In the face of Lion’s rampaging cross-over beer Furphy, CUB has just launched its challenger.

Called Frothy, the Kolsch-like refreshing ale is now available in Western Australia and will be available across the rest of the country shortly.

Launched under CUB’s Matilda Bay brand, Frothy was described by CUB Director Tim Ovadia, as a “good, simple, easy-to-drink, sessionable ale”.

“Based around a fun branding idea, Frothy is all about beer’s simple pleasures,” Ovadia explained.

“We’ve based this beer around the inherent simplicity of beer, and we think it also taps into a bit of a cultural truth at the moment, that people are responding to that complexity in their worlds by seeking out brands that offer an element of simplicity.”

Ovadia told Brews News that the choice to launch Frothy under its oldest craft beer brand, was because Matilda Bay – through brands like Fat Yak and Wild Yak – has always played a role in introducing craft beer to Australian beer drinkers.

He said that Matilda Bay “has taken craft beer to the masses”.

“From that perspective, I think it’s a natural fit for a brand like Frothy to sit underneath it.”

“We will continue to innovate under the Matilda Bay brand when we think there are opportunities, and continue to leverage it in a similar way.”

When asked about Frothy’s main competitor, Little Creatures’ subsidiary brand Furphy, Ovadia said that while he’d like to see Frothy competing with Furphy, CUB has had the beer in the pipeline for the last three years.

“We came across this idea during some development we were doing some time ago, well before Furphy even actually existed in the marketplace.”

“What Furphy has shown us… is that our drinkers are looking for different choices and that even traditional drinkers are looking to expand their repertoires.”

Brews News understand that Lion’s Furphy has already reached volumes approaching 20 million litres on an MAT basis.

Ovadia described Frothy as a “hybrid” brand that sits between a “mainstream lager” and an “entry-level craft beer”.

Frothy is a light, refreshing ale that’s very similar in style to a kolsch. It has been brewed with an ale yeast, using Super Pride, Topaz and Vic Secret hops. The beer has been fermented at lower temperatures to deliver a “pretty sessionable” ale.

Ovadia said that while there is ‘no rocket science’ surrounding the name, Frothy is compelling.

“It’s part of Australian beer vernacular, it’s a great bar call, and it fits with the whole idea of this being good simple beer,” he explained.