Black Wych - Wychwood Brewery Company Ltd

allergictomacros

Ontario (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - Dark of course. The colour of coke maybe - not jet black, but a dark, dark red-brown. Good thick tan head. Lots of lacing.

S - Mostly burnt/toasted grain. A bit of a dark seaweed smell and alcohol.

T - Rich and bitter. Roasty malts and a hop kick at the end.

M - Just OK. Not as creamy or thick as some other stouts.

D - Medium. Stouts aren't something I knock back a lot of, and there's nothing special about this one that would make me want to.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2006 23:51:25 | More by allergictomacros

Bix

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +22%

08-25-2012 16:19:34 | More by Bix

KrisDLSmith

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +8.4%

06-28-2012 03:59:14 | More by KrisDLSmith

Tyrawlings

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

02-18-2012 17:23:59 | More by Tyrawlings

kelvarnsen

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +8.4%

11-30-2011 19:55:54 | More by kelvarnsen

basica

Singapore

4.03/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a black color with a slight reddish-brown hue into my Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass yielding a two-finger thick pretty, foamy tan head with fairly good retention lacing the glass as it gradually settles to a thin layer of foam (4.5)

S - The nose is primarily roasted malts and some earthiness; surprisingly light hints of funk amidst the earthy notes (3.5)

T - Roasted malts hit head on along with a mild amount of malt sweetness whilst light coffee flavors and some nuttiness show up in the middle; finish is toasty, slightly lactic and mildly bitter (4)

M - Between light to medium bodied thickness (though leaning more towards medium) with moderate carbonation and a creamy smooth texture going down quickly and easily; would have easily moved up a notch if the body is thicker (4)

D - Very easy drinking and very sessionable to my surprise. Flavors were not bad, not fantastic though together with the mouthfeel, lends it pretty good drinkability (4.5)

The best by date on this bottle is August 2009, one and a half years ago but seems like it held up well besides a slight earthy funk on the nose. The key characteristics of this stout that attracted me are the pleasantly concocted roasted malt flavors along with the light lactic notes as well as the creamy smooth texture. Not bad, not great but definitely refreshing and sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 17:19:17 | More by basica

DoktorZee

Alberta (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a larger size bottle into the official Hobgoblin glass. The label listed the brewing date as April 30, 2010 - as noted here it's retired, and on the Wychwood website it no longer appears, but they do seem to be selling it right now (just picked it up).

A - Deep black with the ability to reflect light! Big tan colored head on the pour, with moderate lacing as the head slowly disappears (never quite gone).

N - A little more elusive nose than I would have expected - a bit of caramel and malt, with perhaps a hint of burnt toast.

T - Surprisingly light considering its apparent density. It's got a bit of toasted malt/smokey flavor with a moderate bitterness that doesn't endure all that long.

M - Very nice mouthfeel with slight carbonation, not overly thick.

D - Also highly drinkable - goes down surprisingly easily. One of the more impressive elements of this stout.

Overall this is a solid stout, but not exactly a memorable one - it's well made, but doesn't really stand out in any dimension unfortunately.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2010 05:22:13 | More by DoktorZee

lamergod

Singapore

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

Got the last batch of beers for this beer at my new beer store.
Best before Oct 10 so it isn't what you call fresh

Poured into a Wychwood Hobgoblin pint glass with a hedeous looking thing in-front.

Appearance. Beautiful pour of a dark tanned, toffee colour head of 4.5 fingers Coupled with a full opaque black body

Smell: Maybe it's due to it's freshness, there was some cardboard smell when I opened the cap. Due to the head being so thick, not much smell can come through, but as it became warmer, the smell started to appear. So here is what I recorded. There was an explosion of Roasted malts and espresso smell coming out. I mean real dark espresso. Then, as the drink got warmer, there was a hint of dark chocolate smell, some roasted malts, hops, alcohal and a slight hint of caramel

Taste: The taste was pretty awesome. Lots of complexity to the beer. Just like the smell, roasted malts, espresso, hops and chocolate is present. The drink was really dry. There was a sensational bitter aftertaste to it. The only beer I've tried with a bitter aftertaste was the SA Boston Lager and this was heaps stronger than the SA.

Mouthfeel: Pretty balanced, there was a bit of carbonation going on. The drink was pretty sour, not sure why, it stays around the mouth a little before going down.

Drinkability: Just like any other stout, pretty heavy. But this is less heavy than Guiness or Murphys and I was on a pretty full stomach. I would rate it medium body

All in all, a very nice stout. Nice complexity

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2010 10:41:05 | More by lamergod

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I'm wondering if this beer is no longer being brewed as it isn't listed on the Wychwood site any more...hmmm

A- I poured this into my official Hobgoblin pint glass and get a 5 inch thick tan colored head, which retains perfectly, taking several minutes to finally settle to a thick puffy film over the beer. The color of the brew is black with just a slight brownish hue when up against anything white. Lacing is awesome as there is thick puffs of foam that cling to my glass. It looks like how a stout should and with the always cool artistry on the bottle depicting folklore, this area is perfect IMO.

S- This stout has a more mild aroma than others that I've sampled, but it isn't void of smells. I detect the expected roasted malts that have hints of unsweetened cocoa and a slight burnt toast smell followed by a bit of an alcohol aroma. This stout also has a more herbal/earthy aroma that I haven't really smelt before....slight licorice, as another reviewer noted is detectable. There isn't a big hop presence in the aroma. Different but good.

T- This beer has a dominant chocolate malt flavor and is quite distinguishable from the sweetness of said malt. It's slightly nutty. The bitter cocoa flavor is there as well. Along with the hops used and the burnt toast aspect, the finish lingers with an earthy/herbal bitterness that is actually quite good.

M- Not as thick as other stouts, but a solid medium body defines this beer. It is creamy smooth, with carbonation being very mild. Reminds me somewhat of what a strong coffee would taste like.

D- This is an easy stout to drink. Of course this would be great with a beef stew or bbq'd steak with a rich sauce. I like this beer and think it's a great session beer for the pub with friends. This stout is different from the norm somewhat and I recommend for those who want something unique in this style.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2010 02:52:49 | More by ChrisCage

rvdoorn

Netherlands

2.7/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Look: black, almost no head and messy lacing

Smell: not too strong, some sharp coffee

Taste: Coffee and some caramel. Aftertaste is very bitter coffee and incredibly dry

Mouthfeel: thin and watery, no body at all

Overall: Well, nice to try once, not my favorite beer of this style at all

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2010 20:42:07 | More by rvdoorn

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I've had this in my fridge for a while, I've been meaning to try it given how much I liked Wychwood's Hobgoblin and Fiddler's Elbow.

Appearance: As black as night, with touches of brown when put to the light. Thankfully, not the blue/green that the witch on the bottle might fool your eyes into thinking. Two solid fingers of head that left nearly a wall of lace on one end of the glass and stayed around a good long time.

Smell: Roasted walnuts seem to be the dominant, with thickly roasted malts and a touch of earthy hops in the background. Really, nothing special here as it makes an all around average appearance.

Taste: Starts with well roasted malt, that just stops short of being burnt in a good way, then touch of coffee with is devoured by a kick of earthy hops with a floral accent. Solid, but I wouldn't call it spellbinding.

Mouthfeel: Decent transitioning with a almost burnt malt and hop aftertaste, which just barely avoids overstaying it's welcome. Transitions well, but a bit on the simple side, and not quite as creamy as I'd expect a stout to be.

Drinkability: No issues getting it down, and it is medium bodied which is a plus, given it is a stout. Refreshing enough, but it just seems a bit too mild for a stout which leaves me a bit disappointed. Not quite what I was expecting, that is for sure.

Final Thoughts: I dunno, I think the marketing might have swayed my review a bit, but I was expecting a bit more diversity, maybe some sweetness or odd hopping or welcome bizarreness. What I found was a mild stout, which certainly beat the curve but I wouldn't call remarkable. I think Nitro would have really helped this out out.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2010 05:25:19 | More by TheHammer

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

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

The woman on the label, presumably the 'Black Wych', is actually green; the beer itself, fortunately, is black... more or less. Its body is devotedly opaque, even when held straight against the light, but flashy auburn highlights do prevail, albeit only along the bottom and only when titled at odd angles. There's nothing better suited to a beer with this appearance than a creamy, mocha coloured head - unfortunately, this doesn't have it.

The aroma, although not teeming with character, offers at least a snippet of a considerable number of scents, none of which are uncustomary (but all of which are highly appreciated) for the style. Included is a pleasantly smokey chocolate, the faint whiff of a particularly roasty coffee, dark fruits, burning wood, and a good deal of black licorice.

The flavour makes its offerings in a similarly thorough yet painfully temperate fashion. A sweet, toffee-laced, nougaty maltiness is coerced by a smokey, heavily roasted element. Hints of dark berries, black licorice and milky chocolate gently seem onto the palate. The taste might more readily be likened to smoked meats than it would a decadent dessert.

But both of those comparisons would be a great stretch given the tame and tepid makeup of the beer. My personal plea would have been for a little more malt - not so much for the flavour's sake as for the mouthfeel's. This biscuity, buttermilk texture could use a nice drizzle of caramel syrup if it is be considered anything more than simply quaffable.

I wouldn't consider the beer to be spell binding (bear in mind that this style of stout rarely is). Those stout lovers with insatiable appetites and the indulgent sweet-tooth might find themselves left with much to be desired, but this should be a well considered option for those who enjoy a mild mannered, easily quaffed pint of stout. It didn't put any spells on me, but I'd still say it's worth a look if you're one to dabble in the black arts.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2009 19:47:47 | More by biegaman

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

It's a good thing it's Wychwood, because I'd feel bad otherwise, but I totally bought this one because of the bottle design!

Poured into a nonic glass. Left about a centimetre of dark tan head, which receded into a thin ring around the glass. A bit of lacing.

The smell is quite sharp, but not very complex. Roasted malt, toffee and chocolate.

Actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. The taste started off with a roasted nutty flavour, perhaps a bit of caramel, but then completely turned into a dry, bitter, coffee finish. Incredibly dry actually.

Mouthfeel is thin carbonation, not very creamy. I did a lot of puckering here.

A solid stout, one I'll certainly pick up again. Go for this one if you like your stouts dryyyy....

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2009 22:37:26 | More by JohnnyBarman

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle poured into pint glass nov14 2009

A black with half a glass of mocha head with decent retention and lots of lace.

S I don't get too much of anything just some dark malt and mild coffee

T again not a whole lot going on but more then the smell by having a little chocolate added to the coffee, still not that strong

M a little bitter with a silky feel pretty good in this department

D better then average but not by much

I had to try this one for the label alone, looked much better then it was, oh well still worth trying

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2009 02:51:08 | More by wordemupg

Reinheitsgebot71

Ontario (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked a few of these up when I saw them at an the queens quay LCBO as they aren't too common. Glad to see it back on the shelves for Halloween. I've always enjoyed Wychwood's packaging and this bottle is one of my favourits with the gothic blue I mean black Wych on the label. Anyways on to the beer.

It pours a black as night with a magnificent thick, light brown head which settles down after a good while to the appearance of an ice cream float.

A very fine nose coffee notes right up front as well as burnt sugar, and toffee, good roast malt presence here. In the background are hits of raisins and other dry fruit along with nutmeg.

This is one fine tasty English stout sweat yet puckering roast malts all over the place. These bring forth the wonderful tastes of coffee, burnt toast, toffee, and toasted nuts. The astringent hop pleasance provides a fine balance to the robust malt characters and along with the alcohol imparts a clean dry finish. This is very smooth and drinkable, having faintly vicious milk feeling in the mouth, which is very pleasing.

I'm a stout fan and this one did not disappoint. I stocked up on these while there here and shall be enjoying them though the colder months. An excellent session beer for sure.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2009 04:57:09 | More by Reinheitsgebot71

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Another good choice, marketing-wise, at least, for Hallowe'en festivities...

This beer pours an opaque black, with red edges in the light, and two fingers of off-white, foamy head, which leaves a ring of lace around the glass. The aroma is mild roasted malt, some coffee, and bitter chocolate. The taste is biscuity, chocolate malt, some mild coffee, and floral, earthy noble hops. The carbonation is fairly soft, the body just north of medium weight, and quite smooth, and it finishes dry, with a bit of roasted nuttiness.

A decently tasty, if not spell-binding, old-world stout.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2009 07:06:05 | More by biboergosum

MeisterBurger

Ontario (Canada)

2.65/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours an impenetrable black with a thick, bubbly coarse head of foam. Laces nicely.

Smells roasty with underlying notes of milk chocolate. Nothing special though.

The taste is all roast, almost acridly so. Very dry. Very burnt. A bit of black licorice. No discernable hops present. I don't love it.

The mouthfeel really lets this beer down, it's very watery and lacking carbonation.

I'd go on but in a nutshell, I'm so unexcited by this beer I just can't be bothered to write a lot about it. There are so many other stouts that are far better than this.

When it comes to beer Wychwood seem to excel at mediocrity. None of their beers that I have tried are exactly horrible, but none are particularly great. They seem to get on shelves and in fridges based on the bottles, names and artwork...not based on the beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2009 03:35:48 | More by MeisterBurger

jbonapar

Ontario (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Rating this on Halloween Night 2009! In honor of the Black Wych
Appearance - Dark. Black. Dark as the light on a moonless night.

Smell - Minimal Nose. Some dark toffee and that "stouty" smell. But not distinct.

Taste - Smooth malts at first. A Bitter sweet that lingers. A long Bitter Finish. The stout comes out just at the end of the finish. Otherwise, light espresso and toffee.

Mouthfeel - A smooth stout, not heavy at all. Carbonation is a fake for my liking. Fake in the sense, not bottle conditioned and you can tell.

Drinkability - Best aspect of this beer. For a dark ale its an easy down. Given that it is not a "Bad" beer but an average tasting stout but very easy to drink, i'd recommend for the dark beer drinker who wants to have a few, particularly on a moonless summer night.

Not bad, I'll buy again for sure. But prefer something like the Propeller Porter in this class of beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2009 23:40:23 | More by jbonapar

CanuckRover

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An oily black with a big, bubbly, tan head. Excellent lacings to the finish.

Really not much at all on the nose. Little bit of caramel malt sweetness, but not particularly strong.

Whew, bitter, and not in a good way. A very strong taste of coffee grounds, quite astringent. There isn't even much malt sweetness to redeem it. Some english hop flavour to add to the bitterness in the finish, doesn't help.

Mouthfeel is nice and creamy and helps drinkability, but really not a fan of the taste here.

EDIT: I may have spoken too soon. A bit of warmth has a major impact on this beer. Bitterness settles down quite a bit and helps the flavour come through. Points added to taste.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2009 00:25:26 | More by CanuckRover

Shadman

Alberta (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another beer that was availoable for sampling @ Medicine Hat's inagural beerfest.

Black as night which probably would please the
Black Wytch. Used diesel oil in color with a frothy off white head 2 fingers deep. Leave some decent lacing.

Decent aroma consisting of dark roast malts with a hint of coffee and floral, yet somewhat earthy hop.

Roasted malts with coffee in the front...velvet smoothness in the middle before hop bitterness dries things out.

Found it quite smooth and easy to drink. Balance was very good. Not complex, but a stright up good session stout.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2009 23:01:51 | More by Shadman

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.83/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Darkish brown, which is surprisingly clear when held to light. Head is a pancake bubbled crackle of milk chocolate dust. Not much lacing unfortunately; body is thick but not insane. Not bad.

Very intense sweet toffee nose. Very sweet and quite rich, with darker notes of dried figs or raisins, but certainly nothing dark or particularly burnt, a very sweet and subdued nose for a stout.

Very mild on the palate too, but very smooth and pleasant. Initial soft powdery chocolate, moving quietly to a light roasted grainy husk character. Very nice and very subtle. Mouthfeel is undoubtedly a little thin, but it's not bad.

An extremely drinkable mild English stout, smooth and inoffensive, with just enough character to keep you interested. I do like a nice drinkable English stout, and this is a good example.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2009 04:59:04 | More by lacqueredmouse

laituegonflable

Australia

3.1/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Very dark in colour with a very slight red tinge when held up to the light, but otherwise black. Head is nice and beige but strangely pink. Dense but with large pockmarks up the top, sinking a bit but leaves nice specks of lacing that aren't very thick though. Looks nice and interesting.

Nose is very burnt, with a woody character like oak on there, a lot of sour fruit, plummy and jammy with large espresso bitterness and a hint of spicy vegemite. A bit too sour to be rated as delicious, but pretty nice.

Taste is a bit of a disappointment; some decent bitter stout flavours, over-roasted malt with a bitter cocoa character, some woody flavours as well, mostly pine and maybe a hint of vanilla on the back, but really the palate is a bit flat, with a surprisingly watery character through most of it.

Weakly sour, with a really annoyingly thin feel, really doesn't grip me with flavour or body. Look it's not a BAD beer, just disappoints me with its lack of flavour. It's reasonably drinkable but just falls flat.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2009 01:22:21 | More by laituegonflable

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: This beer pours very dark - black, with a brown head. It takes some time before the head dissipates and then there are nice lacings.

S: Very hard roasted malt!!! But also chocolate and coffee.

T: Hard roasted malt, and some chocolate and coffee - much like the smell, but then there is also a strong dryness due to the bitter hops. I can also sence some fruit (apples)
The aftertaste is very dry with nice bitterness from the hops.

M: Very dry and creamy.

D: This is a nice stout, but not the best. I'll probably buy this one again.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2009 06:51:22 | More by Sunnanek

kmacphail

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.95/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4.5

A 500ml bottle purchased from Aldi, Inverness.

The beer poured a very dark, ruby-brown colour with a dark cream coloured head. This displayed good retention and lacing, as most stouts do.

The nose is dominated by malted barley with a faint note of bitter citrus notes. This theme continued through to the taste; sweet malts with a bitter note, slightly citrus with some flavours of liquorice in the aftertaste.

The body was a bit disappointing, too weak bodied for a stout. Drinkable and may be a great alternative for Guinness fans in the hot summer months when it would be slightly more refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2009 20:16:06 | More by kmacphail

ricke

Sweden

3.68/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving date: 2009-01-09.

Served in snifter.

Presentation: 500 ml bottle. Freshness date on label (Best before 2009-08-26). Artwork on label looks like it's inspired by a Tim Burton movie, and says "Spell binding stout".

Appearance: A black - almost opaque - and thick brew. Head is small, caramel/tan colored and dissipates quickly. Some lacings clings onto the glass.

Smell: First and foremost roasted barley and coffee. Some hints of licorice are also present.

Taste: The most prominent flavor is definitely strong, almost burnt, coffee. It is really reminiscent of coffee that has been kept heated a little too long, although more pleasant. When disaggregated the characteristics are of course roasted malts and coffee flavors. Some notes of licorice are present as well. Chocolate flavors, that are so often prominent in stouts, are there but not very evident. Slight bitterness in the finish. I think I would have liked a little more complex character and stronger flavors overall.

Mouthfeel: I would say this is a full-bodied beer, but compared to other stouts (which often has higher ABV-levels) perhaps it should be conceived of as medium-bodied instead.

Drinkability: I really like stouts. This is definitely not the most interesting or complex stout out there, but with 5% ABV this would be an excellent session beer. It goes down really easy, so drinkability is high.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2009 14:32:23 | More by ricke