By James Wells
Little Creatures Elsie, was named after the company’s iconic ‘Kombi’ van located at the front of the Fremantle brewery where the beer is made, and was the vehicle used for the initial ‘keg-runs’ to local venues when the brewery was established in the early 2000s.
Since its launch by Lion in to the market in March, Elsie has become the third highest selling Little Creatures beer in WA behind the mid-strength Rogers and the Pale Ale.
The general manager of WA-based liquor retailer Liquor Barons, Chris O’Brien, said Elsie has been popular with parochial consumers in his stores.
“Since its launch in March, Lion has provided Elsie with a lot of support in the WA market and it has been well received by the public. It is a great beer and we have seen a particular uplift in sales during periods of warm weather in the WA market,” O’Brien said.
“While comparisons have been made with Furphy which is brewed by Lion in Geelong and sold only in Victoria, Elsie is unashamedly a WA beer that is true to the roots of Little Creatures brewery in Fremantle where it originates.”
According to Little Creatures marketing manager, Ash Cranston, Elsie is continuing to see strong growth in both tap and packaged formats.
“Since her launch, Elsie has quickly become a stable part of the Little Creatures Family in Western Australia. Little Creatures drinkers, both old and new, have embraced having a beer specifically brewed for them from the team in Fremantle.
“In the Great Hall at our Fremantle venue, Elsie has been extremely popular with locals and tourists looking for the local drop to enjoy while sitting back and experiencing the Creatures atmosphere. It has been great to be able to connect our beloved Kombi Elsie to her own beer and proudly tell the story of the old girl and how she helped out in the early days to build Creatures in our backyard,” Cranston said.
Little Creatures head brewer, Russ Gosling, describes Elsie as a refreshing ale, with hints of citrus that give way to a subtle maltiness.
“Elsie is inspired by the gold rush era Steam Ales of California. It’s our adaptation made fresh locally on our very own West Coast,” he said.