Head into one of the selected Liquor Barons stores to get your hands on a

FREE Rejected Ale Can with every purchase of a six-pack of the award-winning Original Ale

The Story

This is an account of the nearly there. The not quite. The yeah nahs. The good buts. A log of the almost perfect beers that were rejected by our meticulous Master Brewer in the pursuit of perfection. Delicious, refreshing perfection. Entries were developed via first-hand reports from Matilda Bays ragged team of brewers. Harry. Elle. Angus. And good old Brucey. It details the entire journey. London drag queens, acts of god, carrot-averse donkeys, and more. Part truth, part myth, part the indiscernible ravings of men and women hellbent on attaining the seemingly unattainable. Whatever the case, the stories remain here. A legacy of what occurred. There were 27 delicious failed batches in total. And a perfect one we called the Original Ale.

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Rejected Ale #3

Name: BALLPARK

“It’s in the ballpark”. Those were the exact words that came out of our Master Brewer Phil’s mouth. Something we’d never heard before.

The team gathered themselves and following a moment of intense discussion on the brewery floor, came to the naively logical conclusion – we’d done it.

But then, Phil did exactly what he has always done, and ripped the rug out from under us. Painstakingly explaining to the team that while relatively small compared to some other things – a ballpark is in fact a rather large measure. Over 90 feet on each side to be exact. Stadium seating withstanding.

What Phil really meant was that while this beer was imbued with a delightful aroma and many qualities others would view as an absolute home run, it still had a fair way to go.

You’ll find it warming the bench along with the other 26 almost-perfect beers our Master Brewer Phil rejected on the way to making Matilda Bay’s award-winning Original Ale.

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Rejected Ale #14

Name: YEAH. . . NAH

Phil wasn’t one to be anything but entirely forthright with his thoughts. He never stumbled over a word. Or even contemplated a decision beyond his gut instinct – the rare choice between a parma and a schnitzel at the pub aside.

So, when he followed a sip of this beer with two of the most contradictory words possible – yeah and nah – the entire brewery took notice. Even Elle. And Elle was usually too busy emptying the mash tun or centrifuging to notice much.

The place was so silent you could hear a bubble pop. Which was when we heard something else. A tiny voice chattering away in Phil’s ear. The man was multitasking; commenting on craft beer with one ear and discussing dinner preferences with the other.

As it turned out, the ‘yeah’ was for his favourite tuna mornay, and the ‘nah’… well, we’re all well aware that this beer is now one of the 27 almost-perfect beers our Master Brewer Phil rejected on the way to crafting Matilda Bay’s award-winning Original Ale.

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Rejected Ale #19

Name: HIDDEN MISS

The clock had just struck 9. Which meant in these strange times, the whole of the Yarra Valley was in lockdown.

Which, of course, made it the perfect moment for one of the automatic temperature gauges to set off a high-pitched alarm.

The brewing team’s ears pricked up, jolting us out of our respective living rooms. We all came to the same conclusion – it was a crime to head out after dark, but a far greater crime to let a brew go awry.

In a flash, pyjamas were swapped for black items and masks, before the rather ragtag bunch of makeshift ninjas ducked, weaved and sprinted down the back streets, somehow going completely unnoticed.

Easing open the brewery door in silence, the team adjusted the temperature. It all looked good. Until we returned the following morning and realised it had all been in vain; it didn’t have quite the right balance of hops to begin with.

That’s how this beer became one of the the 27 almost perfectly-balanced beers our Master Brewer Phil rejected on the way to making Matilda Bay’s award-winning Original Ale.

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Rejected Ale #23

Name: KEEP DREAMING

As far as welcomes go, Phil’s not a “hug” guy. It’s taken some of us decades to make the grade of ‘handshake’. One brewer got a pat on the back and didn’t shower for months.

So, when we cracked open this batch and enjoyed the malty brew, we turned to Phil and saw something truly astonishing.

Phil was hugging one of the brewers, Angus. We couldn’t believe it. Angus couldn’t believe it. If there’s a God I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t believe it. Was this beer so sublime that it could prompt affection like this from the man himself?

Little did we know, Phil had been up for 3 nights sourcing and negotiating an order of rare British hops and was so exhausted he’d simply fallen asleep standing up.

After what felt like an age he woke to see us all staring at him, waiting with bated breath.

“Too malty. Too heavy. Putting me to sleep” he uttered as he ventured off for some well overdue shut-eye, making this one of the 27 almost-perfect beers our Master Brewer Phil rejected on the way to crafting Matilda Bay’s award-winning Original Ale.

Head into one of the selected Liquor Barons stores to get your hands on a FREE Rejected Ale Can with every purchase of a six-pack of the award-winning Original Ale


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