4 Pines Brewing Company is pioneering the concept of barrel-aged beers with the opening of its first and very own venue dedicated to creating fun and interesting brews from the influence of different woods. 4 Pines Public House in Newport will have up to 20 barrels in the venue at any one time and will also serve 4 Pines’ 12 core beers and rotating Keller Door brews.
Public House Newport is one of Australia’s first barrel-aged beer venues. The unique brews start their life as traditional beers at either 4 Pines’ Manly or Brookvale brewery; they then make the journey to Public House, where they undergo secondary fermentation with old world yeast strains in foeders (big barrels). From there, the beer is put into barrels, which could have housed anything from chardonnay, rum, wine or whisky. Whether the beers are in the barrel, keg or bottle, this extra process means that the flavour of the beer is continuously evolving – you could call it character building.
The first of 4 Pines’ barrel-aged beers are already on tap and in bottle at Public House Newport. On tap are ‘Vlad’ – a Russian imperial stout aged for six months in whisky barrels, and ‘King Dong’ – a wheat beer, wild fermented in muscat barrels and aged for 12 months. In bottle, is Jean Claude Van Lambic, a golden ale aged in muscat barrels. Currently, Jean Claude has blended aromas of cherry and orange leaves with a subtle addition of light, buttery overtones, but try it in a few months time and who knows what will be found within hidden layers of flavour.
Ged Dore, 4 Pines’ very own publican, explained the inspiration behind Public House and its focus on barrel-aged beers: “The Australian craft market has been mimicking the growth curve of American craft for a few years now, which doesn’t entirely pay testament to the amazing and unique history of beer in Australia. When you look further back in Australian brewing, there were unique beers brewed with native herbs and fruits, aged and fermented in wood from our own backyard. I think we would be doing Australian independent beer a disservice by not revisiting this vibrant history with our current brewing knowledge, allowing us to bring forth beers that are uniquely diverse and interesting in flavour.”
Brewer Garrett Sherman added, “There are so many diverse styles of barrel-aged beers including the smaller sub-categories so there’s a lot of scope for brewers to experiment and start to offer some really innovative beers, which is great news for the beer drinker. Barrel-aged beer is still a growth area in terms of production and consumer awareness so we hope Public House becomes a real hub for people to explore our barrel-aged brews. And this is something that gets an uber beer nerd like me real fired up.”
As its name suggests, Public House is open to all members of the public wanting to trial its numerous experiments. Wine and cocktails are also available, along with a food menu curated off the back of popular dishes from 4 Pines’ Manly BrewPub and Underground Manly eatery. Try the Pizza Pies – three Mexican black bean, jalapeno, charred corn, sour cream and cheesy corn chips on pale ale infused pizza crust bases, or 4 Pines Mega Burger – double beef, double cheese, bacon, tomato, caramelised onion, mustard pickle and aioli with 4 Pines’ famous chunks.
The venue has been decked out with recycled timbers, exposed brickwork, leather, black steel and pallet racking to create a relaxed and handcrafted industrial-style aesthetic. A display of three ex-Seppeltsfield winery foeders as well as smaller barrels, gantries and pulley systems feature at the back of the venue, while lighting fixtures made out of old shackles, pulleys barrels and barrel staves can be found all over.
Public House Newport is open seven days a week, 11.30am until late.
