Beer 4 Pines Keller Series: Amber Mosaic

The team at Manly's 4 Pines is back with another seasonal release in 500ml bottles. And, as with those that have come before, they continue to eschew the path trodden by many local brewers when it comes to seasonal releases ' in other words, go nuts ' in favour of releasing rather more approachable affairs. Following in the footsteps of the likes of their Oktoberfest lager and the recent Calypso comes the Amber Mosaic. It is a beer that has seen the light of day on tap before and is now enjoying nationwide packaged exposure. It's a good-looking beer: bright, burnished amber with an off-white head - and rather flavoursome too. The Mosaic hops lend the beer some familiar citrus and tropical fruit aromas, which are joined by caramel and toffee as the beer warms. Those malt flavours are more prominent in the mouth in a beer that wraps up with a touch of toast alongside the hops' cleansing bitterness.