Can’t quench Furphy thirst
THE meteoric rise in popularity of Furphy beer has helped brew up more than 20 new jobs in Geelong.
Furphy, brewed at Geelong’s Little Creature’s Brewery, has taken Victoria by storm in the past three years, with demand growing 300 per cent year-on-year since it was launched in a handful of Geelong pubs in 2014.
Little Creatures head brewer Warren Pawsey has been working to keep up with demand for the ale, and took on 21 new workers in 2017.
“The demand for Furphy has grown so much over the last few years that the Geelong brewery is bursting at the seams,” Mr Pawsey said. “This is despite us investing $20 million to increase capacity and employing 21 new team members this year alone.”
Demand for Furphy isn’t confined to Victoria either, with interstate orders now putting pressure on the brewers to produce more.
“In addition to continuing to brew Furphy in Geelong we will also be shipping Victorian hops and malt north of the border to brew batches up there,” Mr Pawsey said.
“This beer will help fulfil Furphy orders outside of Victoria.”
The popularity of Furphy has been largely put down to its place somewhere between mass-produced mainstream beers and full-flavoured craft brews some drinkers struggle to stomach.
“When we designed it, we wanted to make an easydrinking beer that appealed to people — not that Little Creatures doesn’t, but Little Creatures have a lot of hops in them and for someone who’s used to drinking something more mainstream that’s a big change,” Mr Pawsey said earlier this year.
“We were looking for something that was an easy step for people who were into mainstream beer.”
In another coup, about 150,000 pots of Furphy are expected to be poured during the Spring Racing Carnival, where it will be served for the first time this year.