#313 Little Creatures – Bright Ale

Name: Bright Ale
Brewery: Little Creatures (Freemantle, Australia)
Style: Golden Ale
ABV: 4.5%
Source: The Conservatory (Akl)

I’m not very good at talking about beer politics. I probably don’t really know or (dare I say it) care enough, even though I enjoy reading about the various scandals and scoundrels from those who do.

That said, I probably can’t write a post about Little Creatures without acknowledging the news that they were recently taken over by Lion. While this was great for headline writers – just try and count the “Lion swallows Little Creatures” articles online – a lot of people were really upset about it. Quite a few people on my Facebook and Twitter announced that they wouldn’t be drinking it any more, either on principle or because they expected the beer quality to decline.

My personal stance on this is not a strong one. I like to support craft breweries over the likes of Lion wherever possible so may buy LC less, but I’m unlikely to blacklist the beers unless they actually stop being delicious. And why should they? Little Creatures beers have been so successful ($380 million succesful, apparently!) that Lion would be demented to meddle with the recipe. Then again, people say Mac’s got a lot worse under Lion, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see…

Anyway, bleugh, enough politics. Let’s talk about the Little Creatures Bright Ale, which for now at least is tasting great.

It’s the right kind of beer for drinking on the waterfront, or on the North Wharf at Wynyard Quarter to be exact, especially if the weather’s hot (though obviously in this case it wasn’t).

As you’d expect from the name it is bright and clean beer, with aromas of citrus, bread and sweet caramel. In the mouth I got slightly spicy, lemony hops with a grassy and lightly bitter finish. It’s not quite as full or tasty as the Pale Ale, but it’s probably better as a summer quaffer.

I hate to go back to politics again but I just thought of another thing. If Lion owns Little Creatures, then that means Little Creatures beer will probably be sold all over the world – and that means more people getting exposed to the wonder that is beer with flavour, right?  So in the words of Talking Heads who (I think) gave the brewery it’s name: “Don’t get upset. It’s not a major disaster.”

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#28 Little Creatures The Dreadnought

Name: The Dreadnought (Single Batch)
Brewery: Little Creatures (Fremantle, Australia)
Style: Foreign Stout
ABV: 7.4%
Source: McCoppins (Fitzroy, Melbourne)

Despite really disliking the bottle shape (probably because it reminds me of how I might look at the end of this year), The Dreadnought is now the second best Australian beer I’ve ever had. Sure I’ve only tried seven and two of them are VB and Fosters, but that doesn’t stop this from being a winner!

The Dreadnought (foreboding name huh), is a foreign stout, and is the latest single batch release from Little Creatures.

When I poured my first glass – pitch black with a small head – I was feeling slightly unenthused at the thought of drinking another rich, gloopy stout. I was thirsty, and I didn’t want to spend all night with an ISH (Imperial Stout Headache) which I’ve had a few too many times already in the past week.

Thankfully this turned out to be completely different.

The aroma is tricky to describe – nothing overwhelming, just some sweetnesss, a bit like a banana lolly I reckoned, and a hint of savoury smokiness.

It was lighter and more refreshing than I’d expected, and the flavours were pleasant and uncomplicated. I imagined a hint of soy, licorice, and roasted coffee, but if it tasted like any of those things then it wasn’t overt. What I can be sure of is the bitterness, which lasted right though and gave it a lovely crisp edge. I know I’m supposed to drink craft beer really s l o w l y – but beers like this make that almost impossible.

And now… I’ve been waiting for an excuse to get Talking Heads into a post, and I think I better take my opportunity now. Here’s a great song called And She Was, from the Talking Heads album, Little Creatures!