Helios Brewing have always run with a Greek mythological theme, and the label designs were illustrations of the mythological figures each beer was named for. But a mid-2024 refresh of their core range has seen Helios make the shift from illustrated characters to symbology.
Which means the label of Goddess Red Rye no longer features a picture of Aphrodite herself – so apologies if you were in love with the Botticelli-inspired artwork previously on the label – but is now stamped with the pictogram for Venus. And even if you think you don’t know the pictogram for Venus, you’ll find the circle with the cross underneath is actually quite familiar.*
Anyway, while this beer didn’t change with the brand refresh, Goddess has evolved since the earliest iteration we wrote about back in 2018. She’s moved from being kind of an Irish export red ale with extra hoppiness to being an American red with extra maltiness. Many American red ales are a bit light on the “red”; they’re often more in the amber category with some caramel and toffee in there, but still mainly about the hops like many other crafty styles du jour. But while Goddess is pumping with hops, she really brings the malt, plumbing the depths of colour to draw forth the deepest red, and bringing with it a haul of malt sweetness and earthy nuttiness. The Aussie hops are the almost the sidekick, bringing stewed stonefruit and some nice floral character, like the beer’s been spiked with crème de violette.
Add in the rye spice and the bitterness, and you soon realise these are some potent flavours for a core beer. Not that it’s heavy or overwhelming… but it’s significant.
Never underestimate the Goddess.**
Mick Wüst
* I previously only knew this as the gender symbol for female, but a little Wikipedia research has taught me it also represents both the planet Venus and the goddess Venus/Aphrodite. And if you’re up for another fun fact: “It has been interpreted as a depiction of the hand-mirror of the goddess, which may also explain Venus's association with the planetary metal copper, as mirrors in antiquity were made of polished copper…”
** People often think of Aphrodite as being this pretty little bimbo, but she’s a force to be reckoned with. Just read The Iliad; she caused the Trojan War because she wanted to win a beauty contest.
Published August 2, 2024 2024-08-02 00:00:00
