Little Creatures Kennedy Town head brewer Tom Champion

LittleCreatures has announced the opening of new concept venues in Shanghai and Beijing.

The brewer has joined forces with Camel Hospitality Group in Shanghai and Cakeshop Consulting in Beijing to bring its range of beers to Julu Road, Shanghai and to the Chaoyang District, Beijing.

Dubbed ‘Brewers’ Labs’, the new venues follow the 2016 opening of Little Creatures Kennedy Town in Hong Kong and a previous pop-up venue in Shanghai.

The Brewers’ Labs will showcase Creatures’ core range and seasonal offerings alongside beers from sister brewery White Rabbit.

Commenting on the China expansion in 2016, Lion Global Markets’Matt Tapper said the time was right for the Kirin subsidiary to increase its investment and focus overseas.

“Australasian provenance is key. Consumers in Asia are looking for quality products with genuine credentials and we offer a portfolio of high quality products with great heritage and authenticity,” he said.

“The Australian dollar has structurally declined, free trade arrangements are improving access to international markets and an Asian middle class is emerging with an appetite to try new things.

“There is already a nascent craft beer scene in China and Hong Kong, but we think the Little Creatures hospitality team can bring something different to the region. As more people experience Little Creatures, we’ll look to achieve distribution in other venues,” Tapper said.

Little Creatures recently unveiled its most significant packaging refresh since the brewery was founded in 2000.