Stone Oak-Smoked Old Guardian Barley-wine. Stone Brewing company, Escondido, SA. 11.4 % ABV. Once again, drinking on tap (one of the final left-overs from last month's Imperial March big beer event.) I'm sure the bottle features a lot of clever verbiage, and I'm sure you can read it here. (Actually, I doubt that that's what's on the bottle. Too succinct.)
Clear, rich, ruby-red coloration, short-lived, film-leaving, off-white head.
Aroma: Deep, rich, immense malt aromatics, swiftly subsumed by oaky overtones. Inevitably, smoke seeps up from below and covers it all. Rearing into the region of "hot."
Taste: First sip, hotness hits hard, blistering the palate just a bit. Fullness of malt flavor makes a magnificent mark. It stays big and bold, with the smoke creeping onto the tongue, and the oak taking over. The flavors are remarkable, almost irresistible, and can feel my brain cells about to lose a bout with insobriety. Satisfying, if not for the high alcohol; delicious, in any event. Alcohol heat never quite becomes a problem, bitterness matches the mighty malt.
A really unique brew, with the intense maltiness of the Old Guardian barley-wine remaining intact and integral, with the oak and the smoke making significant additions from time to time. This is just fantastic on tap, and I'll get some bottles for cellaring, to see how this improves with age.
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