Hobgoblin vs. King Goblin

Last week I tried Wychwood Brewery's http://www.wychwood.co.uk/  King Goblin Ale for the first time and really enjoyed it.  I am also a fan of Wychwood's other offering of Hobgoblin Ale.  Everyone has asked me how the two compared to each other, since Hobgoblin has been around a bit longer and more people have had a chance to try it.  So I stopped off at a liquor store known to have a respectable selection of beers, and picked up a bottle of each.  Now I'm going to try them side by side, see which reigns over my palate.

Let's get to the facts before I open them up.  Both are packaged in identical 16.9 Fl. oz. (US) bottles, brown in color.  Who knows what might be lurking inside?  Hobgoblin is 5.2% ABV while its sibling King Goblin is a stronger 6.6% ABV.  I paid $3.99 USD for Hobgoblin and $4.49 USD for King Goblin.  Not cheap, but sometimes you get what you pay for.

King Goblin is a special reserve beer, that is only brewed on a full lunar moon. (?)

Pouring them into glasses, I can instantly see the Hobgoblin is darker in color, a very nice dark amber.  It has a dense foam head that laces the glass. King Goblin is a bit lighter in color, and it has more foam, but it's not as thick.  As the head settles Hobgoblin retains some head, King Goblin has mostly dissipated except for a few small thick foamy areas.

Both have a mild malty smell.  Again, King Goblin has a lighter scent.  A hint of chocolate? Neither smell to be strong in alcohol.

Both Goblins have a distinct malt flavor with a nice hop finish.  Here is where the King steps up.  The malt and hops and more balanced.  Milder hops?  Even the slightly higher alcohol content does not affect the King's drinkability.

Both are exceptional brews from Wychwood.  They both have their merits.  You probably want to know which Goblin is better.  They are both so good, I have to call it a draw.  I will seek out and drink these beers again, for sure!  This is one time I'm glad Kevin is NOT here to sample these beers with me.  It's just more Goblin for me to drink!

My rating is high, I'm giving these BOTH a FIVE on Frank and Kevin's Beer Scale of Infinite Drink-ability.

Try one or both today.  If you like English Ales, You won't be sorry.  Now, excuse me.  I have some drinking to do.