King Goblin - Wychwood Brewery Company Ltd

bryehn

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep ruby colour with amber highlights and a fluffy tan coloured root beer-esque head that gets retained as a thin collar and leaves spotty lacing.

Sweet, toasted caramel malts, a light, grape-like fruit note that's reminiscent of wine. Light chocolate, fresh grains and pungent floral hops.

Fruits, malts, bread and a peppery tone make up the taste. Bitter at the start and at the finish.

Slightly heavy and malty overall, but still pops over the tongue. The aftertaste is dry with a bitter chocolate tone. Very clean.

Yet another quality product from Wychwood and one of the best English ales I've had in a while. Took me two just to BA. Ironically, the others I've really liked lately have been Goliath and Wychcraft.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 22:40:18 | More by bryehn

GabesAles

Ontario (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer had decent head retention, decent lacing and good mouthfeel - nice brown color, a nice hop profile both on bitterness and taste/aroma. Good bold taste and well balanced. I quite enjoyed this one, and would buy this again, overall: another nice product from Wychwood

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 19:33:22 | More by GabesAles

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured in to tulip glass.

A - Medium ruby/brown colour with half a finger of bubbly cream coloured head.

S - Grainy/bready aroma dominates the nose with some caramel and a light hop presence.

T - Bready notes dominate; sweet caramel and a slight hop bitterness in the finish.

M - Light to medium body with a slight chew. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 14:35:49 | More by TheSevenDuffs

shamus

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This appears to be a pumped up Hobgoblin. It's labelled "Special Reserve" and has 6.6% alcohol per volume. It looks good in the glass with lots of carbonation and fuzzy head. kind of looks like a cola in fact. The taste however is nothing to get excited about. it's fine. It has a chalky texture on the palette. It's a big bottle so there's a lot here but I wouldn't seek this one out again.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 13:48:26 | More by shamus

wvsabbath

West Virginia

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Serving Type - 16.9 oz bottle

Appearance - Copper tan/brown, creamy 1 inch head, nice lacing.

Smell - Malts, yeast, bready/buttery. Some sugars and dark fruits come out also.

Taste - Very smooth and malty, buttery, with some fig/plum flavor at the end. Malts are roasted, and nutty. Yeast and some hops add flavor, and some slight bitterness. Sugars actually mellow this drink out.

Mouthfeel - Very mild on the mouth, coats tounge with malts, butter, and a little fruit. Palette gets some sugars and a little hop kick at the end.

Overall - Very drinkiable and tasty. Totally what you look for and expect in a english ale. This beer drinks like a 3.5-4% alcohol Level. If you enjoy hobgoblin you will love this.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 22:33:23 | More by wvsabbath

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear copper colour, 1.5 fingers of dense tan/off white head, lots of lace left on the glass. Smeel is biscuity and malty up front, fairly hoppy in the nose, lemon, citrus fruit, some pie crust like scents as well. Taste is a little sweet up front, caramel and toffe, bread/biscuit flavours, moderate bitterness with nice citrus notes in the finish. Light to med carbonation,creamy and full body, nice weight. This was quite good, it definitley won me over as I kept drinking, one of the better offerings from Wychwood.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 12:13:46 | More by peensteen

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Halloween release at the lcbo

A- Ruby red with a touch of hazelnut. Three finger foamy off white head. Lacing is minimal.

S- Sweet malts, fresh baked bread, slight fig and dates. Subtle vanilla with a touch cinnamon.

T- Roasted malts are sweet and bready. Dates and a slight woody taste.

M- Medium bodied, sticky on the with a lingering aftertaste.

O- I've always enjoyed Hobgoblin as an occasional treat and this one is an even better treat.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 23:29:09 | More by korguy123

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I really like the standard Hobgoblin ale, been drinking these ales since I lived in California back in 2001. Pours a deep ruby chestnut amber with a light khaki head, forms thick nicely retained head dwindling slow leaving behind speckled lacing with each sip. Aroma has a nice rolling fruitiness rich malt character with a touch of caramel and dark fruit with hint of a vinous/tart white grape character. Flavor is pretty dry a herbal tea earthy herbal hop character going through with each sip, moderate dark roasted malt character. A nice balanced beer not overtly sweet or one dimensional in anyway which makes for a nice fall beer. Pretty boozey for an English ale, compared to other fall seasonal ales. Again easy to drain the 500 ml bottle and completely enjoyable, my kind of English ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 00:12:59 | More by WVbeergeek

TheBigBoy

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Split a 22oz. Another winner from Wychwood Brewery. Similar to the staple HobGoblin from Wychwood with a bit more flavor and kick. I actually enjoyed this more than a HobGoblin but certainly this one is a beer that might get a bit much after one or two bottles. While English Beers are not my thing, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Give this one a shot as well as the other fine beers from Wychwood Brewery. You'll be glad you did.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 03:18:09 | More by TheBigBoy

UCLABrewN84

California

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear amber color with a 1 inch puffy beige head that settles to a thin cap. Random streaks of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of sweet malt, unidentifiable fruits, citrus zest, and an alcohol zing. Taste is of sweet malt, citrus and other types of fruits, and a bitter hop finish. The bitterness is very dry and lingers on the palate after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a clean and dry finish. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with an unexpected fruity flavor. However, the bitterness on this one doesn't sit well with me.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 02:15:00 | More by UCLABrewN84

OutFox

New York

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Found this at a beer store deep in Brooklyn. Didnt know it existed. I love the Hobgoblin so trying the King Goblin was a must. Only brewed on a full moon which I find pretty cool.

A- Poured into a Harpoon Pint glass for lack of better glassware (all in dishwasher). Medium amber color. Dark white head with minimal/no retention or lacing but could be my fault for inappropriate glassware.

S- Sweet roasted malt off the bat. Definate candied sugar notes. Smells almost creamy and I enjoy that.

T- Sweet caramel malt notes with a hints of candied sugar and almost a undefined creaminess that I enjoy. Lingers on the palate for a good amount of time (havent had a sip in like 2 minutes but definately can still enjoy those creamy candied sugar notes).

M- Very nice. I like the medium to heavy bodiedness that the cream feel imparts on the tongue.

O- Its my fifth or sixth beer of the night so my description is probably a little lacking. I enjoyed finding this and enjoyed drinking it. Well balanced but it can be a little overly sweet at times. Good beer. Glad I found it. Another good offering from Wychwood.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 01:06:02 | More by OutFox

Brewski4Drewski

South Carolina

3.35/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into Houblon Chouffe tulip.
A: pours light brown almost red with a reddish hue...2 finger off white head...carbonation

S: sweet smelling and a little zesty maybe, soft alcohol tones, mildly malty not like the original.

T: sweet...maybe fruity, slight hop presence, mild alcohol, nice and smooth not bad. English fa sho.

M: Medium bodied and smooth, stayed carbonated throughout

O: King Goblin is only brewed on a full moon so yeh, its kinda cool. A notch above 6.5 this King can cut loose. Not as malty as its subordinate and a nice change up from the Hobgoblin, but personally I'll let the King have his swill and drink with the grunts.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 18:41:55 | More by Brewski4Drewski

chefelf

New York

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a reddish brown with not much head. This really reminded me a lot of their Hobgoblin ale just with more hops. It had a nice malty flavor and was quite enjoyable. At 6.6% ABV it did not have a very heavy alcohol taste at all.

A very nice English brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 17:29:14 | More by chefelf

welldigger888

South Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

poured a golden copper hue with a nice tan head and ample lacing.

Malty and a hint of buttery with minamal hop aroma.

SMOOTH and well worth the drink, buttery smooth with a nice maltiness that reminds of butterscotch goodness.

Well this elixer is very much the standard, creamy and smooth with a very drinkable side.

I like this English Swill.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 02:13:31 | More by welldigger888

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a chalice)

A- This beer has a crystal clear deep garnet red body with a thick bubbly cream tan head and a slow carbonation pushing to the surface.

S- The rich aroma of crystal malt has a strong shampoo quality with some dark pot caramel that gets softer as the beer opens.

T- The mellow smooth soft malt has some dry toffee note with a woody quality and a green hop note in the finish. There is a yeasty character in the finish. There is a green bitterness that lingers after the finish.

M- The medium-full mouthfeel has a creamy texture and no alcohol heat noticed.

O- This beer is very mellow with some soft dry malt and soft hops, being mostly bitterness. There is an odd character in the aroma and the taste that could be age or ringwood yeast it is slightly vinous aswell, but because the beer is so soft that flavor sticks out.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 20:47:23 | More by rhoadsrage

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.6/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Review adapted from notes taken 4/3/11

Appearance: Copper color, very clear, excellent foamy white head that sticks around for a while - nice lacing, too

Smell: Very English, to say the least - dry malts, hard water minerality, some roastiness

Taste: Good, not particularly special - very earthy and dry, kind of like licking a rock - very dry biscuit, an interesting herbal hoppiness - some bitterness, some roasted flavors

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, nicely carbonated, smooth

Overall: Good, not great

This beer was really more of an English Pale Ale than a strong ale. And for that style, it was about average. I will always remember this beer for it's name, which should obviously be "David Bowie, the Goblin King." Yup.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 18:36:11 | More by angrybabboon

endincolorado

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The appearance is of a clear, beautiful, ruby-amber with rising bubbles and a nice, foamy cream-white head that settles slowly.

Aroma is one of welcome roasted malt, reminiscent of crusty baked bread with strong notes of caramel and ripe fruit. Some faint bitterness is noticed in back, as well as a slight hint of alcohol.

I cant help but take a huge mouthful of this beer, and upon doing so, I find the hops to be more prominent than expected. This bitterness is delivered alongside a pleasant, sweet plum-like flavor of malts (as well as that breadiness). There's also a very faint phenolic flavor- or maybe I'm just tasting the alcohol.

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with a nice creaminess from the carbonation.

This is a drinkable beer. The flavors are balanced and not overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 23:59:48 | More by endincolorado

BDTyre

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An amped up version of Hobgoblin. Copper colour with a cream coloured head. Sweet caramel, Ovaltine and biscuits. Low, fruity hops.

Sweet, malty taste. Light metallic taste hidden in there. Banana, milk chocolate and even apple are hiding in there. Quite nice - well balanced. Complex but not overly rich.

The carbonation could stand to be a bit less, but its not entirely out of style. A nice, richer version of the Wychwood classic and one of their better beers.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 04:56:53 | More by BDTyre

avalon07

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a copper color and a clear consistency. There was an inch and a half of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Very good lacing.

S: A very malty aroma, with traces of toffee and hops as well.

T: Tasted of malt more than anything else, but also had toffee, hops, a nutty quality, and a slight spiciness. An interesting flavor, that was more complex than I expected.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is one of Wychwood's better efforts. A very solid, drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 12:09:43 | More by avalon07

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Malty rich yet highly drinkable, Wychwood's scaled up version of Hobgoblin puts this classy brown ale's body and boldness on par with today's advanced American brown ales.

Pouring a very clear and solid brown color, the beer allows for ruby highlights and heightened visual weight. Dense off white foam tops the glass in a most creamy appearance. Light lace adorns the glass wall. This is one handsome beer.

Moderate aromas seem light compared to what's expected in taste. Chocolate, toffee, nuttiness, light woods, spicy earthiness, subtle fruitiness, and malted milk work into the aromatic mix with a meldedness and maturity that's inviting and almost seductive.

Very malt and richly flavored with medium toast, light coffeeish roast, deeply caramelized toffee, walnuts, bark, mild cherry and apple esters, and a balance of earthy spice from hops fade from mid palate to clean bitterness late. Flavors which are rich early seem to mellow into a true malted finish with grassy bitterness that linger into the aftertaste.

Creamy and robust with just enough carbonation to accent the fullness in texture. But with the all the flavors that swirl across the mid palate, the beer lightenes and leaves much of it's complexity and weight at the mid portion of the taste and only allow for a semi-dry maltiness, crisp hop dryness, and mild alcohol evaporative warmth to finish the beer. The beer marches wonderfully from sip to finish.

With a mere 6.6% abv., the beer is much more akin to a more robust English brown ale than Southern browns usually exhibit, but as the trend upwards in gravity, strength, and flavor continue, perhaps this is the new stride in English browns. ...and Wychwood can say that they were there first.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 15:47:54 | More by BEERchitect

tapman

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Medium brown-red color with a creamy off-white head @ 1.5 fingers. My description doesn't do it justice.

Light, sweet toffee in the nose with a little caramel. Hops are floral and a little bit of dried mint. Not outstanding, but sweet and clean and pleasant.

Thinner than in the nose. Bitterness is relatively strong, which isn't that strong, and the taste is the same as the nose, but less. Caramel is barely clinging on and there is a really big pale malt/ marris otter flavor in place of the deeper notes I was picking up in the nose.

A little dry.

All right, I guess.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2011 01:41:05 | More by tapman

beergod1

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours clear dark amber with an off white head. Some lacing all the down the glass. It smells of toasted malt with caramel and a light chocolate characteristic. The flavor is sweet, roasted caramel malt with good balancing bitterness. It finishes with some toasty, toffee accented bitterness. This brew is quite enjoyable. Smooth, just a hint of Alcohol on the back end. It's been some time since I had a Hob Goblin, it's time to compare it to it's big brother.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 23:50:03 | More by beergod1

Heischman

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

King Goblin - Wychwood Brewery Company
United Kingdom (England)
STYLE – ESB
ABV – 6.6
IBU - ??

DATE – 30 MAY 2011
SERVING TYPE – 500 ml. Bottle
GLASSWARE – English Pint

APPEARANCE – Cherry Kool Aid Red and clear, Nice cascading Head when first poured. The head dissipates at an average pace, but stays at about ¼ inch. Nice lacing
AROMA- The aroma is very faint. I smell a little roasted malts but that is about it.
TASTE – Nice roasted malt flavor, but nothing over powering. Has a fruity note on the back of the tongue
MOUTHFEEL – Carbonation stays with the beer through the whole glass. Not to carbonated though. At first there is kind a silkiness’ as well.
CONCLUSION – Not a bad beer, I like the Hobgoblin better. I would drink and buy this beer again.

-JH-

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 15:32:46 | More by Heischman

ILessThan3Brett

California

3.65/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into tulip. Dark copper color. Two-finger head gradually recedes to a healthy amount of lacing. Very mild malt toast nose.

This is an excellent representative of the ESB style, but it isn't unique enough for me to go out of my way to find it again. I tasted it in comparison with similar-tasting Fuller's London Pride, and King Goblin is definitely the better beer, but not by a ton. It seems a little pointless for me to describe the characteristics of King Goblin because I'd just be parroting descriptions of the English ESB style. It does have good mouthfeel, good carbonation. Tastes malty, toasty, a bit solvent. This is is a good ESB and it won't jump out and surprise you either positively or negatively.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2011 04:07:58 | More by ILessThan3Brett

daliandragon

North Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this a few weeks back when I visited my buddy Nate in Dayton, Ohio. I picked this up at Papa Joe's Payless Liquors in Richmond, Indiana. I am a big Hobgoblin fan and had never seen this before so I had a mild freakout in the store. I haven't seen it since either. Review conducted from notes.

Color is an even brown with roasty red highlights (I realize that sounds stupid, but that's what I wrote). No lace and lots of visible carbonation. The smell is bubblegum over a vague graininess and some late bitterness.

Features a mature, full bodied flavor and aftertaste but has too much carbonation, especially at the outset. Light in texture and easy drinking. Complex with nice balance. A well crafted heir to the Hobgoblin throne.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 03:14:34 | More by daliandragon