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Guardian’s Slumber
Stone Brewing
- From:
- Stone Brewing
- California, United States
- Style:
- American Barleywine
- ABV:
- 14%
- Score:
- 93
- Avg:
- 4.23 | pDev: 10.64%
- Reviews:
- 7
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Apr 23, 2022
- Added:
- Feb 05, 2014
- Wants:
- 24
- Gots:
- 10
2013 Old Guardian Barley Wine aged in Bourbon Barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ThickNStout:
Reviewed by ThickNStout from Georgia
4.4/5 rDev +4%
4.4/5 rDev +4%
Corked and caged 500mL bottle from JayORear (thanks for picking it up at the brewery for me!). Bottled 03/2014 served in a Barrel and Barley teku.
Pours a completely opaque muddy amber hued brown with two fingers of deep ecrue head. The foam settles to a thin, broken halo and leaves some decent sized clumps of lace.
Smells of leather, vanilla, toffee, bourbon and burnt sugars. Gets sweeter and even more inviting as it warms up.
Taste follows the nose but with considerably more depth. Earthy, mildly charred barrel, bourbon, toffee, vanilla, caramel, musty pine, dried citrus peel, burnt sugar and a healthy dose of boozey heat. A delicious combination than goes down with an ease that belies it's strength.
Creamy, full body with a nice, soft carbonation. Sweet, semi boozy finish with soft pine, burnt vanilla-tinged barrel, bourbon and toffee.
Gaurdian's Slumber is a true elevation of the base barleywine. Instead of seeming stale, the musty hops really compliment the sweet malt and bourbon. An excellent brew that I'd love to have more of.
Aug 29, 2014Pours a completely opaque muddy amber hued brown with two fingers of deep ecrue head. The foam settles to a thin, broken halo and leaves some decent sized clumps of lace.
Smells of leather, vanilla, toffee, bourbon and burnt sugars. Gets sweeter and even more inviting as it warms up.
Taste follows the nose but with considerably more depth. Earthy, mildly charred barrel, bourbon, toffee, vanilla, caramel, musty pine, dried citrus peel, burnt sugar and a healthy dose of boozey heat. A delicious combination than goes down with an ease that belies it's strength.
Creamy, full body with a nice, soft carbonation. Sweet, semi boozy finish with soft pine, burnt vanilla-tinged barrel, bourbon and toffee.
Gaurdian's Slumber is a true elevation of the base barleywine. Instead of seeming stale, the musty hops really compliment the sweet malt and bourbon. An excellent brew that I'd love to have more of.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania
4/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2013 vintage... so 9 years cellared. Poured from a cork'n'cage bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip
L: Opaque muddy brown pour. Minimal white head... faint lacing.
S: Big time caramel and sweets mixed with vanilla, oak, and bourbon.
T.F: Bittersweet. Lots of toffee, brown sugars, and caramel balanced with stale hop bitterness. Some pine... loads of oak and a bit of vanilla. Spice, earth, and more oak. Medium to thick bodied. Boozy... but not as much as expected given the 14+% ABV. Low carbonation.
O: A solid BBA barleywine. Probably a bit past it's 'best by' but this held up very well in the cellar. Hits the expected flavors, and some of the arrogant Stone bitterness was still hanging around. Glad I got to try this one.
Apr 23, 2022L: Opaque muddy brown pour. Minimal white head... faint lacing.
S: Big time caramel and sweets mixed with vanilla, oak, and bourbon.
T.F: Bittersweet. Lots of toffee, brown sugars, and caramel balanced with stale hop bitterness. Some pine... loads of oak and a bit of vanilla. Spice, earth, and more oak. Medium to thick bodied. Boozy... but not as much as expected given the 14+% ABV. Low carbonation.
O: A solid BBA barleywine. Probably a bit past it's 'best by' but this held up very well in the cellar. Hits the expected flavors, and some of the arrogant Stone bitterness was still hanging around. Glad I got to try this one.
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
4.07/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.07/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours a dark brown, slightly ruddy, thin 1/4" beige head. A lot of us aren't at our most attractive after a long night's sleep (slumber) so not gonna trip that this isn't bikini model sexy.
The aroma is a significant improvement, nice bourbon influence without outright domination of every other characteristic. Usual rolos/toffee/caramel aromas melding.
Taste pushes all those qualities, good vanilla smoothness in both taste and mouth feel. Oak is playing a bit part in your life. Maris appropriate. Manages to be a pretty smooth experience that hides the alcohol very well, light complimentary sweetness. Even lesser hit of pine from it. Both oak and pine combined are less than the bourbon influence. Carbonation appropriate and slightly lower than average to make the mouthfeel and taste stand tall as excellent aspects of this drink. I was a little apprehensive at the cost of this 500ml bottle, but glad I rocked it, was enjoyable and another example of why bourbon barrel barleywine might be better than stouts.
Aug 24, 2020The aroma is a significant improvement, nice bourbon influence without outright domination of every other characteristic. Usual rolos/toffee/caramel aromas melding.
Taste pushes all those qualities, good vanilla smoothness in both taste and mouth feel. Oak is playing a bit part in your life. Maris appropriate. Manages to be a pretty smooth experience that hides the alcohol very well, light complimentary sweetness. Even lesser hit of pine from it. Both oak and pine combined are less than the bourbon influence. Carbonation appropriate and slightly lower than average to make the mouthfeel and taste stand tall as excellent aspects of this drink. I was a little apprehensive at the cost of this 500ml bottle, but glad I rocked it, was enjoyable and another example of why bourbon barrel barleywine might be better than stouts.
Reviewed by Hesscabob from Illinois
4.06/5 rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Was a bit disapointed by this cellared brew. Was waiting for a good occassion (Easter) to crack it open.
Similar to Ol' Leghorn between FW and 3F but theres was way better. Might've need to behave in the bottle for a bit longer. Cloying bitterness was pronounced and was not welcomed. 4/5
Apr 06, 2015Similar to Ol' Leghorn between FW and 3F but theres was way better. Might've need to behave in the bottle for a bit longer. Cloying bitterness was pronounced and was not welcomed. 4/5
Reviewed by tleaver33 from California
3.36/5 rDev -20.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.36/5 rDev -20.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Toffee, caramel and bourbon notes on the nose. Taste is the same toffee and caramel notes, plus ash and a lot more bourbon. Doesn't hide the bourbon very well, and it's pretty boozy overall. Good, but not great.
Feb 07, 2015Reviewed by Franziskaner from Missouri
4.07/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.07/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Murky dark brown color and no light will get through this. A fingernail of beige head is present around the rim and hardly anywhere else. The aroma is full on bourbon with plenty of malt. Overall a very sweet aroma. The flavor is very sweet with loads of malt. The bourbon is very apparent at the front of the palate. The mouth is thick and chewy,yet pretty smooth.
Dec 22, 2014
Guardian’s Slumber from Stone Brewing
Beer rating:
93 out of
100 with
50 ratings
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