It didn’t start with a recipe,
It started with a group of mates.
Little Creatures was originally brewed in Australia in 2000 by a bunch of mates who loved hoppy pale ales, so decided to brew one themselves. A huge shed (and former crocodile farm) on the water’s edge in Fremantle was to become the home of this beer and the birthplace of Little Creatures Brewing Co.
It has since grown to the most successful craft brewery in Australia and is now brewed in Melbourne, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand. Little Creatures gets its name from the live yeast cultures present in the beer – affectionately known by brewers as ‘Little Creatures’, which is what gives the pale ale its distinctive cloudy appearance and unique flavour.
Landing at Hobsonville POINT
Hobsonville Point is a peninsula that juts out into the Waitemata Harbour, it’s easy to get here with it being just a 20-minute drive northwest of Auckland's CBD or a 30-minute ferry from the Auckland City ferry terminal. The area is named after New Zealand's first Lieutenant-Governor, Captain William Hobson.
In 1924 Hobsonville was chosen by the government as a site for both land and sea-based aviation. The air force established their home on the Point in 1929. Catalina Bay was constructed with hand and horse-drawn scoops the same year, as a ‘wet apron’ where flying boats could roll up onto the land. The base became dotted with barracks, hangars and houses and intersected by roads and landing strips.
Hobsonville was only the second Air Force base ever established in New Zealand. The New Zealand Government purchased 167.5 acres of land with plans to establish this base for the New Zealand Permanent Air Force. Situated just 6km from where RNZAF Station Whenuapai would later be built, Hobsonville sits right on the edge of the upper Auckland Harbour and the base is largely surrounded by water. The Government's plan in establishing the base at this location was, in the longer term, to begin flying boat operations.
During the 1930's the main role of the aircraft based at Hobsonville was to provide naval co-operation for the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy with such duties as torpedo observation, drogue towing and spotting for gunnery practice. The aircraft also participated in refresher training for pilots of the Territorial Air Force.
Most aircraft imported to New Zealand came by ship to the Port of Auckland, and they were usually disassembled and packed in crates. They would be barged up to Hobsonville from the port, taken on shore at the Hobsonville jetty, and assembled and test flown on the station. This arrangement was to prove extremely valuable throughout World War Two with most of the RNZAF's aircraft arriving in New Zealand this way.
Catalina Bay's largest hangar was built in 1939 to house the massive Short Sunderland flying boats, which had a wingspan of 34 metres. Hobsonville was New Zealand's premier flying-boat base until 1967 when the amphibious craft was phased out. Sadly, the Government decided to close Hobsonville and the final parade of No. 3 Squadron, the last major unit there, was held in 2002 before they moved south to RNZAF Station Ohakea.
The Sunderland hangar was originally built in 1939 to house the gargantuan Short Sunderland aircraft, it is 27m high at the top of its curving roof. The Sunderland Hangar is an important part in Little Creatures history as it is has been transformed into Little Creature and is where hoppy adventure began. We first moved to Catalina Bay in February 2019 and created a home away from home where we can share our love of great beer, warm hospitality and welcome more people into the world of Little Creatures. Today there’s an increasingly crowded sea of craft beer, but we’ve made a little promise to ourselves to keep true to ourselves and our vision. We invite you to help us embrace our little differences on the journey in creating our little slice of magic in Hobsonville.