Brakspear Vintage Henley

Formerly brewed at Brakspear (Refresh UK - Marstons plc)
Style: English Strong Ale
Witney, England

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

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Bronzed with toasted nutty flavours, every bottle comes complete with juicy fat clumps of yeast. Caramelised nutty toasted flavours go quite a bit beyond the likes Newcastle Brown, et al. Word on the street is that Brakspears new owner, Refresh UK, have stopped making it, so stash away any that you might be able to still get.

Vintage bottle (1979), courtesy of SilkTork. As one might expect from a 25 year old beer, this was woody and oxidised, but still retained some sweetness and vestiges of plummy fruit. Distinctly sherry-like. Not exactly great but still perfectly drinkable.

Aug, 2005 @ GBBF. Vintage bottle of Henley Strong Ale. Soft warm toffee. Gentle background fizz. 26 years old and in beautiful condition. [3.5]
Dec, 2002: Indifferent bottle conditioning results in a rather docile yeast huddling up at the bottom of the bottle having no effect on the sugars in the beer. Has the stewed hops flavour of an older beer. This one tastes like it’s brewed by Wychwood - has that rusty iron character. In fact it is very similiar to Hobgoblin - hazlenuts, sultanas, flowery hops, etc. Quite nice. [3.1]

(Bottle) Pours a dark amber body with a moderate beige head. Aroma of roasted malt and caramel. Malty flavor with wood and a hint of smoke.

Yeast, grape, peach, chocolate and sherry notes to the nutty aroma. Opaque orange-tan with shy but lasting large bubbled head. Caramel, chocolate, peppery, flavour has a sherry-like character with plenty of apricot, peach, raisin fruitiness. Medium-light body with low carbonation and somewhat lifeless in the mouth. Likely past it’s prime but still very enjoyable. Bottle (clear) enjoyed with ClarkVV, MartinT, muzzlehatch and Rastacouere.

Very effervescent still! Caramel coloured. Creamy and corky aroma presents notes of oxidation, wild butter, chocolate, apricot, litchi, grapes.. typical strong English ale flavours and a good yeast touch. It’s not as tasty as the aroma indicates unfortunately. Mellow caramelic notes blend into a mild nuttiness that fades and let room for sherry like oxidation. Rather thin bodied, moderately carbonated.. I guess if you still have any bottle left, you should go ahead because this isn’t improving anymore. Thanks Barry!

Flowery peaches and sherry-like alcohol pulse within a cask feel...Yeasty suggestions prick the mini-barley-wine caramel malt...Probably past its prime by now, but still quite enjoyable...Thanks Barry!!...

UPDATED: NOV 20, 2006 BB2003 bottle brought to the Post-Tap-Best-Western-Haverhill tasting, 3/25/05 by Muzzlehatch, shared with Tiggmtl, Muzzlehatch, Rastacouere and MartinT. Pours a very cloudy orange-amber, with some light blood-orange tinges and a small off-white head that sticks around for a minute and then is gone. Aroma is quite fruity, like fruit on the verge of spoiling. Lightly sour and lightly sweet mix of raspberries, cherries and strawberries, with a big dose of sweet toffee and a decent amount of roasted hazelnuts. Flavor is bittersweet, light fruits with a slightly chewy nuttiness, some figs, walnuts and raisins. Sticky caramel can be perceived, though the oxidation has loosened up the body a good deal. Low bitterness, no hops apparency and a good deal of yeast on the finish. Carbonation is still apparent and gives a little zip on the end. Fine, peppery bubbles and a medium body, with a good deal of oxidation, as mentioned. Peaches, toffee, nuts and a bit of acidity. I enjoyed this one, but I also am not bothered by oxidized, old, yeasty beers. I bet I would have really loved it a year or so ago. Thanks Barry!

Bottle Conditioned. Dark amber with little head. Aged 18 months. Sweetish malty, mid roasted beer with a fruity light background. Aged quite well into a smooth easy drinking fruity beer but was somewhat hazed. A slight sulpher on the finish, which was the Brakspear trademark fom Henley.

50 cL bottle, nonick, 50°F. Very large, frothy, off-white head sits on a unique looking caramel colored body. Loses a point for clear bottle. Nutty and very tea-like (Darjeeling to be exact) malt (M); earthy hops (L); doughy yeast (L); hint of allspice. Sharp and acrid overall. Little bit of the clear bottle skunk, but it's not terribly noticeable. Lightly sweet, moderately acidic flavor becomes a moderately bitter, moderately acidic, mineral finish. Unlike the Brakspear Bitter, the acidity and mineral taste are quite harsh in this brew. Medium body, oily texture, fizzy carbonation. Way too much carbonation. The bottom line is: is the water from the Thames still flammable?

I agree with beermatrix 100%, can't say it any better. I would add that 5.5% isn't what I would call a "strong ale" and there are none of the ester and higher alcohol that I equate with high gravity brewing. This is a British pale ale with a decent bitterness and nice hop aromas. There is a lingering sweetness with nice creamy mouthfeel that I really like. I can't remember how much I paid, but I know this one wasn't cheap. Very decent beer though. I'm going to culture up the yeast and see what turns up!