In operation for less than two years, the Manly-based 4 Pines Brewing Company has already outgrown the 500-litre capacity in-house brewery.

The busy upstairs bar/restaurant has lately struggled to keep up with demand and co-owner Jaron Mitchell says they are currently looking to purchase a larger capacity brewing plant.

 “Because of our current capacity restrictions, we’re not making an effort to push [our beers] out there,” he says. “But other outlets keep approaching us for our beer.” Kegs of 4 Pines beer have found a niche market at the likes of the Local Taphouse, Australia Hotel and Arthouse Hotel.

The next stage, according to Mitchell, will be to keep utilizing the existing equipment and to commission a larger system off-site to meet the growing demand.

“Seventy per cent of drinks we sell here are our own beers,” says part-owner Jaron Mitchell. Right on cue, a few minutes after opening time a pair of mature gents wander in and order a couple of tasting paddles.

In March, both the Kolsch and Pale Ale were rolled out in bottles, produced under contract by the William Bull Brewery, which is operated by the De Bortoli wine-producing family.

It’s not always easy to match recipes between keg and bottle but – in this case – the 4 Pines Kolsch in bottles is probably better than the version on tap, while the opposite is true of the Pale Ale.

The bottled house beers sell at the venue for $20 a six-pack and $58 a carton and are also sold through a handful of local restaurants and bars. “Basically, it’s people who’ve approached us for the beer,” Mitchell says.

Brewer Peter Clegg came on board in November ’08, replacing foundation brewer Nick d’Espeissis who has returned to WA. Clegg previously worked at the Australian Independent Breweries in western Sydney and enjoyed immediate success with his 4 Pines beers entered in this year’s RAS NSW Royal Beer Competition.

Kolsch picked up a gold medal, while 4 Pines Pale Ale snared silver. The Kolsch is consistently the biggest-selling house beer on tap. “It’s an approachable beer for so many people who are at the entry level,” Mitchell says. “If we get them drinking the Pale Ale, then we can maybe tickle them up to sometime like our ESB.”

4 Pines Brewing Company, 29/43-45 East Esplanade, Manly, 9976 2300 or 4pinesbeer.com.au

TASTING NOTES

4 PINES ESB (5.6%)

Copper-amber. Aroma: hints of toffee and spice. Palate: sweet malt notes upfront, robust hop flavours and integrated bitterness emerge later; finishes with medium bitterness. Overall: good complexity of flavours.

4 PINES HEFEWEIZEN (5.2%)

Pale yellow, hazy. Aroma: banana and clove notes. Palate: chewy malt gives way to a slightly spicy mid-palate; the finish is crisp and clean. Overall: a sound beachside quaffer. 

4 PINES KOLSCH (4.6%)

Pale straw colour, fine haze. Aroma: clean and malty with some floral notes. Palate: delicate floral notes initially, hint of honeysuckle in mid-palate; dry-ish finish. Overall: the bottled version more refined than the house brew on tap and ticks most boxes on the Kolsch style sheet.

4 PINES PALE ALE (5%)

Copper-amber, hazy. Aroma: Fruity with hints of citrus and tropical fruit. Palate: upfront fruity notes are balanced by sound malt weight and lively bitterness. Overall: fruity characters are more noticeable on tap than the bottled version.

CASCADE 2010 FIRST HARVEST (5.5%)

Deep copper-gold. Aroma: hints of toffee, allspice, peaches and cream. Palate: caramel notes initially, a lively bitterness with earthy undertones in mid-palate with hints of hop oil; finishes with medium bitterness. Overall: fairly straightforward compared to previous vintages.