[i] [b] Bottle that was brought over in a case along with our beer order for Merton Beer Festival, thanks to Marc Bartram [/i] [/b] I’m very chuffed with seeing Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve burst into the top 50 beers this week, but can I just say that Alan Thompson and Old Chimneys are certainly no ’one trick pony merchants’ This is a classy IPA, pours orangey amber in colour with white med’ fluffy head and tiny bubbles, hops and some citrus on the nose, but tastes lovely. Really quite subtle initially in taste, some fruitiness good hop presence and lovely bitterness, where this wins for me is that everything is done very subtley, this tastes to me like a well crafted and top notch British IPA, I loved it.

[i] [b] Bottle that was brought over in a case along with our beer order for Merton Beer Festival, thanks to Marc Bartram [/i] [/b] Poured a reddy colour with a light beige head. The aroma as Loz pointed out, had more than a nod to a Terrys chocolate orange, but along with this there were some soft molassess. This was a well crafted beer, smooth, easy drinking, alcohol well hidden, very nice. There was no chocolate in here but whilst on a confectionary ramble I did get a very brief hint of curly wurly bar. This was a barley wine, I’m sure of it, but hey call it what you will. A soft and warming beer that was as welcoming as some well worn slippers, great.

Bottle at home 21/2/2008... very dark copper red ... slightly tart malt ... mmmm interesting ... very fruity ... raisons and plums ... light peppery ... juicy ... little hop in linger ... very tasty. little drying ... all round decent ale. bottle at home ... 25/11/2011 ...deep red brown ... lovely deep dark cherry fruit nose wonderful aroma ... dark malts ... sweet cherry fruits ... light peppryness ... rich rich fruits ... dark malts ... huge fruit ... 4.3 bottle at home ... deep dark brown ... rich malts .. rich plums and raisins nose ... rich sweet malts ... juicy roast ... 4.0Bottle at home... Deep red brown... Thin white lacing... Soft sweet dark toffee roast malt nose... Sweet toffee... Dark fruits... Dark sweet toffee... Oily fruits... Light dark suger... Dark malts 4.0 bottle at home ... deep roast ... soft fruits ... oily fruits ... soft toffee. likght fruit malts ... thin body ... 3.4Bottle at home .. deep copper ... thin tan lacing ... soft toffe fruits ... juicy toffee fruits nose ... oily toffe fruits ... soft woody fruits .. sodft toffee malts ... sweet roast ... nice 3.9 Bottle at the hanging bat... Feb 2017... Bbf 2014Dark red brown... Thin white lacing... Soft sweet toffee fruit nose... Thin soft toffee fruit.. Light cardboard ...soft sweet toffee fruit 3.8

Bottle, dropped off very kindly by Marc Bartram, Bartrams Brewey with casks for the Beer Festival Pours like an oil slick with a tidy little brown head. When the head starts to diminish bubbles continue to rise through the depths of this tar pit of shark eye black gloop, it looks fantastic, there are some brown edges at the top of the glass. A tiny whiff of port, bramble fruits and some oaky vanilla. First taste is glorious liqourice, top notch 95% dark chocolate, dried fruits some prunes, figs, sherry, oh my lordy lord it’s all in there, how can such a little bottle of beer pack so much punch eh?? The bitterness also starts to take hold after a while and as you slowly work your way through the glass sip by sip the glass becomes tinted with a brown sheen. Working my way to the bottom now and I kid you not this stuff get’s thicker, I’m getting Grand Marnier. What a wonderful beer only 8-9 more to go. A8 A5 F9 P5 OV18 for the first rating. Bottle 2006 edition, posted out to me amongst mixed case of beers by Alan Thompson (Old Chimneys Brewer) consumed 01-11-08 Much like the first time I had this (2005 version) this resembled an oil slick leaving its tarry fingerprint on the inside of the glass as it slowly went down. Some bitter-sweet flavours, oaky vanilla, stewed chrismassy alcohol infused spiked oranges, dark sticky fruits again, maybe not quite as thick as last time (but not at the bottom of the glass yet) This really is quite marvellous, can’t be bothered to rate anymore just wanna’ drink it. This one moves up one further notch to 4.6 a totally stunning beer. A8 A5 F9 P5 OV19

[i] [b] Cask , gravity at Merton Winter Beer Festival Feb 08 [/i] [/b] Pours jet black, so black in fact that you can almost see the light from the room being sucked into the inky blackness, it’s scarily rather black hole black, no head to this but then I suppose that got sucked under into the deep dark depths as well. The beer has a wonderful oily texture to this and has an aroma of dark dried fruits that have been steeped in a wonderful Christmassy combination of grannies favourite spirits; there is also a dusty Port like aroma and some bitter chocolate. I had this on three separate occasions over the weekend, a sneaky sample on Thursday night, some on Friday and then again last night (some that found it’s way back to my house) I can state quite confidently on each occasion it was different, presenting differing flavours, different aroma’s and more and more facets to it’s character, the only thing than remained a constant was that shark eye blackness it’s eerie. It was sweeter and more chocolaty on Thursday, it was more mysterious and bitter chocolate yesterday, I then had another small one as a night cap and it was different again, back to that lovely sweet chocolate and dark figgy fruits another thing that did change is the score, even though on each occasion it was 3.8 or above even reaching the giddy heights of 4.3 for a tightarsed rater with my markings like me. But I’ll have to give it an average so 4.1 it is, lovely! One last thing that I like about this beer is that everyone seems to think that it’s name is a monarch link when in fact its named after an a rare east anglian vegtable that used to be quite popular but has now fallen out of fashion, not like this beer!!