Wychwood

HOBGOBLIN Hero of Halloween

halloweenCelebrate the ancient English festival of All Hallow’s Eve with a bonfire and a feast, and share a bewitching bottle or two of one of Britain’s most popular bottled beers: Wychwood Brewery’s legendary Hobgoblin.

Brewed in the heart of Oxfordshire’s Wychwood Forest, after which the brewery is named, Hobgoblin is a traditional English beer. It is brewed with roasted ‘chocolate’ malt and English and Styrian hops for a deliciously dark and dangerously moreish chocolate and toffee flavour.

Named after the guardian spirit of English folklore, forest sprite and night-time mischief-maker, Hobgoblin is the perfect potion for Halloween celebrations.

Halloween, the 31st October, dates back to 835AD, and was originally called Hallow’s Eve, the day before All Hallow’s Day (also known as All Soul’s Day), which honoured dead saints. People would dress up as ghosts, skeletons, angels and devils and parade through their villages, lighting bonfires and dancing with torches.

So enjoy the best of British traditions and festivities on All Hallow’s Eve and don’t be afraid of the dark… Celebrate with a Hobgoblin!

‘Deliciously dark’ Hobgoblin ale is available for around £1.70 per 500ml bottle, from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Morrisons, Safeway, Waitrose and all good beer retailers; in 4x500ml packs for around £5 at Sainsbury’s and ASDA, and as Legendary Gift Packs – 2 bottles and a limited edition Hobgoblin goblet for £4.99 (Co-Op) , and 2 bottles and a limited edition Hobgoblin Tshirt for £6.99 at Sainsbury’s.

Editors Notes

Tasting Note for Hobgoblin Beer

Wychwood’s Head Brewer Jeremy Moss uses a low yielding, flavour-packed barley variety (Maris Otter), and a blend of English Fuggles (earthy & sensuous) and Styrian Golding (delicate & citrus) hops for this rich, dark brew.

The barley is roasted until it is very dark in colour, giving pronounced chocolate flavours, with a hint of treacle toffee. This gives Hobgoblin its unique character and flavour.

Halloween

The original celebration from which Halloween sprang was Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New Year. When the Romans invaded Britain they brought with them their own customs and festivals.

One festival known as Pomona day was celebrated at the same time as the Celtic New Year. Pomona was the Roman goddess of fruit and gardens and was therefore a potent symbol of fertility. This is where the tradition of Apple Bobbing derives from.

Young unmarried people would try to bite into an apple floating in water or hanging from a string. The first person to bite into the apple would be the next one to marry.

In recent times many members of the church have been critical of people celebrating Halloween, believing the holiday to be evil. It is strange then to think that the church created the Halloween we know today.

When the first Christian missionaries travelled across pagan Europe and Britain they did not attempt to change the ancient ways but instead incorporated the beliefs into the Christian ideology. In 835 AD the Roman Catholic church made November the1st, the Celtic New Year, a religious holiday in honour of all the Saints. This day was called All Saint's Day, or Hallowmas, or All Hallows. The day after All Saints day the church made All Souls Day to honour the dead. On that day people would light bonfires and parade through the villages dressed as ghosts or skeletons, saints, angels and devils. October the 31st then became known as 'All Hallow Even' which evolved over time to 'All Hallow's Eve, then to Hallowe'en and finally to the name and spelling we use today - Halloween.

For most of us Halloween is a time to dress up, party and have some scary fun, but to some members of society it still holds spiritual significance. The rise of new wave religions, with their tendency to follow the old ways and worship nature and the seasons, has returned Halloween to its original Celtic status.

‘Deliciously dark’ Hobgoblin ale is available for around £1.70 per 500ml bottle, from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Morrisons, Safeway, Waitrose and all good beer retailers; in 4x500ml packs for around £5 at Sainsbury’s and ASDA, and as Legendary Gift Packs – 2 bottles and a limited edition Hobgoblin goblet for £4.99 (Co-Op) , and 2 bottles and a limited edition Hobgoblin Tshirt for £6.99 at Sainsbury’s.