Every month, a
like-minded bunch of beautiful beer-lovers come and join us for our Alestars
Beer Appreiciation evening. This past Wednesday we were also joined by the
lovely guys from 4 Pines Brewing, Andrew and Chris, all the way from Manly.
With them, they brought a handful of beers, 3 Single Hop Ales and their galaxy
famous Stout.
First up was
the Hallertau Mittlefrüh Single Hop. Brewer Andrew Tweddell explained that they
wanted to showcase the different hop-growing regions of the world, so what
better place to start than with a classic German Noble hop? This one was the
cleanest tasting of the lot, with all of the subtleties of the noble hop coming
through.
Next was
Target hops from the UK. This one was rich and earthy, and more bitter than the
Hallertau. Having this side by side with the Hallertau showed just how much
impact hops have on the flavour, aroma and bitterness of a beer, despite
sharing the same base recipe.
The last
single hop we tried was the very New-World style American hop, Centennial. A
favourite of craft brewers for its potent buttering capabilities and its
distinct grapefruit and line flavour, it was used more sparingly than usual so
as not to overwhelm, but to illustrate the subtle flavouring
possibilities.
Finally, we
were treated to the 4 Pines Stout, the first beer to brewed specifically to be
commercially available in space. A rich, yet perfectly drinkable stout, this is
a perennial favourite of Aussie beer lovers, and went down a treat the other
night.
We were also treated
to a full explanation of 4 Pines' latest addition to their brewing arsenal, the
huge new Brookvale facility that has just started production. Brewer Chris
Willcock walked us through the challenges and advantages of the new system, and
helped explain how each beer was brewed and the individual characteristics of
each hop.
Big thanks to
Andrew and Chris, and everyone who came down to Darlinghurst for a lovely night
of Beer, Trivia, Fun and more Beer.
