What's your idea of the ideal vacation? Mine is relaxing at the beach,
soaking up the sun along with the local food, drink, and culture. Hawaii offers
all of that: the weather is almost perfect, there's always something to do, and
the cuisine fuses the best of Asia and America. Best of all, there’s
plenty of good beer--if you know where to look.
Brewing in the middle of the Pacific can be an adventure. Almost everything
has to be shipped in: grain and hops, which aren't grown there; packaging
material; even bottles. Additionally, real estate and electricity are expensive,
wages are high, and the state slaps a hefty tax on beer. One brewery owner
estimated that it’s 40 percent more expensive to brew beer in Hawaii than on
the mainland.
Despite these challenges, craft brewers thrive in Hawaii. Oahu, the most
populous island, has three brewpubs. All are near downtown Honolulu; and, with a
bit of planning, it's possible to arrange a mini-pub crawl. On my last visit, I
did just that.
On the Town
First, though, I arranged for a designated driver, namely, Hilo Hattie, the
owner of a chain of boutiques. At my Waikiki hotel, I boarded a motorized
trolley to her store west of downtown, bought a hat to replace the one I'd left
on the plane, and then walked next door to the Big Aloha Brewery (580 North
Nimitz Highway, inside Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch and Crab), a high-energy
restaurant created by Sam Choy, the Emeril Lagasse of Hawaii. To reach "Da
Brewery," I navigated past a 35-foot-long sampan surrounded by tables full
of people eating big portions of island comfort food. Underneath the brewing
tanks, I enjoyed a sampler that included Kiawe Porter, brewed with island honey;
Ehu Red Ale; Kakaako Cream Ale, a style rarely found this far west; and brew
master Dave Campbell's renditions of English best bitter, Bavarian hefeweizen,
and California common beer.
Hilo Hattie’s trolley next took me to Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (1
Aloha Tower Market Place), part of a chain I'd visited on earlier trips west. I
walked through an airy restaurant serving casual aloha fare, which opened up to
a wooden lanai, or deck, where office workers gathered to watch the ships cruise
past and admire the sunset from one of downtown's best vantage points. The
German-inspired beers include Blonde Bock, which packs a 7 percent alcoholic
punch; a malty version of märzen; Golden Export; and an unfiltered Dunkles.
They all go well with a plate of garlic fries, the aroma from which will greet
you the moment you walk in the front door.
Next up was the Brew Moon Restaurant & Microbrewery (1200 Ala Moana
Boulevard, inside the Victoria Ward Center), a sleek, ultra-modern establishment
on the second floor of a shopping complex. The dining room, which overlooks Ala
Moana Park, is decorated with friezes depicting the brewing process, the phases
of the moon, and the plantation that stood here before developers moved in.
Since I was here for beer and pupus, as snacks are called, I grabbed a
seat on the lanai, watched the rain showers fall on the mountains above, and
ordered a pint. Brew Moon's rotating tap selections offer everything from a
Belgian trippel to a Bavarian Schwarzbier; there are also five
year-round beers. My generously-hopped pale ale was the perfect accompaniment to
the famous "bar crackers," thin pizza crusts sprinkled with Gorgonzola
and garlic and slightly blackened.
The Conventional and the Audacious
While Brew Moon survived economic upheaval--local investors stepped in after
the Massachusetts-based chain went bankrupt--not everyone has been so lucky.
Maui has seen a series of brewpubs come and go.
Today, the only survivor is the Fish and Game Brewing Company &
Rotisserie (4405 Honoapiilani Highway, Lahaina), a classy restaurant a few
minutes’ drive north of Kanapaali Beach. As the name indicates, it specializes
in fresh local seafood and meats roasted over the local version of mesquite.
Brew master Thomas Kerns, an Oregon native, has turned out an audacious range of
beers, including an imperial stout and a brown ale made with hemp seeds, along
with more conventional offerings like a British session ale and Primo Pilsner,
which honors a lager brewed in Hawaii for nearly a century.
On Kauai, craft brewers have enjoyed mixed success. One brewpub closed
shortly after I visited; another reinvented itself as a nightclub. But Waimea
Brewing Company (9400 Kaumualii Highway), "the last watering hole before
the International Date Line," is still alive and well. The pub and
restaurant are located inside a traditional plantation house, whose open windows
allow the gentle trade winds to circulate. Waimea's flagship brew, Waialeale
Ale, is named for a nearby mountain said to be the rainiest place on Earth;
there’s also a porter, a pale ale, and an India pale ale honoring Captain
James Cook. Freshly-caught fish and a batter made with the brewery’s pale ale
go into the fish and chips; other island-accented dishes include honey-mango
ribs and nachos topped with kalua pork.
Kauai is also the home of Keoki Brewing Company (2976 Aukele Street, Lihue),
started by businessman George Wells ("Keoki" is Hawaiian for George),
who followed his dream of brewing in paradise. What began as an avocation now
keeps him busy full time. Keoki's mainstay beers are Kauai Gold and
mahogany-colored Hawaiian Sunset; it also custom brews Hawaiian Sunset Pink
Beer, the lager served at Waikiki's Royal Hawaiian Hotel, as well as special
beers for several other resorts and restaurants. The brewery also exports a
version of Pink Beer, along with a mango-flavored beer, to beer connoisseurs in
Japan.
The Big Island of Hawaii boasts two breweries. I included both on a day-long
circle-the-island tour, where I took in the natural beauty—everything from
black sand beaches to tropical rain forests to the still-active Mauna Kea
volcano. Historic Hilo town, on the rainy east coast, is home to Mehana Brewing
Company (275 East Kawili Street), a family-owned operation whose name means
"from the heart." When I arrived, a woman poured samples and showed me
the guest book, where visitors from as far away as Turkey and Argentina had
signed in, and told me about her grandchildren on the mainland. Mehana brews
five beers: a kölsch-style ale; a dry-hopped pale ale; a red ale; a lager; and
Roy's Private Reserve, a mild ale created for restaurateur Roy Yamaguchi's
"Euro-Asian-Pacific" cuisine.
The resort-studded west side is the home of Kona Brewing Company (75-5629
Kuakini Highway, Kailua-Kona), the state's largest. Its owners have branched out
into the brewpub business, adding a restaurant that serves pizzas made with
spent grain from the brewery, dishes featuring island food such as Kona limes
and macadamia nuts, and baskets of hand-crafted Hawaiian kettle chips. Kona
Brewing still brews its original offerings, Longboard Lager and Fire Rock Pale
Ale, and has added six year-round beers, including a wheat ale made with a touch
of passion fruit. It also serves four seasonals: a ginger beer brewed with
locally-grown ginger root, coffee and coconut stouts, and a barley wine.
If you're planning a visit to Hawaii, bring sunscreen and a thirst for beer,
and don't forget to brush up on the local lingo. The first word you'll need to
learn is Hipahipa! That’s "Cheers!" in Hawaiian.
This article originally appeared in All About Beer,
May 2004.
Copyright © 2004-05 PAUL RUSCHMANN. All Rights Reserved.
Posted May 2004.
