Stone Old Guardian 2010

From Stone’s Blog –  Have no fear, zealous Stone Old Guardian devotees, 2010 Stone Old Guardian is still the beer you know and love. But we like to keep things interesting—especially for those who like to hang onto beers and conduct vertical tastings down the road—so we’ve thrown a couple of compelling new ingredients into this year’s batch. Mitch and the Brewing Team experimented with a new type of crystal malt made from a variety of British barley called Maris Otter. They were so pleased with the pilot batches made with Maris Otter crystal malt, that they decided to use it in the release version, giving the beer a slightly maltier, nuttier flavor (once again, no reason to fear: with 90 IBUs, it’s still menacingly hoppy.)

Stone Brewing Co – Old Guardian Vintage 2010 ,Enjoyed fresh – 22 oz. bottle poured into a goblet – 11.26% abv.

Appearance: Pours a clear ruby red with a dense, bright white 1/8 inch head.

Aroma: Big citrus hop aroma, caramel/molasses like sweetness.

Taste: Burnt caramel, spicy, peppery hops as well as citrusy and floral hops.

Mouthfeel: Sticky.

Overall: Pretty amazing, very balanced this year. EDIT: I would say the slight change to the malt bill MAY have attributed to this seeming more balanced to my ever changing tongue. I hadn’t read that until after taking these tasting notes, so it was not the power of suggestion leading me to this conclusion.  ~Dan