Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

Listers

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Samuel Smith pint glass. 1/2 inch off-white head. Smells of sweet toffee and caramel. Medium bitterness in the taste. Taste of boozy/fruity English malts. Taste fresh and hoppy while having a heavy/fully feel. Solid beer; never had any from this series before from Stone.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 06:08:41 | More by Listers

JustinQ

California

3.58/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served from 22 oz bottle into Snifter Glass

Appearence: Clear, Burgundy color, Nice head, Beautiful Beer

Aroma: Grapefruit, Some citrus, Hops, Good yeast character

Taste: Hops, Good bitterness, Bitter grapefruit, long hop dryness, No alcohol. Residual Sweetness +1

Mouthfeel: Good co2, Dry, Crisp, Warming

Overall: Great Beer, Should grab another one for the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 01:38:58 | More by JustinQ

BEERMILER12

Maine

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2012 bottle

A: Pours a light brownish/amber color with about a half inch of head

S: Lots of malts and hops, some alcohol. Pretty standard fare for the American barleywine, aside from the big dose of hops that Stone is known for

T: Follows the nose with a big dose of hops at first and then a transition to the malts and alcohol. The alcohol isn't too hot and leaves some nice peppery and fruity notes on the tongue that work well with the bitterness of the hops that return for the finish

M: Medium-full bodied with low-moderate carbonation. Slick from the hops

O: Still one of my top 5 American barleywines, although I still feel this is best with at least a year on it. Even though this isn't too hot or overbearing right now, the smoothness and complexity take a turn for the better after aging. Get a few bottles, drink one now and lay the others down. You'll be glad you did

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 03:13:16 | More by BEERMILER12

JTSbeerislife

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On Tap at the Fridge

Poured into a small flared mouth snifter. An acceptable glass.

Pours a rather thin head which rapidly reduces to nothing. A swirl of the glass brings everything back to life.
Beautiful reddish amber color.

Big aroma of malt and yeast, followed by citrus and pine hops. Quite fine and extremely enjoyable.

Very full, crisp, bitter hop dominated entry on the palate. There is a lot of delicious rich malt.
Very full mouth feel with perfect light carbonation.
Slightly sweet but not overdone considering the amount of hops and malt present. Balanced.

Very, very long finish of hop dominated malt. The hop oils last forever. Trademark Stone’s.

An exceptionally delicious Barleywine. In the top tier along with Sierra Nevada Bigfoot and Troegs Flying Mouflan. Lots of distinct hops and balanced malt make for a highly drinkable brew.

Highly recommended!

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2012 01:29:57 | More by JTSbeerislife

vic21234

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber poured into a snifter. Pulled from the fridge and left at room temperature for about fifteen minutes. 2012 Release

A- Pours a cloudy dark amber color. Initially a finger's worth of an off-white head dissipates to about a half fingers worth. Lots of lacing along the sides of the glass.

S- Smells sweet and of light fruits. A slight caramel smell is apparent as well. The alcohol is noticeable in the aroma.

T- Initial taste is rather sweet, with caramel malt notes. It then moves to the hop character, with a nice bitter, dry finish.

M- Medium bodied, dry. The alcohol is noticeable but not as much as one would think with 11%ABV.

I now have the 2008-2012 Old Guardian Vertical in my cellar. A great example of an American Barleywine, and the new hop characters are great.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 23:36:08 | More by vic21234

BWED

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a tumbler pint at Savage's Ale House, Muncie IN.

Appearance - 3.5

Hazy amber with a creamy off-white head, 1/4" fizzles out after a couple minutes. Tiny bit of lacing at top of glass from the previous head.

Smell - 4.0

Citrusy, piney hoppiness with a sweet tangy sting finish.

Taste - 4.0

Rich pine, resin taste. Not so much of any maltiness. A little less balanced than a lot of barleywines.

Mouthfeel - 3.5

Thick, heavy. Not a very drinkable beer, but that's how an 11% Barleywine should be.

Overall - 4.0

Great flavorful barleywine. A little less balanced than a normal, but still a very impressive beer. You can definitely feel the effects at the end of this drink. Two or three of these babies would knock me down. Can't wait to taste next year's batch.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2012 22:51:43 | More by BWED

Scotchboy

Idaho

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

22oz bomber poured into a Rogue pint glass.

A: Dark and very clear amber, a slowly forming half-finger eggshell-colored head dissipates but is easily revived...traces of alcohol feet on the glass.

S: More malt than I was expecting; toffee and buttered toast, butterscotch, grains...yeast esters and light fruity notes, spicy hops with a touch of earthiness, faint citrus zest.

T: Lots of sugary and sweet caramel and toffee malts. Reminds me of an English Strong Ale or English-style Barleywine, though there are some citrus notes and spiced characters from the hops. There is some alcohol heat present on the finish and a slight burn. Finishes like a rum or hard alcohol in a way.

As it warms the spice notes and hop flavors increase, with herb-like zesty citrus fruit flavors.

MF: Medium, chewy and viscous. Dry finish.

O: Didn't dig it as much as I thought I would, thought this offering would be more hop-forward than it was (closer to a Bigfoot). Right now it is a lot like Alaskan's offering, and a bit like Cockeyed Cooper (without the barrel), though I like both of those beers better.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 15:11:26 | More by Scotchboy

Murrhey

Montana

3.73/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass. Reviewed live.

A- Thin khaki head with decent retention. Light caramel brown color with awesome clarity.

S- Barley and some booziness to it. A light sweetness with some caramel notes.

T- Strongly bitter in the first sip, the barley and grains are very present. Some bourbon sort of booziness.

M- Winey body, light and smooth.

O- Good overall. Not my favorite, but tasty and drinkable. Also boozy.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 07:42:40 | More by Murrhey

StoneTSR

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

APPEARANCE: Poured into an oversize snifter at Freshcraft in Denver. The head was huge on my 8 oz. pour and it stuck around for a while. The color was a little on the lighter side than the typical Barleywine, but it was still mahogany. Some spotty lacing clung to the backside of the glass.

SMELL: Tons of banana and some sweet maltiness. A little sugar cane and some breadiness come through as well.

TASTE: Bread, banana and dark fruit up front with a warming estery heat at the finish. A little pine and some lemon and grassy bitterness tie everything together.

MOUTHFEEL: Rich and bold up front, but thinning towards the end. Creamy and without much sparkle.

OVERALL: The Old Guardian is a solid beer fresh, but it seems designed to age. The bitterness and heat is a bit strong, but in two, three years this is going to be spectacular.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2012 07:40:19 | More by StoneTSR

SawDog505

New Hampshire

3.83/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Stella glass aggressively. Pours a clear bright orange red, with a beautiful 3 inch head with a little hint of orange in it. Has some nice lacing and the head takes some time to settle. Smell is hard candy, burnt carmel, pine cones, and alcohol. Taste is better, very aggressive hops on the finish, all the stuff in the nose, but more balanced. Body is on medium large, good a mount of life for its large ABV, a little dry, and fairly drinkable for its large size. This is a nice Barleywine, that prefer with a few years on it for some reason. Its not the aggressive hops, but the beer seems to blend better over time.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 00:32:06 | More by SawDog505

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on 2012-03-08 in Lancaster, PA at The Fridge

A - Pretty clear mahogany with 1/4-finger off-white head and light lacing.

S - Mild dark fruit, brown bread and hop floral. Not very strong.

T - Rich malt body with some caramel, raisin, earthy spice, touch of pepper, pine, grapefruit juice and rind. Fairly sweet but the alcohol helps to balance this. Aftertaste remains sweet, peppery, very spicy with lots of rind bitterness. I like the flavor.

M - Medium-heavy body and light-medium carbonation. Prickly and lightly oily.

O - Very good. Plenty of interesting flavors. Reminds me of a triple IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2012 18:19:09 | More by Tucquan

herman77

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Dark clear amber/dark copper with a fairly large off white head that dies down after a bit. Awesome lacing.

S: Lots of bready malt. Toffee and a bit of carmel malt too. Pine hops and a bit of grapefruit in the mix as well.

T: Tons and tons of deep carmel malt and toffee. Caramelized sugar. There is a good dose of pine hops. It's got that classic stone hop profile taste that's intense and in your face, but the malt is stronger than the hops in this one. Some lingering hop bitterness in the finish.

M: Medium body. Smooth and moderate carbonation.

O: Nice. I thought it would be a lot hoppier having had a decent amount of Stone's stuff, but the malt is center stage here. I like it, but if remember, it seems a lot like Double Bastard.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 00:14:19 | More by herman77

kennylopez

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a 22oz bottle into a mini snifter

Appearance: a clear reddish amber color with a fine white head and slight retention and a spot or two of lacing

Smells: there is a sweet dark fruit that blends with the big hops and barley notes.

Tastes: a cherry and plum come through the bitter pine hops that merge and balance wonderfully with a generous barley bill I truly adore.

Mouthfeel: at 11% this is a lightly carbonated ale with and sweet aftertaste after the bitter floral hops bite.

Overall: Every year Stone lets this out around Feb. by me and I always enjoy it. this year I picked up six and after cracking the first one I remember why for the past three years I go back out grabbing as much as I can before its gone.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 00:07:52 | More by kennylopez

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a bottle at Idle Hands in New York, NY

A: Pours a clear amber with a thin off-white head that reduces to a ring of bubbles at the edge of the glass. Light to moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Caramel malts, some light pine hops, and a fair amount of sweetness.

T: Nice caramel malts and toffee sweetness to this one followed by a pine hop bitterness. Some light amounts of heat from the alcohol and a nice amount of complexity.

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

O: Great sipping beer though a little sweet for my palate. Nice complexity in both the smell and the flavor. I like the hop bitterness on the finish that helps the beer from being overpowering in sweetness. The high ABV is fairly well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 14:33:21 | More by dbrauneis

oberon

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

After taking a one year hiatus from Old Guardian I decided to pick up the 2012 today,glad I did.Poured into in impy nonic a rich deep amber with a creamy slight off white one finger head,great rich clarity to the color.Yeast and brown sugar in the nose mainly,some stinging alcohol also as it warms,not much hop presence.Brown sugar and cakey flavors at the start with underlying alcohol notes,now the resiny hops come in and make for a dry even a litle raw finish.This is brash and big it's boozy with a big hop presence like I would think an OG would be,Iam gonna cellar one and see in six months how it is,as for this "young" one, I loved it.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 21:55:38 | More by oberon

StoneBrewFanatic

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours dark ruby into my snifter with about one finger of head, minimal retention and lacing.

S - Caramelized sugar, molasses, piny hops, honey sweetness, mild citrus, dark fruits and very faint booze.

T - Caramelized sugars, toffee, molasses, malt, piny and resinous, slight grapefruit rind bite that lingers through the finish, fig and raisin, with a mild alcohol presence.

M - Extremely well balanced, medium/full body, smooth and creamy, sticky and coats the palate, perfectly balanced carbonation.

O - I was pleasantly surprised after the first sip I took from my glass. I remember being very underwhelmed with last years version and this year they are spot on. I hope to get my hands on more of this to stash away for a bit.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 15:40:27 | More by StoneBrewFanatic

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bias alert--Old Guardian is one of my favorite all time beers. In the past, I've had to buy it online from Beer on the Wall, import it from California friends or buy it in Indiana during our annual Purdue road trip. When I found out that Old Guardian was coming in later in the day when I was buying beer for the One Voice fundraiser beer basket, I was very excited. The next day I called to reserve a case of twelve to last me through the year, and maybe age a few.

The last case of Old Guardian I bought was when I asked my sister to pick me up some bottles when she still lived in LA. Stopping at the local liquor store, she was able to buy a case and did so. I took eleven bottles home in my travel backpack on the plane. This was the 2003 vintage that was the old recipe, and I have two bottles left that I will review as a comparison to 2010 and 2012 versions later.

Today's bottle has a creamy pale brown head on top of a orange tinted brown ale. My wife says the color is a liquefied root beer candy. Nose is mellow when cold, and experience has taught me to sip this one slow--and not just for the 11% alcohol kick. The beer opens up nicely and is a favorite Sunday afternoon beer that I can lazily drink through a fall football game or a movie. Alcohol is apparent in the nose as is the 85 IBUs. Strong hop on top of fig, dark fruit and caramel maltiness. Pleasant and perfectly balance. Hops bite hard on the tongue to counter balance the syrupy malt backbone of this beer along with a resin and oiliness reminiscent of Belgian quadruple.

Stone's description explains the change in character for 2012. Chinook, Calypso and Cascade hops were substituted for the recent usual East Kent Goldings. I like the change, but it is clearly different--like seeing an old friend after years a part. If you are a follower of the hop god at all, I would try a bottle of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 22:29:53 | More by FightingEntropy

RattleheadKV2

New Mexico

4.48/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bomber into 16 oz goblet.

Appearance: Pours a nice dark amber, with about a half a fingers worth of off-white head, the dissipates rather rapidly.Tons of alcohol legs.

Smell: Wow, this sure is an American Barley Wine, hops all over the place. Tons of piney citriusy notes; grapefruit, oranges, pine needles aplenty.

Taste: Tons of hops at the front, that blends into a smooth sweet maltiness, and finishes bitter, and dry.

Mouthfeel: Nice full body on this one, you can almost chew it.

Overall: Great brew, and rather smooth for such a your barley wine. I grabbed a few extra of these to cellar over the years. Truly a great release that I look forward to every year.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 06:53:55 | More by RattleheadKV2

Fubar1453

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Beautiful deep red with a thick foamy white head.

S: Lots of fruit and sweetness.

T: Does not match the sweetness of the nose, of of the most bitter beers I've ever had. It tastes like Arrogant Bastard mixed with a large amount of dark fruits.

M: Very slick and creamy, mixed with the bitterness, its a sipper.

O: Great beer, my first barleywine and I absolutely loved it. I want to have this with a thick cut sirloin every night of the week.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 23:15:43 | More by Fubar1453

Gushue3

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into Stone IRS snifter. Lets hope its better the the Belgo IRS I had earlier

A 2 finger white-ish head with a tint of red and the body is clear amber/red. After the head recedes some lacing is left in a ring above the beer.

S Gigantic sweet bready dough malts and sweetness. A little bit of dark fruits and a little yeast in the nose. Doesnt smell too American

T lots of big malty tastes here. Doughy bread yeast and some sweet malts take over in the front. Slight hint of booze in the middle along with the tiny bitterness toward the end.

M Thicker mouthfeel is accompanied by lighter carbonation. My mouth is left feeling slightly syrupy after a sip. Big beer with big presence

O

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 03:38:47 | More by Gushue3

44Stone

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a 9oz Brandy Snifter. Pours Dark Copper with a light tan foamy head. Excellent lacing and body.

Smells of softened dry fruit and honey with a nice earthy hop aroma. Very inviting.

Tastes like it smells; beautiful malty sweetness, more than I remember from last year's version (although we just tried last year's bottle from the cellar and the hops of course mellowed a bit). The hops are defintely present but not as forward as past versions, in a good way. It takes a little warmth to develop but worth the wait. Excellent balance and dangerously drinkable.

Overall, probably my favorite Un-aged version of Old Guardian. I lean towards the English style for Barleywines, and this one satisfies until the end. A must-try.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2012 02:20:08 | More by 44Stone

sacrelicio

Minnesota

1.5/5  rDev -62.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Big disappointment from Stone. I eagerly awaited this since it was new to the Twin Cities market. It looks fine, but the smell is just fumey with booze and a few hops thrown in. I even get a weird rubber smell in there. The taste is harsh and bitter with an alcohol burn. The mouthfeel is fine, but that's not enough to save this brew. I know Stone likes their hops but this is too much. Maybe some age could save this. This is like the Thunderbird of barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 07:18:20 | More by sacrelicio

wrycon

Minnesota

2.68/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Ruby-copper in appearance. Pretty transparent. About a finger and a half of off-white head. Lacing is semi-tight with minimal retention. Not the strongest nose. A bit of smoke, some dark fruit. Smelling a sort of candied fruit, not quite caramel. Not much there. Thick apricoty-toffee in front, not overly strong. That shifts to again a smokey sort of bitterness, which is not the best. Tastes like more of a DIPA than a barleywine. I'm getting a lot of pine in the back end and a lot of bitter. That's fine, I guess, but it's not what I want from a barley wine. Probably much better with a few years under its belt.

Like It? Not Really

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 01:45:48 | More by wrycon

StlHopHead77

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours out a slightly hazy,maroon/crimson body that supported one and a half inches of off white
foam that showed moderate dissipation and left full sheets of sudsy lacing on the glass.

S-The nose here is muted with some scents of toffee,tobacco,a slight Kirsch quality and mild, citrusy hops,which along with the Kirsch,gave off something similar to the smell of Cherry-limeade.Some fruity alcohol notes were present as well.

T-More citrus here with dried cherry, caramel,blonde tobacco,toffee glazed almonds and raw,leafy hop bitterness.

M-Medium bodied with a lasting bitterness that helps to downplay the natural baked sugar sweetness of this beer.

O-A good Barleywine that I'm looking forward to trying with some age on it.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 12:27:24 | More by StlHopHead77

MEsoJD

California

4.2/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

[Poured into a Snifter glass]

I: Not much to say about this. It's a new stone, and automatically warrants a purchase on that fact alone. That said, I'm intrigued to see stones take on Barley Wines.

B: [11% ABV. 1 Pt. 6Fl Oz. Ingredients ("Tons and tons of Barley, bountiful hops, water, and yeast")] Stone makes some of the most beautiful beer bottles out there. Their Barley Wine bottle takes a more minimalistic approach that seems fitting. Nice gold font for the majority and red for the latter.

A: Damn fine looking brew. Transparent dark ruby red body, with a bubbly semi fluffy head(fast/medium dissipation), and light lacing.

S: Slight boozy pine, sweet caramel malt, some citrus, and some dark fruit presence. Smell wasn't as prominent as I expecting.

T: Heavily moderated by the creamy sweet caramel malt, fig, biscuity, molasses, citrus hops (take a backseat), and warming alcohol.

M: Super slick dry finish, medium/full bodied, medium carbonation, and apparent boozy alcohol presence (becomes more subtle overtime, but will creep fast).

O: Aw stone I love you so. Stone almost never diss-points with their official releases (same can't be said about the collabs). For once the hops aren't the star of the show, but the malt in this case. The only blind taste test identifier is the uniqueness of this brew. This is one slick/syrupy/sweet tasty beer that gracefully coats your mouth. It also looks gorgeous. I would say "Old Guardian 2012" is another winner. I recommend you buy this. Hell I wish I bought 3. Cheers!!!

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 05:03:48 | More by MEsoJD