Little Creatures to go to Lion (June 18, 2012)

[bester]

Little World Beverages Board Recommends Lion Offer to Acquire 100% of Little World Beverages by Scheme of Arrangement

Yikes, I wonder what impact this will have and if there will be any more single batch releases.

UPDATE: Follow up article:

Little Creatures future: way too early to say (June 18, 2012)

[phrosty-boi]

well putting it into perspective

matilda bay is owned by fosters / CUB

dropped by the brewhouse / cafe in port melb last week and was happy with their brews

if they let them operate as their own little unit like now things should work nicely

[bobfranklin]

Probably not much, it's been 36% owned by Lion for years.

[GreasyBear]

Wait til Woolies or Coles get their hands on them, then the brand will die.

[bobfranklin]

Originally Posted by GreasyBear

Wait til Woolies or Coles get their hands on them, then the brand will die.

You can already buy LC beers at both Woolies and Coles....(First Choice sells it as does woolies liquor).

People regard it as a gateway beer, personally I'm not a fan and don't see the interest, but it's a boutique beer without being boutique now. It fills a beer menu gap perfectly for people who want to appear to be a bit more savvy without upsetting either the bank balance or really getting into craft beers.

People are panicking about it, and I don't see why. Malt Shovel are working well under Lion still (actually they're getting more and more active with small batch beers). It won't do much more than ensure they don't have recipe changing hop shortages like they did as LC.

[stevenx]

I'm positive the recipe changed when Lion bought in initially, I hope they don't screw it up further

[bobfranklin]

Originally Posted by stevenx

I'm positive the recipe changed when Lion bought in initially, I hope they don't screw it up further

It wasn't that, it was due to a shortage of hops so it had to change. If anything the buying power of a larger entity would ensure this allotment of hops is larger potentially stopping this from ever being an issue again

[aXis]

The guys running LC have a history of selling out - they were running Matilda Bay previously and sold it for a tidy profit, which they used to set up Little Creatures.

They have done an awesome job of improving the beer culture in Perth/WA and all props to them, but as mentioned there are far better craft beers available once people get a taste for it.

[MR CHILLED]

I wouldn't think things would change too much with the transition.

[Tiger Toast]

Originally Posted by bobfranklin

It fills a beer menu gap perfectly for people who want to appear to be a bit more savvy without upsetting either the bank balance or really getting into craft beers.

Are you honestly incapable of acknowledging that people migh enjoy the beer?

Oh wait, it's for appearing savvy.

[bobfranklin]

Originally Posted by Tiger Toast

Are you honestly incapable of acknowledging that people migh enjoy the beer?

Oh wait, it's for appearing savvy.

Wha? I didn't even remotely hint at that. I did say I don't enjoy it especially and didn't see the appeal and that was it.

I'm not worried about appearing savvy, hell I still drink the odd melbourne even though I'd normally prefer to keep trying new and different beers from around the world. My comment was more directed at the attitude I used to encounter commonly from people thinking because they drank something not CUB that they were a little more sophisticated - nothing more or less than that.

[pugsley]

Originally Posted by bobfranklin

...Malt Shovel are working well under Lion...

They might be running well under LN, but their beer is a shell of its former self. Golden ale used to be my favourite beer. I even modeled my first proper homebrew attempt after it. But its just mega swill now. I even give them the benefit of the doubt every 6 months or so and have a few. But i'm always disappointed.

Their limited craft runs is all i show an interest in these days, at least they let them actually put the hops in the liquid rather than waving it over the top of the vat hoping the flavour sticks.

[PaPaGeorGeo]

I was the same I used to love the golden ale,after to speaking to one of my cousins he told me that when they released the new marketing campaign "lashes" etc. they also dumbed down the beers to have more appeal to the mass market.