Little Creatures Brewery, Victoria

At its time of construction in 1923, this former woollen mill was hailed as the most progressive and modern mill in Australia. Known as the Valley Worsted Mills the buildings, which had laid relatively abandoned since the 1970's were purchased in 2011 and with an estimated cost of $70m transformed into a brewery producing delicious craft beer, called Little Creatures.

The name 'Little Creatures' is derived from the term given to the live yeast cultures or living 'little creatures'  which spin their magic during the beer making process to turn the sugars in the malt wort into alcohol.

stencil art on a shipping container by the amazing Jae @myheadsajungle

Originally established in Fremantle, Western Australia in 2000 the Little Creatures team, which has since been purchased by Lion Nathan, a subsidiary of Kirin produces a variety of ales and lagers, including an American style Pale Ale and Roger's Amber Ale. The Little Creatures beers are marketed as craft beer meaning the only ingredients used in the beer making process are Malt, Hops, Yeast and Water. Apparently, the water is a key ingredient to the overall taste of the beer. Shovel and I took a tour of the Little Creatures Brewery in South Geelong, their second brewery, which begun brewing in 2013 to provide a fresher product to the East Coast of Australia. We were told during the tour that the water in Fremantle is hard, whereas the water in Geelong is soft, therefore they process the water to re-create the same level of hardness in the water prior to using it in their beer to ensure the flavours are consistent. The brewery is also co2 emission free and is a leader in water conservation, hygiene and although the hop does have natural preservative properties, they do not add any preservatives to any of the beer products, making for not only a great tasting beer, but an environmental conscious one that doesn't leave you feel super sick. We also learnt surprisingly that beer from a can keeps better, retaining its flavour as glass is a poor insulator from heat and light and that you should always, I mean always pour beer out. Meaning don't ever drink it from the vessel as the beer is sealed with the gas at the top, therefore your first mouthful will be all gas, making you feel bloated... fascinating. Shovel and I enjoyed a brewed on-site beer and a lovely meal of brisket, pumpkin pizza and zucchini salad.

"It's good to be a little different"