Stone Old Guardian - Pekko Dry-Hopped

Stone Old Guardian - Pekko Dry-Hopped

From time to time, we like to tweak the recipes of some of our most long-standing beers—like Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine—to create unique variations. This year we’re taking it to the next level by dry-hopping it with Pekko hops—a new varietal from Washington’s Yakima Valley—which in turn add notes of stone fruit, orange, lemon and mint to this bready, toffee-like beast of a beer.
3.8
206 reviews
Escondido, United States

Community reviews

3.8 Many thanks to Erzengel for sharing! A hazy dark amber beer with a mid-sized most good lasting beige head. Aroma of strong riped fruits, medium sweet heavy malt. Taste of intense strong reddish malt, caramel, riped fruits, red fruits, plums, some spices, boozy.
4.3 2016er bottle. The nose has malty sweetish cake, floral nose, sticky with raisins. The beer itself starts smooth and deep. Intense with a sticky malty roasted body. Moderate bitter, very easy to drink and dense. No alcohol there, deep malty, raisins, malty sweetness, great!
3.8 Bottle from Emerald Hills Liquor Store. Aroma is earthy, heavy breads, caramel, pine. Taste is more herbal...eucalyptus, mint, bitter...with a sweet earthy malt character. I think I enjoyed the original Old Guardian more. The sweet malt mixed with menthol herbs was bit overwhelming. Very unique though and def worth trying.
3.3 Piana drobne i średnie oczka opada powoli zdobi szkło. Kolor mętny bursztyn, pod światło róż jasna czerwień ładnie sie prezentuje. Aromat wiele owoców świeże truskawki, poziomki, cytrusy, landrynkowa słodycz, trochę syrop na kaszel. Smak, pełnia słodowa, karmel, landrynkowa słodycz, również estry owocowe trudne do skonkretyzowania, na pewno jest nadal mocno chmielowe w cytrusy , las, mimo sporego leżakowania tego piwo. Goryczka wyraźnie zaznaczona, wysoka, alkohol ułożony. Piwo Dobre z plusem ale nic ponad to, smaki średnio intensywne zlewają się tworząc solidnego średniaka.
4.1 bottle, rated early 2017 - Like their regular Old Guardian and perhaps most like their Extra Hoppy variation. It would be interesting to have some of these in a side by side tasting. Pours deep amber with a small head. Smells of resinous hops, caramel malt, dark fruit, and some booze. The intense flavor has strong resinous hops backed by a big malty profile. Alcohol is noticeable but mostly overwhelmed by the other flavors. Full bodied. Excellent.
4.2 Beautiful caramel copper colour with beige head on top and slowly going down leaving nice lacing to the glass. Beautiful beer. Aroma has huge caramel malt punch, hops have faided to the background giving pines and grassy hop notes. Taste starts with bold caramel syrup, moves on to bitterness from pines and grass but the best edge of hops have gone obviously. Full body and lowish carbonation.
3.8 0,65l bottle, says 2016 release on the bottle. Pours dark brown with tanned head. Dried fruits, caramel. The Pekko hops can still be tasted. Dry and bitter finish. Full bodied, not much carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel, cant taste much of the alcohol. Quality brew.
3.8 Pours ruby with a big head. Nose is toffee and caramel. Flavour is same with added stewed plums, berries, boozy currants and a hint of citrus.
4.2 Clear, red brown, copper beer with very light beige, long and stable, cloudy head. Aroma has strong toffee feeling but also hops with pine and fruits. Taste has caramel and sweet malts, but it turns onto hops with fruits, grapefruit and bitter. Dry and grassy at the end. Very nice, I can't make difference with normal version and this.
3.8 Bottle, 650 ml, shared with JFK10000, Max, Simon. Pours hazy dark orange to amber with off-white yellowish head. Hops in aroma, sweet, dried fruit, nutty, bitter finish, medium+ bodied. Not bad but after Double Bastard this is a bit of a letdown.
3.8 Helder karmijnrood bier met grote wand klevende crème kleurige schuimkraag. Geur: moutzoet, hoppig, fruitig, agrum, alcoholisch, licht kruidig. Smaak: alcoholisch, hopbitter, pompelmoes, karamel, zeste van sinaasappel. Medium koolzuurprikkel. Afdronk: zoet, alcoholisch, bitter, kleverig.
4.2 How: bottle Appearance: dark cloudy orange with a small light brown head. Aroma: stone fruits, dried fruit, caramel, citrus peel, floral, pine and dark berries. Palate: full body, soft carbonation.
4.4 Moderately hazy amber colour, medium sized creamy yellowish-beige-ish head; aroma of orange zest or marmalade, overripe tropical fruits, some pear, biscuit, butterscotch and resiny notes; intensive and heavy bittersweet taste with marmalade, caramel syrup, biscuits and resiny notes, as well as some soy sauce; excellent barley wine!
3.9 Reddish brown color with a small, off white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Floral hops, pine, caramel malts, dark fruits, grassy, and some alcohol in the finish.
4.1 One of many variants on Stone’s Old Guardian, one of the ’founding fathers’ of the American style barley wine, but dry-hopped with Pekko, a young hop variety developed in Yakima Valley in Washington and named after the Finnish god of farming. Bomber of about one and a half year old - should have lost most of its dry-hopping effects by now, but I’m hoping the aging of the malt department has lead to another form of greatness... Medium thick, irregularly but tightly lacing, pale yellowish beige head, densely moussy on the edge and slowly dissipating in the middle; initially cristal clear, beautifully pure copper coloured beer with amber-red glow and even some near-microscopic, random and lonesome bubbles here and there; only at the very end, when pouring in the remainder, a light haze manifests itself, elegantly divided over the entire robe. Rich, noble and enticing, ’desserty’ bouquet of warm biscuit, figs soaked in brown rum, butterscotch candy, chestnut cream sauce, cedar essential oil, marmelade and a whole lot of candied orange peel, strong white chocolate somehow, deeply situated liquorice-like sweet cicely (probably related to the Pekko, which is often described as harbouring something ’minty’ in its aroma), eucalyptus, raw cinnamon, almond, hazelnut oil, furniture polish, dark honey, dried rosemary and indeed peppermint leaves, Cointreau, ginger and spice cookies, subtle first signs of still very light but in this case flattering oxidation, something vaguely metallic (more copper-like than iron-like actually). Candied sweet onset as expected, with a lot of candied orange peel flavour, candied fig and yellow raisin too, vaguer hints of pear and dried apricot, with a ’dim’ but structurally relevant undercurrent of soft sourishness; sweetness nevertheless prevails and this candied orange peel effect will accompany the rest of the flavour ’parcours’. Mouthfeel is very oily and vinous as one would expect from the style, low in carbonation but still lively enough not to feel heavy and flat - the perfect mouthfeel for any barley wine, I’d say. Thick toffeeish, caramelly and very biscuity maltiness makes up the main theme of this beer, with that candied orange thing further sweetening it; just before it becomes too sweet to remain attractive, the hops set in, imprinting the malts with a resiny and very spicy, ’American’ bitterness, very herbal as well, with that mint-like aspect of Pekko still very much detectable, as well as grapefruit peel and pine resin aromas. Pineyness lingers a bit in the end, drenched in a strong but expected and not overly wry, heating, orange peel liqueur- and bourbon-like alcohol effect that basically dominates from the root of the tongue downwards. The smooth, viscous malt sweetness is carried along with it, leaving behind a classic barley wine experience, with the sticky, peppery hop bitterness constantly reminding you that this is very much an American style barley wine rather than an English style one. I didn’t have the regular, classic Old Guardian so far but from what I read, it is among those ’archetypical’ American barley wines in which the spiciness and pineyness of the hops is very outspoken, perhaps a bit too rough for some, and the same can be said about this variant; I have personally grown more or less use to this kind of hop levels (though probably not as much as the average experienced Californian craft beer consumer) so I cannot bother, I like this a lot, though admittedly a whole bomber is perhaps a bit over the top for one person. Whatever: great Stone beer once again, not sure if they are brewing this - or the classic version - at Stone Berlin yet, because if that were the case, it will doubtlessly become a lot easier to obtain it here in western Europe. And now that I had this, I am eager to try the basic version as well as barrel aged variants so I’ll keep an eye on that now.
3.4 Bottle from the dregs run. Pours clear chestnut with a thin off-white head. Aromas of lemon, marmalade, toffee and spice. Taste is spice, marmalade, quite boozy.
3.5 Bottle @Xmas Tasting 30.07.2017. Pours brown/amber, slight tan head. Nose is fruity, fruit cake. Taste is strong alcohol a bit of fruit but its all alcohol.
3.5 Bottle at Craigs. Pours clear orange, nose is crystal malt, bread, citrus, taste is chewy, toffee, bitter, crystal, sweet.
2.8 bottle at home ... Christmas 2017 pt1 ... copper .. tjhin tan lacing ...soft caramel toffee fruit nose ..bitter carmel woody toffee crystal malts
2.4 While it was very cold, this was a bit medicinal and astringent. As it warmed and opened up, though, it became much more approachable and nuanced. It blossomed into a big delicious barley wine with rugged hops on the nose and finish. Enjoyable drink and I will let my other bottles cellar for awhile, I think.
4.1 15/VII/17 - 1Pt. 6Fl. Oz. bottle @ post-Billies cool-down at 77ships’ place (Antwerpen) - BB: n/a, 2016 vintage (2017-1025) Thanks to 77ships for sharing the bottle! Clear dark amber to red brown beer, small irregular beige head, unstable, little adhesive. Aroma: very sweet, caramel, lots of vanilla, sugary. MF: soft carbon, medium body. Taste: sweet, caramel, quite some vanilla, lots of dried fruits. Aftertaste: bit sugary, sweet, alcohol, lots of vanilla, pretty bitter, lots of caramel.
4.5 Flarra på Muris!! Fin doft av tång o gödsel med viss sötma. Smaken oooo mycket smaker som ligger o kittlar i gommen. Fikon dadlar o druvor i samspråk. Smaken ligger kvar o ligger kvar. Detta då tillsammans med en behaglig beska. Skitgo barley wine!!
4.4 Flarra hos qvanth. Kraftigt mörkrostad färg. Doftar fint hav med lite sötma. Fyllig i munnen. Åh jävlar vad fina mjuka smaker av torkade frukter och blåa druvor. Jättefin jättefin balans mellan humle och torkade söta frukter. Dadlar och fikon.
4.3 1pt 6fl oz shared bottle at home from Beergium. Nose is tons of fruits, molasses. Body is hazy amber rusty brownish, head is big beige, creamy, mostly lasting, good lacing. Aroma is molasses, honey, tropical fruits. Medium to heavy sweet, light bitter, light fruity sour. Finish is long lasting fruity hoppy medium bittersweet, alcohol is first hidden then noticeable in my burning face. Full body, thick creamy texture, soft carbonation. Bit heavy, very tasty, perfectly balanced, amazing.
4.0 One hell of an Ale! I’m still relatively new to the Barley Wine Style, but I find them fascinating, this one poured a murky reddish brown with a good sized off white rocky head, heavy boozy aroma with dark fruits coming through, full bodied ale which I found sweet with lingering bitterness, very warming with soft carbonation.
4.0 (650ml 2016 bottle from Systembolaget) Pours a nearly clear mahogany with a big frothy dark cream head that lingers very well and leaves massive lace. Aroma of sweet dessert bread and fruit cake, toffee, stewed stone fruits, leafy, slightly herbal, raisins, orange peels, a slight black tea vibe that might be power of suggestion... Flavour is fairly sweet initially and the ends dry and rather bitter. Toffee, candied oranges and plums, toasty grain, peppery herbal hops, sweet fortified wine-type raisin notes, slightly nutty, with over-steeped tea in the finish along with some citrus peels and a little alcohol warmth. Medium-bodied, lightly viscous but not syrupy, with soft to average carbonation. The hoppy notes are not particularly prominent, probably due to a year of cellaring as much as the original formulation. That being said, it’s a solid variant of a solid base.
2.5 Kremowa, średnio trwała piana. Barwa miedziana, opalizująca. Aromat bardziej po chmielowej stronie - dojrzałe owoce tropikalne, landrynki, suszone morele, nutka miętowa czy anyżowa - strona słodowa (karmel, syrop klonowy, miód) stanowi dopełnienie kompozycji. W smaku dość słodko, karmelowo, landrynkowo, miodowo, z drugiej jednak strony praktycznie od razu wchodzi wysoka, garbnikowa goryczka, przejrzałe cytrusy, pikantność... Do tego czuć tu te 11% ABV - silne rozgrzewanie po każdym łyku. Dość pełne, wyklejające w odbiorze, nieco za wysoko wysycone... Ewidentnie przechmielone Barley Wine, w amerykańskim stylu, słodko-gorzkie, alkoholowe, bliższe IIPA niż English BW. Co ciekawe minęło prawie półtora roku od rozlewu i wciąż brak nut utlenienia (poza miodem), nadal piwo jest nieułożone, agresywne, męczące, nie w moim typie.
3.9 (Bottle, 0.65 l - bottled on 02/04/16 - from Alko Arkadia, 20170622) The beer poured deep mahogany coloured and clear. Its head was medium sized, nearly white and it lasted long. Aroma had fruitiness, ripe tangerine and malts. Palate was full bodied with medium carbonation. Flavours were fruitiness, ripe tangerine, malts, sweetness and bitterness. Aftertaste was hoppy, malty and bitter. A very tasty barley wine with fruity hops.
4.0 Bottled 01/16. Pours deep mahogany golden color, tan head. Aroma is lots of toffee, dark fruit, plum, citrus, hop presence. Flavor is toffee, fig, dark fruit, plum, caramel, molasses, lingering hop presence. Nice.
4.2 A beautiful, red-brown beer, a head is big, light beige head. Intensive aroma with caramel, fresh dried fruitness, citrusfruits, sweetness, some waffles, hint of warming alcohol. Taste has storng caramel, but not too much, elegant dried fruitness, nicely strong and pine-resin bitterness. Warming in the throat. Full bodied, not stickyness, nicely drinkable. Aristocratic and elegant beer.