I’m at The Matilda Bay Garage in Dandenong for the launch of their new beer, Big Helga, a dry Munich-style lager for Oktoberfest. 
Following the success of Fat Yak last year it will be interesting to see how it tastes and if it reverses the trend so far this summer from the national brewers for ultra-bland beers.
Here’s the official release…tasting notes to follow as soon as I try it for myself…
Fall in love with Big Helga – just like we did all those years ago Meet Big Helga – once you’ve met her you will never forget her . . . that’s for sure.
Strong-bodied, well-rounded and full of character, a nod to the Munich Oktoberfest lagers, Big Helga is Matilda Bay’s newest brew in an on-going journey of discovery and exploration of the world’s greatest beer styles.
Making her debut in October (no surprises there) at some of the best bars across Australia, the story of Big Helga begins with a Matilda Bay brewer who took a break, went in search of inspiration and found it in Munich at Oktoberfest, where he fell in love with a lofty blonde beer maid named Helga. . . well that’s the story he told us on his return.
Helga, he said, through misty eyes and with a croaky voice, could carry 12 steins of beer while his mates struggled with two. Helga was large, certainly, but she had a heart of pure Munich gold. Helga, he reminisced, should come to Australia one day and meet his parents . . .
She never came. So he made a beer in her honour instead.
Big Helga is brewed with malted barley and noble hops. It is kettle-hopped and after being lovingly nurtured during fermentation, it is then dry-hopped producing a fruity and fresh aromatic lager.
Big Helga is now available nationally at bars and pubs – any place where the finest beers are sold. She is only on tap but one day, we hope, if the good drinkers of Australia love Helga like we do, she will be available in bottle as well . . . Helga in a bottle, almost too good to be true.
Big Helga is perfectly suited to BBQ gourmet sausages (German of course) but she also loves curries, tapas, the occasional Thai salad and has even been known to go off with some Mexican . . . she is nothing if not versatile.
Here’s to you Big Helga – welcome to Australia.
5 responses so far ↓
Greig McGill // October 7, 2009 at 10:33 am |
I had this on tap on Friday night at the Platform Bar. I found it refreshing, but quite lacking in flavour. It also presented very cloudy. I think I needed to spend some more time with it though, as I made the mistake of having it after trying one of the best beers I’ve had this year – Feral’s Hop Hog APA. What a beer! Such a citrussy smack in the face, yet extremely quaffable. I sent a text to Luke from Epic telling him he had competition. His response? “Bring it!”. :)
I was also quite taken with the Stone & Wood draught ale. I’m hoping to talk to a few people and see if we can import some of this to kiwiland, as I really miss it. I’ll be attempting a clone brew also, as I understand it’s all late addition Galaxy hops, pale malt, and some malted and unmalted wheat. Delicious.
Ian Watson // October 7, 2009 at 11:06 am |
Had the unfiltered Big Helga at the platform bar… was tasting VERY fresh, perhaps a little too fresh, but appeared to be a good and easy lil pale lager with plenty of flavour. (not every beer needs to be a hop bomb, even for a hop lover like me) Would like to try a sample with a few weeks more lagering or a quick run through a filter – even thhough i am not a fan of filters.
Well done to Scott and co at MB for bringing us another fine beer.
Greig McGill // October 7, 2009 at 11:14 am |
Agree Ian, I wasn’t attempting to imply it should be a hop bomb. For a start, that would be hugely out of style. :) I think your comment on the filtering (or just more lagering) is spot on. I got very neutral flavour from it, almost like everything was just “cancelled out”, and this could have been to do with too much yeast in suspension muddying the flavours.
Not that I’ll get a chance over the ditch, but I’d love to try it again. Especially first up, and for a session.
Bitter & Twisted // October 10, 2009 at 8:22 am |
Lucky for us, Big Helga will be available for all the Bitter & Twisted Folk during the Bitter & Twisted International Boutique Beer Festival. We’re thinking it will be a crowd fave…
BeerMatt // October 10, 2009 at 8:28 am |
Even without it, everyone should try and get along to Bitter & Twisted…one of Australia’s premier beer events.