It's strange. I aggressively seek out and drink certain Stone Brewing releases while overlooking others. I try to buy Stone's special Vertical Epic series and Anniversary Ales as soon as they are released. But I am not too eager to try its regular, annual releases. The two Imperial Russian Stouts I've had have been outstanding, and I occasionally drink a Double Bastard before Christmas, but I don't mark their release dates on my calendar. Until last Saturday, I had never tried Stone's third regular release, Old Guardian Barley Wine Ale. The reason, I am sure, why I don't rush to buy Double Bastard, Imperial Russian and Old Guardian is their high alcohol level. All three have abvs higher than 10%, which eliminates casual drinking and requires a sizable time investment.
It was worth the time it took to drink Old Guardian. The beer's color was lighter than I was expecting. It poured a deep amber and had big, Navajo White foam. It reminded me of a hopped-up imperial red ale. Its roasted malty flavor was matched by a long bitter finish. The alcohol, at 11.1% abv, did not dominate the beer. It was present throughout but did not burn, even as Old Guardian warmed. Old Guardian was the first barley wine ale I ever drank, and if it's true to style, barley wine ale was more approachable than I was expecting. Not sure why I had a picture in my mind of a dark booze-infused beer. It is always good to learn new things about beer.
2 comments:
I was at The Linkery last weekend, and they had Old Guardian from 2005 on tap. It was very, very good and also very interesting to contrast with the '10 bottles on sale now. (It was also only $6/pint, and one pint is plenty!)
As a SD local, I'm enjoying your blog. Thanks for writing!
David, Thanks for the comment. I will keep writing. I heard Old Guardian is better with some age under it. I need to get a post up on The Linkery's brush with the DA's office.
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