Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve

Brewed by Old Chimneys
Style: Imperial Stout
Diss, England

A huge thanks to Doppelganger for this bottle. What a find. 275 ml bottle September 2005 vintage drank August 2008. Pours a dark brown body with a nice medium orange brown head that stays throughout. The nose is very strong and awesome; cocca, burnt malts, light dark fruits and some hints of oak. The flavor is very damn complex and so good; smoke and woody, almost meaty flavors, some barrel and soy sourness, sweet chocolates and roasted malt. I drank this with footbalm and he remarked aptly that this beer is so full of flavors, none of which are overpowering in any way. Just full enough to give you the ability to taste it all. Amazing.

Big thanks to Ken for this one. Dark black color with a creamy brown head. The aroma is predominantly alcohol at first, quite boozy, then lends itself to chocolate, bittersweet cocoa, sweet dark fruit, and dark fudge eventually comes through. Flavor has a tangy sweetness, smooth bittersweet chocolate, a light bit of coffee, and slight lactic sour quality at first but then fades. Not too tick or heavy, delightfully smooth imperial stout.

(275ml, thanks kmweaver) Small brown head atop oily black body with brown edges. Taste is moderately sweet, molasses, smoke, some tar, roast, dark chocolate. Taste is moderately swseet, molasses, smoke, dark chocolate, some milk chocolate. Sticky full body, low carbonation.

Courtesy of kmweaver. Black body with a small tan head. The nose is rich dark chocolate, toffee, dark fruits and a touch of licorice. The flavor is moderately sweet, milk chocolate, molasses, brown sugar and a bit of a lactic twang. Medium/full body is just a tad thin with light carbonation.

275mL bottle, bottled 9.11.2005, courtesy of Doppelganger. Thanks, Casey!! Pours a very dark, oily chocolate-brown color; just a touch of browned light at the edges; nice amounts of heaviness and viscosity. Lots of dense, roasted / charred malts, bitter dark chocolate, and very softly integrated bourbon / whiskey character in the aroma; viscous, dried dark fruits and caramel; nice nose, really nice. Full mouthfeel: lots of milk and dark bitter chocolate, roasted malts (very lightly charred on the edges; nothing rough), and intensely, sweet caramel and dried fruit goodness; notes of caramel apple; bourbon / whiskey character is softly integrated into a very creamy, velvety imperial stout character (nice to see an English imperial stout that actually tastes like one); toasty oak, vanilla and creamy bourbon character; lightly carbonated, velvety presence in the mouth; just a gorgeous beer overall: incredibly soft, complex, beautifully blended. Caramel apples, chocolate, and soft bourbon. Touches of licorice. Lengthy finish: lots of lightly toasted malts, nougat, and caramel; despite those notes, nicely dry overall at the far end.

(Bottle) Pours black with a brown head. The aroma is extremely malty and heavily roasted with clear notes of oak and whisky. Tones of coffee, dark bread, dark chocolate, tar, asphalt, figs, prunes and vanilla is also present. The flavour is heavily malty with tones of coffee and dark bitter chocolate alongside undertones of vanilla-ish oak and sweet dark fruits like prunes and figs. The mouthfeel is very oily, soft and smooth with dry finish. The aftertaste brings notes of asphalt, tar and tannin-ish oak. Full bodied. Fantastic!

2005 - Black, black body with a creamy brown head; Incredible nose, complex deep and incredibly balanced, indescribable amounts of notes in a perfect balance, VERY rarely seen alike; Super soft, full velvety body, amazing but not perfect, it has a fine sour touch but it doesnt seem to fit perfectly with the soft texture and the slight sweetness; Long finish with much of the same as the main body, both its good and its bad. Some of the old school UK touches are there and I love them! Thanks..

(Bottle, 2005 vintage) Pours a black body with a small tan head. Aroma of spiced rum, bourbon, oak, caramel, and vanilla. Flavor of roasted malt, bourbon, wood, chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, and vanilla.