no. 032 | Little Monster

Founded in 2018, Chichester-based Little Monster leans heavily on the city’s locals to deliver their creative range of beers.

It was 2018 before Little Monster’s founder Brenden Quinn decided to strike out on his own. Having cut his teeth at London-based Four Pure and Gypsy Hill, he was brewing in the small, historic market town of Arundel in West Sussex for the eponymous Arundel Brewery.

Named in honour of his daughter, Zoe, who had earned the nickname ‘little monster’, Brenden slowly and strategically built a core team around him. Together they have sought to grow the brand and business whilst aiming to showcase the beers that originally inspired Quinn on his travels. To do this, Brenden has moved on from Chichester, but still resides nearby in Chichester, a short 20-minute drive from his former employer. “Not only was there no other brewery in the immediate area”, he tells us, “but I love being so close to the sea and the South Downs National Park”.

Little Monster’s appreciation for their hometown runs through their beers too. Wherever they can, they add and infuse local ingredients, and the designer of their core range labels is based in the city. “We will always continue to support small businesses”, says Brenden, in part because they rely on similar levels of support from the local community themselves. “We have a core team of seven people that work with us, but there are countless volunteers, part-timers and supporters that we are forever thankful for”.

There are numerous facets involved in Little Monster’s brewing process and a multitude of decision points that impact the final result. However, the overriding question they ask themselves before launching a new product is ‘are we proud of this beer?’. If the answer isn’t a resounding ‘yes’, it doesn’t see the light of day. “We brew beer we like to drink and always have. But we’re never not conscious of the customer’s experience, which is why we think its worth going the extra distance to use the best ingredients we can and ensure we’re never cutting corners”.

That outlook means that grand plans take a touch longer to execute for Little Monsters than they might for other breweries. “We would love to open a bigger brewery, taproom and kitchen all on one site [Little Monster’s current brewery is located separately to its taproom] but that’s one for a little further down the line”, says Quinn. Their approach to business and growth is much the same as their approach to brewing beers: do things properly, conscientiously and as best as you can, and the rest will follow.