Old Guardian Barley Wine  brewed by Stone Brewing - Escondido, California

The big, malty, and fiercely hoppy Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine is making its highly anticipated annual return, rolling out to better beer bars and retail locations beginning on Monday, February 13th. Each year, the recipe is tweaked ever so slightly, to allow the brewers to play with different malt and hop varieties. For the 2012 release, Stone made a deliberate effort to move away from the English hop influence of the past few years, taking out the East Kent Golding hops, subbing in a blend of American Chinook, Calypso and Cascade. Yes, that's right, Cascade. This is the first use of Cascade in Stone beers, and the brewers really enjoyed the hints of grapefruit and pine it contributed to the aroma and flavor. Stone's brewers also bumped up the Maris Otter crystal malt by a mere 0.5%, and it's amazing how much of a difference it made in the color and the upfront body. All in all, it's resulted in a well-rounded beer that is ready to drink now, or can be aged at cellar temperatures for many years. (If you can wait that long.)
  

    
Beer Review by Stone's Brewmaster Mitch Steele
Appearance: Deep amber, with a slight haze and a creamy tan head.

Aroma: A blend of bready yeast esters, toffee malt flavors and citrusy hops. Allowing the beer to warm to ~50°-55°F really allows the malt and hop character to come through.

Taste: Flavor is rich and malty, with a pronounced yeasty ester profile and tropical fruit hop flavors. Rich and smooth up front, at mid-palate the beer transitions to a pleasant dryness and lingering hop bitterness on the finish.