When Little Bang started in 2013, it was literally a backyard operation. The first batches were brewed in co-founder Fil Kemp’s garage in Glynde, but the ensuing eight years have seen both the brewery and the local craft scene grow in leaps and bounds.
A move to a warehouse in Stepney was followed just a few years later by an upgrade to a larger venue. But the latest change is by far the most significant: founders Kemp and Ryan Davidson have sold the business to the fast-growing Duxton Pubs group.
It means Kemp has been able to make a lifestyle change by moving to Western Australia, while Davidson stays on as co-CEO. He describes it as “very, very satisfying” that they were able to avoid selling to Lion or Asahi, the two multinationals that dominate the local beer market, adding that there were “several hills I was ready to die on” to preserve the culture and personality of the brand. “But [Duxton] beat me to the punch by simply telling us how much they respect the brand we've built, and that they don't want to mess with what's already working well.”
Founded in 2020, Duxton Pub Group now owns 18 pubs across the state, from Port Augusta to Penola. The portfolio includes several Adelaide venues, including The Lion and The Cremorne, which have had major renovations since being acquired, as well as The Brompton Hotel, which is currently being redeveloped. Several of their venues were already pouring Little Bang, with others likely to do the same over time.
The most significant change for Little Bang, though, is the arrival of a new head brewer in the form of Oscar Matthews, the former head brewer at Uraidla Brewery. Matthews (who is the son of Duxton Pubs co-founder Brett Matthews) left Uraidla in January and was originally planning to head to his uncle’s brewery in San Luis Obispo, California, but says that, “While I love the brewing scene in California, I knew there was more that I wanted to achieve at home in SA.”
In his new position, the younger Matthews will oversee the existing range of beers and bring a new perspective to the production processes. “Little Bang beers have always been bold and expressive when it comes to flavour profiles and alternate ingredients used,” he says. At Uraidla the focus was on “flavour creation through experimentation with water profiles, malt and hop varieties.” But he insists there’s plenty of common ground in their shared philosophy to “produce amazing beer that continues to push boundaries and elevate the quality of beer produced within SA.”
Little Bang’s acquisition is reflective of a broader industry trend as small and medium-scale craft brewers increasingly seek to upscale and compete with larger, nationally established brands (another SA brand, Mismatch Brewing, was recently acquired by Mighty Craft Limited). In this rapidly maturing market, Davidson says, “The cowboy days are over; little breweries can't get away with a substandard product anymore, even if they're cute.”
This increased emphasis on quality is part of the reason that the craft beer sector continues to grow, even as alcohol consumption in Australia declines overall. And it gives Davidson reason to be bullish about the industry’s future.
“The increased excise tax rebate means tiny retail producers can actually survive these days, so I think we're going to see an even bigger upsurge in quality Australian beer, and beer venues. Yes, competition is fierce, but beer drinkers are increasingly selective, so if your focus is on quality rather than maximising market share and volume at all costs, this is a great time to be in the industry.”
In the short term, Little Bang’s output will increase significantly on the current production of 400,000 litres a year, but Duxton will take a largely hands-off approach to its latest acquisition. “We’ll keep it autonomous with its own management, but give it some extra resources so it can grow even more,” says Duxton’s investment analyst Mitchell Hodson, adding that there are “some exciting opportunities that we’re exploring,” including the possibility of a new taproom and satellite brewery.
And Davidson is adamant that the quirkiness of Little Bang will remain a core part of the brand’s identity. Started by two former video game developers, Little Bang’s first ever release was a 10 per cent ABV barley wine and in 2020 they simultaneously released 12,000 IPA cans with algorithm-generated names like Exploding Vegetable Arrangement, Generous Bathroom Transformation and Satanic Burp Detector.
“Experimentation and creativity is at the heart of what we do,” says Davidson. “We're very careful, as the core range and the volume-movers become a bigger part of our business, to reserve a special place for the brewers, and all of the crew, to feed their creativity into what we do, to express ourselves, to keep ourselves entertained and always learning new things. That's what makes the job a joy.”
