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18th September 2019

HOBGOBLIN TAKES ON BRAND EVOLUTION

A new look Hobgoblin includes the overhaul of its key beers whilst also championing the wider Wychwood portfolio.

Hobgoblin, the brand that brought ‘Taste to the Nation’ and questioned ‘What’s the matter Lagerboy?’ is evolving for the first time in its 31-year history.

The Hobgoblin character, synonymous with the brand’s rebellious state of mind, will remain front of stage but the branding will be stripped back to focus on a more contemporary and modern look that is just the beginning for the refreshed Hobgoblin.

As the UK’s number three beer brand, the fresh new look is about making the brand more accessible to potential new drinkers, something that Brand Manager Jo Wyke, who has worked with Hobgoblin for six years has been keen to explore: “This is a bold change for Hobgoblin. We know how much it is celebrated as the leader of the pack and its legacy amongst great British Beers, so we wanted to make sure we tested the new look, researched and tested again, ensuring we kept the character that everyone expects from Hobgoblin.

The design revamp is just the beginning of the journey we want to take our new consumer on and it will be the quality, taste and range of the beers that will keep everyone coming back.”

The brand is transitioning from its on-trade image as a ‘core Halloween seasonal beer’ to become a more mainstream year-long beer for anytime anywhere with the focus on the award-wining Hobgoblin Gold and Hobgoblin IPA, voted the World’s best IPA. These two beers alongside the classic Hobgoblin Ruby will be followed in the new year by a shake-up in the smaller batch brews Wychwood portfolio of six beers and introducing more contemporary new beer styles to support the new look including; 5Head a brand-new session IPA, Shy Giant an American hopped Amber and Diceman Stout alongside originals Firecatcher and Dryneck.

The contemporary look will be supported by a new creative platform that will be launched in early 2020 – in true Hobgoblin style the original rebel beer is back and ready for more.

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Editor’s Notes

1 Hobgoblin IPA currently holds the title for World’s Best IPA 2018-2019 at the World Beer Awards http://www.worldbeerawards.com/winner/worlds-best-ipa-world-beer-awards-2018

The new look Hobgoblin will be available in most major supermarkets from September 2019 and will be available in both cask and keg format in pubs from 1st November 2019.

The award-winning beer brand, still brewed in Wychwood Brewery to this day, Hobgoblin was one of the original ‘craft’ beers to the market and focussed on celebrating legendary beers with character. It rocked the industry boat with its no-nonsense mischief, pack-a-punch character and innovative marketing strategy that has helped to shape the brand to grow to over 130k annual barrels.

Its flagship beers are; Hobgoblin Ruby (No.3 UK’s Premium Bottled Ale), Hobgoblin Gold (2017 World’s Best Gold) and Hobgoblin IPA (current ‘World’s Best IPA) and also includes a wider portfolio range of seven smaller batch brews –

  • 5 Head
  • Fire Catcher
  • Dice Man
  • Ginger Beard
  • King Goblin
  • Shy Giant
  • Dry Neck

Website – www.wychwood.co.uk

Tasting Notes

  • Hobgoblin Ruby, 5.2% ABV (bottle), 4.5% ABV (cask, keg, can) is a full-bodied ruby beer that delivers a chocolate toffee malt flavour
  • Hobgoblin Gold, 4.5% ABV (bottle), 4.2% (cask, can) is a refreshing gold beer that offers up a combination of four citrus hop varieties with an infusion of malt and barley
  • Hobgoblin IPA, 5.3% ABV(bottle), 5% (keg, can) is an explosion of an IPA, brewed to a classic IPA recipe the addition of some mighty American hops provides the perfect mix of tropical aroma and juicy bitterness

For more information on Hobgoblin or to set up an interview with Jo and her team on the rebrand, please contact Lauren Hagan on 01926 338811 or lauren@thevitalagency.co.uk