The history of brewing in England is a long and storied one, dating back many hundreds of years and witnessing the advent of many new styles. Accordingly, there are many English breweries with equally intriguing and lengthy histories, some of which also date back hundreds of years. The Wychwood brewery of Witney, England, is not one of these breweries. A relative newcomer to the brewing scene, Wychwood was founded in 1983 as an extremely small operation. In less than a few decades, it has grown from producing less than 1000 barrels a year to some 30,000 today. In addition, Wychwood beers are exported to a dozen countries across the globe.

Even with its recent origins, the Wychwood brewery does not entirely escape the sense of history that permeates English culture and society. Along with modern brewing equipment, Wychwood incorporates a turn-of-the-century mash tun and Yorkshire-square style open fermenters.

Wychwood beers often have a supernatural theme, with names like Hobgoblin, Lucifer, Pumpkin King, Reaper, and of course the beer under consideration here, Black Wych. Not all of the brewery’s beers are bottled, many are draft only; those that are bottled are sold in clear glass in the United States.

Though I have drunk Wychwood beers in the past, most notably Hobgoblin, I recently came across Black Wych for the first time. The label caught my eye immediately. “Now that’s marketing,” I thought to myself, and since the bottles were dust-free and gleaming, I bought a few. Still, the feat of skunked beer is always on my mind when I see beer in clear glass. In this case, it allows the beautiful velvety black color of the brew to shine through. It also lets light into the bottle, however, and as we all know light is not beer’s friend.

When I poured my first bottle of Black Wych into my glass, I got a faint whiff of skunky aroma. Fortunately, this quickly dissipated and wasn’t a distracting presence in the beer. The jet-black brew produced a creamy tan head upon a fairly gentle decantation. The palate is roasty and of medium body, perhaps a bit more thin than I would expect for a stout. There are, however, lots of delicious flavors to savor: notes of chocolate, roast malt, coffee, licorice, and a hint of buttery diacetyl. The finish is rather bitter, with a lingering buzz of grassy progress hops. Alcohol is moderate at 4.5% by volume.

This is a very tasty stout that I will definitely buy again. It is my favored beer from the Wychwood brewery. One word of caution, however. Be as sure as possible that the beer has not been sitting around for a while, since the beer is liable to skunking in clear glass.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 



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