Hobgoblin - Wychwood Brewery Company Ltd

Arno

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this before on tap and it's even better then the bottle. But still, this is a very interesting, tastefull and uncommon beer.

appearance: Amber/Red. Cream colored foam head. Not much visible carbonation.

smell: Roasted malts, caramel and dried fruits - like figs, raisins and abricot. With a slight citrus finish in the nose.

Taste: Caramel, hint of abricot, figs, nuts and citrus. Smooth, slightly creamy and not overly sweet. Has a dry, spicy but smooth citric bitter finish.

mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Bit creamy. Light to medium carbonation. Dry finish.

overall: I have to say. I fell in love with this beer from my local pub on tap. It's a bit more light, fresh and an excellent summer beer. From the bottle it's a bit more strong and flavored - and not as good. It has more spice and bitterness to it. I do prefer the tap version, but it's still a very interesting and tasteful beer. I can't really come up with a beer that's like this one. It has some odd flavor combinations. Especially the more caramel / nutty / creamy / dried fruit combo together with some sort of citrus / citric freshness and spicy bitterness.

From tap i'd easily give this one a 5.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 22:46:28 | More by Arno

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Reddish/amber color with low to moderate carbonation visible. A light lace and a wispy hurricane pattern ontop.

S - Light caramel notes and toffee sweetness. Some fruit sweetness and nutty bitter scents.

T - Very rich and smooth flavors. Nutty and dry, sweet and smooth, malty and buttery. Toffee and grains swirling around with a pleasantly light sweet aftertaste. A hint of chocolate or carob but the malt and nutty flavors shine.

M - Smooth and soft on the palate, with some refreshing soft carbonation. Smooth finish, a tad dry.

O - Balanced and flavorful, yet crisp and refreshing. Highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 21:49:14 | More by BeerForMuscle

bark

Sweden

2.8/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The colour is mahogany brown, the liquid clear. The finger thick head is beige. Some lacing occurs.

The smell is loaded with caramel, but also a slight hint of vegetables. Medium strong somewhat metallic bitterness. It is rather sweet, but at the same balanced.

The taste starts off with caramel and toffee and a bitterness with metallic hints. Medium body. The aftertaste is sweet with some bitter and vegetable notes. Apricot jam and smooth bitter notes in the finish.

The carbonation is medium strong, the liquid is a bit sticky.

Apart from the metal bitterness, this is a pleasant ale. A bit too malt-heavy, perhaps.

Serving type: on-tap

05-28-2012 20:00:57 | More by bark

jtierney89

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep ruby color semi hazy. Off white head. Chocolate covered rum raisin on the nose with some roasted caramel and toffee.

Creamy mouthfeel. Flavors similar to the nose with extra roast. Hop bitterness comes in to dry things out. Nice sweet malty hop bitter play back and forth. Pretty good. Touch of smoke, is there smoked malt in this? Classic English hop presence paired with a big complex malt character. Slightly detectable alcohol which is strange for 5.2 but the beer itself is pretty nice. Maybe too complex for such a small beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 02:10:17 | More by jtierney89

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle poured into a 20oz nonic. My first ESB!

A - This brew pours a hazy, dark amber-ruby color with pillowy, off-white head of bubbles. Head recedes to a thin cap, but leaves minimal lacing at best. Disappointing appearance, but the bottle/label are fantastic, and I love it when breweries take the time to do individual cap designs for each beer they brew.

S - The aroma comprises of dark, bready caramel malt, with distinct notes of cherry and anise coming through. It's got a real kick of spices to it that appeals to me, with a rich sweetness that balances it out really well. Dark dried fruits add to the fruitiness, with figs and raisins upfront. It's got malty notes, it's got fruity notes, it's got spice, it's got sweetness, it's got floral aromas, and overall it's got me really intrigued. I wasn't expecting much based on this beers ratings, but this is both complex and unique.

T - Unfortunately for this brew, the aroma doesn't quite transition to the flavor. While much of the more prominent characteristics from the aroma still show up here, it lacks the complexity and uniqueness that made the smell so great. The rich caramel malt lays down a bed of toasty, bready, and mildly sweet flavors for the spices and fruits to be showcased on. The anise/licorice still comes through, but doesn't pack the punch I thought it would. Figs, raisins, and mild cherry notes make up the prominent fruitiness. Finishes with a meld of sweet spices and subtle earthy hops. Aftertaste is diacetyl, lingering dark fruits, mild alcohol, and tasty spice.

M - It has the weight of a medium bodied beer, but somehow feels lighter than that. Smooth, mild carbonation throughout. Drinkable and surprisingly refreshing, but could use more bitterness or spiciness to up the flavor/feel here.

D - Overall I enjoyed my first ESB, although I'm not sure how well a representation this beer is of the style anyways. From a general standpoint, this was a good beer, but not quite what I was hoping. The complex aroma had me ready to dive into this one, but what I got was a malt-forward ale with moderate complexity and flavor, but not quite so to make it an overly memorable brew. Still, this gave me a unique character of malt, spice, and sweet all melded together in way that doesn't make me feel like I've had a beer just like it before.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 07:32:33 | More by Converge

ByMySword

4.08/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Appearance: This beer looked great. It featured a dark reddish brown color that permeated the entire glass. It poured well with a distinctive head that preserved every nuance of the bear. No carbonation was really seen as it sat in the glass. The beer was extremely cloudy.

Smell: The smell was unique but very faint, possibly due to a prominent head.

Taste: The taste of this beer was phenomenal. The spices used are a mystery to me, but whatever they were using, they need to keep it up. It was a thoroughly enjoyable kick to my tastebuds which evoked memories of the fall season. Its no wonder the brewing company takes inspiration from goblins and witches.

Mouthfeel: Despite the appearance of the beers thickness, it was surprisingly thirst quenching, but not at all watery. The carbonation was set at a perfect level which complimented the texture of the brew very well.

Overall: This beer was a welcome addition to my drink list. A little more evidence of hops would have been nice, but for what it was, I was happy. Despite its lower alcohol content, this beer definitely does not sacrifice any quality in taste. I will definitely drink this brew again.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 01:56:01 | More by ByMySword

vonnegut21

New York

3.7/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep brown with two fingers of faint brown head. Smell is mild, with slight notes of roasted malt. The first sip is bready. Malt and toffee. Very minor hop presence. Definitely a dark and relatively un-bitter example of the style. Still, it's certainly enjoyable to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 01:25:43 | More by vonnegut21

Intrinsic

Quebec (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

What a beautiful colour of browish-red this beer is. Top-notch. The head disappears too quickly and there's no lacing at all, but the colour....
The smell - Floral floral floral. Some fruit as well. Not much else, but man is it ever nice. Taste is pretty much the same but adds a very nice malt experience - complimented very well by the bitter hops. What kind of flower am I drinking exactly?
Quite dry, slightly creamy. Overall, a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 00:40:26 | More by Intrinsic

soulfly1492

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Aroma: Mild chocolate and caramel malts. Mild floral hops. Some diacetyl, wonder how old this bottle is. Residual sugar, syrupy.

Appearance: Dark brown, not opaque. Looks like deep copper when held p to light. Head is small and light brown. Good retention, no lacing.

Taste: Chocolate malt, very worty. Moderate crystal malt. some diacetyl. Mild floral and slightly funky hops.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body. The finish is quite dry. Very mild carbonation.

Overall: Nice dark ale. The age of this bottle might have been a factor here, a freshness date would be nice. This is exactly why I used to strictly avoid imports in general.

Drank on 5/5/2012.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 00:09:31 | More by soulfly1492

TempeBeerMan

Arizona

3.2/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a nonic pint.

A – Pours a clear chestnut brown with a one-finger head of off-white bubbles with solid retention. Patchy lacing.

S – Skunky musty hops and nutty, caramel malt. However, not nearly as bad as that description probably sounds. Smells like an old, wet, English cellar.

T – Big caramel malt presence, followed by funky almost vegetal hops (I am reminded of celery). HUGE diacetyl taste in the mid palate, brining a taste somewhat akin to artificial movie theatre butter. Hard mineral finish, which lingers on the tongue.

M – Here’s where this beer fails miserably. It’s extremely watery. In fact, water might not be this watery.

O – Reading all the comments above this must be a terrible beer, right? Not exactly. “Different” and “weird” are probably better descriptions. Oddly charming. Definitely nothing out there quite like it. I must say its big brother “King Goblin” is far superior (mainly by way of being far less watery). This one is not something I would buy regularly when having a taste for English ale, as it’s just a little too bizarre and “off” for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 03:21:45 | More by TempeBeerMan

julian89

Georgia

3.4/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

4/19/2012

Appearance:Dark earth brown with a low head and hardly any carbonation. Opaque.

Smell: Very sweet brown sugar, plum, raisins, and a dark malt smell. No alcohol smell. Very nice.

Taste: So sweet and strong raisin taste. Alcohol is minimal to none. It has a roasted nut taste.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Mild carbonation. Very watery finish.

Drinkability: Not much to it, decent, but watery finish.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 17:48:16 | More by julian89

ckollias

Maryland

4.23/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this 500ml bottle out of a large snifter glass.

A: Pours a clear brownish-amber hue with a thin white head that quickly dissipates into a wispy lace leaving a nice trail down the glass.

S: Strong sweet malty aroma with hints of chocolate and toffee.

T: Smooth flavor that is both sweet and bitter. Great malt background composed of chocolate and some toffee and a slight fruity finish.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Excellent ESB – very smooth with great flavors and aromas. Would grab this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 03:45:17 | More by ckollias

cervezango

Bolivia

3.48/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

good alcohol balance for a bitter, very nature in taste and in smell, a bit of mintyness in the taste and a wine type burn in the after taste, hops are present of course as it is a esb style ale, but there not attacking as they should be.
i would pick the fullers ESB of this and day of the week, its got more hops balls as well.

saying that this is a classic and goos bitter, and i understand why its so popular.

i drank this beer a couple weeks ago and it was good but didnt really stand out too much for how popular it is.

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2012 22:52:13 | More by cervezango

BarryMFBurton

Indiana

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Hobgoblin? What is this crazy brew? All I know is that the strange name and bottle shape of this one have been staring me in the face ever since I walked past the import cooler at the local bottle shop. Here’s to random beer purchases!

Brewed anywhere from four to fifteen months before the date of this tasting, but that’s all I know.

A: Dark brownish-red, shining with a red-orange hue in the right light; I like the color here. There’s not much of a head, but what does show up is a fast-dissolving inch or so of off-white fizz. Nice strings of lacing, though there isn’t much retention apart from a ring around the edge of the body.

S: Damn, those are some rich caramel and toffee aromas; smells like someone’s making fresh butterscotch candy. Dark, grainy malts come in and rattle the cage a bit, but their straw and spiced plum aromas don’t get too far past the natural sugars at the front end. A little bit of strawberry shortcake scents come through in the end, but not for long.

T: If I had to describe this palate in a single word, I’d say “natural.” The starting flavors are a smooth, caramel malt, toasted in a smoky, bready, and peaty way – exactly what you’d expect if you just took a bite of some roasted barley. The only problem is that the flavors aren’t very pronounced, though I expected that for this style. Still, it’s a perfect transition into the bitters of this palate: natural, again, giving off a full-on orange and lemon rind character. Ends on a bit of a metallic note, but with a main aftertaste of banana, brown sugar, and light char.

M: Very light, so much so that it’s almost too watery at first. Soon after, though, it leaves a sticky-smooth residue on the tongue that’s much more satisfying.

O: This is a definitely a dark representation of the ESB style, though it has its light, hoppy moments. The roast and fruit peel flavor combo definitely wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was a tasty surprise. At any rate, pick this one up if you’re a fan of easy-drinking malt flavor, because that’s the overall showcase taste of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 02:01:18 | More by BarryMFBurton

scratch69

Missouri

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I poured a bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance- Dark amber color with two fingers worth of off white head. Fair amount of lacing.

Smell- Faint aroma of sweet malt and toffee. Just a hint of hops.

Taste- Malty with notes of toffee and bread with a slightly bitter finish. Nicely balanced.

Mouthfeel- Smooth, crisp, medium bodied brew. High amount of carbonation.

Overall- A nice, easy drinking brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 20:40:21 | More by scratch69

killianf

4.3/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle into pint glass

A: Pours a crystal clear ruby red with a 3 finger bubbly off-white head. Retains a film all the way down with good lacing. Very attractive held up to light! Initially a lot of carbonation.

S: Toffee sweet aromas, chocolatey notes, deep and rich dark fruity smells, malty. Complex and inviting.

T: Toffee and fruit dominate the first sup. It's a slightly sweet beer with a nice bitter finish. Malty flavours are also present, and the aftertaste carries some nice fruit.

M: Full bodied, with carbonation tickling the tongue. Very smooth and drinkable.

Overall: This is the second time I've tried this beer, and the first time I wasn't hugely impressed. However, I was completely new to the style then and was still training my palette. I now think this is one of my favourite beers. Very very enjoyable, really a lovely pint. Complex and full of nice flavours, and totally drinkable. Would highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 20:44:35 | More by killianf

TheSixthRing

California

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a semi-clear dark ruby amber, with a decent finger width head, giving way to a decent, somewhat sticky lacing.

Smell - A fair amount of clean, sweet malty aroma. Toffee and caramel. A bit of hop as well. Decent, but not a strong impression on the nose.

Taste - A particularly sweet caramel and toffee feel to start, quickly offset by an earthy, anise-like bitter hop to finish.

Mouthfeel - Fairly light body, carbonation is about right.

Overall - Classically English, this one, for me, is a treat every other year or so. The mouthfeel isn't all that great, but there's just enough to keep me coming back every now and again. And a name like Hobgoblin with the bottle presentation? Pure awesome.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 05:23:57 | More by TheSixthRing

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3.13/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle poured into a pint glass

A: Pours a caramel copper with so much sediment it almost settles into a solid. Creme colored foam settles on top with medium sized bubbles.

S: Aroma is intensely sweet with honey and malty syrup, hints of toffee and chewy caramel candy also swim around in there.

T/M: Carbonation is not aggressive at all which accentuates the malty sweetness. Some balancing bitterness emerges through the overly sweet malt and settles into a sort of metallic twang for a bit near the end. Aftertaste is more lingering malty sweetness and just a hint of bitter hoppiness; it's pretty sweet but light enough to be quaffable.

This is surprisingly dry on the tongue, great if you're a fan of American ambers, the metallic twang kind of turns it off for me.

TheBeerAlmanac.com

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 22:44:46 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

BraveGator

Georgia

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pretty translucent brown and red body and modestly creamy head draws entices me to smell

S: Malty caramel smell with slight sweetness from the head

T: Moderately bitter in the malty flavor matched the translucent body, resonating aftertaste

M: Light malty feel to the toungue, not heavy at all

Overall satisfied with this light body malt. Has the expected malt taste and feel, pleasant to look at in glass.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 02:20:20 | More by BraveGator

Rijtjeshuis

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Look ~ pours a deep coppery to ruby color. the head is decent: it comes up about two or three fingers, is cream colored, and falls at a usual pace with some decent lacing. clarity is very good with some nice visible carbonation.

Smell ~ overall, pretty good. it had a nice balance of hops and malts, though i'd characterize both as in the moderately-low range. the malt is pretty standard for the style (light, crystal, and some dark malt) and not too complex. hops are of the earthier english varieties (though i can't really identify it). some nice fruity esters round out the finish.

Taste ~ good, well-balanced, flavor. a little richer than what i got off the nose, although the character is more or less the same. the malt isn't too complex, but has a decent depth between primary malts (bread-like) and secondary malts (very light caramel, some chocolate/coffee). the malt is balanced nicely by a prominent earthy hops with a hip of floral in there. a bit of fruitiness on the finish.

Feel ~ medium-full body with moderately low carbonation. no alcohol warmth. nice mouth-coating feel.

I'm a big fan of this one. while it's not as complex and deep as Fuller's ESB, it achieves a great balance between hops and malt with some nice fruity esters in there that round out the flavor well. great sessionability.

I had this with some great english fare like yorkshire pudding, lancashire hotpot, and shepard's pie.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 22:28:12 | More by Rijtjeshuis

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A bottle into a Hobgoblin glass from a tin can gift set thing.

A nice hiss from the bottle, Hobgoblin spouts out a ruddy colored pond water brown and a off shade of white on a inch of head that fades quick. A ring around the glass and minor streaks.

Smell is very one demensional, pretty much toasted malt, caramel, and malt. That's about it. Malt.

Taste is very one demensional, pretty much toasted malt, caramel, and malt. That's about it. Malt.

Feel is smooth and luscious, no bitterness at all, sweet, yet not cloying. Aftertaste is minimal and not lasting.

This beer is simple. It packs in the malt, the caramel and if that's your thing, you will probably love this. While im not all that thrilled with this, it's not offensive, and well made. Im glad I got a fresh bottle. Why do they call this a ESB?

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 05:19:06 | More by onix1agr

spamages

Michigan

3.65/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Old bottle, probably decently aged.

Aroma: Sweet and fruity, hints of plum. No hop aroma.

Mouthfeel: Fairly thin

Taste: Not very bitter. Lightly sweet caramel, plum, a bit sweet. Hint of chocolate on the back end.

Fairly enjoyable and easy drinking. I'd like to find a fresher bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 14:56:07 | More by spamages

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle into a pint glass.

Brassy, almost light-brown body with great clarity. Sparkly, foamy head of one-finger's width, a little darker than bone.

Metallic caramel malts with some burnt sugar aroma. Zesty citrus hop aroma with that muddled, earthy English vibe. Not much hop potency or bitterness implied from the smell.

Malty and somewhat musty. Still some metallic notes. The hops are nearly dead. Not sure if I got an old bottle. The steely quality is mostly in the backend, where it doesn't finish entirely bitter. Still some citric peel flash upon quaffing. A very round baked bread quality. Nice crispness from a darker brew. Mild and easy. The tiniest bit of booze in the finish.

Great mouthfeel. Popping bubbles in the mouth after the initial first take-in smoothness. Milky and bitter.

I forgot how easy this beer drinks. It's an easy five-minute downer. Nice character, and incredibly balanced. Could use a little more hop punctuality. I'm gonna recommend this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 02:53:43 | More by thecheapies

obywan59

Virginia

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a crystal clear light amber with a light tan head of 2 1/2 fingers. Moderate lacing.

The nose is rich in caramel and toasted malt. It's a bit chocolatey.

The taste starts out sweet with a hint of chocolate, but then I get substantial grapefruit-like tartness, almost metallic at first. Some light bitterness rises in the end.

The feel is moderately light, with peppery tingle on the tongue, followed by light stickiness, with faint warming in the throat.

This beer grew on me. I liked it much better in the end than at first.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 02:30:59 | More by obywan59

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

2.2/5  rDev -41.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

11.2oz bottle to pint glass. No date or ABV indicated on the bottle. Sampled 10/29/11.

A: Pours with 2 fingers of a semi-dense foamy head with big bubbles on top. Light brown in color and long lasting. Persistent collar. Good lacing in straggley layers. The body is medium brown with amber tints and 70% opacity.

S: Malt bill puts out toasted aromas of cookie, caramel and restrained chocolate. Light toffee accents. The English Fuggles and Styrian Goldings add little to the aroma.

T: Light brown sugary sweetness mixed with toffee and butter. Light hop spiciness and traces of cardboard. Neutral yeast.

M: Light body with thin but creamy texture. Carbonation is on the softer side of average.

O: Drinks like a sub 5% beer. Decent and definitely not offensive, but not thought-provoking either.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 16:21:34 | More by FeDUBBELFIST