A Year of Craft Beer, Vol. 91, Wychwood Hobgoblin Dark English Ale

This sounds like something that I would like!  I can't wait to dig in!

Yes! It's an ESB (Extra Strong / Special Bitter) which like I said before, really aren't bitter but balanced.  More malts are used making this strong and so to balance it better, more hops are used as well.  Let's give it a go!

I poured this beer aggressively into a mini Imperial pint and got a nice two finger yellow head that lingers and laces nicely from a deep, rich, clear and amber beer.

I'm getting notes of mild diacetyl (dark fruits) and caramel malts with some earthy hops and maybe a little yeasty, but nothing more overpowering than the other and all very mild.

The flavor is pretty much the same.  It's malty sweet, but not syrupy, more like thin with some notes of fruits, mild hops and yeast.  Not overly complex.  It finishes mildly bitter after the sweetness flattens out.  I would have to say that it's pretty balanced and a bit bland.

Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with a body that is a bit on the thin side and leaves a bit of a film on my tongue, but perhaps that is already there.  LOL  The carbonation is definitely mild and the finish slightly dry.

Overall, I would say that this is a good beer!  I didn't get a huge amount of diacetyl like like everyone was saying.  The beer was NOT syrupy sweet out of the bottle.  I served it at 55 degrees F, maybe that is the way to go.  The only problem with the beer that I had was that it was a little thin or watery, but that leads to more drinking!  At 5.2 ABV you could drink a few of these!  I'm going to give it high 3's or a 4 out of 5!

This beer was a win, but the only way to find out is to get tasting these fantastic beers that the world has to offer!  Life, as you know, is too short to waste on pee water!

-Wiss