Little World Beverages Pty Ltd (LWB) is an Australian beverage and hospitality company, best known for its ownership of the

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

brewery. Although often associated with the independent craft brewery movement in Australia, Little World Beverages is owned by the giant Japanese-controlled beverages company

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

, who acquired the company in 2012. The company was launched in November 2000 by several ex-staff and shareholders of the Matilda Bay Brewing Company (which had been sold to

Carlton & United Beverages Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) is an Australian brewing company based in Melbourne and owned by Japanese conglomerate Asahi Breweries. Its notable brands include Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught, Foster's Lager, Great Northern Brewing Co., G ...

). The company was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange on 20 October 2005, using the ticker symbol LWB.

Brewing

Little Creatures Brewing is the brewing subsidiary of Little World Beverages and currently operates out of one brewery in Fremantle, Western Australia, with a second brewery built in Geelong, Victoria, which opened Tuesday 10 December 2013. The brewery has a stable of four

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

brands. Little Creatures Pale Ale was the brewery's original beer and continues to be its flagship; a mid strength ale (Rogers) is also brewed, along with a

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

, and a

light ale Bitter is an English style of pale ale that varies in colour from Golden ale (UK), gold to dark amber, and in strength typically from 3% to 5.5% alcohol by volume. History The term "bitter" has been used in England to describe pale ale since th ...

(Little Creatures Bright Ale). Alongside these staples brands, Little Creatures also produce single-batch releases, in pint-sized (568 ml) bottles. Examples have included a brown ale, an "imperial" India pale ale, a

märzen ''Märzen'' or ''Märzenbier'' (german: March beer) is a lager that originated in Bavaria. It has a medium to full body and may vary in color from pale through amber to dark brown. It was the beer traditionally served at the Munich Oktoberfest. ...

, and an

oatmeal stout Stout is a dark, top-fermented beer with a number of variations, including dry stout, oatmeal stout, milk stout, and imperial stout. The first known use of the word ''stout'' for beer, in a document dated 1677 found in the Egerton Manuscri ...

. In March 2009, LWB opened a second operation, White Rabbit brewery, in Healesville, Victoria. White Rabbit is a smaller operation than Little Creatures, with distinct branding and products. They market various ales including White Rabbit

Dark Ale Ale is a type of beer brewed using a warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. Historically, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to bala ...

and White Rabbit White Ale. The Healesville brewery is also where the Pipsqueak Cider is produced. A second Little Creatures brewery was constructed at a former woolen mill site in Geelong Victoria, with construction completed in late 2013. In February 2009, LWB bought a 20% stake in the Stone & Wood Brewing Co. based in

Byron Bay Byron Bay (Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headla ...

, New South Wales. In 2012 Cook, Rogers and Jurisich bought back the share of its business held by Lion following that company's takeover of Little World Beverages. Lion purchased New Belgium Brewing Company out of Fort Collins, CO in late 2019.

Hospitality and entertainment

Little World Beverages operates three hospitality/entertainment venues: one in Fremantle in Western Australia; Little Creatures Dining Hall in Fitzroy, Victoria; and White Rabbit Cellar Door in Healesville, Victoria.

Distribution

Little World Beverages is the exclusive Australian distributor of

Aspall Cyder Aspall Cyder Ltd is a manufacturer of cider and other apple derived products. Its cidery is located at Aspall Hall in the village of Aspall, Suffolk, England. It was bought by Molson Coors in 2018. History The business was originally establish ...

, one of England's oldest cider brands.

References

{{reflist Kirin Group Mitsubishi companies Australian beer brands Drink companies of Australia Australian companies established in 2000