Anyone know where to get good craft beers like Little Creatures Pale Ale?
Coop and "Drinks of the World" (e.g., at Zurich HB) do sell some Australian beers, but generally not the ones Australians drink. Same with the so-called Australian pub Outback at Stadelhofen.
They have mass market beers like VB and sometimes Tooheys (bland lagers), but it seems perhaps cater to Swiss locals wanting to relive the taste of their holiday experiences of watching the sun rise at Bondi with a 6-pack by their side.
In the absence of Little Creatures, I am resorting to an imitation, which is the Chopfab Trüeb which is subtitled (or surtitled) Australian Pale Ale
It's a good tribute but not the same hop intensivity.
In the absence of a local source (please post if you know one) , if you are equally interested, you could also write to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) and ask for them to stock it.
Would be nice to drink it while watching the Rugby World Cup
Instead of being hung up on finding the exact beer you enjoy at home get out an explore the range of Swiss beers. There are plenty of Swiss breweries whose products rarely travel beyond their kantonal reach. They might not be the best of their type in the world but they're all better than the big Swiss breweries.
Felsenau (Bern, BE) also produces a good range of beers - and that is before you start looking at the micros. In fact the bigger breweries have really extended their range in recent years - from Falken I find Eidgenoss suitably pleasant, but Stammhaus too malty. The Pale Ale from Muller is really quite impressive.
They have Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and the full line of Brewdog (if you want bitter, try Jack Hammer which has 200 IBU).
They have a nice selection of Belgian beers, which are outstanding, especially now in the Autumn/Winter season. Other of my favorites are Theakstons Old Peculier, Shephard Neame Double Stout, and Pilsner Urqiell.
Not near zurich so not much help, but there is a little alcohol shop in neuchatel that sells a few australian beers. I managed to get 24 coopers green for half price because over here they have a use by date instead of a best after date.
Despite the recent expansion in the craft beer market here in the last couple of years, Little Creatures is still probably far too niche to make it here any time soon. Which isn't to say it might not crop up at a craft beer bar sometime, but you can forget it appearing at Coop or DOTW.
As DodgyKen says, try some of the local breweries. My personal taste skews more towards the ale-focussed breweries rather than the lager breweries. Trois Dames and Bierfactory are doing interesting htings, as is Brasserie Franches Montagnes (BFM).
update: Little Creatures (Australian Pale Ale) has been available for some time from Drinks on the world, I think I might have seen its mid strength brother Roger there too. Little creatures is a bit stronger and more distinctive in its hopping than the Chopfab version of APA.