I spent three weeks from mid May-early June 2012 on a volcanic, tropical (mostly) business trip that spanned Hawaii, Korea, Spain, Denmark and Iceland. As is my practice, I sampled the locals brews in the hopes of finding my one true brew love…
Hawaii: Kona Brewing Company
- Carol Dekkers
- Kona Brewing at Honolulu airport
Kona Brewing is the most famous of Hawaiian microbrews and is making a name for its brews both near and far (in Florida their Longboard Lager (ABV 4.6%), Fire Rock Pale Ale (ABV 5.9%) and Koko Brown (ABV 5.5%) are readily available in 12 oz 6packs. Wailea Wheat may appear in the coming weeks as it is a spring/summer seasonal.
Two of Kona Brewing's specialties are now among my personal favorites: Wailea Wheat (which Hawaiian friends told me was purely seasonal in bottles but was found on tap at the Honolulu airport) and Koko Brown.
Wailea Wheat (ABV 5.4%) – a passion fruit infused seasonal brew that was better on tap than I ever remembered in bottle form. It was fresh, light, with enough passion fruit flavor to be memorable but not overpowering.
Koko Brown Ale I am not normally a fan of the molasses flavor of most Brown Ales, but Koko Brown's is not a typical brown ale at all! Its meaty coconut flavor and undertones of coffee made for an extremely smooth taste that I kept coming back to over the five days I was in Hawaii.
This article appears in Jul 5-11, 2012.