Old Guardian BELGO Barleywine
Stone Brewing

Old Guardian BELGO BarleywineOld Guardian BELGO Barleywine
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From:
Stone Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
12%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.64 | pDev: 16.48%
Reviews:
303
Ratings:
578
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 26, 2020
Added:
Feb 08, 2010
Wants:
  17
Gots:
  94
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Orca
Reviewed by Orca from Washington

3.86/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Vintage 2011 out of the cellar, 22oz into a tulip. Pours a murky amberish color w/ slow carbonation, looks a little like apple cider (the chunky kind). As it warms, not surprisingly, it clarifies to a nice reddish amber.

Aroma is fruity and also has an apple quality. Bready. Some herbal hops.

Taste is likewise fruity and bready with a gentle hop bitterness on the finish that I imagine has faded a bit over the 9 years since this was bottled. Brown sugar, toasted marshmallow.

Mouthfeel is soft, a little chewy. Full bodied.

Overall not my favorite American barleywine (and I prefer English anyway) but still a solid offering that has stood the test of time.
Jun 26, 2020
Photo of pathman
Rated by pathman from Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +30.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
05/08/20 bottle @ home (2011 release)
May 09, 2020
Photo of MutuelsMark
Rated by MutuelsMark from Kentucky

4.1/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
2011 bottle tasted in 2020
Mar 08, 2020
 
Rated: 3.5 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Jun 10, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by heysuz from Indiana

Jun 09, 2018
 
Rated: 3 by oline73 from Maryland

May 08, 2018
Photo of neenerzig
Reviewed by neenerzig from Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I've had a bottle of this sitting in my cellar for almost 7 years now, so I figured it was time to try one. Poured out of the 22 oz. bomber into my snifter glass, this beer pours a medium amber/copper color. Has a slightly of-white head that's about an inch thick when first poured with lots of streams of little bubbles fairly rapidly and continuously rising to the beer's surface. Head eventually settles to a thick, fluffy surface coating along with a thick ring lining the inside of the glass and excellent lacing. Aromas of toasted, bready, caramel malts along with some spice notes, Belgian candy sugars, and some fruit notes of dates and apricots. Still has a nice earthy, citrusy hop aroma too. The taste is pretty much the same, with toasted, bready caramel malt sweetness that gives way to Belgian candy sugar and date sweetness along with a hint of apricot. Also a bit of clove spice. Has a grapefruit and earthy hop bitterness that rounds out the flavor profile. Really good mix of flavors, and while it is slightly boozy the 12% ABV is well hidden here. While I'm sort of surprised that 7 years later this beer is still as hoppy as it is, being that this is Stone I'm really not at all surprised. Has a slightly crisp, mainly smooth and frothy, slightly chewy and sticky, full bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. The flavors really saturate the tastebuds and coat the inside of the mouth nicely and linger for a long time after each sip. Another excellent beer from Stone. This one aged very well.

Eric
Feb 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Avatar113 from California

Dec 16, 2016
Photo of colts9016
Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho

3.21/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
2011 Edition

A one finger light tan head with terrible retention. The color of the beer is murky with some mahogany and orange hues. The beer does show some life with carbonation bubble dancing it way to the top.

A rich sticky caramel sweetness assaults your nose. Citrus, toasted malt, biscuit, bread, toffee, floral and some yeast.

The beer has a caramel, wood, vanilla, citrus, toasted malt, bready, yeasty, floral, and resin

The mouthfeel of the beer is carbonated, and slightly astringent.

This beer pales in comparison to the the Old Guardian BW. It tastes as if they dry hopped stuffed it in a barrel and then bottled it. The beer is big and boozy, yet lacks refinement like its brother. It is a decent barley, but it could be much better.
Jun 20, 2016
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.19/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Very orange colored barleywine, much like a dipa. Aroma was belgian spice rack, fucking huge.

Taste dropped lots of caramel, yeast and citrus. Huge hops and malt. Its hella hot, lots of alcohol wafting all the time in this one. Yeast still giant. Its a big beer that does nothing subtle.
Feb 12, 2016
Photo of Slatetank
Reviewed by Slatetank from Pennsylvania

3.89/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
thanks to Mark for sharing this enjoyed chilled from the bomber in a tulip.

The color is dark brown with tan head and lace sticks with translucent clarity. The smell is malt with a date-like aroma with fruity yeast and nutty aroma with slight hop scent. The feel is good with tangy and spicy entry with moderate carbonation and bitter middle with decent balance and spicy alcoholic finish.

The taste is good with bitter herbal flavor mixed with nutty dry malt flavor and tropical accent in the yeast flavor with almond paste type sweet element and caramel in the back with some hop bitterness interspersed into a lightly alcohol flavored finish. Overall this is a very good belgian yeast fermented American barleywine American hops adding citrus and bitterness to balance
Nov 16, 2015
 
Rated: 3.85 by BrownAleMale from Wisconsin

Jul 19, 2015
 
Rated: 3.71 by SanFranJake from California

Mar 30, 2015
 
Rated: 3.41 by Canada_Dan from Colorado

Mar 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by Fettpopps from Massachusetts

Mar 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3.85 by RobertColianni from Pennsylvania

Mar 22, 2015
Photo of vfgccp
Rated by vfgccp from New York

4.1/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From 2010, enjoyed on tap at Extreme Beer Fest 2015 in Boston.
Mar 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Kmlund from Massachusetts

Mar 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.36 by gjahn123 from California

Feb 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by Beerbuddy21 from California

Feb 09, 2015
Old Guardian BELGO Barleywine from Stone Brewing
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 578 ratings