I always look forward to Stone’s Odd Year releases which is when they experiment with their traditional seasonal beers and take them in entirely new directions. While I have not always been partial to them, they have had some home runs like the Espresso Imperial Russian Stout. This years Odd Year take on their Old Guardian Barley Wine being “Extra Hoppy” which was a dry hopped version of their already hoppy Barley Wine recipe using Azacca hops. Count me in! This beer poured a deep golden amber with a full and fluffy off-white head. I got a hint of the aroma as I poured and even when I left it on the table about 6 feet away as it was oozing with an abundance of hops and sweet malts. The first sip was a tastebud overload of sweet fruity malts along with a fruity hop bitterness that left my mouth spinning. The Old Guardian is an excessive ode to the Barley Wine and the added dry hopped “Extra Hoppy” takes the excess to a new and pleasingly bitter level. Akin to a Triple IPA the sweet malts were aggressively battling the citrus rind bitter hops and in my mouth and I was the ultimate winner. This thick and syrupy brew was big and bitter with while being sweet enough to not allow either flavor to dominate. Pick one up before they are gone and you will thank me.
