Stone Old Guardian - Bourbon Barrel
3.9
166 reviews
Escondido, United States
Community reviews
2010 and 2011 vintages, 500 mL bottles from the brewery tasted side-by-side with the early 2010 base beer. Pours hazy orange-brown with a small, off-white head that fades to a thin remnant and leaves trace lace. The nose of each has huge bourbon, vanilla and molasses, with more oak, molasses and charred barrel on the elder vintage. Notes of figs and raisins come through as well, with more raisin in the younger. The flavour is moderately sweet with brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, oak and bourbon with a touch of smoke. Herbal hops are delicate and come through mostly on the back side. These develop into a resinous hop-molasses finish with lots of vanilla and bourbon. On the palate, both are medium-full in body with a syrupy texture and soft carbonation. Overall, wow, a truly amazing bourbon twist on a hoppy, sophisticated barley wine. The ’10 is smoother and more refined with more bourbon, while the ’11 retains more of the fruit from the original and has slightly more hops. The ’11 is a bit bolder and retains a bit more of the base’s punch while the ’11 is more of a sipper. Both are amazing. 2014-10-17
50cl, at 14.9%Vol, as Stone 2014 Series Batch 02 ’Guardian’s Slumber’, new exclusive American brew Anno 2014, thx alot to Secret Santa!, very complex brew, alcoholic/woody/sweet and slightly fruity/bitter, heavy, yet balanced, cloudy, small head, very good brew, WOW!
Loved the barrel influences in the brew. Nice wood and vanilla and a hint of pepper. The base was unfortunately a little past it’s prime (2006) or this would have went from great to epic. 11/12 had a bottle, 2010 bourbon - lighter than expected barrel influence ended up being near perfect, letting the original beer and the barrels shine. In 2012, 2006 = 4.3, 2010 = 4.7. Aaaaaaaand the 2014 version is COMPLETELY different than the other bottled release. Like night and day. While I loved the 2010 for being light on the barrel and showing the base more, I love the silkiness and the decadent overbarreling of the 2014 version, called Guardian’s Slumber. If I had to pick one verision, Guardian’s Slumber would be it. 4.6+."
Incredible taste, not too boozy- just the right amount of time in the bourbon barrels. The Stone barley wine was already fantastic, but this edition set the bar even higher.
Hazy mahogany brown in color... Aroma of vanilla, bourbon, oak, caramel, sausage... Flavor is bourbon, heavy smoke, caramel, toffee, light toffee and smoke on the finish... Solid
Draught at Churchkey. Massive presence of bourbon that overshadows everything else in the beer. Like a bourbon aged in beer barrels
From a 50 cl bottle, Labeled 2014 series, batch 02 Pours a cloudy brown with an off white head. Aroma of toffee, caramel and bourbon Flavors of vanilla and oak. Viscous mouthfeel. Rich, slightly boozy finish.
D’un brun rougeâtre, bien opaque, avec un mince col de mousse crémeuse beige. Une présence d’écume au verre. Les arômes sont sucrés, par la cassonade. C’est aussi boisé, herbacé et fruité par les dattes séchées et les raisins secs. Un choc gustatif entre l’alcool et les houblons. Le Bourbon est bien franc et les herbes bien vertes.Des vapeurs d’alcool nous sortent par les narines. Ça frappe et ça surprend alors tout ça est bien satisfaisant. (1096-120614)
Pours dark golden color on tap. Aroma of caramel and toffee. Taste of caramel, malt, and vanilla. Smooth beer without the typical bite from a barley wine.
Deep reddish brown body with foamy brown head and some lacing. Sweet vanilla malt aroma. Taste is sweet rich cocoa some roast dried fruit booze. Quite nice.
Cuvée 2014. Apparence mince et limpide, couleur ocre, petite mousse rare. En nez, noisettes et boisé, fruits rouges foncés, et sensation très subtile de fumé. Les houblons ressortent de façon franche en bouche, mais laissent place à une finale maltée puissante, résultant en une intéressante dichotomie ronde et herbacée. C’est une bière-bonbon, succulente à souhait, subtile mais percutante, une excellente bouteille.
Nose of rare barrel. Taste is muddy and boozy. Kinda flat otherwise with lots of boost.
Bottle share thanks to Homer. Pours cloudy orange amber, no head. Aroma of boost, sugar, malt. Taste is sugary, bubbly, lips are moving from the sugar, very sweet. It’s burns going down, chest hurts a bit.
Slumber, aliased. Bottle share thanks to Homer321. poured into crystal glass, murky, brownish red color, minimal head. Boozy, oaky, vanilla, malty caramel malt. Mildly sweet. Big boozy character, slight burn going down, caramel malt, oaky barrel tannins.
500 ml corked bottle, from a trade with richiesd, big thanks! Dark red color, clear. Light beige head. Aroma’s: sweet, dried fruit, toffee, hints of vanilla. Retronasal it’s sweet, toffee, vanilla, subtle notes of bourbon, fruit. Flavor is moderate sweet and moderate bitter, hints of wood. Medium to full bodied. Long finish, moderate bitter with notes of wood. I wouldn’t mind a bit more bourbon character, but nice anyway.
Bottle. Pours a dark amber with creamy head. Bourbon, malts, caramel and dark fruits on the nose. Taste is similar, sweet and boozy.
Bottle at Levi’s LOL tasting. Amber pour with a slight tan head. Malty nose , lots of bourbon, malt and bitterness. Good.
Bottle. Murky amber pour. Bourbon and wood. Smooth easy drinking palate. Solid.
Murky brown with a cream head. Vanilla, wood sticky, sweet caramel, and toffee. Great palate, heavy wood, caramel, alcohol, toffee, sticky finish
Bottle (2010 vintage) @ a recent bottle share... Poured mildly hazy amberish with a thin head. Nice bourbon note in both the aroma and taste. Dried stone fruit with toasted toffee and caramel and a charred grain and wood flavor.
Bottle pours murky amber brown with moderate brief tan head. Typical sweet barleywine malty aroma with hops, then trace of oak and bourbon. Taste sweet malts with moderate hop bitterness, finish moderate hop and oak bitterness. Thick palate. Nothing special.
Draught at World of Beers, Key West. Dark amber colour with a beige head. Aroma and flavour of caramel, dried fruit, alcohol, bourbon, vanilla, malt, oak and notes af hops.
500 ml bottle poured a hazy reddish amber with a lingering ring of amber foam. Aromas of prunes, oak, vanilla, toffee, sherry and light bourbon. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of toffee, caramel, sherry, dried fruit, light vanilla and light bourbon with a smooth lingering toffee finish.
Bottle shared at Eric’s place with the Philly crew. Pours a deep blackish body with thin off white lacing. Aroma is strong bourbon, oak and chocolate. Mouthfeel is medium with notes chocolate, bourbon, oak, light vanilla, faint maple character, molasses and light spice.
Earlier Rating: 10/7/2010 Total Score: 4
Draft during the 40 tap Stone Event @ Rattle n Hum with Andrew, Big Tony, PJ, and Brendan. 2006 Vintage. Pours a deep reddish-amber body with minor white lacing. Aroma is slight sweet bourbon. Mouthfeel is slick with the bourbon the clear showcase in the flavor. Not boozy at all.
2010 vintage 50cl caged and corked bottle pours with a deep amber to copper body that supports a tan head of foam. The aroma offers up a mix of sweet dark fruity esters, resiny pine like hops and then rolling into molasses, bourbon booze and spicy oak. The taste begins sweet with prunes and sweet ripe dark red cherries and mixed with sweet malts and a touch of caramel. It then picks up a robust level of resiny bitter pine hops as well as smooth sweet bourbon booze with some spicy oak hanging around at the periphery. Great balance in beer notes, barrel notes and richness. Solid.
TAP at Chez Moeder Lambic during "Moeder Lambic Vs. Stone".
Only found back scores, not ratings.
Normal malt and hop guardian aroma. Copper color with no head or lacing. caramel start with hippy finish. Bourbon is mild but gives oaky notes with slight tannins. Med body with light carbonation. Overall a nice offering.
Bottle: 2010 500ml. Reddish caramel, deep and dark, huge fluffy sandy head, strong spotty lacing. Strong candied citrusy notes, soft bourbon, a little bit of marmalade and vanilla. Very light alcohol too. Smooth on the tongue, bourbon, a little faded, light citrus peel and marmalade. Not too bright, perhaps a little over the hill, but still smooth and tasty. Moderate to full body and mouthfeel. Soft graham cracker and dull caramel on the finish. This one was good, but it wasn’t bright whatsoever. Hides its ABV very well tho. Warming, but not alcoholic. Good, but not as good as I was hoping for, expecially at $17 a pop.
500 ml bottle picked up by brew3crew. Pours a clear amber color with a small off white film. The aroma has caramel, toffee, oak, light bourbon, vanilla, dried fruits and earthy hops. The flavor has much of the same; caramel, dried fruits, more bourbon than on the nose, vanilla, earth, citrus and oak. The barrel smooths this one out, maybe a bit too much.
750 ml cork and caged bottle shared by bsuedekum- thanks again, Blake! 2010 is on the bottle, but I guess this was released much more recently. Pours a mostly clear amber color with a small beige head. Aroma of oak, bourbon, earth, rye, caramel, and toffee. Flavor of caramel, dried fruits, leaves, and brown sugar. Simple. Light-medium bodied, with a dry, earthy, sweet mouthfeel and modest carbonation. A little thin and subdued. Maybe this should have been released sooner.