It was a bittersweet moment for the West Australian team who created boutique brewer Little World Beverages more than a decade ago, as they watched shareholders vote through Japanese brewer Kirin's $362 million takeover bid.

The shareholder vote, which took place from LWB's Fremantle Little Creatures Brewery late yesterday, attracted an overwhelming 99.97 per cent in favour.

Little Word Beverages founding shareholder and director Howard Cearns and chairman Ian Cochrane.

About half of the company's 1200 shareholders participated in the move, which subject to Federal Court approval, would see LWB delisted from the Australian Securities Exchange and become a wholly owned subsidiary of Lion - a wholly owned subsidiary of Kirin.

Before yesterday Lion already held a 36 per cent stake in LWB, leaving a shortfall of AU$256M to complete the takeover.