Australian craft brewery Little Creatures is excited to announce that it will open the doors to its highly anticipated microbrewery and restaurant in San Francisco during the summer of 2019. The new venue will showcase Little Creatures’ beers, complemented by an all-day menu featuring local seasonal ingredients including shared bites, artisan pizzas, and brunch on the weekends. Located at One Mission Bay adjacent to Oracle Park and near the planned Golden State Warriors Sports and Entertainment Center, the brewery is convenient to SoMa, Union Square, and the central business district with easy access to multiple transit options.
Born out of a love affair with hoppy beer, Little Creatures was founded by a group of mates in the creative and free-thinking city of Fremantle, on the West Coast of Australia. They established themselves as innovators within the craft beer movement and through a focus on producing exceptionally high-quality balanced beers. Little Creatures quickly became one of Australia’s favorite craft brewers. The moniker itself — Little Creatures – was inspired by their brewers’ affectionate name for the live yeast that ferments to create each unique brew.
“We are thrilled to be opening in San Francisco amongst an incredible array of great craft brewers and passionate beer consumers. Being part of the Mission Bay community as it evolves into a key commercial, residential, and entertainment precinct for the city is particularly exciting,” said Luke Higgins, Director of Operations. “Since founding, our brewpubs have always served as a hub for the communities we operate in. We look forward to introducing everyone to Little Creatures Mission Bay, a place for great beer, great food, and a great hospitality experience to be enjoyed by all.”
The new San Francisco microbrewery will feature beers brewed exclusively on-site, plus a core range of beers imported from Australia. The main bar wraps around the brewery fermentation tanks, putting guests within arm’s reach of the brewing process. Fresh beer on tap is key to the Little Creatures experience and the venue’s beer system has been built to enable “tank to tap” service, connecting bright beer tanks directly to the beer founts for the freshest possible drinking experience. The brewery will feature a total of 36 taps: 24 behind the bar, six in the ‘Brew Lab’, and six in the ‘Canteen’. The space will accommodate 140 seated guests, with a private dining space for 12 and 240 in total with standing room included.
The ‘Brew Lab’ provides a space for private dining, tasting flights, “beer school” sessions, and hands on brewing experiences. The ‘Canteen’ is a separate retail area and café which offers coffee, grab-and-go food options, beer in cans and growlers for takeaway, and Little Creatures merchandise.
THE BEER
Head Brewer Dennis Stewart’s love of beer far precedes his professional career. He was an avid homebrewer while studying Chemical Engineering at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Realizing he could combine his passion with his education, he worked at a number of Australian breweries including Brewpack in Sydney, Matilda Bay brewing, and Little Creatures Brewing in Geelong. Dennis’ involvement in the craft beer community in Australia included being a judge at the Australian International Beer Awards.
“Brewing our beers in San Francisco is a bit of a dream come true,” said Stewart. “There is such a vibrant beer community in the Bay Area and lots of inspiration from great breweries. I hope to add a bit of an Aussie flavor, including showcasing some incredible Australian hops!”
The taps will offer a wide selection from the flagships:
* Pale Ale — The beer that inspired the Little Creatures journey is a hop-driven, full bodied and refreshing Pale Ale, bursting with flavor and aroma. Whole hop flowers are used in the Pale Ale, which gives it a citrus and stone fruit flavor, balanced with specialty malts and a decent hit of bitterness. Style: APA with an Australian twist. ABV: 5.2% Malt: Pale malt, Munich, Caramalt, & Wheat malt Hops: EKG (UK) kettle bittering, Cascade (US/Aus/NZ) & one other hop variety (based on seasonal variations in the best hops available) in the whirlpool and Cascade (US/Aus), Chinook (US) & one another hop variety in the hopback.
* Session Ale – The Session Ale is crisp, clean and refreshing, with peachy, juicy-fruit hop flavors that marry nicely with the wheat malt. Style: Session Ale. ABV: 4.4%. Malt: Pilsner malt, Carahell, Malted Wheat, CaraRye and Rolled Oats. Hops: Cascade (US), Summit (US) and Mosaic (US).
* Original Pils — The Pilsner is brewed like the North German (Friesland). These are hoppier and more bitter than the Southern German Pilsners. It’s made with 100% Pilsner Malt and German Perle hops — the key to this beer is to let the aroma and bitterness of the hops shine through. The clean, crisp, Original Pilsner delivers on flavor and then hits you with an uncompromising, earth- shattering bitterness. Style: Frisian Pilsner. Malt: 100% all Pilsner malt. Hops: Perle (German) in the kettle & whirlpool.
* Other taps will feature favorites including the XPA, Rogers, and Bright Ale. The brewpub will also feature James Squire Orchard Crush Cider on tap.
The beverage program will be rounded out with wines on tap, featuring American, Australian and New Zealand producers.
THE DESIGN
AvroKO’s design puts the beer making process on display in a relaxed Northern Californian aesthetic marrying industrial brewery references with iconic Bay Area landmarks coupled with natural, worn in materials. The main bar features many of these more industrial details including layered metal mesh screens and a distressed copper bar with rivet accents, which are also found in the coffee bar and retail area along with a galvanized metal bar die. Calling in references to elements found in San Francisco parks, the custom banquettes in the main dining area channel benches and lampposts and are paired with a mix of bright seating throughout the space. The brew lab itself can be visible or behind the scenes thanks to a functioning garage door that can be opened or closed for private events.
Little Creatures will be open daily from 11 a.m. — 11 p.m.
