Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale 2011 - Stone Brewing Co.

jwinship83

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

first vintage with the new label and slightly higher ABV. drank from my duvel tulip.

A- the pour yields a ruby red body with great clarity. a finger or so of light tan colored head forms on top and has pretty good retention. a thin wall of lacing gets left behind.

S- the first thing i pick out of the nose are hops. lots of grapefruit and pine. after that i notice a massive amount of malts backing the hops up. tons of sweet caramel and toffee with some lightly fruity malts as well. the amount of alcohol coming out of my glass reminds me that this is a massive beer.

T- the taste starts out with an explosion of sweet malts. caramel and toffee are the boldest, but there are also fruity notes of cherries and plums. the hops are also quite bold. plenty of pine and grapefruit. nice and bitter. lots of alcohol throughout.

M- the body is pretty thick and syrupy. definitely on the upper side of medium. the carbonation seems average. plenty of alcohol warming.

O- i look forward to the release of this beer every year. im glad that they didnt kill the original (this one) when they decided to do the belgio thing. this bottle is almost too big to tackle on your own.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 20:18:43 | More by jwinship83

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%

05-13-2013 22:31:09 | More by mikeincharleston

cadaugherty

Illinois

4/5  rDev +4.2%

05-07-2013 23:20:27 | More by cadaugherty

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

05-07-2013 21:51:09 | More by stereosforgeeks

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

05-02-2013 04:50:28 | More by spycow

ShemRahBoo

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%

04-27-2013 04:47:37 | More by ShemRahBoo

jealmanzar

New York

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

04-15-2013 17:30:17 | More by jealmanzar

jvillefan

California

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%

04-06-2013 23:51:24 | More by jvillefan

Hoptimus-Prime

North Carolina

2.75/5  rDev -28.4%

03-24-2013 22:40:24 | More by Hoptimus-Prime

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

03-11-2013 23:31:57 | More by DaPan

jtierney89

New Jersey

2.5/5  rDev -34.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Very brash beer. Sweet simple malts with an over abundance of hops and lots of detectable alcohol. Everything battles for dominance. Earthy, malty, caramel, piney, with citric peel notes. Drinkable but not enough focus, and for a beer with so much strength it's not too complex. I wouldn't buy it again and the simplicity of the malt body seems to me make it not a great candidate for ageing. Drinking this beer with pickles on the side makes the process a lot easier.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 02:08:29 | More by jtierney89

sloelco

California

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

01-29-2013 09:13:58 | More by sloelco

DrJoe82

Illinois

4/5  rDev +4.2%

01-29-2013 04:04:52 | More by DrJoe82

TonyTalon

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

01-14-2013 23:38:27 | More by TonyTalon

MordorMongo

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

01-13-2013 23:38:22 | More by MordorMongo

TripsRight

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

12-20-2012 23:24:18 | More by TripsRight

BrittQ

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

11-16-2012 18:12:35 | More by BrittQ

Beefytits4

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%

09-30-2012 00:55:08 | More by Beefytits4

grumpygerman

Alabama

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

09-22-2012 14:41:31 | More by grumpygerman

twizzbeatz

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%

09-13-2012 16:08:45 | More by twizzbeatz

awaer

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

08-27-2012 02:14:40 | More by awaer

Nickfellow007

Rhode Island

3/5  rDev -21.9%

08-14-2012 20:40:14 | More by Nickfellow007

WoodenLeg410

4/5  rDev +4.2%

08-10-2012 01:01:43 | More by WoodenLeg410

crobinso

Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -15.4%

07-11-2012 00:36:00 | More by crobinso

hiphopj5

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%

06-19-2012 21:16:57 | More by hiphopj5