About
Old Chimneys Brewery was started in 1995 by Alan Thomson, a Master Brewer who celebrated 40 years of brewing in 2017.
Located in Market Weston on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, Old Chimneys has achieved an enviable reputation for beer quality. The flagship brand,
Good King Henry Special Reserve, has for 8 years been the highest rated English beer on ratebeer.com
Alan ceased brewing at Market Weston in April 2019 to concentrate on collaborative brewing with top quality brewers in the UK and abroad,
starting with Grain (Norfolk), Northern Monk (Leeds) and Wylam (Newcastle).
The regular Good King Henry is now brewed under Alan’s supervision at Grain Brewery. The strength has been increased to 10% abv, and for the first time in 20 years it is available in KeyKeg as well as cask.
Changed to a client brewer as of 2019 on Brewver as Alan continues to brew elsewhere with the Old Chimneys name, mostly at Grain Brewery.
Located in Market Weston on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, Old Chimneys has achieved an enviable reputation for beer quality. The flagship brand,
Good King Henry Special Reserve, has for 8 years been the highest rated English beer on ratebeer.com
Alan ceased brewing at Market Weston in April 2019 to concentrate on collaborative brewing with top quality brewers in the UK and abroad,
starting with Grain (Norfolk), Northern Monk (Leeds) and Wylam (Newcastle).
The regular Good King Henry is now brewed under Alan’s supervision at Grain Brewery. The strength has been increased to 10% abv, and for the first time in 20 years it is available in KeyKeg as well as cask.
Changed to a client brewer as of 2019 on Brewver as Alan continues to brew elsewhere with the Old Chimneys name, mostly at Grain Brewery.
6.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bottle from Eebria cons 2017-06-18 Uddingston AR: bitter, Angostura, wee citrusy AP: dark amber, high frothy steady sand brown head F: over bitter, bakers chocolate, walnut bread, wee caramel, rich carbonated
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Jun 2017
at 16:27
5.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 4
Flavor 4
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle from Eebria cons 2017-06-18 Uddingston AR: roasted malt, wee Angostura AP: amber, high frothy stead lid F: bitter, roasted malt, red berries, citrusy,
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Jun 2017
at 16:15
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle from EeBria cons 2017-06-12 Uddingston AR: sugar cake, raisins, prunes, AP: dark brown, wee stouty beige lid F: sugar cake, raisins, dark bread syrup, sweet mouthfeeling, wee plums,
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Jun 2017
at 11:41
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at the Star and Garter, Bromley. Black pour with a tan head. Aromas of cola, cocoa, dark chocolate, licorice toffee. Flavours of chocolate ice cream, coffee, licorice, black treacle, cocoa. Nice warm, sweet finish. Tasty.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Jun 2017
at 15:17
8.6/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle at home thanks to Cloin. Pours black with a dirty tan head. Aroma is booze, vanilla, coconut a little cocoa and dried fruits. Taste is a big chocolate hit with vanilla, leather, a little coconut and finishes with a little boozy hit and sweetness lingering. Really nice and smooth. Lovely stuff
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 May 2017
at 15:32
9.2/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 9
2016 catch up - Intense and widely varied flavours, whisky, malt, stout, caramel, velvety and amazing. I drank this over a year ago and it still sticks in my mind. You may draw your own conclusions.
Tried
on 03 May 2017
at 11:02
8.5/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 8
2016 catch up - Bottle at home - A very, very good Baltic porter. A level of sweetness and beautifully smooth. There was a warmth of alcohol, but it was very well hidden. I didn’t get the bubble-gum or the banana that was indicated in the blurb. The second bottle was not so good; too yeasty, but it maintains the score because the first was great.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 May 2017
at 11:01
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 5.5
2016 catch up - A very well made brown ale with the malt and sweetness you would expect. Exceptionally smooth (as you would expect from the brewery) and a very nice mouthfeel. Served at the right temperature and perfect on its own. I really couldn’t taste the alcohol.
Tried
on 03 May 2017
at 10:59
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
2016 catch up - Another "English" IPA. It was very good, with quite an overpowering bitterness that I actually liked. It’s not the most accessible of beers, but I did like it a lot.
Tried
on 03 May 2017
at 10:58
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
2016 catch up - A high concept pilsner. It was good, but very lively and went everywhere when I tried to pour it. Very pleasant flavour with a nice underlying bitterness from the hops. A real kick of alcohol too.
Tried
on 03 May 2017
at 10:56