Wychwood Brewery- Hobgoblin: That thing that goes bump in the night.
Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 6:48PM | by Wes 
Do you believe in omens? An omen is defined as, “A phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. Though the word "omen" is usually devoid of reference to the change's nature, hence being possibly either "good" or "bad", the term is more often used in a foreboding sense, as with the word "ominous.” One time when I was a kid I was at the fair waiting in line for The Scrambler. I got a strange feeling that something bad was about to happen so I stepped out of line. The ride had a hydraulic failure and 12 people died that rainy autumn evening… Ok that never happened but what a badass story that would be. However I did have an omen when I bought my first six pack of Hobgoblin. You see, halfway to the register at Binny’s the handle ripped off and bottles flew everywhere breaking and smashing like dinner plates at a Greek wedding. Was this a sign that I was making a horrible beverage decision?
Hobgoblin lives up to its name as a Dark English Ale. I actually had this on draft once at a Tom Morello solo show, but the night kind of blurred together and I could not recall how it tasted. This dark mahogany brew has a slight hint of ruby to the foam which reminded me of spit mixed with blood. The scent is pure evil: malt with a leathery, sweet, black licorice undercarriage. It smells like death, or maybe just embalming fluid.
If you can’t tell which direction this review is heading, well you and Hobgoblin deserve each other. The sour and slightly putrid flavor is mixed with the earthy, leathery entrails of malted bitterness. And by earthy I mean it tastes like fucking dirt. It tastes like something that the Orcs in Lord of the Rings would drink when they ran out of hobbit blood. I hate this beer! I should have left the broken bottles on the floor and ran for the door. And so should you if anyone tries to hand you a bottle. Wychwood Brewery should call this knobgoblin, because it sucks balls!
Worst of all is the fact that this is the beer that England’s Prime Minister gave President Obama when they “shared” a beer. WTF? Come on England why not some Samuel Smith’s or something?
ABV: 5.2%
Consumed: Globe Glass
Verdict: Skip it!
