Editing Little Creatures Brewery (section)

==History==
Little Creatures Brewery was founded by Howard Cearns (a marketing specialist), Nic Trimboli (a restaurateur) and Phil Sexton (a master brewer),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/14878736/cheers-to-little-creatures-sale/|title=Cheers to Little Creatures sale|work=[[The West Australian]]|last=Williams|first=Peter|date=18 September 2012|access-date=15 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210011825/http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/14878736/cheers-to-little-creatures-sale/|archive-date=10 February 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> all of whom previously worked with the [[Matilda Bay Brewing Company]]. In 1997 Cearns, Trimboli and Sexton discussed the possibility of brewing an American style [[India Pale Ale]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nett.com.au/sales-marketing/success-on-tap-little-creatures-brew-up-a-global-storm-0069/|title=Success on tap: Little Creatures brew up a global storm|publisher=Nett|last=Nielson|first=Yvette|date=14 May 2008|access-date=15 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419013312/http://nett.com.au/sales-marketing/success-on-tap-little-creatures-brew-up-a-global-storm-0069/|archive-date=19 April 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Sexton, having worked in the United States, was involved in the development of the BridgePort IPA.<ref name="1,001">{{Cite book |title=1001 Beers You Must Try Before You Die|last=Tierney-Jones |first=Adrian |publisher=Hachette |year=2011 |location=United Kingdom |isbn=9781844037162 }}</ref> Cearns came up with the name after reading about little creatures wandering from ale house to ale house in  [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and at the time thinking that it sounded like yeast fermentation.<ref name="1,001"/> The brewery released its first beer, ''Little Creatures Pale Ale'', in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.smartcompany.com.au/food-and-beverages/050258-little-creatures-founders-gulp-down-256-million-deal-in-brewing-takeover-seven-secrets-of-their-success.html|title=Little Creatures founders gulp down $256 million deal in brewing takeover: Seven secrets of their success|publisher=SmartCompany|last=Waters|first=Cara|date=19 June 2012|access-date=15 February 2013|archive-date=23 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823143035/http://www.smartcompany.com.au/food-and-beverages/050258-little-creatures-founders-gulp-down-256-million-deal-in-brewing-takeover-seven-secrets-of-their-success.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The Company sponsors the [[Fremantle Print Award]].
In 2008 the company established a second brewery in [[Healesville, Victoria]]. 
In 2012 the company was bought by [[Lion Nathan]]<ref>{{cite news|title=news.com.au|url=http://www.news.com.au/finance/small-business/lion-swallows-little-creatures-for-380m/story-fn9evb64-1226400661838|access-date=2014-03-30|date=2012-06-19|archive-date=6 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506152255/http://www.news.com.au/finance/small-business/lion-swallows-little-creatures-for-380m/story-fn9evb64-1226400661838|url-status=dead}}</ref> 
In 2013 another brewery was opened in [[Geelong, Victoria]], at a cost of $60 million. Brewing capacity  is reported as "{{convert|10|e6L|e6USgal|abbr=off|disp=sqbr}} a year, or 80 kegs an hour."<ref>{{cite news|last=Eli|first=Greenblat|url=http://www.smh.com.au/business/lion-has-big-plans-for-little-creatures-20131210-2z3yt.html|title=Lion has big plans for Little Creatures|access-date=2014-03-30|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=11 December 2013}}</ref>