Brand manager Kate Blazey added: "We put the new beer into extensive sensory testing against nine other national and regional cask ales and we have been delighted with the results.
Hobgoblin was best liked on flavour, colour, and freshness and it best fulfilled consumers' expectations of a cask beer.
The colour of the beer was a key driver and the words fine dark cask ale' have therefore been added to the pumpclips to help cask drinkers understand the style of this rich, dark Oxfordshire beer."
Hobgoblin was first brewed in 1985 as a strong wedding beer for the daughter of a licensee of a nearby pub.
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* WDB Brands is to spend £1.5m promoting its flagship standard ale Banks's.
The investment will include redesigning the logo and installing new bar countermounts as well as a six-month advertising campaign centred in Banks's heartland of Birmingham and the West Country.
The ad campaign will feature 48-sheet posters and bus stickers with the legends "Built for the job" and "Built not to last".
Marketing director Peter Jackson commented: "The investment is essential to driving Banks's forward, and the new marketing campaign is designed to speak directly and plainly to people at the heart of the brand, who have played a vital role in its success."
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London brewer Young's has launched a nitrokeg version of its Triple A cask bitter.
The new brew has an abv of 4% and is made from A-class hops, malted barley and yeast.
Triple A cask was launched three years ago and was aimed specifically at attracting younger drinkers to the real-ale market.
Subsequent research has shown that younger consumers were after a chilled beer with a head that lasted to the bottom of the glass.
The nitrokeg version will also be targeted at pubs that do not have a sufficiently high enough throughput to warrant putting on Triple A in cask format.
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* * * * JHB from Peterborough brewer Oakham has been awarded the Supreme Champion Beer accolade at the recent St Albans Beer Festival.
The award was made by the independent brewers' association SIBA and follows JHB's success at the Great British Beer Festival in 2001, when it was voted Supreme Champion.
The 3.8% abv bitter is described as "an impressive thirst quenching yellow bitter with powerful aromatic grapefruity hop character".
Second place went to Batemans Dark Mild with Mauldons White Adder taking third place.
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* Tyne & Wear brewer Federation has picked up two silver medals at the recent World Beer Championships held in the USA.
Northumberland Brown Ale and Angel Ale received the accolades at the championships, which are organised by Chicago's Beverage Tasting Institute.
Now in its 10th year, the event is open to all commercially available bottled beers from breweries with an annual prod-uction of at least 100 barrels.
Around 1,000 beers entered this year's competition.