Action Figures & Their Beers: King Goblin rules, OK.

by Beedo Sookcool
on 2011-02-03, 16:05:12

KING GOBLIN SPECIAL RESERVE

Another fun offering from Wychwood Brewery, who also brought us previously-featured brews like Goliath, Green Goblin, and Hobgoblin. And, as usual with a Wychwood product, it’s gotta have a gimmick. King Goblin’s selling point is that it’s only brewed on the nights of Full Moon, using Crystal malts and Sovereign hops. (Sovereign . . . King . . . Geddit?) As a result, its price tag is accordingly higher than most beers (almost as much as a pint in a downtown pub, which is shocking in and of itself). While it’s too expensive to become my regular brew, it’s worth buying for the occasional indulgence, and also to take advantage of the pewter tankard offer attached to the bottle.

King Goblin has a very slight bitter aftertaste, though it’s more than made up for by the very strong, rich taste that comes before it. But it’s 6.6% ABV, one of the higher-alcohol beers I’ve reviewed (certainly in the top five or six, if I recall correctly), so a little bit of bitterness is to be expected. If you start out with a bottle ice-cold, and drink it slowly in the course of writing out a couple of beer reviews (I did this one and Jail Gaol Ale on the same day), as it gets a bit warmer, the flavours actually change, acquiring more subtle tones and broader scope. King Goblin is probably at its best at about 40º Fahrenheit (about 4.5º Celsius): a few degrees above ice-cold, but not warm enough to start getting skunky or too warm to be refreshing, yet still just enough to let the full range of aromatic compounds and flavours flow forth.

As for the action figure connection, the nigh-perfect face for King Goblin has got to be old Hec-Tor Kur, a/k/a Hordak (unless they make a red beer called “Nosferatu” that I’m unaware of, in which case, Hordak will go to that one, and I’ll have to re-think King Goblin). Anyway, this beer would be too much for the glammed-up Goblin King from Labyrinth to handle (which I don’t have a figure for, anyway), but perfect for the no-punches-pulled Evil Horde commander. A highly-recommended and excellent beer if you want to splurge on a special occasion, but a bit too costly for everyday drinking, unless you’re earning a fair chunk of moulee-rah every year, or don’t blow most of your spare dough on action figures like a certain beer reviewer I could mention.

Drink this if you also like: Newcastle Brown Ale, Admiral’s Ale, or any other very good, full-impact premium beer.