Last summer it was Fat Yak, this year its Big Helga is a pattern emerging with names of new Matilda Bay brands? Not really, says Matilda Bay head brewer Scott Vincent. Coming up with a name is often a lot harder than brewing the beer. Vincent says the new brew started life as a rough recipe scribbled on the back of a beer coaster. We wanted to brew a German helles/Oktoberfest style but with the herbaceousness you get from dry-hopping in the fermenter. Rather than employing a classic German hop, Vincent chose Pacifica, a New Zealand-grown relative of Hersbrucker. I liked the freshly-cut grass aroma notes, he says. Like Fat Yak, we want to attract people to our brands and them get them onto things like Dogbolter and Alpha Pale Ale. The new summer release is a tap-only beer at this stage. If it catches on well look at a February release for packaged Big Helga. TASTING NOTES MATILDA BAY BIG HELGA (4.7%) Medium gold, creamy head, trails of tiny bubbles. Aroma: clean, malty. Palate: malt-driven palate shows hints of phenolic wheat; finish is understated some floral hop notes. Overall: a summer quaffer.
