Little Creatures Brewing - "Little Creatures" pale ale (Australia)

Today's beer is a special one - brought to me by fellow beer enthusiast (and verified Australian) Bav on his recent trip to Washington. It's an authentic Australian beer - a 4.5% ABV bright ale from West Australian brewery Little Creatures Brewing Co.

First, a bit about Australian beer.

Source:independentbeers.com

Unfortunately, many bars Stateside seldom offer anything except Foster's. Foster's, marketed as a quintessential Ozzie brew, is not really the best beer from Down Under. Ask any Australian, or really anyone familiar with the beer scene in Australia. It's like saying that Budweiser or Coors Light is the best American beer. There are so many better options out there, most unfortunately are not available here. That's why I'm super lucky that Bav was able to bring me today's beer, a bright ale from Little Creatures Brewing Co. out of Fremantle, Australia, just outside of the western port of Perth. The brewery was founded in the year 2000, and according to the bottle, the name "little creatures" is an allusion to the yeast in beer - little creatures that make alcohol.

As an Aussie would say - let's give it a burl.

Pours nicely, with a foamy ivory head, which leaves some lacing on the inside of the rim. Lots of carbonation and little bubbles rising to the top.

I like the golden color - very clean-looking. In terms of taste, it's very wheaty, clean and straightforward, with a curiously pleasant strength to it. Nice and full. The finish was very malty, which was great, but with a tolerable and welcome hint of hops.

In addition to the beer, as a thank you for arranging a visit to Congress, Bav got me a guide to beer in Australia and New Zealand, edited by Australian beer maven Ian Kingham. It's a rather in-depth guide indeed, and I've been enjoying looking through it. The book does include a little bit about Little Creatures, mostly that it has "good malt layering" and has "strong hop bitterness" on the finish. Well, I don't know about that - there certainly was some hop character in there, but I experience much more wheaty, biscuity malt character than strong hops.

In the end, I think it strikes a good balance between a light, session lager and a darker ale. This is easier said than done and frankly I'm quite pleased. The alcohol content is just right - 4.5%, so super light - and the format is right - an Imperial pint, or 20 fluid ounces - so it makes for a nice refreshing brew with no funky flavors or experimental ingredients.