With colder weather finally hitting many parts of Australia, Little Creatures Fremantle has created a beer that is perfect for winter drinking, according to brewer Andy Scade.

He said the brewery’s new winter seasonal – The Hotchkiss Six – intends to showcase a lower ABV [4.5 per cent] Stout that is full-flavoured and can be enjoyed all year round.

While different from its winter 2015 predecessor Return Of The Dread, Scade said the inclusion of oats in the grain bill of The Hotchkiss Six ensures it is full-bodied and silky on the palate.

“You don’t want to keep revisiting the same beer. The Hotchkiss Six is 4.5 per cent ABV, so a little bit more approachable,” he told Australian Brews News.

“I guess Return Of The Dread was a ‘winter sipper’, whereas this one’s more of a ‘winter drinker’.”

Little Creatures last year replaced its Single Batch program with a series of seasonals, which Scade says has clear advantages for drinkers.

“The problem with the single batches was that they got quite popular and people were getting annoyed that they couldn’t find them,” he said.

“The seasonals are available three months of the year, though so far we’ve only managed to do winter and summer – we haven’t even talked about an autumn or a spring yet!

“We all really enjoyed Return Of The Dread and it was around for a bit longer so people could be sure to find it at bottleshops and pubs.

“We’ve actually brewed another batch of The Hotchkiss Six today because the initial sales were a bit bigger than we’d expected, and we want to keep it available a bit longer,” said Scade.

Little Creatures brewer Andy Scade

He said there is little hesitation from the brewing team when it comes to deciding on a beer style for the colder months, and the release of The Hotchkiss Six has proven to be perfectly timed.

“Winter just properly hit – we’ve had some rain and some miserable weather, but it’s a Perth winter, so it comes in a front and disappears.

“We all love stouts. Russell Gosling, our head brewer – every winter, he just wants to do a stout.

“But then I haven’t met a brewer that doesn’t enjoy a good dark beer!”

When it comes to food matching, Scade said he would personally reach for chocolatey desserts as a pairing for Stout.

“But our chef at Fremantle is German and he recommends wintery pork with spices,” he said.

The Hotchkiss Six will be available until August, or until stocks last.