The Hobgoblin is dead...

[El Pistolero]

...long live the Hobgoblin.

I finished off the last bottle of the Hobgoblin clone yesterday...5 days shy of 5 months since I bottled it. I would have tried to save it a little longer, but it was time to bottle the new Hobgoblin, my first AG, and it's pretty much required that you drink the same thing you're bottling, isn't it?

Anyway, since I had to drink it anyway, it was time for a side-by-side:

Pros: Mine (on the left) had better head...thicker, creamier, lasted longer. And, IMHO, mine tasted better.

Cons: As you can see, mine was a tad lighter than the target. Also, the original has a bit of an aroma and flavor that reminds me of rootbeer...and mine doesn't have that. Does anyone know what gives you that slight root beer hint? Orfy?

 

[Glibbidy]

That is a nice looking beer. What does your AG recipe look like for this?

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

I wonder if it's not a combination of hoppy compounds (possibly there are common compounds with sassafras, much like oak and vanilla share flavor compounds?) along with the fruity yeast (from what I remember of the hobgob).

I also note that Wychwood claims a combo of Styrian/Fuggles, while the most prominent clone I've seen bandied about uses Styrian and Progress?

 

[El Pistolero]

I also note that Wychwood claims a combo of Styrian/Fuggles, while the most prominent clone I've seen bandied about uses Styrian and Progress?

Doh! I forgot that I had subbed EKG/fuggles for the progress/styrian that the recipe called for. I'll bet that's it.

 

[2nd Street Brewery]

Looks good El P. I just tapped my second try on the Goblin. Looks pretty close to your color but I'm carbonated more like the commercial version.

 

[El Pistolero]

Did you get the root beer aroma/flavor?

 

[Dude]

I didn;t realize gob was that dark. Is yours lighter or is that just the light in the pic?

 

[jldesign]

drum roll..... your recipe is........dadadaaadaadaadadaad

PS shame it's gone!

 

[El Pistolero]

I didn;t realize gob was that dark. Is yours lighter or is that just the light in the pic?

Mine's lighter...I tried to fix that in the AG version, but I might have gone a little to far.

 

[El Pistolero]

drum roll..... your recipe is........dadadaaadaadaadadaad

PS shame it's gone!

Here I think.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

Did you link that in the recipes stickie? I mean, I could check, but you know...too lazy and whatnot.

 

[Caplan]

Did you get the root beer aroma/flavor?

We don't get 'root beer' in the UK so I can't guess what you mean by the taste. (I think Mucky Rons had it on the Menu many years ago when they first took off in the UK but they dropped it from the range as no one was drinking it!).
Nice looking brew though El P - I'm sure none the worse for being slightly paler than the original!

 

[El Pistolero]

We don't get 'root beer' in the UK so I can't guess what you mean by the taste.

BeeGee was right...it's sassafras that I was calling a root beer flavor/aroma. I get a hint of the same in Scotch ales like Belhaven.

 

[Caplan]

I get a hint of the same in Scotch ales like Belhaven.

I can't get any Belhaven brews round here (and i've looked - believe me!). No sassafras either. The good news for me is I get McEwans No.1 Champion all the time!

 

[rod]

hobgolin is my favourite ale
my first clone with dry nottingham missed the mark
my second attempt is in secondary since apr 4 but it seems to have stalled at 1.026 from 1.060
i had saved the wyeast 1187 from primary and added 1/2 bottle back to the secondary tomight to try to restart fermentation
the sample i tried when testing gravity is much closer in taste but just too sweet
right now

 

[Geordiepete]

Recipe says 'Muntons extra light DME'

Can't seem to find that anywhere, can only find Light, Medium or Dark.

 

[Orfy]

I'm not sure why you'd need extra light for a dark beer.

Go for the light and had slightly less of the dark malt.

 

[rdwj]

Recipe says 'Muntons extra light DME'

Can't seem to find that anywhere, can only find Light, Medium or Dark.

The difference between light and extra light is pretty minimal. In a dark beer, I doubt that you'd even know the difference in a side-by-side comparison.

 

[boo boo]

I have a clone in bottle also. Same colour as yours.
Haven't tasted it yet, but I poped one into the fridge so I can
taste it tonight when I get home from work.

I'll only know if I like it or not as I have never had one to compare
it to. And after all, that's what counts.

 

[Orfy]

I'll drink them if you don't like them.

 

[boo boo]

I'll drink them if you don't like them.

If you were talking to me you are out of luck. I love the brew.
However you are quite welcome to drop in for a pint. Now having
never tasted one, should it have a malt taste, not bitter, not sweet,
no real hop flavor? If so I hit it on the nose.

As for the difference between the different coloured dry malts. If I remember correctly it has to do with the additives to the malt to get it coloured that way. It is supposed to change the flavor of the malt.

 

[boo boo]

Actually I just got back from my liquor store where I bought a hobgoblin, old speckled hen and monty pythons holy grail to try out later. Now at least i'll know what a real hobgoblin is supposed to taste like.
My colour isn't too far off.