4 Pines Kolsch

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Got home just now to find a 6 pack of 4 Pines freshly delivered from the brewery. 2x stout, 2x pale ale, 1x heffe and 1x kolsch... Lovely.

Chilling in the fridge now and will be sampling a little later tonight. What fantastic service!!

Will post some feedback later on.
Cheers
 
Got home just now to find a 6 pack of 4 Pines freshly delivered from the brewery. 2x stout, 2x pale ale and 2x kolsch... Lovely.

Chilling in the fridge now and will be sampling a little later tonight. What fantastic service!!

Will post some feedback later on.
Cheers

I got 2 Hefeweizens, 2 Kolsches, a Pale Ale and a Stout. All cooled to 7C.

The Stout is freakin amazing. I will buy that. The Pale Ale (amber ale, it's not pale) too. I get buckets of American hops Simcoe pine and Citra fruit, and an undeniable caraaroma maltiness and colour.

Those Kolschs I had from Dans ... nothing like these ones. Was it handling or a bad batch - I dunno. But I've also been taking notes. These ones expire on DEC 2012. Their Kolsch is very good - for the Corona drinker out there it's an easy transition. Bit bland for me, but a well made beer for sure. I didn't get any of the fruit they mention, but I did get hints of custard powder and a bready sweetness that I'm not sure should be there but it's delicious either way. Probably the hardest beer to make well, as it has virtually no place to hide a fault. Last one I had tasted like K&K - this one is smooth. Very smooth.

The hefe is good, but unfortunately I have a hefe on tap ATM and it's not as good as mine - but it's still great, I just have the advantage of pouring the primary into the keg and stuffing it in my mouth. The thing is I like a wheatie heavy on the barley, and I think 4 Pines have more than 50% wheat. Tastes like 3068 though. I'm a hefe snob - make Schneider Weisse and I'll marry you.

Will give a better review than this, but yeah - 4 Pines make great beer. That stout! ... I don't even like dark beer.

In my checking stuff out I find that the word "Kolsch" is like "Champagne" ... 4 Pines can't actually use it unless they are in Cologne.

I will submit my tasting notes whe I can type betterer. I'm no BJCP judge so it's more a stream of conciousness ... but it's honest.
 
That stout! ... I don't even like dark beer.

That's what I thought, then I got a dud six pack just when I was trying to convince some mates. Sad face.

It's terrible that it can be so hit and miss and the worst thing is that it's only ever happened to me when drinking microbrewery beers, often ones I've never tried before. So how many new beers have I tried and not gotten the propper thing and written it off as mediocre?
 
That's what I thought...

My notes are quite funny for this as I'm not a dark beer fan. "Coffee. More coffee. Kahlua and coke. Coffee. Wait - jersey caramels. New car smell - no - shoe shop smell, in a good way (the carafa twang probably). Yum. Sweet, but not a lactose sweet - how do they do that?"
 
In my checking stuff out I find that the word "Kolsch" is like "Champagne" ... 4 Pines can't actually use it unless they are in Cologne.



You don't miss a beat. And the correct pronunciation of "Cologne" with the German tongue is something I'm still working on. :)
 
Grabbed a single of the kolsch a few months back from Dans it was really good. This weekend had a mates bucks party and wanted to get something to share around that everyone might find easy to drink so bought a carton petty they were all totally over carbonated gushers and tasted like a bad apple champagne kit brew. Even worse when you are giving them to people that only like pure blonde I wouldnt risk getting a carton again definitely not to share with people anyway. That my 2 cents
 
Grabbed a single of the kolsch a few months back from Dans it was really good. This weekend had a mates bucks party and wanted to get something to share around that everyone might find easy to drink so bought a carton petty they were all totally over carbonated gushers and tasted like a bad apple champagne kit brew. Even worse when you are giving them to people that only like pure blonde I wouldnt risk getting a carton again definitely not to share with people anyway. That my 2 cents

Mate, I think they sent out a bad batch.
 
In my checking stuff out I find that the word "Kolsch" is like "Champagne" ... 4 Pines can't actually use it unless they are in Cologne.

'Cept far as I'm aware, we (Australia) don't recognise Protected Geographical Status except for wine; so you can call your beer any name you like!
 
When I talked to one of the 4pines guys, he said that "Klsch" was protected, but "Kolsch" was fine to use, since in German it is a different word.

(He also said they get emails about it all the time :p)
 
I'm not really a fan of bottled beer in general. Don't get me wrong, there are some beer styles that are fantastic bottle conditioned if treated right, but not every beer suits this. Generally, draught beer is always better.

If you get the chance, go to the brewpub and taste the beer on tap. While there, order some food... I think this venue is under rated for its food... I have a fussy wife who doesn't drink, so brewpubs are a tough sell... However, she likes 4 pines. They don't really do a lot with beer and food pairing which is a shame, but I still rate the food above most beer venues in Sydney.
 
Will post some feedback later on.
Cheers

Had 3 bottles last night:

1. Kolsch

Very bright pale straw colour, well carbonated with an initially large white head that lightly laced the glass. Good looking beer that would appeal to the everyday drinker recognizable as a familiar beer.

Not much in the way of malt, nor hop aroma. Did get some very slight sulfur that persisted as it warmed up. Not a very exciting beer to smell. Again, nothing offensive, just reasonably unexciting. No light fruitiness at all.

The flavour, same as the aroma is nothing too exciting. It is very clean and crisp with a very light (hardly perceptible) slight mineral and sulfur character. Malt sweetness and hop bitterness balanced to the point of neither being present.

Well attenuated and dry to medium body, crisp with bitterness that is well balanced, leaving a very sessionable beer.

Overall i think it's a very well made beer. I would like the beer a little more if, using this base, a little more fruity fermentation character was present and maybe a touch more malt presence.

I can understand that this beer (and Kolsch in general) can be seen as a gateway beer to craft beer. However, there is a dilemma that the brewer faces, in that the average beer drinker won't go for it, cause it tastes very similar to the commercial stuff they drink all the time. Whereas the beer aficionado will be looking for something with a bit more character as a special one off, or even as a go to beer.

For mine, the beer right now, is too similar (although very well made and much more drinkable) to 90% of the stuff that is both cheaper and more widely available.
 
2. Pale Ale

Lovely golden/copper colour and medium high carbonation giving a dense rocky white to off white head. Brilliant clarity.

Aroma of citrusy american hops, with a touch of caramel and toffee in support. Very clean and no grassy element to the aroma. Very enjoyable.

Moderate hop flavour again supported by some caramel and very faint biscuit/toast overtones. Medium bitterness, that is delivered softly with a pleasant grapefruit and pine flavour. Balance is only just in favour of the hops.

Medium to dry body, with the carbonation leaving a clean finish on the palate.

A very gentle APA, that is more in keeping with how the sttyle should be, rather than a mini-IPA. Very enjoyable.

I will certainly seek this one out and drink again.
 
Had a great lunch at 4 pines couple of months ago when down in sydney, good food and started with a tasting rack. The real standouts for mr were the english bitter and the stout, ended up with a couple each of those. To me the stout had a bitt of schwartzbier character, probably from carafa and not overly bitter, great place to goto if you are in sydney.
 
Where can I buy a case of this that will be guaranteed fresh? I'm keen to try it but after reading this thread I daren't touch it with a barge pole from any of the usual outlets. I've asked in some of the smaller boutique bottlos and been met with blank stares.

Also is there a list of pubs where any 4 pines beers are on tap?
 
Where can I buy a case of this that will be guaranteed fresh? I'm keen to try it but after reading this thread I daren't touch it with a barge pole from any of the usual outlets. I've asked in some of the smaller boutique bottlos and been met with blank stares.

Also is there a list of pubs where any 4 pines beers are on tap?

Get on the Manly Ferry.
 
3. Stout

Very dark brown almost black with perceptible ruby highlights when held up to the light. Thin light brown head that laced the glass well.

Aroma of pale chocolate and light coffee. Not overly roasty, but some present at low levels. Some pleasant fruity esters of mild dark fruit.

Flavour same as aroma with coffee being more prominent than chocolate. No caramel. Hop bitterness and some roastiness bringing through some earthiness to offset a subtle chocolate sweetness as it warms. Enjoying the complexity in a beer that is only 5.1%

Medium to low carbonation leaving a medium body finish.

Most enjoyable beer of the night. Will be my go to stout from here out. In my opinion head and shoulders above the 1 dimensional and harsh Coopers Stout.
 
Interesting guys,
I received a 6 pack of Kolsch - no stouts or pale ales.

But not that it matters, enjoyed the Kolsch - i will heading down there later this week to enjoy their The 4 Pines Keller Door "Single Hop Series" and grab a steak or two.

1. Amarillo (USA)- A beautiful aromatic American Hop synonymous with APAs and golden ales.
2. Sorachi Ace (Japan)- An overwhelming lemon and lychee like aroma.
3. Galaxy (AUS)- Citrus and passionfruit aromas.
4. Aramis (France)- Strong herbal, lemon like aroma.

Hopefully will be similar to the PUNK 4 Packs :icon_drool2:
 
Tasting it over the bar at Manly, I think its a fine little pale ale but dont believe its a Klsch.
I strongly suspect its brewed with dry ale yeast and then perhaps its lagered, again based on tasting all the beers on tap I suspect there is a house yeast that makes all the 4 Pines ales, not something you can get away with when making Klsch.
I really do admire anyone who makes a reasonable Klsch; its a very difficult style to make and there is zero room to hide any mistakes. This beer just didnt exhibit that soft delicate fruity bouquet and the incredible cleanness that makes Klsch one of the most drinkable beers in the world.
MHB
 
As someone who visits Sydney 3-4 times a year just for food and beer, I will vote with my feet to visit the 4 Pines Brewery at Manly, just across the road from the wharf.

My Father-in-law is from a German town called Wuppertal and as a young fella frequented Dusseldorf and Cologne for his Alts and Kolsch.
He said that the 4Pines Kolsch (from the brewery tap) was "******* delicious", but not the same as a "proper Kolsch".
The old boy also loved the Pale.
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I didn't try them, but The Stout was Roasty, creamy and delicious (below) and the Dunkel was also very nice.
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If you're Eating, I rate the Pork Belly!
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BF
 
I would just like to say im not bagging the brewery or the beer. like I said the first time i bought a single it was bloody fantastic and the stout has always been great. It just sucks ass when you buy a carton for $75 to find out there all fucked.
 
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