Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve

Brewed by Old Chimneys
Style: Imperial Stout
Diss, England

It is hard to put into words my feelings for this beer. From the moment I saw it in the glass I was drooling, and I still drool now nearly 6 months down the track thinking about it. I have loved licorice ever since I was a young boy, with especially a fondness for licorice ice cream. Seeing this beer in the glass it just looked like liquid licorice, and on having a whiff my delight escalated in realising it was there in substance. There were also some delicious chocolate notes and a touch of soy sauce. On tasting it was exceptionally smooth, with some lovely sweet and roasted malt. At the time of tasting this it was by far and away the best beer I ever had, although the very next beer bridged that gap slightly (Mikkeller Black Hole). It will take an utterly amazing beer to depose this from the top of my list.

2006 Bottle from Craig. Thanks! Black pour wtih barely any head at all. Aroma is great. Chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, raisins, prunes, and toffee on the nose. Wow, then the flavor...amazing. Vanilla, bourbon, raisins, prunes, dates, brown sugar, oak, and a hint of Columbian coffee. Wow what a beer!!!!

Pours dark brown with a light brown head. Smells of roasted malt, tarte cherries, spices, some chocolate, some sherry hints. Tastes velvety and rich with a well balanced spicy finish.

A Mes rate: Bottle on the train on the way back to London with Reakt.
I was expecting this to be good but I really wasn’t quite expecting this. This is a world class beer, there is absolutely no doubt. Totally black and opaque with a thick and solid tan head. A glorious pour indeed. The aroma is an incredible balance of sweet fresh oak, whiskey, juicy raspberry, crème brûlée, incredibly rich but perfectly poised malt and SO much more. This is complexity like you very rarely find. As for the flavour, I may be just over spec’ing it but honestly, this is really not far off Kaggen. The oaky notes are only bettered by the number 1. Such incredible rich chocolate, vanilla, candy sugar and caramel that is all held perfectly in check by the amazing barrelly bits. It’s so rich and extravagant that, if I am being honest, a full bottle may be too much. But that is not what this type of beer is about. This is something to share and savour amongst friends. The alcohol is utterly superb. It is very clear throughout with a real kick at the finish but not even a hint of any aggressive burn. Mellow, refined, elegant... think of a superlative and add it here. An incredible desert beer. Such unreal chocolate in the finish. So bloody much of it, it just doesn’t stop. Mouthfeel again is close to (and only bettered by) Kaggen. It’s almost melted ice cream. If I wasn’t sat down when I first sipped at it I would have needed to in a hurry. Worth every bit of its high status and my Närke comparison shows how much I think of it.

MASSIVE thanks to Craig for deciding to let me have one of his bottles.

Bottle at home Christmas Day 2007 (2005 version)... Deep red black ... quite sludgy at bottom of bottle so pour carefully... smooth roast coffee nose ... thin off white head ... wonderfully silky mouth feel ... rich creamy dark chocolate ... tiny amount of spirit but well balanced lots of smooth roats malts and dark vine fruits.

Tk2 At the Bells Hogmany ... rich smooth silky this is just so well balanced , tiny touch of whiskey though im not sure this is stored in whiskey cask.

TK3 2006 Version ... Deep black ... almost no head ... still the nice silky mouthfeel ... rich deep chocolate ... little meaty ... little vanilla and creamy... rich dark grapes and dates ... Oh yeah this is on form ... Big thanks to the brewer for kindly dropping them off when at a wedding in Edinburgh. Bottle at cloister tasting ...deep black ... sweet meaty dark fruits... silky and rich some toffee and chocolate ... touch of ice cream ... rich smooth and wondeful 4.7

Bottle, on two occasions, both times courtesy of reakt. The first time I simply enjoyed it and didn’t take notes. The second time I managed a score. Gobsmackingly good, without a doubt. Need to try it again!

First, I like to give a big thanks to Mes for sharing this 2005 Good King Henry Special Reserve brew at the 2008 ZBF! Pours a pitch-black espresso color topped with a thin foamy head settling fast to the rim. Wow!!!! What an aroma; the sweet oaky, vanilla fragrance leads the nose, sticky dark stone fruits with a touch of full-bodied ruby port, while the stout’s mild roast-ness is softened to a silky smooth bitter chocolate-ness underneath. Swirling the glass brings out underlying alcohol, but a Hell of lot milder than 11% suggests. Smoothly balanced between sourness, sweetness, and oak; relatively little input of bitter roasted malts, along with being well-crafted and robust without being harsh at all. The taste was incredible!!! Sticky and oily sour-sweet dark-fruitiness, quickly followed by an aromatic mouthful of black/roasted malts in the form of leather, sweet coffee, chewy and bitter chocolates gradually the taste is taken over by a delicately vanillas note of cigar and charred-woodchips aftertaste lingering at the back of the palate. The overall structure of the flavor profile evolves all the time...Got to love this brew!!! "Silky Smooth" is not strong enough to describe the superb mouth feel of this beer. This beer will be at the top of my list of favorites. Again, thanks Mes for this magnificent brew; I Need More!!!

RBSG 2007; Rating 2300. Chris_o brought this bottle over to share. Apparently the only way to get this beer is to trek to the brewery and basically get it from the hand of the brewer himself. You are a saint for having brought this. Black color with no head. Great aroma of molasses and brown sugar. The taste… god the taste… slightly burnt and roasted malts, very salty (almost like bacon), rum and a little oak. Feels like velvet. This is probably a solid tan head away from becoming a new number one for me. The sad part is, I only had a few sips, and I’ll probably never have it again. I am going to go cry in a much inferior beer.