Hana Koa Brewing Co. – Hawaii's Newest Brewery!

Hana Koa Brewing Co. opened its doors this weekend to a series of private events for friends, family, industry, and others who shared in Josh Kopp and Chrissie Pinney’s adventure into building a community brewery. The grand opening will be held on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, and will be open six days a week 11am to 11pm (closed Tuesdays) thereafter. Huge mahalo to the husband and wife team for the invitation to preview the food, beer, and atmosphere that await Honolulu.

Hana Koa is located in Kaka’ako off of Ward Avenue on Kawaiaha’o Street, close to Blaisdell Center and Whole Foods. They have a dedicated free parking lot of a dozen stalls, otherwise street parking or a ride is necessary. The space was an old Coca-Cola bottling plant, so it was the perfect location to brew beer. They transformed the old warehouse into a gleaming comfortable living space. Inside the doors is a lounge area with half barrel tables and leather furniture, the perfect place to enjoy a few beers and maybe a pupu or two. For the full menu, see the host stand inside to be seated in a half booth, traditional table, or high top; all the seating is comfortable for a long stay. The bar is the best seat in the house if you’re looking to try one of their beers. For the soft opening, they had four styles on: a Blonde (my personal favorite), Pale Ale, IPA, and a Coffee Stout. There will be many mores styles coming starting Wednesday, with small batch, barrels, and blends coming in the future. The goal is to have up to thirty Hana Koa beers on tap at once!

Upstairs is a loft bar with less handles but a better view. Natural skylights add to the bright and open feel here. As Chrissie tells it, it’s all about a spirit of adventure: the lounge area is the sandy beach, the restaurant is the nourishing earth, and the loft is the sky. This is all summed up in their slogan “Brewed for Adventure.”

The menu is already well developed. We tried a number of small plates and main dishes: the steak fries, panko crushed tofu, smoked marlin on toast, tonkotsu ramen, boneless short ribs brisket, house burger, and spaghetti. There’s truly something for everyone with a fusion of all the styles that make the Hawaii culinary scene an exciting place for the palate. Prices are reasonable, this isn’t a place to break the bank while going out to eat. It’s also family friendly with a kids menu and dessert.

 

If you stop by, be sure to ask for a tour. The production facility is easy to see through windows behind the bar. Also check out their store with t-shirts, bandanas, crowlers, and other goodies to take home. I already can’t recommend Hana Koa enough; I’m sure you’ll find me here often!

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 Kaka’ako a few months ago serving their staple bar food, liquor galore, and beer selections on 30 taps. At their old location, they didn’t have the space; this new one has plenty. The space has large windows, high ceilings, and plenty of seating. The bar is the focus and center of the room, with two sides all facing the taps. Along the street side sits all the gleaming new stainless steel brewing equipment. Troy Terorotua, the owner of REAL, hired local beer legend Tom Kerns to get the equipment set up and start the brewing program. I talked to Tom a few weeks ago as he was starting to brew. I asked what feel or signature they’re going for, he said they want to brew and serve beers that complement the unique food stylings developed by Troy. With this, it’ll truly be a gastropub: great food paired with amazing beer, all made under one roof! Bent Tail Brewing Company officially released their first beer: Bent Tail IPA, a “West Coast Style IPA featuring Citra, Mandarin Bavaria and Simcoe for a slightly dank, tropical hop notes with a Light-Medium Malt Character.” This is a great start for a place that will be brewing many more!

Second is the new nanobrewery Olomana Brewing Co appropriately named for the mountain range overlooking Kailua. This was part of the original goal of Three Peaks Island Craft Beer & Gifts; a boutique beach gift store and growler/draft beer bar. Owned by a husband and wife team, Steve Manser is the heart behind the beer. With a mission of ultra clean draft lines and fresh beer, he opened the beer portion of the shop to provide a close place to fill growlers on the way to windward beaches. On our first stop there a few months, he told me about the forthcoming nanobrewery, the first batch of which is available for $2 a pint, if you provide honest feedback. The Meli Mac Nut Brown is “mild, easy drinking American Brown Ale made with local macadamia nut honey.” Be sure to stop in soon!

 

New Brewery Opening - Paisley Meadery

After a hiatus due to the busy holiday season, it seemed like the perfect time to ring in the new year with a new post, and about a new brewery opening no less!  2017 was an exciting time for beer in Hawai'i, with the openings of Inu Island Ales on O'ahu and Ola Brew on the Big Island. This is sure to continue in 2018.  Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

Located along King Street in the heart of downtown/Chinatown in Honolulu, you'll soon find the state's newest place to secure locally-made libations. Owned and operated by Brian Paisley, formerly of Pacific Breach Brewing Co., the new meadery will focus on sparkling meads made with locally procured honey, beers including their squid ink stout, other wine styles, and even branching into liquor as time goes on. To set itself apart from the myriad of other breweries popping up, Paisley Meadery's flagship is the sparkling meads, think of Champagne but made with honey and brewed like a beer. The tasting room will offer a cozy place to pair their alcohols with delicate up-scale appetizers and cheeses.

Please show your support and join them for the grand opening on the first First Friday of the year: January 5, 2018 starting at 7pm including a tasting and to talk story with the owner. Madre Chocolate will provide the sweets.  For those who don't typically head downtown, take the bus or a ride-share, or park in one of the flat-rate Chinatown garages just around the corner (if you have a DD).

Paisley Meadery can be found online at: Website Yelp Untappd

Thanks to the generosity of Brian, I was invited for a tasting and tried the Honey Champagne Semi Dec, a light effervescent honey metheglin mead at a robust 14%! I look forward to trying their beers and other wines on Friday! 

 Honey Champagne Semi Dec

Lanikai Brewing Company's New Brewpub! - Kailua, HI

Just a few short years ago, Kailua got its first locally made beer in the form of Lanikai Brewing Company. Their beer is quality stuff and quickly made its way around the island, both on tap, and a few year-round bottle selections.  Limited brews appear in both bottles and countless small batch varieties on tap only in their small taproom.  With great excitement, Lanikai announced the opening of their second location right down the street. A dedicated bar and tasting room, Lanikai Brewing Company now has the space to serve a larger amount of customers at a time, which is also perfect to make everyone feel more comfortable.

The new location is literally just a few hundred feet from the brewery along Hamakua Drive. Parking is limited, but they do have several dedicated stalls as well as being a short walk from the shopping center lot. Kailua is also filled with bikes and easily walkable.  

It's an awesome start and there's lots of potential here.  On entry, you'll see nice light walls and lots of seating space. All the wood is koa and was done by a local artisan. It's a gorgeous surface on which to drink. The tables are large and would be perfect for board games. They have high top tables, a bar, and booths. They have a very well done half-barrel shelving swag shop with all the t-shirts, hats, growlers, and glasses.

The main reason you're here is for the beer! Lanikai offers a large rotating selection of beers including beers from other breweries. For their opening weekend, they offered four new beers on top of their three main ones (Moku Imperial IPA, Pillbox Porter, and Route 70 Saison).  The menu was done digitally, which made it easy to read.  They have a new supply of glasses, with different ones for the various sizes. They're all delicate and a huge step up from plastic tasters.  If you like to try new beers, it's best to get a sample size. You can order up to four 4oz tasters at a time. Each beer is a different price depending on rarity and ABV.  I love the physical bar itself also, hard wood with unfinished glass racks.

All in all, this is a fantastic expansion of Lanikai Brewing Company. There's only better to come. If you enjoy their beer, be sure to stop by soon and support the new place!