Is There Beer in Paradise

The final leg of our trip was a week stay in Maui. The funny thing was when we were trying to decide on where to spend our honeymoon I didn't go wild over the Hawaii idea. I am not a beach person. Growing up in Pittsburgh didn't allow for many weekend trips to the shore. To me Hawaii seemed geared more toward the sun worshiper and even though it is considered the ultimate destination by many it simply wasn't on my radar. Thanks to some great information provided by good friends who had been and the persistence of my wonderful wife Kelleigh my hazy view of Hawaii turned crystal clear. This part of our trip was beyond amazing. If you ever have the chance to go don't think twice, get on the plane. If this were a travel blog I would post every picture I took and write about our road adventures. Since this space is dedicated to beer I'll spare you the photo montage and beach stories. You will have to find serious vacation tales from somewhere else. The tranquil, tropical, warm pacific surroundings were wonderful but my concern was, how do I find a decent pint?

Yes there is beer in paradise but, I can't call it a beer paradise. I am sure that most people don't think of Hawaii as a great beer destination and neither do I but, it is possible to hunt down a good beer. My entire experience comes from staying on Maui. The macros are everywhere. Obviously there is no problem getting a BudMillerCoors or an import, Guinness, Becks or Corona. The hotel bars swim in them and the supermarket cold case isles have the standard cardboard cutouts of hot, young babes holding fizzy yellow six packs. You will find larger craft brewers, Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada and Anchor in some places. Just don't expect to find Russian River, Stone, Dogfish Head, Hair of the Dog, Port Brewing or anything too over the top. I never saw a place that came close to being considered a beer bar. The few craft breweries in Hawaii are all that keep Maui from turning into a beer wasteland. In all I had beers from four different breweries and made it to one brew pub. The most popular beers in Hawaii, by far, are from Kona Brewing Company and Mehana Brewing Company. Most of the bars and restaurants carried several of their labels. To my surprise I later found out that the bottled Kona beers weren't even made in Hawaii. They are brewed in Portland Oregon and distributed by A-B/InBev. My guess is it's more cost effective to brew on the mainland and ship them from there. Kona's draft beers are made in Hawaii at two brew pubs. So, if you decide to grab a six realize it's not coming from the islands. Keoki and Maui Brewing Company seemed to have a smaller distribution. During our stay we took the drive north to Lahaina and stopped by the Maui Brewing Company.

The brew pub is located in the corner of a small plaza just north of the touristy streets of Lahaina. The place was under construction so the curb appeal was a work in progress. The inside was also in mild disarray but the the bar was in full working order. The first thing I noticed was that they had a barrel aged beer, the Black Pearl. This was a pleasant surprise. The bartender suggested I try the CoCoNut Porter first since the Black Pearl was the coconut porter aged in rum barrels. The porter's taste is roasted coconut, dark chocolate with hints of coffee. The coconut also dominates the nose. Overall it was very smooth and drinkable. I liked this beer enough to smuggle some home in my checked luggage along with the rest of our Hawaiian goodies. The barrel aged version could of used some more time to mellow. The rum taste was very upfront and the alcohol created a slightly unbalanced beer. Maui Brewing is one of a few craft brewers who can beer instead of bottling. An idea I like more and more. Their three main beers, Coconut Porter, Big Swell IPA and Bikini Blonde Lager all come wrapped in aluminum. Maui Brewing definitely offered the most unique beers we tasted that week. As I enjoyed my beer I kept thinking what it must be like to be a brew master in Hawaii. After all every job sounds even better when you finish the details with, "I do it in Hawaii." If your a brewer, brewing beer in paradise seems like an interesting gig. Hawaii is an incredible experience and although it's not a beer destination finding a great pint is possible if you search the right places. The beauty of the situation is even a so so beer tastes a little bit better since your drinking it in paradise.