King Henry II
Goose Island Beer Co.

Home (Chicago, Illinois) 5/31/26. Bottle & Packaging Notes: Grifted by my brother Andrew on April 30, 2026. Refrigerated until opening this morning. 16.9 oz, bottled August 25, 2025 @10:14 AM. 13.5% ABV. Limited Release MMXXV King Henry II, Barrel-Aged Barleywine aged in bourbon barrels that held Bourbon County Brand Rare Stout.

2022 Bourbon County Brand Rare Stout. A bold imperial rye stout. Was laid to rest in not one, but two sets of Regal Bourbon Barrels. At Goose Island, we use bourbon barrels only once for Bourbon County Stout, but experience has taught us those barrels still have more to give. Back in 2011, we released King Henry - a beer that inspired a creation of this latest evolution: a barrel-aged English-style Barleywine.

When we emptied the barrels that once held Bourbon County Rare, we immediately refilled them with a decadent English-style Barleywine. Over the course of a full year, the beer absorbed the deep flavors of the barrel and the lingering chocolate richness of the Rare stout that came before it.

After twelve months in those storied casks, King Henry II emerged with layers of rich malt character, evoking notes of crème brûlée with toasty sweetness—an opulent expression truly worthy of its name.

Appearance: Dark ruby brown bronze base, tan white creamy head leaves thin cover over the center of the base and a creamy rich ring around the rim. 4.25

Aroma: Let this warm for about twenty minutes. Mild aroma strength. Getting raisins, dates, brown sugar, toffee and caramel. Enticing, give me more! 4.00

Taste: Strong flavor strength, consistent with the aroma. Sweet raisins, toffee and caramel, toffee, dates, figs, brown sugar, bread pudding dark cherries. What a wonderful bouquet of flavor! Bourbon barrels very smooth, really adds to the experience without overwhelming. 5.0

Mouthfeel: Leans sweet, but not overly like I find some English Barleywines. Really enjoy the balance. Strong from go, perhaps a bit higher than the 13.5% ABV. Sustained prickly carbonation adds depth to the sticky full body. Lightly dry, caramel, toffee bread pudding finish. 5.0

Overall: Just a wonderful experience. Slowly enjoyed, definitely let this warm for full flavor experience. First stab at King Henry. This is an excellent selection, and exceeded my high expectations. Worth a splurge to share on a special occasion with barleywine lovers. This is perhaps the best English Barleywine experience for me, even over my love of straight jacket. Thank you Andrew for this awesome experience! 5.0

5/31/26 NBS #1110 (NBW #306), WBAYDN #4972.

 

 

Goose Island King Henry II BBA English Barleywine, 13.5% AV. Pours deep brown, with a one-finger beige head that left no lacing. Aroma is caramel/toffee and bourbon. Taste follows, plus a bit of chocolate, slightly sweet, slightly bitter. Excellent smooth mouthfeel, overall world-class. One of the best and smoothest BBA English Barleywines I've had.

 

 

Had on tap. After infamously not purchasing King Henry I years ago because I didn't know what a barleywine was, I was very pleased to have this moment of redemption! Pitch brown opaque pour with a lighter brown head. Getting rich barrels loaded with molasses and toffee leading the barley, caramel malt, and dark fruits in the nose. Taste adds chocolate and brown sugar accents, wood part of barrel not as obvious as it was in the nose. Feel is rich and full, with boozy warmth, toasty oak, and drying barley emerging from the sweet malt base. Really enjoyed this one, don't know if it met the extreme hype, but memorable and wonderful nonetheless

Pours mahogany brown and settles a dark mahogany brown that edges towards black and features a foamy dark khaki head that lingers for a bit. Gorgeous BA English barleywine.

The nose is led by a big oaky aroma that carries some booze, gliding into a rich caramel and chocolate note, with some dark cherries in the background.

The rich caramel and chocolate flavors are forward on the taste and so delicious, with the dark cherries following, and the oak and booze serenading everything on the finish, with a nice alcohol warming. Wow. Just wow.

The mouthfeel is full and very oily and creamy, coating the palate. This is a magnificent BA English barleywine that is truly a pleasure to savor.