Old Guardian BELGO Barleywine - Stone Brewing Co.

ocelot2500

Arizona

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy garnet color with a tight, off-white head that leaves a nice ring of lacing.

Smells of sweet toasted malts with some fruits and spice.

Tastes of some pretty big fruitiness followed by a wave of hops. Fruity notes of apple, pear, and some citrus. Moderately sweet with some peppery spice notes. Any sweetness is then washed out by hoppy bitterness, adding some piny notes. Everything ends with a bready character. Comes through fairly hot and warms the throat.

Mouthfeel is full with a creamy amount of carbonation.

Overall, I find it fairly interesting, and pretty solid, but nothing outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2011 02:53:13 | More by ocelot2500

BierFan

Michigan

4.45/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a chalice.

Thin head and a cloudy dark amber body that looks like apple cider. Belgian yeast shines through in the aroma more than I was expecting. I'm not sure if this fruitiness I'm smelling is from the yeast or the hops. Time for the first sip. Smooth and sweet. Tropical fruits and a little mint from the hops. Nice bitterness. Kind of reminds me of a fresh Double Crooked Tree from Dark Horse Brewery. I really dig this brew fresh. I'm gonna try to track down a couple more bottles to age and see how it goes.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2011 23:26:40 | More by BierFan

Pencible

Virginia

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

A: This poured a hazy copper with a little white head.
S: It smelled like lemon and caramel, with some apricot and prune and wild yeast and honey wheat.
T: It tasted like strong citrus zest and apricot hops, balanced by sugary caramel and honey wheat and a bit of raisin. Some wild Belgian yeast and clove also. It had a sweet malty aftertaste with some alcohol warming.
M: It was fairly thick and oily with moderate carbonation. Nice and fully body.
D: This was a nice beer, more like a barleywine than a BSPA, but an interesting twist of the standard Old Guardian. It was well balanced and clean, with solid body. The alcohol was quite noticeable, which made it a bit tougher to drink. Cellaring would likely help it mellow. Probably not as good as the original, but I liked this beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 15:00:12 | More by Pencible

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.73/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I am probably one of the few that has not had the regular Old Guardian before this Belgo version, so hopefully that will provide a unique perspective. This is the 2011 release, so it is quite fresh. Pours a hazed copper color with a modest tan head.

Nose is more Belgian than Barleywine, but the alcohol is ridiculous either way...tropical as fuck. Fruity yeast and strong hop and caramel malt presence. Not really all that enjoyable of a sniffer, though quite large in the margins.

Immediately upon tasting I thought 'damn, I should have cellared this one'. Taste shows alot of tropical and dark fruit. Tons of alcohol lends a bit of solventy finish. Mixing Belgian yeast and heavy hops has always been hit or miss for me, but surprisingly this one falls somewhere in the middle. I still think that age would improve this beer, but it is still interesting to drink now. The malts are so sweet and thick, somewhere between burnt caramel and toffee. Id say this is one of a handful of beers that exhibits equally massive amounts of the big four: Belgian yeast, malt, hops and alcohol. A bomber by myself might be a bit much, but too late for that now. Like the Gravitron at the local carnival: an interesting ride, just not sure it was all that fun along the way or a good idea after it was over.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 02:29:35 | More by twiggamortis420

superspak

Michigan

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

22 ounce bottle into snifter, 2011 vintage. Pours clear red orange color with a dense 1 finger light orange head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap that lasts. Not much lacing left on the glass. Aromas of dark fruits, spices, caramel, citrus, and sweet malt. Definitely some interesting aromas. Taste of sweet caramel, spice, honey, molasses, and fruitiness. Decent amount of bitterness noticed on the finish, but mostly a lot of lingering flavors of caramel, molasses, fruitiness, and some citrus. Very smooth drinking for 12% as well, still quite a sipper though. Medium carbonation and full bodied. No alcohol in the taste and a fairly large warming on the finish. Overall, a very nice barleywine with Belgian characteristics. Tasty stuff!

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2011 03:46:41 | More by superspak

BeerLover99

New Jersey

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

A: deep amber/burnt orange body, trace head, good lacing

S: date, fig, malt, barley

T: sweet fig/date, big malt, bitter slow long finish

M: med body, sticky/oily body

O: WOW, too much of a good thing. Usually, LOVE
Stone beers, but this one is just chaos in a bottle.

OK, NOT A MUST HAVE!

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 21:39:49 | More by BeerLover99

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

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

22oz bomber poured into a snifter

A relatively clear dark red amber body with a pretty dense two finger cap. Solid retention and clumps of lace.

Definitely get the 'belgo' right away. Pepper, pears, apples, band-aid, sweet/sticky caramel and a hearty dose of booze. A little all over the place.

The Belgian yeast comes out even more on the palate and really dominates. Green apples and pears, candi sugar, black pepper, some citrus hops and booze. You could feel the heat all the way down. I think the yeast strain took away from this beer more than it added. It seemed imposing and really didn't let all of these flavors shine.

Medium body with a good carbonation. A bit sticky/chewy. Overall, this didn't do it for me. There's a good beer in there, I know that, but the yeast strain was too overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 14:07:11 | More by ColForbinBC

flipper2gv

Quebec (Canada)

2.8/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Thanks a ton to crossovert for this bottle!

A: Cloudy burnt orange color with a creme white head. The head is creamy, one finger and half high, retention is pretty good and lacing is just as good.

S: This smells exceptionally sweet. Lots of candi sugar in this. Strong aromas of vanilla, maple syrup and brown sugar. Light molasses and toffee. Caramel is near overwhelming. Light grassy hops in the background. Some cinnamon, prune and dates from the yeast (I think).

T: Kind of mix of sweet caramel, vanilla, maple syrup, brown sugar and grassy/floral hops. Chaotic.

M: Heavy body with light carbonation. Quite sticky.

O: Well, it's not a very good beer. I tried to let it age a bit to make it less chaotic but I'm still unimpressed by the brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2011 22:11:11 | More by flipper2gv

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

Metalmonk

North Carolina

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

Had no idea this existed till I saw it on the shelf. And have no real expectations what it's all about, other than, uh, "Belgian-style barleywine?" But it's Stone, so it's gotta be at least super-interesting. Hit me...

Pours a glowing rusted/garnet color, with not much head after several seconds, but there's a crown around the edges that lasts while psychedelic foam patterns swirl inside it. Yep, it's already interesting...

Aroma is compelling, for sure. Smells more like a Belgian IPA with lots of alcohol in there, and some seriously syrupy-sweet fruit too. Belgian candi sugar. More hoppy/fruity than malty, and pretty alcoholic. Swirled to get the aroma moving some more, and the head came right back.

Very earthy/green/pine flavor up front, kind of intense and almost medicinal. Peppery and fruity. Alcohol and sugar intertwine, mingle and threaten to go out of whack, but never totally do. Quite sweet, with brown sugar, pine needle, and mango coming back with a vengeance. Intense, but never "hot." Fairly dry, without much finish to speak of.

Feels smooth and slick, despite an inherent thickness and considerable body.

I like this, because it's got a ton of character and originality. It's a bit busy, and obviously pretty young. And sure, it might be a bit muddled, but I think this one will age with the best of them. Should have bought a second bottle, damn it...

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 20:02:32 | More by Metalmonk

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

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

This beer poured into my snifter a slightly hazy and reddish amber with a nice 2-finger head of fine white foam that quickly dissipated. There's a nice, fruity aroma of apples, berries, and some kind of freshly-baked fruit-filled treat (one that involves apples and berries).

This beer has lots of flavor. It is quite malty and jammy up front. As it slides across your palate, it gets quite creamy. I detect nice flavors of raisins and black currants, but always there's a definite alcoholic presence. I know, this is a barley wine after all, but it's still not something I like tasting. The beer is not very dry, which is a shame since it might have balanced out a bit of the alcohol. Not much of a finish either.

I think the use of Belgian yeast in an American barley wine is very clever and gives it a nice tartness which I find complementary for this style. Unfortunately, for me the semi-strong alcohol taste cannot be ignored and keeps this beer from being really, really good. I know, I'm a wimp. I should call this `Barley whine'. I probably won't buy this again, but that shouldn't stop anyone from trying it if they haven't already.

Serving type: growler

06-11-2011 01:17:02 | More by deadonhisfeet

DrJay

Massachusetts

2.42/5  rDev -33.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Looks great. Clear reddish colour with some orange highlights topped by a large, dense beige cap. Great head retention, especially for a barleywine at this abv, clumpy lacing. The aroma was heavy on the "Belgo" - peppery and phenolic, heading into band-aid territory, bready, alcohol, pears and apples. Fruity and sugary up front, slowly faded into bitterness and booze. A bit peppery on the finish, slightly phenolic, lots of alcohol warmth. Hop character was herbal and bitterness somewhat harsh. It left a bitter, medicinal aftertaste lingering long after each sip. The texture was alright, until the booze and spice kicked in and obliterated all other flavours. I'm not sold on this Belgo thing, it seems to just muddy the beer's character. And be warned, this one is a palate shredder. Maybe some time in the cellar would do it some good.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 00:12:53 | More by DrJay

riored4v

Colorado

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

Reviewed on 6/1/11

Poured in to a tulip. Burnt copper color with a clear body. 1 finger, tan head that faded to a thin cap with light lacing.

Smell had a slight musty, dark fruit aroma. Hints of caramel, molasses, booze and a sweet maltiness. Some good floral hop aroma.

Taste had a noticeable boozey presenence along with some good dark fruit. Fairly strong bitterness with pine and resiny hop bitterness. Light floral presence. Caramely with notes of toffee and molasses. Light musty belgian presence. Bitterness dominates. Nice malty sweetness, hints of banana.

Medium body, medium carb. Slightly slick mouthfeel with a lingering bitterness.

Drinkability was decent. High ABV and strong bitterness limit it a tad. But regardless, a nice blend of flavors. Belgian notes are enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 23:33:09 | More by riored4v

CampusCrew

Florida

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: amber-hued body with a thinnish, near white head. decent lacing.

Smell: definitly know it's belgian as I open it. Lots of citrus hops and mixed fruits

Taste: sweet to bitter in a instant. love the progession, but it's a little weird. probably too sweet, too much belgian yeast character. Old Guardian original recipe is a little lost.

Mouthfeel: Medium- full body.

Drinkability: I don't hate it as some have stated, it's sweet, but not way overdone. Good be with lots of flavor. honor to sample. love the experiment. Kinda of like a hoppy quad? Whats so bad about that?

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2011 21:50:53 | More by CampusCrew

armock

New York

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

Bottle from a small liquor store in Tracy, CA

A - Poured a dark copper color with a tan head that leaves lacing behind

S - Is of Belgian yeast on top of sweet malt with a hit of alcohol

T - While the smell is good all of those flavors don't work out to being more than average like the nose starts off with Belgian yeast that train wrecks in to the sweet malt

M - This beer has a fuller body with higher carbonation to it

O - I'm a little disappointed with this one as I like regular Old Guardian and the vast majority of Stone's offerings along with Belgian beers but the flavor just didn't impress me far from a drain pour but not something that I would really want to buy again

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2011 01:37:50 | More by armock

rootbeerman

Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: pours dark honey brown with a touch of red when held to the light. Head is a thin initial pinky thickness, off white to tan
S: a nice Belgian yeast funk, a touch spicy, malt sweetness.
T: same yeasty light funk and spice. A hint of alcohol. Very malty.
M: just a touch coating, low carbonation.
O: a nice change to the normal OG

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 02:16:17 | More by rootbeerman

arizcards

Arizona

4.03/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a bomber from the LaJolla Whole Foods in late February for $5.99.

Beer poured an amber-red with a one finger head that disappeared quickly.

Nose is classic belgian yeast strain, sweet malts, northwest hops.

Taste is sweet malts well balanced by a blast of hops with belgian yeast strain over the top.

Mouthfeel is full bodied and quite smooth. The belgian yeast strain is quite nice!

Overall this is good, albeit unconventional. ABV is not noticed until it hits the belly. Kudos to Stone for going mass scale on something experimental. Glad to see they made the original style as well!

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 01:09:28 | More by arizcards

weller1js

West Virginia

4.13/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

appearance: pours a bold red-amber, with heavy small-bubbled carbonation, cloudy hazy, with slight foam dissispating into very little lacing.

smell: sweet and spicy, notes of tangy citrus are also notable in the hops, yeastiness also lingers with the spicy scent.

taste: first impressions are sweet, strong hoppy sensations that yield into a deep, heavy taste of barley, further complemented by the spicy characteristics of the Belgian yeast; finishing spicy and bitter, but does not linger as long as one would expect.

drinkability: all of the elements of the style are there, heavy but not overwhelming, hops and yeast are dynamic yet not intense.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 01:38:23 | More by weller1js

dcloeren

Texas

2.93/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Shared this bomber with JayAre46

Poured a beautiful crisp copper with 2.5 fingers of light tan head. This brew looks fantastic, very inviting.

SWEET Belgian yeast, very present hop aroma, carmal malt, a little bit of citrus and some mint??? Regardless of the subtle mint aroma, this beer is smelling great.

NOTE: At this point in this experience I'm thinking to myself "What the hell is everyone bitching about? This beer looks and smells fantastic!" And then I took my first sip...

Taste: The SWEETEST beer I have ever tasted. It tastes like someone ground smarties and sweet-tarts up into a fine powder and slipped it into my beer. What the FUCK is this? Nothing but sweet belgian yeast and sweet tarts until the very very last part of the sip a bitter hops shine through.

The mouthfeel of this beer (outside of taste) was great. Great carbonation, bitter hop aftertaste, medium bodied.

Overall, I want to know what the fuck went wrong with this beer. Everything but the taste was great. It was the sweetest damn beer on the planet. I'm hoping that the sweetness will mellow out with some age because I feel like this beer has alot of potential due to the other aspects of the beer. I definitely expected a better beer from Stone.

Definitely drain poured this beer. No way I could have made it through more than half a glass

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2011 21:22:47 | More by dcloeren

JayAre46

Texas

3.08/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - amazing looking bomber shared by dcloeren, as the first of the "Odd beers of odd years" motto, when if first came out i searched all over where i could get this, just had to get the 1st of course, anyway pours a transparent ruby color almost resembles cough syrup, 1 1/2 fingers of off white stickyness,

A - hops up front, which were extremely pleasant then the belgian yeasty aroma along with some caramel malts...not bad i thought, the hops absolutely made everything remain tame and controlled very pleasant aroma, the only knock i did get a mint like aroma i kept saying outloud in confusion.

T - FUCK...sweet, sweet, sweet, boozy, sweet, sweet, sweet, subtle hop bitterness, sweet, sweet, sweet, subtle yeast presence, more sweet, sweet, sweetness then that mint again and then some more sweetness just to make sure you've had enough. oh i did i mention the fire this one brings?

M - medium body, low carbonation and creamy, not a bad feel, but very difficult to drink.

O - the appearance is good, the aroma is good, the taste is awful, the mouthfeel is good. im not sure what aging this will bring and if salvation is possible through time. the beer is quite a mess and stone is much better than this, C'MON STONEGREG, no way you drink this on the reg. avoid

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2011 03:08:22 | More by JayAre46

ryanonline

Florida

3.03/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Has a nice clear deep reddish amber hue, with some thin creamy head with very compact bubbles nice lacing.

Smells very citussy and even a touch grapelike. Sweet like a sparkling wine. The carbination appears to be very effervescent as I can already feel it on my nose. Also a very orangey scent.

Still very sweet but with a fairly significant bitter bite. It has a strong heat to it. Lots of citrus though. Really strong bitter finish. Having some trouble placing the actual flavor, like an acrid burnt pine flavor. The body and major flavors are pretty good, but they are just overpowered by the finish and unnecessarily bitter hop taste.

Thin body and prickly carbination. Biiitttter finish. Dry as well.

Drinkability is fairly low. Toooo bitter, in a bad way, and very dominating.

Overall this beer is actually pretty good but the nagging bitter finish just kind of ruins it totally.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2011 01:55:33 | More by ryanonline

daveytheformer

Oregon

3.03/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

into a delirium snifter

Pours a thick cloudy amber almost light brown color with a creamy off white head that rapidly fades to sticky lacing.

Smells like bananas, bubblegum, and a little pepper spice. The yeast is certainly real up front. Upon repeated whiffs there is a lot more going.

Taste strongly metallic and bitter. Alcohol heat, bitter hops and Belgian yeast are all the front end. Candy sweetness is underlying but keeps getting dominated by hops and alcohol

Mouthfeel is thick and heavy with lots of carbonation and booze.

Overall is drinkable but certainly not the best Stone beer I've had. Makes me really curious about Belgo Anise IRS.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 19:55:26 | More by daveytheformer

Phelps

Arizona

2.7/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Sent by nlmartin in the Blind Beers BIF. This here’s a bomber that I poured into a tulip and reviewed blind.

Cloudy copper with a frothy half-finger head of cream-colored foam that fizzles away quickly, becoming a thin, sticky ring.

The nose is fruity with Belgian esters of pear and apple, along with some citrus and herbal mint. In the background is a subtle, weird smokiness, akin to pork and black pepper.

The flavor is absolutely overrun with alcohol. Behind the heated blast are hints of curacao, toffee, black pepper and caramel. Yeesh.

Medium-high carbonation peppers the tongue from one angle while the beastly alcohol attacks from the other. The runny medium-light body fizzes up softly as it moves about. Fumes blaze through the nose and set my chest ablaze. If I breathed out near a flame, I think it would ignite.

Well, there’s nothing outright damning about this beer, but there’s nothing redeeming about it either. It’s as if the Belgian yeast went into a rebellious teenage stage and started producing only alcohol instead of flavor and aroma. Damn teenagers.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 06:34:27 | More by Phelps

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

BMoney575

Michigan

3.15/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Sampled on 5-22-11
2011 Vintage

Pours a cloudy but bright amber color, with a sticky off white head that leaves behind a huge layer of lacing.

Smell is very strange, the out-of-place Belgian yeast adds a strongly medicinal quality, compared to the more standard Stone malt and hops, which are still there. Very different, but not necessarily in a good way.

Taste is exactly like the smell, with the Belgian yeast dominating what would be a normal Old Guardian. The alcohol is prevalent, coming right after the Belgian kick. It's hard to place anything else, other than a boozy finish and aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is good, right for the style, and not really affected by the changes.

Drinkability is poor, a result of the odd Belgian character and the intense alcohol.

Overall, maybe it will improve with age, but I just don't understand what Stone was thinking.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 21:29:56 | More by BMoney575