This local brewer is bringing back the golden age of craft beer

When Oscar Matthews became Little Bang's Head Brewer in 2022, the brand was already a legend in the SA craft brewing scene.

So he quickly set about learning everything he could from co-founder Ryan Davidson, “who just oozes what Little Bang is in a creative sense.”

After cutting his teeth at Pirate Life and California's SLO Brew, Oscar was the founding Head Brewer of Uraidla Brewery.

“But I had to adapt pretty quickly when I came here because it was very different to the beers that I'd previously made at Uraidla,” he says.

“There we would set a style guide and work within the boundaries, but here it's anything goes.

That applies to the beer styles, the labels and what happens in the taproom, so it was a steep learning curve. But it was great for me creatively.”

Oscar recently added General Manager to his name badge, and despite overseeing numerous changes in the last three years, he has ensured that the spirit of innovation that defines Little Bang remains very much present.

“I liken it to the head chef in any kitchen,” he explains.

“You're always going to present the product with a bit of your flair, but that comes through in the beer styles rather than the brand.”

That has meant leaning into more hoppy, West Coast-influenced beer styles, “but from the creative side, we want to keep the look and feel of Little Bang and to harness that history and energy."

The early days of the craft beer boom were characterised by endless creativity and a constant flow of new releases, but Oscar has noticed some of that spark disappearing in recent years.

To recapture that excitement, he knew that “we needed to find what really drew people to craft beer in the first place.”

The result is a steady stream of new beers and an expanded lineup of regular events at the Stepney taproom.

“We're trying to run some form of event every month, with bigger quarterly festivals,” he says.

This year, that included all-day celebrations of IPAs (Hopocalypse Now), stouts (Sludgefest) and sour beers (Invertapalooza).

Each event includes themed releases for craft beer lovers, but 22 taps and all-day entertainment mean they also cater to a wider audience.

“There are a lot of people who are just looking for a fun event and don't necessarily love sour beers or dark beers... they just want a fun place to hang out.”

And the biggest event of all is the upcoming birthday celebration, which has a California Country theme this year.

“I spent a lot of my early brewing career in California, in a little coastal town called San Luis Obispo that's equal parts coast and country,” says Oscar

“So for me it really resonates because it takes me back there, and it just so happens that it's quite on trend at the moment.”

He's pulling out all the stops for El Rancho Little Bang, which will include line dancing classes, a mechanical bull and live country and blues.

There will be prizes for the best costumes, and after a medieval-themed event earlier this year saw attendees dressed as knights, monks and elves, Oscar has high hopes.

The kitchen will be serving up slow-cooked BBQ, while the new beer releases will have a strong West Coast influence.

The event will be the first opportunity for craft beer lovers to sample Cosmic Cowboy (a West Coast pilsner that brightens up a crisp lager base with hoppy tropical fruit notes) and Disco Rodeo (a hazy IPA with several experimental hop strains).

Other recent limited edition releases will also be available, including Safer Space Vol. 2, Face Berserker and Naked Ned.

And with 22 taps turning over regularly, there'll always be room for new Little Bang ideas (plus some guest taps for brewing friends).

But there's one beer that will never go out of style.

“We'll always have some Sunbear hazy IPA,” Oscar says.

“That was the first beer that I made here, and hazy pale ale at the time was what everyone was really searching for.

It still is in some ways, so it's awesome to see that it's stuck around and grown so much to become our biggest beer.”

Little Bang's 11^th Birthday Party will run from 11 am to 11 pm on Saturday 15 November at 25 Henry Street, Stepney.

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25 Henry Street, Stepney
W: https://www.littlebang.com.au/
I: /littlebangbrewing