PRIMARY FLAVOURS

• Caramel
• Biscuits
• Dark cherry
• Bitter

Story

Unlike so many brewery stories, Little Bang started with gaming. Founders Fil and Ryan spent their spare time creating video game characters. But the pair were also obsessed with making their own beer, and spent hours doing backyard science (which is where the Little Bang name came from), tinkering with their brews in Fil's garage.

After the local video game industry jobs started disappearing, the boys found themselves in the beer industry (because they loved it) and brewing for entertainment on the weekend. Then, a few tiny batches of their beers went viral and sold out fast, and they decided they could make Little Bang their main game.

In the years since, Little Bang has grown from the backyard to the big time, with this operation now boasting two brewpubs in inner Adelaide, driven by backing from the Duxton pub group. While Fil has stepped away from the business (he is now off growing yuzu in WA), Ryan has now been joined by respected brewer Oscar Matthews, who has a mission to keep cooking up never-ending ideas for new, delicious/ridiculous brews.

That's more than a passing statement, too - the Little Bang range is an ever-changing beast that is full of beers made just for entertainment, from sours and barleywine to wine/beer hybrids, while never neglecting to produce genuinely drinkable faves as well.

The Geezer Pleaser sure delivers the drinkability. Modelled on some of the legendary 'Extra Special Bitter (ESB)' brews that English pubs are famous for, this is a beer that will always be about sessionability. It's a light amber coloured brew that smells and tastes of gentle malt, with a round mouthful of biscuity, lightly caramel and dark cherry flavours and a refreshing finish. Oh, and what makes a bitter extra special? Well, the best English bitters always had more bitterness, more flavour (and more alcohol), with Extra Special Bitters having the most impact of all!

Specs

PAIRING GUIDE

This English-style bitter ale is a truly comforting beer - the kind you want to enjoy slowly while sitting in a cosy leather chair, while the rain hammers against the window of a historic pub. While we can’t provide the ambience, we can recommend some timeless ‘pub grub’ classics to pair it with: cottage pie with gravy, chicken and leek bake, roast chicken or beef with all the trimmings and - of course - good ol’ bangers and mash. It’s also going to be excellent with barbecued chicken thighs, Irish beef stew, lamb tagine and goulash, and isn’t half bad with a chilli con carne or spaghetti bolognese, either.

RECIPE MATCHES

• Greek Island Traybake
• Chicken, Leek and Bacon Cottage Pie