Beer Review: Stone Brewing Old Guardian Barleywine

 

I have been a fan of Stone Brewing ever since I had Arrogant Bastard Ale about 10 years ago.  I found a bottle at the local liquor store and saw the name and had to buy it.  You kind of become a hit at the party when you walk around with a 22oz bottle that says "Arrogant Bastard" on it.  So over the years I have tried my best to try Stone beers as much as possible, but I focus on the seasonal brews more so than their regular rotation.  I find their IPA's to be a bit out of balance, a little more on the harsh resiny side, but people love it so I can be wrong.  

I was saving this beer to share with a buddy of mine that is in love with everything Stone, unfortunately for him he didn't come over before I moved to Seattle and therefore missed out on this gem.  I don't usually drink many barleywines because, they are usually palate crushers and you can usually drink only one.  Old Guardian was served in a 22oz bottle and coming in at a wopping 11% it was definitely a one and done.

Old Guardian pours out hazy golden copper.

Aroma:  hints of toffee, caramel, and of course the Stone trademark huge resiny hops that hide the acohol.

Taste:  nice sweet malt flavor, brown sugar and toffee.  Huge resiny/grassy hop bite and smooth hot finish

Mouthfeel:  medium to high carbonation, nice crisp flavor, with a medium body and a nice dry finish.

Overall:  I really enjoyed this beer, I don't know how many I could have drank, but I would definitely buy it again.  Thanks Stone for another great beer.  

For those of you that are Stone fans, coming up in about a month Stone Vertical Epic 10 release coming out on 10/10/10.  Grab one and enjoy.