Little Pete Brewing has opened a new open-air bar, nestled in the heart of South Australia’s renowned Langhorne Creek wine region. The family-run brewery’s latest initiative combines the beauty of the 20-acre property, along with a passion for brewing.
Co-Founder and brewer Warren Burgess spoke to Beer & Brewer, sharing the brewery’s journey, including the inspiration behind both its open-air venue, and its latest flagship beer, the SA Draught.
Surrounded by vineyards and offering views of the Bremer River, Burgess said the open-air venue is designed to connect people to the land. The layout of the space draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape, with the natural beauty of Langhorne Creek providing the backdrop.
“We wanted to bring people to our property and for them to be exposed to the sights and sounds of Langhorne Creek which overlooks the vineyard, with gums and the Bremer River in the background,” said Burgess.
Burgess and his wife Beck have been on the property for 18 months and are pleased with how the venue has been received.
“The first time we saw this place, we just felt that it had a special energy about it,” he said.
“It’s a really calming place where we live, and we wanted people to experience that when they came to the venue.
“Being an open-air bar brings a relaxed atmosphere. We wanted to create somewhere where people can come with family and friends and sit and enjoy a beer or two.”
Introducing the SA Draught
To celebrate the bar’s opening, Little Pete has launched a new flagship beer, the SA Draught. Burgess said he wanted to create a beer that appeals to drinkers who might not typically gravitate towards bold craft beer styles.
“It’s a beer that I always wanted to release,” Burgess told Beer & Brewer. “It is important that we’re capturing the segment of drinkers that may not be into ‘craft beer’ or big fans of hops.
“We are a craft beer business. These beers do not taste like lagers. They are true craft so to speak. And that’s why we wanted the SA Draught branding to look distinctly different.
“It’s flavour and aroma the SA Draught captures some of those beers of a bygone era.
“I’m proud to be capturing a segment of drinker that enjoys Australian lagers and are looking to drink something that’s locally owned and locally made.”
Grain-to-glass approach
In its commitment to sustainability and the Langhorne Creek community, Little Pete operates semi-off grid using battery power and continues to focus on its ‘grain-to-glass’ approach. This means that wherever possible, the brewery sources ingredients locally, using produce from surrounding areas.
“A big part of what we’re doing is sourcing locally grown malt. We’re looking for Australian grown malt. Some of our speciality malts, depending on recipe, may come from European malt series, but a big focus of ours is locally grown malt,” said Burgess.
“Being a former agronomist, my ultimate plan would be to source malt direct-from farm.”
This philosophy extends beyond beer. The new bar also features a selection of locally sourced wines and ‘build-your-own’ platters, which are a curation of locally sourced menu items to give visitors a taste of the region.
“We want to keep working towards having that strong focus on local produce across the Fleurieu Peninsula and Langhorne Creek region which has flowed through to the open-air bar.”
The bar also features seven of Little Pete’s signature beers available for purchase as well as tasting paddles.
The brewery’s vision for the future is to include an all-weather venue that will allow visitors to immerse themselves in the Langhorne region all year round.
“We are going to be building a structure coming off the container bar that’s going to be a bit more weatherproof. We are an outdoor venue. We just want to make sure, particularly as we start heading into autumn and winter, that patrons can sit comfortably and out of the elements.”
Continuing Little Pete’s legacy
The open-air venue continues the legacy of Little Pete Brewing. The name ‘Little Pete’ itself is a family legacy passed down from Burgess’ great-grandfather Harry, who was affectionately known as ‘Little Pete’. He came out to Australia between World Wars after serving in the British Army during World War 1.
“When Beck and I were looking at a name, I kept coming back to Little Pete because that also provides a link to family,” Burgess said.
The name ‘Little Pete’ represents not just a personal connection for Burgess, but also the heart and soul of the brewery, a family-run business with deeps roots in both the land and the community.
