#4 pines

[liquorkartaustralia]

4 Pines Pale Ale Cans 375mL - Pack Of 24

4 Pines Pale will is an American-styleale with a bright ruby look. Hop-driven aromas of citrus, pine, and grapefruit overlay a mouthfeel of

[beerswax]

4 Pines - American Amber Ale...Attic - Sanctimonious

Yes you get 2 for 2. Aren't you lucky readers! All….maybe three of you. ;)

The beer - one of my favourite session ales. 4 Pines is a stalwart brand these days down here in Melbourne, and I find this beer quaffable in all weather, in all situations. Of course, I'm a borderline alcoholic but still - the judgement stands. This is a pleasant dark ale, hoppy enough to keep me interested but malty enough that it doesn't parch you at the end, well-rounded and very, very drinkable. It would probably be one of those good gateway beers for those trying to branch out into craft beers and their sometimes-strange flavours - it has lagery aspects in that it's very drinkable but without the hated (well, *I* hate it!) corny, grassy "lagerarse" taste of most commercial lagers I've suffered through, and as mentioned before, it's complex enough in flavour that you don't feel like you're drinking water after a while. If I want a good dependable beer that I can sit back and have one or quite a few of, this is one of my first choices.

Now the album - another favourite.

Attic were first on my radar in 2012 with their first full-length "The Invocation", and while it was pretty good, it didn't really stick with me. Very competent KIng Diamond worship with a shrieker vocalist who, yes, sounded EXACTLY like King Diamond, in all the good ways too - eardrum-splitting falsettos, sneering evil mid-range vocals and a flair for the dramatic. But it didn't stick with me because it was more King Diamond (solo band) worship than it was a Mercyful Fate copy - King Diamond's original band, and one of my all-time favourite outfits. With Mercyful Fate you had Diamond's insane vocals mixed with some of the best, and most numerous, heavy metal riffs I've ever heard, with an evil occult atmosphere. When Diamond shrieked "I DENY JESUS CHRIST THE DECEIVER!" and it was backed with Hank Shermann's brilliant sinuous guitar lines, you believed it. Then when King Diamond went it alone, his output was exceedingly good on an objective level, but I don't think he ever really reached those dizzy heights of the first three Fate releases (the EP [Nuns Have No Fun], Melissa and Don't Break the Oath). How could he? Those releases were masterpieces. Anyway, long story short, Attic's first album seemed to mirror Diamond's solo stuff quite a bit and while I enjoyed it, it sort of fell OFF my radar after that.

Come this year and Attic released this monster of a concept album - Sanctimonious. And I immediately fell in love with it. Yes, KIng Diamond specialised in concept albums (Abigail, obviously, but quite a few others through his career post-Mercyful Fate) so Attic haven't done anything new here. But something about this album just grabs me by the nuts. The concept is both parts familiar but engaging, tragic, over-the-top and (in an evil way) kind of hilarious - a disgraced nun, a despotic nasty Abess, evil deeds, betrayal,dead babies and eventual (SPOLER ALERT!) murder and bloodshed in the name of Satan. The actual layout of the album is exquisite, a gatefold with a huge booklet and lovingly-rendered illustrations (in all their gory glory) and bone-white vinyl. And the music? The riffs are very Diamond-Fate-influenced of course, all of which are engaging and lovingly-crafted, and there are some deliberate call-backs to previous riffs to fit with the narrative power of the lyrics. The soloing is incredible, both harmonised and as showcases, and there's a fair bit of modernish black metal tremolo riffing abuse and transitional blastbeating thrown in for good measure as well (after all, Mercyful Fate definitely informed the second wave of black metal, no matter what the kvltists might say). And, of course, the vocal stylings of Meister Cagliostro, who obviously, in his formative years as a young German lad, heard King Diamond's strangled vocals and said to himself - "fuck it. I wanna be this guy". He's so close to the King it's uncanny. It's obvious that these guys love all things Mercyful Fate and King Diamond, and unlike a lot of bands who emulate this style, they have the chops to pull it off AND are are aware of the need to keep it interesting if they're going to pay this sort of homage. And DAMN they do it well. In spite of myself, this is probably my favourite album of 2017 (not that I've heard a lot of new stuff this year, but anyway…), or at least in my top 2.

"THERE IS NO GOD!"

[manofmanytastes]

10 Best Australian Beers for Winter

http://manof.me/2rJM0RX

[thesocialapothecary-blog]

The Second Pine.

Tonight, I’ll be looking at the Kolsch, a German style golden ale, by 4 Pines Brewing. Once again, this fine beverage hails from Manly Beach, Sydney, Australia as did the one last night. Now, I’ll have to admit, this particular beer is probably one of my favourite beers I’ve ever had. It’s probably one of, if not the easiest to drink beer I’ve had. It’s light in both taste and body making it akin to drinking soft drink almost. This is a brilliant introductory Craft beer and would highly recommend it to just about anyone. Golden ales on a broader scope have rarely let me down, as I’m a large fan of either the lighter beers (pilsner for another example) or very heavy beers (as heavy as imperial stouts even). This is definitely a high light of what a good stand out  craft beer can taste like while still staying ‘safe’. 

To summarise or quick read:

Name: 4 Pines Kolsch

Origin: Manly, Australia. 

Basic description: Light, more malty but VERY easy to drink. 

Rating: 5 Stars.

[thesocialapothecary-blog]

Two 4 Pines.

Tonight, a beer. I’ll be looking at one of two beers I’ve bought by the 4 Pines brewery down in Sydney. Put simply: shit’s cash. Their Pale Ale is new to me and I'm not usually a fan of pale ales. This one however is amazing. It’s smooth as opposed to malty or heavy and I personally find it a little more hop based than your usual pales and probably less fruity. I’ve kept my eye out for the 4 Pines range, its easy to find due to level of production but keeps it’s quality at the same time. It’s a little bit expensive and hard to find to buy in bulk when it comes to at home supplying. However you can bet your shout at the bar that any trendy ‘hipster’ bar worth its weight in flannel and manicured beards that there will be at least one product behind its bar. 

Alright, a bit about the beer itself and the brewery it comes from.

Name: 4 Pines Pale Ale. 

Taste: Light, hoppy and easy to drink. Wouldn't describe it as your usual pale ale.

Brewery: Australia, specifically Manly. For those overseas, Manly is the Northern beaches of Sydney. 

[facterinvurt]

New stuff from INVURT - Australia - NZ - SE Asia - Melbourne - Graffiti - Street Art - Underground Art

New Post has been published on http://www.invurt.com/2015/02/08/video-choq-keg-city/

Video - Choq - Keg City

Back in Australia, and with a rumoured solo show coming up sometime in the future, Choq has been busy at work (as always), this time painting up a storm for 4 Pines brewery – checko out the video below!!

KEG CITY | CHOQ from 4 Pines Brewing Company on Vimeo.