As the long summer days begin to fade, the brewers at Little Creatures have been busy putting the seal on their third seasonal release – The Hotchkiss Six.

A domestic stout, the name The Hotchkiss Six is a cheeky link back to one of the original single batch beers, The Dreadnought, named after the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. On the Dreadnought, there was a six calibre gun called the Hotchkiss.

Little Creatures Head Brewer, Russell Gosling, said the latest stout gave the brewers a chance to play with a different style to their previous winter release: “There is so much more to Stouts than the regular, bigger styles you typically find during the winter months.

“We wanted to showcase a lower ABV Stout [4.5%] – one that had really good flavour but could be enjoyed all year round – after all, in WA, let’s be honest, winter is not really winter!

“We also took a look in the archives at some of our favourite dark beers of the past and then sought out what was fresh and available to us at the time, playing around with the malt bill and hops used in the beer,” said Russ.

Seasonal release beers are now a permanent fixture on the Creatures calendar, allowing the brewers at Creatures to experiment with new styles, and flavour hounds the chance to explore seasonal flavours. Previous seasonal releases have included Return of the Dread and Dog Days.

Brewer’s Scribble
A smooth stout, with indulgent dark chocolate qualities from caramel malt, English chocolate malt and roasted barley. Oats add to the full and rounded palate. Fruity aromas and aniseed-like spice come from late brewhouse additions of NZ Rakau and Southern Cross hops. 4.5% Alc/Vol. / 34 IBU / 120 EBC

The Hotchkiss Six will be available in market from May until August, or until stocks last.