Image
zoom in old guardian bottle
Image
zoom in old guardian bottle

2016 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Dry-Hopped with Pekko Hops

STYLE
Barley Wine
ABV
11%
IBUs
75
AVAILABILITY
Nationwide

From time to time, we like to tweak the recipes of some of our most long-standing beers—like Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine—to create unique variations. This year we’re taking it to the next level by dry-hopping it with Pekko hops—a new varietal from Washington’s Yakima Valley—which in turn add notes of stone fruit, orange, lemon and mint to this bready, toffee-like beast of a beer.

ABOUT THIS BEER

Release Date
February 8, 2016

NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

AVAILABLE
NOT AVAILABLE
AVAILABLE
NOT AVAILABLE

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

Australia; Alberta and British Columbia, Canada; Germany; Hong Kong; Japan; Korea; Singapore; Sweden; Thailand; and United Kingdom

Tasting Notes

Appearance
Pours a deep, rich amber with a tan head.
Aroma
Intense fruit, a cool blend of peach, pineapple and mango flavors, followed by hints of vanilla and a really nicely balanced caramel malt character.
Taste
Fruit flavors dominate the taste, with most of the tropical fruit coming from the dry hop, but a lot of the pineapple is derived from our proprietary yeast strain. It’s fruity, hoppy, malty and BIG. It finishes with a very strong hop presence.
Palate
Full bodied, moderately balanced sweetness, slight alcohol warmth with a bitter finish.
Overall
Pekko is a variety from the American Dwarf Hop Association that we ran through our hop evaluation program and really liked its attributes. Our brewing team enjoys the fruity flavors it provides in beers such as IPAs and now in this version of our annual barley wine. It has intense stone fruit and tropical fruit character, adding a great touch to our classic Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine recipe.
Provided by
Mitch Steele
,
Brewmaster

Pairing Notes

Appetizers
Grilled prawns, Maytag Blue-stuffed figs, pulled pork sliders, mushroom tartlets
Soups
Hot and sour tofu soup, chicken and andouille gumbo, sweet potato & carrot soup, Caribbean fish stew
Entrées
Jerk chicken with coconut rice, kalua pork, Thai red curry, cassoulet, duck breast
Cheeses
Maytag Blue, Keen’s Cheddar, Ewephoria, Shropshire Blue
Desserts
Salted caramel ice cream, peach cobbler, apple strudel, oatmeal raisin cookies
Cigars
Drew Estate Herrera Estelí, Casa Magna Colorado Robusto
Provided by
"Dr" Bill Sysak
,
Craft Beer Ambassador