Little Creatures Brewery in South Geelong is one of our city’s newest attractions. Opening in December of 2013, the brewery has fast become one of the places to be in Geelong.
The brewery is an offshoot of the original Western Australian Little Creatures brewery that is located in Fremantle. Now owned by the international Lion group, the Geelong brewery will produce Little Creatures branded beer for all the eastern states of Australia when it is fully commissioned. In its first year alone it is expected to brew in the vicinity of 1.25 million cartons of beer.
The brewery is built on land that was once home to the Valley Worsted Mills, a major woollen mill for the region. The mill closed in the mid 1970’s and the buildings had been left to slowly decay. Instead of demolishing the site or doing any major renovation to transform the site into a brewery, much care has been taken to preserve but not restore the magnificent buildings and facilities.
The magnificent 1920’s era Geelong red brick buildings are a special piece of Geelong’s manufacturing heritage. They have stunning art deco features with detailed metal work and concrete features. There are massive steel and wooden structures and many of the windows and interior fittings date back nearly a century.
The brewery has been designed to take advantage of this magnificent building. The breweries striking stainless steel vats and high-tech plumbing give the building a wonderful contrast to the old shabby but beautiful structure.
There are regular tours of the brewing facility, where you can not only learn how this quality beer is produced but also see a building that has been out of the public eye for decades. The old mill is an important piece of Geelong’s heritage that was built in a bygone era when local manufacturing was booming.
The Geelong brewery is more than a brand new manufacturing facility that is bringing jobs to Geelong, it is a place to come and relax and enjoy a great time with friends. The brewery facility includes a huge dining hall, probably the biggest floor space of any venue of its type in Geelong. There hall like the large beer garden is decorated with a funky industrial feel. The bars are made from shipping containers, there are sand pits for the kids, tables and furniture made from pallets and lots of other quirky things. Food is simple with pizza and gourmet sausages in rolls the order of the day, and the bars serve the freshest and tastiest beer you have ever tried.
Regularly the laneways are transformed into an artesian craft market, here you will pick up arts, crafts, some gourmet food and some interesting heritage items. The dining hall is family friendly with plenty of fun for the kids and there is plenty of parking on site.
For more details https://littlecreatures.com.au/venues/3-geelong-brewery
