Articles published under the media release byline are news produced by the relevant business and remain unedited by Brews News. This media release was circulated by Matila Bay Brewery.

Matilda Bay in the Yarra Valley has used COVID to fine-tune its eagerly awaited “lockdown brews” and they’re now ready for craft-lovers to drink, as diners are welcomed back to the brew pub.

The label that started the Aussie craft revolution more than 35 years ago, with the father of craft brewing, Phil Sexton, at the helm, has launched its first new beer under the Matilda Bay label – Original Ale.

Phil and the team have also re-vamped and modernised Matilda Bay classics, Redback, Alpha Pale Ale and Dogbolter.

The beers are the first to be brewed at Matilda Bay’s sustainable brewery in Healesville, which opened on Boxing Day last year.

“Our doors are well and truly open,’’ Phil Sexton said.

“We’ve taken the opportunity COVID has thrown at us to focus on the things we’re passionate about – the beer, the food and the experience.”

Matilda Bay’s highly anticipated Original Ale is a classic, European golden ale, made with pure, Yarra Valley mountain water. This unfiltered and unpasteurised traditional beer is smooth and creamy with a subtle bitter finish.

“The Original Ale is an interpretation, a morphing or a riff if you like, on a particular beer that we really love that’s in the English market,” Mr Sexton said.

“It’s reminiscent of the classic ales on tap found in bars around Europe. Of course, we can’t visit these bars at the moment, so the Original Ale is the next best thing.”

Mr Sexton said the re-imagined classic beers have evolved to a modern era.

“If I’d been running Matilda Bay right through from 1990 to today, those original beers would have changed and evolved, because we’d be doing all that was core to Matilda Bay – experimenting, adapting, changing with the times,” he said.

“Myself, my son and head brewer Harry, and the rest of the people involved have worked tirelessly to create the new range. We knew we couldn’t just recreate these classic beers – like us, they’ve evolved enormously in the past 30 years.”

Matilda Bay’s four brews are available from the brewery in Healesville. The food menu has been created with beer in mind and features fresh local and organic produce.

Phil Sexton came on the Beer is a Conversation podcast last year when it was announced that Matilda Bay brand would be returning, and discussed the revamp of the brewery’s ol favourites. Listen now to find out more.