amount of Belgian flair added to this is perfect.
M:Rich, full, a bit warm but nice and finishes dry. Warmth is a bit tingly.
O: Strength shows, but still tasty and not hot. I wouldn't order a second, but i would buy again next time it comes out.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 01:59:36 | More by dfillius

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle was poured into a large Duvel snifter.

Appearance: This beer poured a one finger head that has reduced to a thin layer. It is a cloudy mahogany/amber color with some vision of bubbles coming up the side of the glass. Nice lacing on the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: Caramel sweetness, citrus and grapefruit, spicy yeast, brown sugar, and a fruity aroma separate from the citrus.

Taste: Same as aroma. Lingering bitterness and some booze on the palate too.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied, low to medium carbonation, a bit dry, and lingering bitterness

Overall: I have had this bottle for about a year now, but maybe should of held on a bit longer. Then again, it is cold and rainy outside so a warming barleywine is a good call. A good barleywine, but would go with others over this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 03:49:31 | More by Flounder57

casualfan

New York

3.38/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle (2011 Odd-Year Release) into a snifter.

Color was a deep burnt orange. Very low carbonation. Almost no head.

Smell was subdued, with some fruit drifting through. (I will admit I had bit of a cold, so my assessment might be off!)

Taste was not as bombastic as some of the previous reviews led me to expect. There were some hops bitterness, and some spiciness from the Belgian yeast. At 12%, you can feel the heat.

Overall, it was fairly average. Glad I tried it, and I would like to give it another shot with a fresher bottle if it is rereleased.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 00:06:16 | More by casualfan

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

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

2011 release poured from a 22oz bottle into a snifter glass.

A: The beer is a murky medium brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains caramelized malts, brown sugar, a good amount of hops and little fruit.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of brown sugar, caramel and fruit. Then a strong but not over-powering hops bitterness comes in. The malt character is hearty and there’s a faint hint of Belgian yeast creating a good balance. There’s also a little bit of an alcohol sting. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, very strong kick, good representation of style, this is a solid stronger beer to sip on for a while but I find the regular Old Guardian to be much better.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 02:32:48 | More by TheManiacalOne

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

2.95/5  rDev -19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

2011 bottle

Appearance. Pours a murky burnt orange with a finger of off-white head.

Smell. Banannas and cloves, sweet caramel, a little citrus fruit, berries and white pepper. Not too shabby!

Taste. Sweet caramel, molasses, metalic bitter hops, a little citrus and fruity yeast.

Mouthfeel. Full body, low+ carbonation, warm.

Overall. Some nice flavours, some not so nice. Way too warm for me as well. I've had worse.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 01:39:26 | More by Rutager

rapidsequence

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle, has a sticker for $7.99, but I don't remember where it came from. I guess its 9 or 10 months old now.

Appearance: Pours dark orange amber with a bit of chill haze that clears quickly and leaves a nice clear beer. Off white head with scant retention and lacing- its 12% though.

Smell: Rich fruity and caramel malt. Lots of phenolics from pleasant spice to bandaid. Also acetone and jet fuel-like fusels that burn the nose a bit.

Taste: Just too much burning. Burns the mouth and nose. The Old Guardian in the background is still good, but its wrecked by the heat and overly phenolic flavor.

Mouthfeel: I'm surprised how well the mouthfeel holds up. Smooth and sticky, leaves a long finish of the good tasting part of the beer.

Overall: This is a great idea, but it didnt turn out well. It needs to be lower gravity, and matbe fermented cooler. This is a hot mess.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 00:38:55 | More by rapidsequence

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

AGED REVIEW
-2011 Odd year release-

Pours out a pretty ruby color with a thin skim layer on top for a head, which fades to a thin orbital ring in the glass, no real lacing left behind.

Smells most strongly of booze, medium strongly of caramel, toffee, peaches, and herbal / citrus hopping, and least strongly of all, a teeny tiny ghost of Belgian yeast phenols. (Despite having been aged to the point where it should have been greatly amplified) What happened? To be perfectly honest, I was interested in the brew aged it for the *purpose* of bringing those raunchy yeast notes forward...and it just didn't happen for some reason. Disappointing.

Flavor follows the example of the nose. Sweet caramel and hot booze, candied fruit and pine / grapefruit with a twist of orange peel. And hardly any Belgian character at all. I was expecting a lot more Belgo in my Belgo barleywine. Very strange how cellaring did not bring the Belgo out at all when usually the yeast takes over completely.

Medium body and low carbonation, really hot boozey finish, needs to be sipped for sure.

Honestly....I'd say that given my personal experience, this one is actually better off consumed fresher over cellaring.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 03:06:20 | More by WastingFreetime