Stone Old Guardian (Vintages through 2003)

A beautiful bold barley wine. Massive malt and hop notes. Silver Medal
winner at the 2000 Great American Beer Festival in the Barley Wine category.
Gold Medal winner at the 2002 World Beer Championships in the Barley Wine
Category. Look for it in the first quarter of each new year. Can be cellared or enjoyed upon its release.

298 reviews

Escondido, United States

Community reviews

4.0 Bottled. A hazy amber beer with some sediment under a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet with notes of alcohol, wood, malt, and caramel. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, caramel, and lots of alcohol. Thanks to WeeHeavySD for sharing.

3.1 2002 bottle. Pours copper with a white head. Smells of caramel, cardboard, some sweet fruity undertones. Tastes sweet and caramelly with a cradboardy finish. Definitely past its prime.

3.3 2002 vintage I think shared by Thebeersmellier- Thanks Matt! Pours a bright orange- ruby red with a thin white head. Aroma is a bit oxidized to a crackery cardboard- slight salty soy and big fruity esters and caramel nutty malts. flavor is also oxidized to paper and cardboard still sweetness throughout- orange zest mango, slight green hoppiness and acetaldehyde, tangy finish and slight saltiness- past its prime. Still drinkable though.

4.0 ’03 vintage, pours clearish ruddy brown with no head. Nose is toffee, caramel, dried fruit and a bit of oxidation. Same in the flavor with a smooth mouthfeel.

3.9 2002 - Bottle thanks to lumpy. Amber orange in color with a medium sized beige head. Aroma is of toast, toffee, caramel, honey and light mint. Taste is of brown sugar, malt and toffee.

3.2 Bomber, Spring ’02 bottling. Poured translucent, fiery reddish-orange with a dusting and a slight, but resilient ring of off-white head. The aroma picked up dark fruit, caramel, and light molasses sweetness with a large dose of oxidation and earthy accents.. the deeper sugars held it together well. The flavor had more molasses character with caramel support but not as much influence.. broken down fruity and earthy bitterness surrounded.. quite bitter on the back-end with some alcohol warmth and tacky caramel. Medium-plus bodied and again bitter on the palate.. unfortunately it’s on the decline.

3.8 bottle thanks to lumpy, dark orange almond in color, aroma of swet caramel, flavors of woody bittter chocolate abd caramel, finish is bittersweet toffee

3.5 2002 bottle thanks to lumpy. poured a nice amber/orange with no head aroma of caramel malt, some floral, and alcohol. flavor was caramel malt with some slight bitter hops. medium body with no carb. i was very impressed with how well this beer has held up.

3.4 (22oz. bottle, 2002 vintage, courtesy of Lumpy) Pours a cloudy amber body with a spare beige head. Aroma of caramel, cherry, some oxidation, earthiness, and bread. Flavor of bread, caramel, some oxidation, mild hops (floral, pine) and cherry with a bitter finish.

3.4 Bottle. Medium iced tea medium ring of bubbles. Taste-dirty, oxidation, bitter, cereal, twigs, caramel, surprisingly bitter for how much age it has on it. I think this one is past its prime.

3.8 Bottle thanks to Lumpy. 2002 vintage. The look is amber colored with not too much head. The smell is molasses, maple, sugary, malt, hops, and alcohol. The taste is sweet, malts, molasses, syurp, thicker, medium bitterness.

3.8 Bottle 2002 thanks to lumpy. Pours a deep amber/brown with off-white head. Aroma of strong dark fruit, some brown sugar. Flavor is of brown sugar, dark fruit, some bitter. Mouthfeel is full body, low carbonation. Overall, very good stuff!

3.9 2002 Bottle thanks to lumpy. Pours with a spare and fading light brown head and a hazy brown body. Some lacing and decent alcohol legs. Aroma of brown sugar, red wine, caramel, alcohol and a touch of sherry. Taste is sugary with caramel, dark fruits alcohol, and still quite a bit of lingering bitterness (surprisingly high amount of it). A few notes of cardboard oxidation. Syrupy mouthfeel, light bubbles.

4.0 2002 bottle thanks to lumpy. deep amber pour with no head. nose of malts, vanilla and fruit. amazingly thick with a huge vanilla flavor and a slight alcohol burn.

4.0 Bottle of the 2003 at Stone Winter Storm (01/25/09)! Poured a clear copper hue with pretty much no head. Flavors are very sweet malt and barley. Slight whiskey taste and a hint of caramel. Incredibly smooth mouthfeel with a very long dry finish. Delicious!

3.8 2002 bottle at the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens on 08/03/2008 on day three of RBSG 2008. Clear deep amber body with a small light brown head. Big caramel and molassas aroma. Assertive caramel and floral citrus hop flavor with a dry bitter finish. Medium full body with low carbonation

4.1 ’02 and ’03 vintages courtesy of kp and part of an ’02-’07 vertical, thanks man. Sweet raisin and plum fruit flavors. Big caramel malt body. Pours a deep, murky, redamber color. Alcohol has faded into a pleasant sweetness. Hops are pretty subdued but apparent on the finish and progressively in later vintages.

3.9 2002 and 2003 vintages. Appearance: Pours a dark, obscured, rich amber body with a thin, beige head. Smell: Sweetish, robust caramel maltiness with a scent of juicy raisins and a distinct Juicy Fruit note present. The 2003 has a deep fruitiness as well, but nothing reminiscient of chewing gum. Taste: Dry, caramel-laden maltiness and a middling sweetness. Some raisins, some grape skins, and damned if I can’t shake that taste of Juicy Fruit. Several years later and there’s still a medium-high hop bitterness on-hand. Citrusy, woodsy hop tastes. Finishes bittersweet with a kick of alcohol heat right at the very end. The 2003 presents a deeper, more satisfying caramel flavor and sweetness. The hops in the 2003 bottle seemed rather muted when stacked against the 2002. Heck, even the alcohol seemed a bit more mellow in the ’03. Mouthfeel: Full-bodied. Medium-low carbonation. Drinkability: Enjoyed as part of a vertical spanning the vintages between 2002 and 2007. The 2002, while still plenty tasty and holding up remarkably well, just didn’t quite deliver the goods like the 2003 does/did.

4.1 9/6/08. Vertical tasting of 2002 and 2003 22oz bottles, newest to oldest. I got paranoid after people kept saying not to cellar beers in the fridge due to cap deterioration, so after 2 years, I popped ’em. No problems here. Appearance: The two beers pour the same copper/amber color. The 03 has a bigger tan head than the 02, although the 02 still has signs of carbonation. Aroma: 03 smells sweet and caramelly malty with a touch of cardboard oxidation. 02 Smells a bit more subdued sweet and caramelly malty with some alcohol and the faintest hint of oxidation. Flavor: the 03 tastes very malty and sweet with a little cardboard and a little alcohol. No sign of the hops anymore. The 02 is a bit more spicy than the 03. Its more of an alcohol spiciness than it is hops. The 02 has the same decadent sweet and caramelly malty flavor. Again, this brew has held up beautifully, just a hint of oxidation. Although I heard that Stone changed their bottle caps in 03 to oxygen fixing ones, so don’t wait to long to drink your 02’s. Palate: Both vintages have full, syrupy bodies. The 03 has a bit more carbonation than the 02 but the 02 is still carbonated. Overall: I prefer the 02, it is a little less sweet and it still has carbonation. Both brews are still very, very drinkable even with less than optimal cellaring conditions.

4.1 22 fl oz bottle, 2002, at Stone Bistro, thanks to WeeHeavySD. Pours hazy orange with a fully gone head. Dense caramel malty aroma, slight oxidised. Smooth fruity flavour of malt and caramel. Smooth caramel into the finish. Holding up fantasticly despite the vague oxidised notes in the aroma.

4.0 Bottle @ Stone @ RBSG, 02 vintage shared with many. Pours orange with a 1 finger tan ring. Nose is smooth and light. Taste is sweet and rolling and very nice, wow this is a great bottle.

3.7 v2003 bright orange tint, tall white head clings thin. sweet aroma and a spicy, alcoholic taste.

3.5 Poured from a 22 oz. bottle, vintage 2003. Clear, slightly misty reddened orange. Clean, sweet aroma of candy corn, but clean in a synthetic sense, while bits of gritty grains and an indefinable salty pungency linger unwelcomingly. Some apple vinegar and a wink of tomato. Flavor is warm and quite sweet, showing caramel, golden pit fruits and maple syrup, and still resting on a cache of calm resinous bitterness; while the barren pine-like bitterness has lost a bit of its probably once-violent edge, that effect is to highlight the savory, if mild, malt flavor; absolutely a positive influence for this example which was probably somewhat abrasive with rampaging chinooks and cascades when fresh. Medium to full palate is somewhat dry and gently carbonated, finishing somewhat shortly on the last dregs of hops. Seems age has done it well though the weird pungency of the aroma suggests a shorter wait period might do better. Thanks Eric!

4.3 Reviewed on 6-29-05. I was lucky to find this at Kahn’s.Thanks Brennan! You always take care of me. I pour this beer into a tulip. There is a slight, three quarter inch thick head that dissipates before long. The body is a clear amber color. Thin, cloudlike swirls remain. The nose is well balanced with malt, hops, and alcohol. This beer tastes like it is in its prime. The juicy hops battle the might of the malt to a draw. Caramel malt and somewhat piney hops are the dominant flavors. I am starting to think that this might benefit from another six months of ageing. The mouthfeel is thick and oily, which is right on for a beer of this magnitude. I could drink this beer all night, except I won’t, because I only have two left. Edit: HaHa! I found another local source!

4.3 22 oz bottle from 2002 @ Stone’s Winter Storm 2008. Pours a clear rusty amber with virtually no head. Nose of roasted malts, caramel and citrus. Flavor was very sweet, (much more than expected). Somewhat oily mouthfeel. Overall.......awesome!

4.2 2002 bottle at Stone’s 2008 Winter Storm sampled from a friend who bought a bottle for $13. My favorite of the event, but I didn’t taste any of the RIS, which would have been my favorite. Dark amber color. Very low carbonation. Sweet malty goodness. Aging very well. Delicious

4.4 2002 bottle at Stone Winter Storm. Clear copper red with no head. Amazing floral nose, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, and mild spice with a good hoppy citrus finish and a big alcoholic warmth.

3.8 Courtesy boboski. 2003 vintage. Pours a dark burnt orange, with not much of a head. Smells of bready yeast, some dark fruit, and even has some interesting tomato notes. Pretty interesting aromas this is letting off. Pretty big bitterness in the flavor. Dark fruits, caramel malts, and yeast are all noticeable, typical for this style. Still drinking crisp, but going down smooth. The age has done this bottle well. The malts and flavors are still lively. This is drinking good.

3.5 2003 Bottle provided by kmweaver. Hazy amber body with a small beige head. Nose is vinous and sweet with caramel, pine and sherry. The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly bitter with pine, toffee, grapes and light oxidation. Full body is a touch thin with an astringent and warm finish.

3.9 2002 bottling from the cellar. Enjoyed on 20-feb-05. Beautiful clear garnet hue with a slight off white head. Caramel-toffee sweet malt and raison smell. Medium- full bodied with a surprizingly smooth mouthfeel. Has a raisony, vinous caramel malt flavor with the alcohol stinging my tonsils. As expected not much hop action here. An excellent fireside sipper. The only detraction here was the clumps of sediment in the second and last pour. Try and filter this out if you drink an aged Guardian, it neutralizes the delicate flavors here.