King Henry - Goose Island Beer Co.

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BA SCORE
100
world-class
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946 Ratings

THE BROS
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world-class
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rAvg: 4.69
pDev: 10.23%
Reviews: 276
Hads: 670

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Brewed by:
Goose Island Beer Co.

Illinois, United States

Style | ABV
English Barleywine | 13.40% ABV

Availability: Rotating. bottle (272), on-tap (4).

Notes:
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.

Brewer's notes:
Aged in Pappy Van Winkle 23 bourbon barrels, previously used to age Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout. King Henry is a burgundy hued English-style barleywine with aromas of vanilla, oak, and dark fruit. Caramel and toffee flavors blend together with bold notes of bourbon delivered in a smooth body followed by a malty finish. No matter the occasion, King Henry promises a regal drinking experience.

Reviews

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Reviews by PsilohsaiBiN:

PsilohsaiBiN

New York

4.88/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2011 Bottle: Thanks Marti403

Appearance: Dark brown opaque, with a small head that quickly recedes to the perimeter.

Smell: Coconut, chocolate, bourbon, dark fruit(raisins, dates, figs), brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, yum.

Taste: Good lord. Barrel character right off the bat with caramel and chocolate/vanilla/coconut blend seamlessly and fade out gradually into a finish that begins with dark fruit and ends with a sweet, caramel tinged, malted barley finish that's clean, leaving you yearning for the next sip. Subtle elements of the drink are left on your tongue, but in a way that doesn't fatigue the palate, like many other barley wines. There is also little to no alcohol burn in the finish, even if you drink it fast(which I don't recommend), which is remarkable for this abv.

Mouthfeel: Velvety, on the borderline of viscous, and just right for the style.

Overall: Well, hype is one thing, but when you get results to meet it, that's another story altogether. This is without a doubt, the best barley wine I've ever had. From smell, to mouthfeel, to taste, there is not much that makes up this brew that can be defeated by others for the style, imo. I say this having held the highest hopes for Sucaba, and although enjoying it, I wished it tasted exactly like this. I've finally found that perfect barley wine. Let's hope BCBW can come close to this masterpiece.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 03:45:40 | More by PsilohsaiBiN

More User Reviews:

weonfire

Kentucky

4.31/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Bottle date: 10/08/11

A - Dark Brown/Mahogany, tiny amount of head around rim, tiny amount of carbonation rising, zero head.

S - Sweet bourbon, vanilla, toffee, chocolate, carmel, brown sugar, touch of biscuit, aged fruits: prune, figs,

T - Bourbon, vanilla, toffee, chocolate. Finish: dry biscuit, bitter vanilla and booze (4/10)

M - Heavy, extremely thick, very full body, super cream, frothy, syrup, chest gets warm from booze

O - This is the heaviest, fullest, closest to syrup beer I've ever consumed. So much that it wasn't even drinkable until just about room temperature. Yes, the nose is excellent. The taste doesn't have the bourbon one would expect but is very pleasant, vanilla is very dry and bitter with a rather hot finish. No matter- the overwhelming characteristic is the over exceeding thickness, syrup. I cannot get past that.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 23:03:18 | More by weonfire