Wych-wood you choose?

It’s been a while since my last blog post, for which I can only apologise for. My limited but not so weak excuses include: personal motivation, Israeli beers and a house move which has forced me to drink much of my garage stock! This has left me with little time to write sadly.

I return with my sixth beer on the list, and a cracking one at that! Wychwood Hobgoblin was one of the first “real” beers I ever enjoyed and to this day, I still love a drop of it. A particular friend of mine is a huge fan of all things Wychwood, and usually has a couple of dozen bottles in his beer fridge. He has a slight oddity in that he doesn’t always like to drink his beers, but rather save them like a collector. Save the empties, that’s what I say!

About the beer

The 300 beers list classes it as: Extra Strong Beer

Wychwood Hobgoblin is the flagship beer, as I see it, of the Witney-based brewery. They produce a wide range of beers, including a favourite of mine – King Goblin. It’s a bit of a strong one, but I do like a bottle on Christmas Day!

Hobgoblin is a dark and flavourful beer. I was once told it was modelled on chocolate fudge, but not sure if that’s the case or not. It’s rather gulpable, and not overly bitter but with a good balance. It’s widely available now, as is its Gold cousin, and also in mini-kegs.

As stated above, it’s classed as an Extra Strong brew, but at just over 5%, it’s not ridiculous and there are many beers on the list that far exceed its volume. Hey though, who am I to question the list?

Alcohol: 5.2%

My rating: 9/10

I love Hobgoblin, as it’s a great tasting beer and a fond favourite of many a real ale drinker. I’ve been to a few breweries in my time, but never made it up to Witney to visit Wychwood. I’m keen to put this right at some point soon, and want to see what else they have to offer. For Christmas this year, my lovely wife bought me a case of Wychwood beers which included such great titles as Goliath, Arrowaine and Bah Humbug (their Christmas beer, in case you hadn’t guessed!). Wych-wood you choose?

If you’ve not had Hobgoblin, where have you been? But seriously, if you’re just starting your real ale journey, this is a great one to get you started! Enjoy!

Meantime Chocolate Porter

As mentioned in a previous post, I’ve had a couple of memory lapses lately, buying a beer I thought was on the list when it in fact wasn’t. I corrected this by posting the list to this blog, so that when I’m out and about, I can take a quick gander before I buy.

I approached the bar recently, and spotted a bottle of Meantime Chocolate Porter in one of the beer fridges. Without hesitation, I ordered one and took it back to my seat. One of my fellow drinkers, who is way ahead of me on his 300 list, pointed out that the Meantime Chocolate Porter was not on the list. We debated this point for a minute or so, but he was quite right – it’s not. The Meantime London Porter is on the list, and I think that’s where I was getting confused.

So was I disappointed to have bought the Chocolate Porter in error? Not at all!

About the beer

Meantime Chocolate Porter – not, in fact, on the 300 list but great all the same!

This beer is dark and delicious. It starts in the mouth with a hit of bitterness, and then you taste the chocolate. We debated, my friends and I, what it reminded us of – one thought of chocolate ice cream, and another cream soda. Either way, it’s a really wonderful flavour and a full bodied beer. Because of the chocolate, it won’t fit all situations I guess, and likely won’t be a good match for a fish dinner! As a dessert beer, it’s bang on.

Alcohol: 6.5%

My rating: 8/10

I really struggled to rate this one, as it really is genuinely delicious. It’s not a session beer, at a hefty 6.5%, but also the flavour, as good as it is, is perhaps not what you always want in a “beer”. I can’t emphasise enough how good it is though, just specialised perhaps.

 

The Meantime Brewing Company is based in South-East London and offers a range of beers including a Lager, the two Porters mentioned above and a Stout. You can source their beers directly from them, but obviously can get them in and around London (and beyond). Like many breweries, you can visit them and take tour.

I’m a particular fan of the Meantime bottles, as seen in the attached picture. I’m not sure why, but it’s nice to see a more unusual shaped bottle! A friend commented that not only do you get a great beer, but you can keep the bottle and put a candle in it later… True, this may be, but I’m not sure Mrs Brown would be too keen on having naked flames and a set of empties dotted about the premises!

Having sampled this Meantime beer, I can’t wait to get on to the beers that actually on the list! I’ll keep my eyes peeled for a chance to get my hands on them.