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Stone Old Guardian Belgo Barley Wine 2011 is a new twist on an old favorite (Stone’s beloved original Old Guardian). This new creation from the Masters at Stone Brewing Company is essentially their original Old Guardian recipe brewed with a Belgian yeast, hence The Twist!
And yes, both versions of this fantastic brew are now available at Beer on the Wall!
Stone Old Guardian Belgo looks almost identical to the original but pours just a bit cloudier with a bit more foam. The aroma is huge on the Belgian yeast, with some fruity esters. Very yeasty and bready, this Stone Belgo Barley Wine has a much less overt caramel sweetness than its original counterpart. So what about the taste? Because of the Belgian yeast strain, the taste is more reminiscent of a Belgian Strong Ale than a barley wine, with plenty of yeast and fruity esters mixed with sugar and toffee flavors. It's hard to believe that such a minor change in recipe can result in such a drastically different beer, but that IS the power of the Belgian yeast.
Originally Stone wasn’t offering the traditional Old Guardian alongside the new Belgo version, but because this idea, “one and not the other”, was met with a bit of resistance (to say the least), Stone has mended their ways and we will all happily have access to both delicious beers here at Beer on the Wall!
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