Little Creatures Brewery Pty Ltd is a brewery based in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, operating as a subsidiary of the Japanese firm

Kirin Company is a Japanese beer and beverage holding company. It is known for brands such as Kirin Beer, Kirin Lemon, Mets, and Gogo no Kōcha. The predecessor of the company, the Japan Brewery Company, was founded in Yokohama in 1885 by William Henry Tal ...

. It is owned by

Little World Beverages Little World Beverages Pty Ltd (LWB) is an Australian beverage and hospitality company, best known for its ownership of the Little Creatures brewery. Although often associated with the independent craft brewery movement in Australia, Little Wo ...

, a wholly owned subsidiary of

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Kirin. Little Creatures was originally established in 2000 by the original brewers of the

Matilda Bay Brewing Company The Matilda Bay Brewing Company is a brewery founded in Western Australia, the first new brewery opened in Australia since World War II, and Australia's first craft brewery. Originating from small batches brewed for the Sail and Anchor Hotel in ...

. The name ''Little Creatures'' is inspired by a song lyric from

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

' album ''

Little Creatures ''Little Creatures'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released June 10, 1985, by Sire Records. The album examines themes of Americana and incorporates elements of country music, with many songs featuring steel gui ...

'' and refers to the live

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...

cells Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life * Cellphone, a phone connected to a cellular network * Clandestine cell, a penetration-resistant form of a secret or outlawed organization * Electrochemical cell, a d ...

that turn the

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

s in malt wort into

ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...

History

Little Creatures Brewery was founded by Howard Cearns (a marketing specialist), Nic Trimboli (a restaurateur) and Phil Sexton (a master brewer), all of whom previously worked with the

. In 1997 Cearns, Trimboli and Sexton discussed the possibility of brewing an American style India Pale Ale. Sexton, having worked in the United States, was involved in the development of the BridgePort IPA. Cearns came up with the name after reading about little creatures wandering from ale house to ale house in

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

's ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ...

'' and at the time thinking that it sounded like yeast fermentation. The brewery released its first beer, ''Little Creatures Pale Ale'', in 2000. The Company sponsors the

Fremantle Print Award The Fremantle Print Award is Australia's longest-running, most prestigious and largest printmaking award, and is awarded by the Fremantle Arts Centre, who also acquire the winning work. The award was established in 1976 with the support of Shell ...

. In 2008 the company established a second brewery in

Healesville, Victoria Healesville is a town in Victoria, Australia, 64 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Healesville recorded a population of 7,589 in the 2021 census. He ...

. In 2012 the company was bought by

Lion Nathan Lion is an alcoholic beverage company that operates in Australia and New Zealand, and a subsidiary of Japanese beverage conglomerate Kirin Company, Kirin. It produces and markets a range of beer and cider in Australia, and wine in New Zealan ...

In 2013 another brewery was opened in

Geelong, Victoria Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

, at a cost of $60 million. Brewing capacity is reported as " a year, or 80 kegs an hour."

Brewery

The brewery building was originally constructed to house the Taskforce '87

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

s (such as

Kookaburra Kookaburras (pronounced ) are terrestrial animal, terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri language, Wira ...

) participating in the

1987 America's Cup The 1987 America's Cup was the twenty-sixth challenge for the America's Cup. The American challenger '' Stars & Stripes 87'', sailed by Dennis Conner, beat the Australian defender '' Kookaburra III'', sailed by Iain Murray, in a four-race swe ...

. But it housed a

crocodile farm A crocodile farm or alligator farm is an establishment for breeding and raising of crocodilians in order to produce crocodile and alligator meat, leather from crocodile and alligator skin, and other goods. Many species of both alligators a ...

before being converted to its current use. The brewery is open to the public and contains a café restaurant.

Brands

* The original ''Little Creatures Pale Ale'' is an American Pale Ale (5.2% alc/vol), brewed with Cascade (aroma) and Chinook (bittering) whole hop flowers, self-propagated yeast with a secondary bottle

fermentation Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduce ...

, and Australian

malt Malt is any cereal grain that has been made to germinate by soaking in water and then stopped from germinating further by drying with hot air, a process known as "malting". Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, malted milk, malt vinegar, ...

s. * ''Rogers'', an

amber ale Pale ale is a golden to amber coloured beer style brewed with pale malt. The term first appeared in England around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with high-carbon coke, which resulted in a lighter colour than other beers popular at th ...

(3.8% alc/vol) * ''Little Creatures Pilsner'', a

Pilsener Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Brewery. Histor ...

(4.6% alc/vol), brewed with Tasmanian Helga, New Zealand Pacifica and Saaz hops. * ''Little Creatures Bright Ale'', a golden ale (4.5% alc/vol), brewed using a selection of four malts including Pale, Carapils, Munich and Vienna. * ''Little Creatures Dog Days'', a Sessions ale, hoppy beer that marries bright peachy, juicy-fruit hop flavours with a soft malt backbone. 4.4% alc/vol, 355ml can.(previously a Seasonal only beer) * Pipsqueak Cider, an

apple cider Apple cider (also called sweet cider, soft cider, or simply cider) is the name used in the United States and Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples. Though typically referred to simply as "cider" in North ...

* ''Furphy Refreshing ale'', an

ale Ale is a style of beer, brewed using a warm fermentation method. In medieval England, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to balance the malt and act as a preservative. Ale ...

made with 100% Victorian ingredients. 4.4% alc/vol, stubbie. For the flagship Pale Ale, cool bottle fermentation is carried out with a lager yeast.

Awards

The brewery has won a number of

Australian International Beer Awards Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA) is an annual brewing competition that commenced in 1992. The AIBA is undertaken by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV). Judging of the awards is conducted at Melbourne Showgrounds, wit ...

. In 2002, Little Creatures Brewery was named Champion Australian Brewery, and its Pale Ale crowned as Champion Ale. The beer also won ''

Choice A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate Motivation, motivators and Choice modelling, models. Freedom of choice is generally cherished, whereas a severely limited or arti ...

'' magazine's 2003 Best Australian Ale and the 2004

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Good Food prize for Best Ale.

People's Choice

Little Creatures' beers have also featured in the annual GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of the Year event. * 2008 1st place (Pale Ale) * 2009 1st place (Pale Ale) * 2010 2nd place (Pale Ale) * 2012 3rd place (Pale Ale) * 2013 3rd place (Pale Ale)

General references

References

External links

* {{coord, -32.0593, 115.7446, type:landmark_region:AU-WA, display=title Australian companies established in 2000 Food and drink companies established in 2000 Products introduced in 2000 Australian beer brands Kirin brands Beer brewing companies based in Western Australia Beer brewing companies based in Victoria (state) Buildings and structures in Fremantle