Hobgoblin: Hero of Halloween

Hobgoblin Strong Dark Ale, the official beer of Halloween, will be building on the success of its 2005 ‘national pumpkin carving competition’ with a flurry of off-trade promotions and activities.

Already the fastest growing brand in the top ten premium bottled ale category (5th biggest seller), Hobgoblin now has distribution in every British supermarket and will be using beer-for-a-year competition collarettes on all bottles over the Halloween period.

The same competition will also be running on-line on www.wychwood.co.uk alongside Hobgoblin’s immensely popular ‘top pumpkin carving tips’, which were introduced last year.

Over the Halloween period, Hobgoblin’s ‘Afraid of the dark, lagerboy?’ advertising treatment, will run in a selection of national media, the Halloween variant of their iconic ‘What’s the matter lagerboy? Afraid that you might taste something’ campaign.

Wychwood Brewery’s MD Rupert Thompson, comments:

“Hobgoblin’s ‘National Art of Pumpkin Carving for Adults’ competition in 2005 inspired us to go one step further by challenging our customers to send a picture of themselves and their pumpkin to the brewery (direct or via website). The first 3000 entries will receive a bottle of Hobgoblin and the overall winner will receive £250 worth of beer and merchandise.

“Hobgoblin is like no other beer, a wonderful potion for Halloween celebrations. The inclusion of chocolate malt in its recipe gives it a dangerously moreish toffee/chocolate flavour, which warms the cockles of the heart at Halloween, but also chills down beautifully in the summer.”

For further information, contact Rupert Ponsonby or Katherine Robbins on
020 73841333 or katherine@randr.co.uk

Hobgoblin’s - TOP 10 TIPS of PUMPKIN CARVING

One of the most recognisable symbosl of Halloween is a carved pumpkin or “Jack-o-lantern”. Traditionally, glowing lanterns, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in windows to welcome deceased loved ones, and to act as protection against malevolent spirits.

1) Pick the size of your Pumpkin according to what you want to carve

 Medium-sized Pumpkins - work best for most stencils designs.
 Very large Pumpkins - for intricate designs, & as a "center piece" on a doorstep or table.
 Small Pumpkins - may be scattered about for parties, or set in a row on a path/ driveway.
 Taller/Narrower Pumpkins look very different in character to
 Rounder/Squatter Pumpkins, so choose the “personality” you want.
 If using a stencil design, select a pumpkin that is close to the shape of the stencil pattern.

2) Select pumpkins that are uniformly orange, ripe & have no bruises or faults

3) Use the right “Carving Tools”
A Boning Knife – is best to cut the top hole & large pieces from the face of the pumpkin. A Paring Knife - can be used for detail work. Pumpkin Carving Kits – from Tesco & Sainsburys stores for approx £3.99, include; Cutting Saw - for carving fine, detailed areas, this can be used for the entire Pumpkin. Poker Tool: Used to transfer a stencil designs onto a pumpkin. A nail could be used, or an artist's Stylus tool (found at most Art & Craft shops). Gutting Spoons: A strong “scoop” for removing the seeds, pulp and skin from the inside of the pumpkin. An ice-cream scoop is perfect

4) Use the correct lighting to best “display” your Pumpkin
“Tea-lights” - are ideal, and several can be placed in 1 pumpkin to give more light. Plain white candles - give off the most light. Never leave a lit candle unsupervised, or children unattended with a lit pumpkin or candles.

5)Pre-mark your design on to your pumpkin by using a Crayon, or use the stencil as a template and use a nail to punch through to mark the design
6) Scrape the bottom of your pumpkin flat, so that a candle will sit level inside
7) If you want to create really detailed carvings use a stencil for your pattern
8) Once you’ve completed your design, carve excess pumpkin off at about a 45 degree angle to allow more light to come through & show the design to it's fullest.
9) To help preserve your pumpkin, coat the edges with Vaseline - The Vaseline acts as a barrier to seal in the pumpkins internal moisture to help slow down the dehydration process. Use a paper towel with vaseline on it to coat the inside. It's less messy that way.
10) If your pumpkin starts to dry out and shrivel, you can “bring it back to life” by simply soaking in water overnight

For further information, contact Rupert Ponsonby or Katherine Robbins on
020 73841333 or katherine@randr.co.uk
October 2006.