Little Creatures (Lion/Kirin)

Would the Australian craft beer scene be where it is today without Little Creatures? Just like founder Phil Sexton's first foray into craft beer at Matilda Bay, the Fremantle brewery has helped blaze a trail for others to follow since opening in 2000, never less than with its iconic Pale Ale, the first Aussie beer to give drinkers a taste of the bigger, hoppy US pales that had wowed the States years earlier.

Since opening on the site of a former crocodile farm on the Freo waterfront, Little Creatures has become a runaway success, attracting thousands to the brewery year-round. The brewery and accompanying bar grew to accommodate fans of the brewery's beers, now encompassing several large sheds featuring expanses of glass that let the stainless steel tanks take centre stage.

The brewery has expanded significantly beyond that Freo home too, opening a taproom in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy in 2008 that's since closed, while in 2011, the brewery team purchased a sprawling old wool mill in Geelong to better ensure Little Creatures beers could become available on Australia's east coast.

The wings on Little Creature's iconic cherub have only flown further and further since, with Lion having bought the brewery in 2012 and going on to spread the brand beyond Australia. That has included small brewpubs in Singapore and Hong Kong, which have since closed, one in San Fransisco that's now a New Belgium taproom, and another in London.

But, wherever you happen to find a Little Creatures Pale Ale, whether in Sydney or London, the best way to experience the brewery remains with a pint at their old crocodile farm on Freo's waterfront. It's a moment that's not just been one of incredible discovery for many but one that's launched the careers of so many Australian brewers too.

It's set to get even better too, after Lion announced a $30m redevelopment of their iconic home in spring 2021. It will feature a multi-level re-imagined hospitality venue housing the brewery and Great Hall with a rooftop terrace right on the waterfront.

Name
Little Creatures (Lion/Kirin)
Address

40 Mews Road
Fremantle
WA 6160

Phone
(08) 9430 5555
Open Hours

Mon to Fri: 10am to late
Saturday: 9am to late
Sunday: 9am to 11pm


This is a directory listing. To find out more, head here

Little Creatures (Lion/Kirin) Regulars

Little Creatures Pacific Ale

Published August 30, 2021
In 2021, Little Creatures reached the impressive milestone of turning 21 and they celebrated with a few changes. Their iconic Pale Ale was moved into cans as all their cans were given a branding refresh, keeping the brewery’s signature cherub front-and-centre while simplifying the look and feel. They also added some new members to the core range, including this Pacific Ale, styled on the light and easy-drinking, Australian-hopped beer that many Australian breweries have been inspired to create… Read more
Style
Pacific Ale
ABV
4.4%

Little Creatures Hazy IPA

Published August 30, 2021
To celebrate turning 21 in 2021, Little Creatures made a few changes to their core lineup beers, placing their Pale Ale in cans and adding two new core range members; a blue-tinned Pacific Ale and this orange-tinned (and orange-coloured beer) Hazy IPA. Using a combination of American and Australian hops, the cloudy, soft-textured beer brings together tropical notes in what's an accessible and approachable, 6 percent ABV juicy IPA. Those juicy flavours take the form of mango, pineapple and melon… Read more
Style
Hazy IPA
ABV
6.0%

Little Creatures XPA

Published November 16, 2018
As Little Creatures celebrated their 18th birthday and become able to legally buy themselves a beer, the pioneering brewery marked the milestone with a new core range beer. In doing so, they joined the massed ranks of Aussie brewers with an XPA in their lineup. It's a choice that acknowledges the growing popularity of approachable, lower bitterness beers that still have the hallmarks of Creatures' hoppy heritage, with their XPA tagged as a "drinker not a thinker". Showing its youth, the… Read more
Style
XPA
ABV
4.9%

Little Creatures Rogers'

As some parts of the Aussie craft beer scene seek bigger and more bizarre beers, there's also the need for more full-flavoured, lower alcohol beers - which is just what Rogers has delivered for years. Belying its mere 3.8 percent ABV, it's what the brewers describe, with justification, as "a silky session ale". Nicely balanced flavours from whole hop flowers and toasted malts give the drinker light, citrusy aromas and roasted hazelnut, toffee and caramel malt flavours in an easy-drinking… Read more
Style
Amber Ale
ABV
3.8%

Little Creatures Pale Ale

Can anything be said about this beer that hasn't already been said? When it first appeared as Little Creatures "Live" on the day the brewery opened, it shocked even the bar staff who were about to serve it to the public with its punchy interpretation of big, hoppy American style pales. And while many have imitated since, it remains a standout on the Aussie beer scene, if one that's been surpassed in terms of potency by many newer pales on the market. Possessing everything you would want… Read more
Style
Pale Ale
ABV
5.2%
Bitterness
38 IBU

Little Creatures (Lion/Kirin) Specials

Little Creatures Return Of Anna Pavlovah

Published November 7, 2019
This fruity affair began as a Pink Boots Society collab created for Fremantle BeerFest 2017 and went on to win most popular beer during that year's WA Beer Week. Now, on the eve of the 2019 BeerFest, Little Creatures have reissued the dessert-inspired pacific ale, inspired by a Russian prima Ballerina, in collaboration with the West Australian Liquor Barons group. The key here, as with the dessert’s meringue base and a ballet dancer's craft, is poise. Although it might be tempting to lunge into… Read more
Style
Pavlova Pacific Ale
ABV
5.5%
Stockists

Available from the Freo brewery and Liquor Barons stores

Little Creatures Long Days Little IPA

Published November 5, 2019
In the early Aughts, Little Creatures created Rogers’, one of Australia’s best-known mid-strength beers – well, almost mid-strength as it's an amber that sits at 3.8 percent ABV. Nigh on twenty years later, the brewing cherubs have unveiled their entry into the modern low ABV arena in the form of Long Days, a "Little IPA", which reflects how far the market has changed. Dry-hopped with Cryo Simcoe hops, Long Days' easy-drinking appeal shows passionfruit and citrus with a subtle pine… Read more
Style
Session IPA
ABV
3.5%
Stockists

Available nationwide through summer 2019/20

Little Creatures IPA (2019)

Published August 14, 2019
Nearly twenty years on, there is something cute about Little Creatures' reworked IPA. Lining up nicely with the opening of the brewery’s San Francisco outpost, IPA 2019 draws from the very environment that inspired cherub-fronted fermentation inside an old crocodile farm in Fremantle. Gone is the English-leaning IPA recipe and in its place is a very modern West Coast IPA featuring a suite of seven variously classic and hyped US hops. As a result, bright tropical, stonefruit and citrus characters… Read more
Style
IPA
ABV
6.4%

Little Creatures Stout 2019

Published June 7, 2019
You can set your watch by it. Winter arrives – Little Creatures release a seasonal stout. While that might sound repetitious, it's actually a gentling evolving affair, moving up and down in ABV and floating around the wider realm of the stout world, albeit without doing anything too crazy. In 2019, they've upped the hops although, in choosing English classic Fuggles and newer US variety Loral – which possesses something of the Old and New Worlds about it – to do the heavy lifting on that front,… Read more
Style
Stout
ABV
5.8%
Bitterness
58 IBU
Stockists

Available nationwide

Little Creatures The Fuggle Is Real

Published June 13, 2018
It's fair to say Little Creatures has much to live up to when it releases a winter seasonal thanks to a run of stouts based around a few variants on the Dreadnought that first appeared as a Single Batch back in 2011. And they're off to a good start with this one as the news their 2018 seasonal was called The Fuggle Is Real landed within days of this year's Good Beer Week finishing, a time when many in the beer world can be heard muttering that the struggle really is real (if often self-inflicted...). As… Read more
Style
Stout
ABV
5.8%
Bitterness
58 IBU
Stockists

Available nationwide through winter 2018

Little Creatures Extra Pale Ale

Published February 22, 2018
One of the most enduring discussions in and around the Australian craft beer world in recent years has been of the "Little Creatures Pale isn't what it used to be." / "Yes, it is. If anything, it's better." / "Peoples' tastes have changed, not the beer." variety. Short of boarding Doc Brown's DeLorean with a bunch of expert tasters and heading back in time, there's little hope of it ending. However, for those bemoaning a perceived drop in hoppiness in the beer, the… Read more
Style
Extra Pale Ale
ABV
6.5%
Bitterness
55 IBU
Stockists

Available nationwide

Little Creatures Single Batch Reinhold

Published October 12, 2017
They like to flit around the beer spectrum with their Single Batch releases at Little Creatures and here, after a couple of highly hop forward releases and the return of the Dreadnought, they aim for one of the spectrum's lesser visited realms. Reinhold takes inspiration from Germany, in particular the region around Dusseldorf. There, you can find beers called altbiers – or "old" beers – dark brown, malty and often packing a drying, spicy bitterness. Occasionally brewers will create… Read more
Style
Sticke Altiber
ABV
6.5%
Bitterness
50 IBU
Stockists

Find Reinhold here

Little Creatures Fire Falcon

Published May 12, 2017
Little Creatures has already brought its much loved Dreadnought back for the colder months. But, given that beer's limited availability (from the two breweries or via Lion's online store only), it's this winter seasonal you're more likely to come across. Fire Falcon is, we're told, inspired by the Freo sunset and puts hop blend Falconer's Flight front and centre. It's a blend of five hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest created in honour of an iconic figure from that region's beer industry and… Read more
Style
Red Ale
ABV
5.8%
Stockists

Available nationwide

There's a launch event as part of Good Beer Week 2017 too

Little Creatures The Dreadnought 2017

Published May 3, 2017
One of the most popular beers in Little Creatures' limited release cannon is back for another winter run out. And this time around it's got its original name back too. The first Single Batch Dreadnought was released in 2011, with Return of the Dread paying homage in 2015. The plan now is for The Dreadnought to be an annual winter release. Tagged a Foreign Export Stout and weighing in at 7.2 percent ABV, it's a beer with both feet planted firmly in the past. In doing so, it's a reminder why some beer… Read more
Style
Foreign Export Stout
ABV
7.2%
Bitterness
60 IBU
Stockists

Little Creatures Freo & Geelong

MoCU

Little Creatures Single Batch VHA – Shade Chaser IPA

Published March 1, 2017
Last Spring saw Little Creatures reboot its Single Batch series with a limited release beer that was a nod to one of the most popular releases from Creatures' first round of Single Batches, The Big Dipper. It went under the banner "VHA" (Very Hoppy Ale) and, for their end of summer follow up, they've stayed in IPA territory but reined things in. VHA II is the Shade Chaser, an IPA the brewers say took its inspiration from the stripped back, hop forward West Coast USA styles. It's a single… Read more
Style
IPA
ABV
6.5%
Bitterness
45 IBU
Stockists

Little Creatures Freo & Geelong (from March 1)

Via MoCu (from March 3)

Little Creatures Single Batch VHA – Double IPA

Published October 14, 2016
When Little Creatures announced it was bringing down the curtain on its Single Batch releases, there was some sadness among the nation's beer lovers. Many would have heard the news and wistfully remembered their favourites (Dreadnought and Mr Obadiah at Crafty Towers) and, in all likelihood, blamed the new overlords at Lion for the decision. However, things since then haven't turned out too badly... Two bottled seasonals a year have appeared, such as the hoppy-as-you-like summer beer Dog Days, Dreadnought… Read more
Style
Double IPA
ABV
7.7%
Bitterness
60 IBU
Stockists

Launched at LC Geelong Oct 14

Available at LC Freo Oct 20

Then nationwide (limited run of kegs only)

More stockists...

Little Creatures Dog Days (cans)

Published October 6, 2016
Ever since the brewery started releasing Single Batches and seasonals in bottles, stretching back to when the Geelong operation was a mere pipe dream, Little Creatures has never looked back. No beer has ever enjoyed a second run, the nearest being Return of the Dread acting as cousin to 2011's popular Dreadnought. But now a seasonal has broken rank, with last year's summer release, Dog Days, returning to the fold in can form for 2016/17. Last time around, we said of Dog Days that it came with "peachy,… Read more
Style
Summer Ale
ABV
4.4%
Bitterness
30 IBU

Little Creatures The Hotchkiss Six

Published May 12, 2016
A year ago, Little Creatures set off ripples of delight among the country's beer lovers when they released Return of the Dread. Their first winter seasonal was a homage to one of its most popular Single Batch releases, The Dreadnought, and was a fine, bold, complex stout in its own right. For winter 2016, they've done it again: releasing a stout with links to the Dreadnought. Yet it's not Return of the Dread II... Having released those two higher ABV stouts, the brewers in Freo decided to do something… Read more
Style
Stout
ABV
4.5%
Bitterness
34 IBU
Stockists

Available nationwide

Little Creatures Original Pilsner (RETIRED)

Published November 16, 2015
Little Creatures Pilsner had always felt to us a little like the forgotten member of the brewery's family. The Pale is, well, the Pale, Rogers' has long been something of a cult classic among mid-strengths, Bright Ale has done plenty of heavy lifting in venues across the country over the years and got a refurb last year, while by virtue of being the newest member of the lineup, the IPA has been guaranteed coverage in the past couple of years too. The Single Batches and new Seasonals have found favour… Read more
Style
Pilsner
ABV
4.6%
Bitterness
40 IBU
Awards

Champion Light Lager – Craft Beer Awards 2015
Champion Craft Beer – Craft Beer Awards 2016

Stockists

Available widely across Australia

Little Creatures Dog Days Summer Beer

Published September 28, 2015
As an opening salvo for its new Seasonal series, Little Creatures came out all guns blazing with Return of the Dread, the foreign export stout we fully expect will be among many people's favourite beers of the year. Now, as the mercury starts to rise in earnest, they're back with number two: a beer that is pretty much the polar opposite of the Dread. Where the Dread was relatively high in alcohol, Dog Days measures an easy-going 4.4 percent ABV. Where Dread was a dense, malt driven beast, Dog Days… Read more
Style
Summer Ale
ABV
4.4%
Bitterness
30 IBU
Stockists

Available widely across Australia throughout summer 2015/16

Little Creatures Return of the Dread

Published May 8, 2015
As they prepare to commence building the new venue for sister brewery White Rabbit at their home in Geelong, there's another change afoot in the world of Little Creatures, albeit not such a dramatic one. They are introducing regular seasonal releases in 330ml stubbies from the Creatures brew crew, with the first setting sail for winter. Their first builds a clear bridge between the past and present as they've chosen to revisit one of their earliest and best loved Single Batches, the Dreadnought.… Read more
Style
Domestic Extra Stout
ABV
7.2%
Bitterness
70 IBU
Stockists

Nationwide with Brewer's Shouts around the country here

Little Creatures & Emerson's Saison

Published October 31, 2014
Back in August, we ran a story on the collaborations taking place between Little Creatures and Emerson's, the trans-Tasman breweries taken into the Lion family in the past couple of years. A collaboration took place on either side of The Ditch and the first of those to hit Aussie taps is this Saison. The challenge from Kiwi brewing legend Richard Emerson was to brew a traditional saison, which the Creatures crew did via the means of a French saison yeast and a touch of their beloved East Kent Goldings… Read more
Style
Saison
Stockists

Little Creatures Freo

Little Creatures Dining Hall

Little Creatures Geelong

More stockists...

Little Creatures Shift Brewers Stash #1: American Brown Ale

Published July 8, 2014
It looks like those who feared the crash of doom when Little Creatures became 100 percent owned by Lion / Kirin may have to wait a little longer. The brewery continues to do plenty of good things, whether adding an excellent IPA to its core range, creating an urban hop farm or supporting loads of craft beer and community events. And now it's giving its shift brewers the chance to shine too. The Shift Brewers Stash will become a series of occasional releases (draught only) that will slot in alongside… Read more
Style
American Brown Ale
Stockists

Little Creatures Dining Hall

[Little Creatures](/beer/brewery/little creatures/)

Little Creatures Geelong (from July 11)

More stockists...

Little Creatures Single Batch Rule of Three

Published March 21, 2014
One imagines that since the takeover of Little Creatures by Lion there are plenty of beer folks around the country keeping a beady eye or three on the trailblazing brewery for signs of a reduce in craftiness. Given recent months have seen the launch of their excellent IPA and the opening of the equally excellent venue at the new brewery in Geelong and they're now back with another Single Batch release, those signs would seem to be few and far between. The arrival of a new Single Batch is always a… Read more
Style
Dubbel Bitter
ABV
5.7%
Bitterness
38IBU
Stockists

Limited kegs:

[Little Creatures](/beer/brewery/little creatures/)

Little Creatures Dining Hall

Little Creature Geelong

Bottles nationwide from March 26. Check stockists [here](https://littlecreatures.com.

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Little Creatures Single Batch Mr Obadiah

Published June 24, 2013
The full effects of last year's Lion purchase of Little Creatures will take some time to be seen. Yet, when the announcement was made last year, there were fears among beer aficionados that the Single Batch program could be something to suffer. Yet that's not proven to be the case; indeed, both Creatures and White Rabbit continue to play around with one-off firkins and tiny, tap only experiments at the bases in Freo, Healesville and Fitzroy. The latest Single Batch to make its way nationwide is Mr… Read more
Style
Rye Porter
ABV
6.9%
Stockists

[Little Creatures](/beer/brewery/little creatures/)

Little Creatures Dining Hall

The Australian Hotel

The Alehouse Project

[Great Nort

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Little Creatures Shepherd's Delight

Published March 21, 2013
They took the Aussie beer world a little by surprise with this release did Little Creatures. Bottles arrived at Crafty Towers before we even knew the was another Single Batch on the way and it seems plenty of others were unaware too. Still, following in the footsteps of the likes of the Big Dipper, Dreadnought and Quiet American, there's always a frisson of excitement to see what the team at Freo comes up with when given free rein to have a play in the brewery. This time around, they've brewed a… Read more
Style
Red IPA
ABV
6.2%
Bitterness
50 IBU
Stockists

Find it here

Little Creatures Puffing Billy

Published October 26, 2012
While the impact of the Lion takeover remains to be seen at Little Creatures, the Single Batches continue to appear, much to the delight of the beer-loving public. On a roll after the likes of the Big Dipper, Dreadnaught and Quiet American, here they've returned to Germany for inspiration (following last year's Single Batch Marzen) with a lightly smoked Bock. The use of beechwood smoked malt is such that it's barely detectable on the nose, where sweet malty aromas hold fort; instead, it appears more… Read more
Style
Smoked Bock
ABV
6.5%
Bitterness
33 IBU
Stockists

[Little Creatures](/beer/brewery/little creatures/)

Little Creatures Dining Hall

We'll provide a link to other stockists once it's available

More stockists...

Little Creatures Day of the Long Shadow

Published June 29, 2012
Timing is everything. And there was certainly something amusing about the release of a spiced ale that's close to double figures for alcohol content coming so close to news that Lion - not a company known for its promotion of such esoteric fare - was planning to take control of 100 per cent of Little Creatures. While their Pale Ale has continued its successful charge across the country as one of the best craft beer converters, the Single Batch series has helped keep those at the more extreme end… Read more
Style
Spiced Ale
ABV
8.9%
Stockists

Find it here

Little Creatures The Quiet American

Published April 16, 2012
It's all go at Creatures these days. Hot on the heels of the Wet Hopped Pale Ale comes this hybrid US IPA / Belgian Trappist ale, while the Little Rabbit collaboration brew with their sister brewery at White Rabbit takes shape in Healesville. It's "Quiet" as a nod to the monks who brew the original Trappist beers and "American", well, because it's packed with pungent American Cascade and Chinook hops. This blending of styles is rather popular these days it seems, with Bridge Road's… Read more
Style
US IPA / Belgian Hybrid
ABV
7.2%
Bitterness
55 IBU
Stockists

[Little Creatures](/beer/brewery/little creatures/)

Little Creatures Dining Hall

And nationwide here

More stockists...

Little Creatures Wet Hopped Pale Ale

Published March 16, 2012
Brewing this beer was a little like the Amazing Race for hops, as you can read about in the story we ran on it here. Little Creatures wanted to see what their flagship would taste like when brewed with freshly harvested hops instead of dried flowers, ending up putting 100kg into the hopback where usually there would be 25kg. The result is a surprisingly different beer, one that's nailed spot on by the head brewer, in that the hops are rather conspicuous by their absence on the nose but appear with… Read more
Style
Wet Hopped Pale Ale
Stockists

[Little Creatures](/beer/brewery/little creatures/)

Little Creatures Dining Hall

More stockists...

Little Creatures Big Dipper

Published October 21, 2011
It reminds you of the scale of the Little Creatures audience compared to most craft brewers in Australia when you see them describe the 7.8% strength of this beer as "massive alcohol percentage" on their website. Already, hardened beer lovers are popping up claiming it's not big enough to warrant the double IPA epithet, yet to the vast majority of Little Creatures drinkers, this will be a massively boozy concoction. Perspective, people. Anyway, we digress slightly. What of the beer itself,… Read more
Style
Double IPA
ABV
7.8%
Bitterness
55IBU
Stockists

[Little Creatures](/beer/brewery/little creatures/)

Slowbeer

Purvis Beer

Smith Street Cellars

[Little Creatures Dining Hall](/beer/bar/little-

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Little Creatures Dreadnought

Published August 19, 2011
It's been a little while since the last Little Creatures Single Batch release - and a fair while since this one was originally conceived. The Dreadnought came about from an in-house competition, with head brewer Alex Troncoso setting his brewers and any other home brewing types within the Creatures family the task of coming up with something big and dark for a winter release. The winner was this, ramped up to a full brew length and now making its way onto taps and into bottleshops across the land.… Read more
Style
Foreign Extra Stout
ABV
7.4%
Stockists

[Little Creatures](/beer/brewery/little creatures/)

Slowbeer

Carwyn Cellars

Purvis Beer

[Blackhearts & Sparrows](/beer/bottleshop/blackhearts-sparro

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Little Creatures Single Batch Mí¤rzen

Published April 18, 2011
Having cast their net towards the fields of Southern England for their last Single Batch release, this time Little Creatures has taken a hop and a skip to Germany to create the classic Mí¤rzen style. Blending four malts with Czech Saaz, NZ Pacifica & US Willamette hops, they've created a strong lager like those originally produced in Germany in March (Mí¤rzen is the German word for March) to last through the hot summer months when brewers couldn't brew beer due to the high amount of bacteria… Read more
Style
Märzen
ABV
5.8%
Bitterness
30 IBU
Stockists

Little Creatures Dining Hall

Slowbeer

Purvis Beer

[Little Creatures](/beer/brewery/little creatures/)

[The Wheaty](/beer/bar/the-wheaty-s

More stockists...

Little Creatures East Kent Goldings

Published February 11, 2011
hey seem to like bucking the trend at Little Creatures. First their Pale (or Live as it was then) introduced the Aussie beer drinking world to US style hoppy pales. And now, while everyone else is using their limited releases to create something wild and crazy, they're firing out rather more traditional beers under their Single Batch banner, such as the Oatmeal Stout and now this, the East Kent Goldings Ale. It's a single hop affair, using the classic English hop that features in some of their other… Read more
Style
English Bitter
ABV
4.5%
Bitterness
30 IBU
Stockists

Little Creatures Dining Hall

Little Creatures, Freo

Purvis Beer Richmond

Purvis Beer

[Carwyn Cellars](/beer/bottleshop/carwyn

More stockists...

Little Creatures Bright Ale (RETIRED)

A beer that we're positive has played a role in the conversion of many a dyed-in-the-wool swill drinker to the world of better beer, Little Creatures Bright Ale is a fantastic gateway beer to the Promised Land. Described as "sunshine in a glass" by the people that make it, it blends Vienna and Cara malts with Aussie pale malt and aromas of pineapple, passionfruit and melon thanks to the use of whole US Cascade and NZ Motueka hop flowers.… Read more
Style
Golden Ale
ABV
4.5%

Little Creatures IPA (RETIRED)

Such has been the regularity with which Little Creatures has released its Single Batch beers, it might come as a surprise to know that, prior to the release of this IPA, it had been fully seven years since the release of the last permanent beer in their range. But now you can add an IPA to the stable that began with the Pale Ale (originally called "Live"), Pilsner, Bright and Rogers'. In their own words, the idea was to give lovers of their Pale Ale "a little more" and they've… Read more
Style
IPA
ABV
6.4%
Bitterness
60 IBU