View from the Festival The seventh annual Hilo Brewfest was held on June 29th, 2019 at the Wainaku Center along the coast. The festival started as the Hilo Rotary Club’s fundraiser, 100% of ticket sales still go to local charities each year. Beer and food are donated to the event. A VIP hour offered additional…
TWO New Breweries Open on O’ahu! Bent Tail Brewing and Olomana Brewing
With permitting and approvals in Hawaii working slowly, I feel like there’s more new breweries announced than ones that actually open. This month, not one but two, breweries finally started pouring their beer after months or years of planning. First is the Honolulu staple REAL gastropub’s on-site microbrewery, Bent Tail Brewing Company. REAL reopened in…
Kona Brewers Fest 2019 – A Weekend of Beer
Tasting Mug & Sustainable Spork I had an epic weekend of drinking beer from 8am on Thursday until I left for the airport at 7pm on Saturday. There were just too many new things to try! I volunteered to be a judge at the 24th Annual Kona BrewersFest‘s Rocket Rod Homebrew Competition a few weeks…
CRAFT: Hawaii’s Only 100% Local Beer Festival
Just a few short years ago on Oahu there was only a sporadic festival, and even then they featured a lot of mainland offerings as the state simply didn’t support that many breweries. Flash forward to this month and the (hopefully) first annual CRAFT Beer Festival. Essentially a celebration of Hawaii-brewed beer and local adjunct…
Maui Brewing Co. Restaurant Opens in Kailua!
Mural by Kamea Hadar Maui Brewing Co. opened their fourth location in the state this weekend at the Lau Hala Shops in Kailua Town on Oahu. The area was formerly Macy’s and has since been developed into commercial spaces and a new parking garage and neighboring lot. The opening of the MBC Kailua Restaurant is…
A Look Back on 2018 and BJCP Exam Results
Keg Tree at BeerLab University With the announcement of BJCP classes being offered for free on O’ahu in early 2018, I didn’t know it would set my focus for the year. In the fall of 2017, I volunteered to be a steward for the first Oahu homebrew competition, which offered a window on the world…
Brew Oahu Homebrew Competition & Learn to Homebrew Day 2018
The first weekend in November saw the culmination of months of planning by members of the HIP Fermenters Homebrew Club that meets at Homebrew in Paradise in Kalihi. The second annual competition and festival was held at the store with entries from Oahu, neighbor islands, and the mainland. This year’s competition was the first to…
Aloha Beer Company’s Lager Love
Last weekend, Aloha Beer Company held a tap takeover event at Grace in Growlers where they previewed a few new selections coming soon. Dave Campbell has always been one to enjoy drinking traditional styles and he strives to make the best examples of each. For anyone who’s visited their brewery, the love of the craft…
Paradise Ciders: New Taproom Opens in Kalihi
Paradise Ciders is a prime example of what you can do with a dream, opportunity, and a lot of hard work. The cidery is the first in the state of Hawaii. Located in Kalihi, it’s certainly off the beaten path, but well worth the trip for any fan of locally brewed alcoholic fruit cider. Paradise…
Hawaii Beer Fest 2018 and BJCP Exam Class 2
It’s been a busy week for beer! The 2018 Homebrew Competition committee is busy planning and we’re looking forward to a fun event this November. On Thursday, June 14th, the second BJCP Exam preparation class was held at Homebrew in Paradise in Kalihi. The group turnout was smaller, but was met with more discussion and…