Matilda Bay Barking Flamingo

[marlow_coates]

In comparison to Belle Vue Kriek, the Barking Flamingo lacked body and complexity.

When I drank the Kriek, I got the definate taste of the fruits, and it filled the role of fruit beer perfectly. A tasty complex drop, that is not really my cup of tea, but I can appreciate the art of brewing it.

The Barking Flamingo, IMHO, did not measure up to the Kriek.

I can't remeber the name of the other fruit beer I have tried, but can picture the label for some reason. But it also scored higher in my mind then the Barking Flamingo.

Of course I have only had 2 of each of these beers, and one BF, so not a seasoned fruit beer drinker by any means.

Marlow

 

[lczaban]

ya had a barking flamingo on sat arvo, look not to bad, there is better fruit beers out there but overall okay. these guys r out there making different beers from there brewerys .something that cleanbrewer,gravity guru,pollux, snow, and chappo would dream about doing. it seems there is alot of this knocking beers lately, but until you guys r out there doing it you will never understand whats involved running a brewery and trying to release a beer on the market and hopeing youve done the right thing. i just think there should be a little more thought put into the beers judging, than the beers shit dont waste your time. maybe a more better way to explain it would be , the beers disapointing , i dont know were there going with this one,or didnt really like it ,not for me. lets all try and support the micros as best as we can, we all love beer and everything that goes with it, from the smell of the freshly milled grain to the esters of an ale yeast. even the woody aromas of the fuggle hop.
iam sure the guys that i mentioned above would all love to oneday to be running there own brewery, and i hope they do,the more little brewerys out there the better it will be. everyone has the right to express there opinion. by no way iam i knocking that, all iam trying to say is maybe go a little easier on the micros. cheers :icon_chickcheers:

It's interesting Mickey that you have decided to try and defend the BF against the criticism levelled against it. I thought my comments were an accurate description of the beer without getting too long-winded about the different flavours and characteristics of the beers. All I did was to try and give my impressions in a way that most people could understand. While I didn't mind it, the beer didn't do anything for me. Enough said. I think Marlow Coates put it fairly well when comparing BF to Kriek, so I'd probably go out and try a few more fruit beers to understand what the style is about and how BF fits into the marketplace.

While I am not an experienced brewer, I do have a few runs on the board. From that perspective I have tried some different fruit beers (commercial and home-brewed) and I am confident in my ablity to rate the strengths and weaknesses of those fruit beers that I try. I haven't brewed any fruit beers myself, but you would think that a professional brewery like MB would be able to make a better fist of brewing this type of beer than what they have. FYI Matilda Bay is run by Fosters, and I wouldn't classify them as a micro as such. They fit into what I'd describe as a "boutique" brewery - they have a big company behind them to finance and resource brewing projects that true micros cannot, but they are not brewing mega-swill beers aimed at the mainstream beer drinker. It is a way that big breweries cash in on a lucrative, high-margin niche in the beer market that helps boost their bottom line. While there are some damn tasty drops coming out of these types of outfits (MB Fat Yak & Alpha Pale Ale, LCPA, JSGA, JS Pilsner et al) there are also some blunders they come up with from time-to-time that aren't necessarily worthy of praise. I would put BF in this category. I am happy to promote the work of passionate micros and boutique breweries, but I won't defend the indefensible. As I mentioned, BF is a beer that most people should try for the experience but it is not a beer I would recommend per se or to my list of favourite beers. I think that we should be recognising excellence in commercial brewing when it is warranted, but likewise we should also call those responsible to account when their products fall short of the mark. Otherwise we will just be settling of second best when we go to the bottlo or our favourite drinking spot.

After all of that, if someone thinks that BF is a good tipple then that is their opinion and completely valid. Beer drinking is a personal experience and if someone has a different opinion then there is nothing wrong with that! Bottoms up! :chug:

 

[Thylacoleo]

Would love to know where you can by Fat Yak etc in Adelaide to??

I've been frequenting Vintage Cellars at the Central Markets lately. It has Fat Yak, as well as some Barking Flamingo (not sure if they still have it, might've sold out). It also has a decent number of local and national microbrewery beers, plus imported beers. It's range isn't huge, but it's worth a look. I found a few beers there I'd been looking for for ages (Unibroue beers, namely, plus Duvel and some trappiste beers). There's also an online only store which has a few specialty beers. Find it at: http://www.adelaidebiershop.com.au/home.php

I know those stores aren't going to sell every beer you're looking for, but hopefully it helps

Cheers,
James.

 

[Macca17]

Just tried one of these, and I know it is just my opinion, but whoever made this Barking Flamingo
should be shot, they are horrible :icon_vomit: and after having tried Bush Shack Breweries Strawberry
Blonde and Matso's Mango Beer, I don't think fruit in beer does it for me