Furphy v Frothy – it’s on

The rise of Furphy has been a rapidly moving phenomenen. Its saturation of Melbourne’s taps is quite remarkable. Originally brewed in Geelong, Furphy is now being brewed in Sydney as well, but apparently continuing to use all Victorian ingredients. A true success story for the Kirin owned, Lion owned Little Creatures.

So in the face of such rampant growth, the Anheuser Busch owned, Carlton United Breweries owned Matilda Bay has come out with a none too subtle imitation of Furphy, which is called Frothy. In the very small sample of bottlos and pubs I’ve tried this week in Melbourne – the positioning and pricing of Frothy is directly head to head with Furphy. A bit of fun or stirring the pot – you be the judge.

So let’s look at the similarities:

6 letter name – starting with F and ending in Y.

Both names evoke Australian vernacular.

Both beers promote the use of “Local” ingredients. Furphy uses 100% Victorian ingredients – not sure of the provenance of Frothy.

Furphy uses Topaz and Vic Secret hops. Frothy uses Topaz, Vic Secret and Super Pride.

Furphy’s livery is Blue and White. Frothy’s livery is White and Blue.

Both beers have been inspired by the Kölsch style and have been positioned as “Refreshing Ales”.

Like I said – none too subtle. The benefit for drinkers – a tit-for-tat price war me thinks.