For drinking not goblin

Hobgoblin Ruby Beer by the Wychwood Brewery, Witney.


Those (two) who have kept an eye on this blog from the start would have seen the Hobgoblin ad I used. I never thought I would have ever got this beer without a trip to the UK or ordering a pile on line.

I went to Centra last Saturday night to get something and I said I'll just have a look at the beers, I stopped as nothing new had come in for ages. Well to my surprise there is stood and wide eyed was I. Good things happen to good people? This isn't a philosophical blog, you'll have to answer that in your own time.

I got the picture from the official website and it seems to have a saucy range of beers, I imagine have their own appeal. Suffice to say this was a delicious beer. A bit cheeky like what a hobgoblin is supposed to be. Legends tell us that hobgoblins are smaller goblins who work in houses while the residents are asleep, I can see these as influences for the House Elves in Harry Potter. They love to play practical jokes. They are described as short hairy and easily angered if provoked or misused, bit like yours truly.

I wonder how good a Hobbit Ale would be? Can't find any online either.

You can keep your fancy ales, 

You can drink them by the flagon, 

The only brew for the brave and true, 

Comes from the Green Dragon.

I'd like to try a pint of that. 

The Dark Side

Samuel Adams Black Lager


Very dark and chocolaty Lager, which to my mind is a stout but maybe infringement by area, I dunno. Bitter but quite drinkable, would be a 3 on the Chingers scale, again a small bottle may not give enough to review adequately, but as I've fallen behind I'm beginning to rush these reviews so it takes a particularly good beer to me to justify a longer response.

Picture: Wanderingfools.com

Young's not Frauds

Young's London Ale and Young's Bitter

Both are bottled conditioned, and both are really nice, taste characteristics of a wheat beer, citrus flavours. At €3.45 from O'Donovan's I was expecting a bit better than this, both good beers in their own right, but I worry about mALEise, I would recommend them if you are starting out just to try but the stronger flavour Fullers are more likely to  make an impact, again over time this attitude may turn on its head, but for now Fullers and Belgian Ales including the Trappist Ales are more to my liking as summer is now here, I will try a few more lagers to refresh. 

Thus again does beer prove its quality, if you get tired there are others that are different but good for you.

Terrific Timothy Taylor

Timothy Taylor Landlord Strong Pale Ale

Another bottle that looked as if it was found somewhere from the 70s and another fantastic surprise. Yes Beer surprises but wine is just sour grapes.

You should hear the joyful glug, glug as its poured. Fresh, sweet and gulpable ale, with the happy chappy on the front. What it must be like when the thirsty man in a desert finds an oasis. Drinking in life. 

Pale? I was when it because obvious to me I had only one of these, where do I get another crate? I even asked Maggie in Lombards to begin ordering ale for me and she pointed to the Smithicks tap, I don't think she really understands, if I could get her to taste, not have the bottle mind, she would. Such is the pulling power of Timothy Taylor. I never thought I'd be say goodbye to Innis and Gunn from top 5 but its dog eat dog in the beer world, sadly. That or I've absolute no loyalty whatsoever, might take a poll on that.


Picture: Daily Mail online

Tingle Tangle Beermuda Triangle

Fuller's Chiswick Bitter

I can't believe it a Fullers I don't like. Again I assume it may be a seasonal thing, like nobody drinks rose in winter.
At only 3.5% it tasted watery. Session strength beer, I don't know if that means you can drink 15 of these rather than 10 of the other before blotto turns up, but I wouldn't be drinking 2 so no chance of that. It is an award winning Bitter but not the 'Good for what Ales you' newcomer award. More sublet than I like maybe in a few years I will but for now, nah!

Picture: Offical Fuller's website

Shepherd Neame Whitstable Bay

Organic ale that left me cold, like the Chiswick and even Smithwick's Kilkenny not for me.








Picture: theindependent online



                                            Fuller's HSB George  Gale & Co Ltd
                                                                  

Beautiful deep red and a rebound beer due to Chiswick, now there you go a rescue mission by the HSB to revive the taste buds. Ales I like, summer fruits flavour without the wateriness. With a 4.8% taste.






Picture: tastingsbeers.com

Bottled Kool and the Gang

Fullers 1845 Celebration Ale 150 years.

A bottled conditioned strong ale for 100 days and 6.3% so watch out furniture. Thicker head, creamy with an aroma that if flowers had men would insist upon. Eye opener first taste, palette opener second taste and so on to the final mind opener last taste.

I could nickname this 'Reverse Beer' because I'm sure 3 bottles in, it would start as mind closer, palette closer and lastly eye closer. I'm unsure if this would get into the top 5 as I doubt I could finish 3, but I'd like to try.



Another piece of Fuller magic, with a reddish/brown hypnotic colour, and if I fell into a vat of this I'd swim to the bottom to drink my way out. A bit sensationalist I agree. I wonder if Fullers are the drinking version of Chinese food with MSG, the ingredient that makes you want more? I'm okay with that. How good is this going to be after the next 150 years? We'll just have to wait.

Picture from Official Website Fantastic Fullers in Chingers Dot Com and get another.

No Diet of Worms.

Shepherd Neame Early Bird, Spring Hop Ale.

Another fine ale from the Shepherd Neame Brewery who consistenly produce robust ales, which I'm finding have an alternative taste, a bit more traditional than I first thought. Though my leanings are toward sweeter drinks, I confess I do like and enjoy the challenge of drier and bitter beers.

This reminded me of an English version of German Weissbiers, which I've grown a bit tiresome of. But it got me thinking beers and seasons. Even before I read the notes I could tell of the citrus flavours. At 4.5% it has a lovely taste with bite. Again Lidl came up trumps with it knocking out for €1.99.

After drinking Mc Chouffe on saturday night, I had a Spitefire and it didn't taste well, possible due to the sweetness of Mc Chouffe and I wondered if I really like these beers, but I do and realised thankfully it is good to have different beers or whats the point? Although Early Bird sounds like a contradiction you could do worse than having one of these while you are waiting.

Picture: Blog & White Matthieu's black & white blog