Collaboration over Competition - That's the business mantra
Square Barrels exudes in all they do. We went into try two new beers from Big Island Brewhaus, one of my favorite breweries in the islands and one that is typically hard to find on draft. I ended up learning a lot about Square Barrels thanks to a slow evening and nice chat with one of the owners, Thomas Ray.
As an Untappd addict, I had been trying to get into Square Barrels again to unlock their Local Badge. For those uninitiated, Untappd is a beer collecting app that allows you to rate, check-in, and remember what you like. The badge feature rewards you for types of beers and venues visited. The third type are sponsored badges by breweries and events around the country. Recently Untappd added a Local Badge feature where bars, breweries, and restaurants can have their own badge that customers earn for checking in beers at their establishment. Square Barrels is the first and only venue on O'ahu that is taking advantage of this. As a customer, it means a lot to me to see the engagement into a small but growing community.
The Local Badge essentially functions as a rewards program. On first check-in, you receive level 1 that shows you all the details. For level 5, 10% off your bill; level 15 a T-shirt; level 25 a $25 gift card; and level 50 an unfilled growler! Each level of badge requires 5 separate beer check-ins, so for the highest level, that's 250 beer check-ins. This encourages repeat business and building toward something. I hope this program catches on more in Hawai'i!
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| Starshine Ginger Beer |
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| Dark Sabbath |
As far as
Square Barrels goes, check Untappd for their menu and upcoming events. They always have a collaboration dinner or special release coming up! Also, if it's your first time, have their house beers!
Amber gold color, subtle ginger aroma, strong ginger taste yet mild in the aftertaste.
Brown red color, light lingering head, sweet Belgian aroma, strong
slightly sickly sweet taste, quick change to Belgian bittersweet.
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 be BJCP certified, which led
to new opportunities for entrants and judges. 
For
those of you that follow me or read regularly, you know that I had been
taking advantage of the free BJCP judge classes offered this year.
Along with half a dozen others, I took the tasting exam last month at
Aloha Beer Co., after having passed the online entrance exam. While
we're all still waiting for our results, we had a chance to put our new
skills to the test at this competition. 
There
were two judging days, Thursday November 1st, and Friday November 2nd.
We had morning and afternoon sessions dividing the entries by style into
flights to be judged individually, with those over a certain score
advancing to a best of show round. The judging organization this year
was planned by Paul Wheeler, who did an excellent job with time
management so no one got too tired or drunk. For those interested, a
beer is judged on certain criteria matched to the BJCP style guidelines.
It's not a question of if it's good or bad in the judge's opinion, but
how well does it fit a style. There were so many excellent entries, it
was a shame to have only had a cup or two! Thursday I did porters &
stouts in the morning, then a mixed category including wheat beers in
the afternoon. Friday morning I got to do German styles that included Märzen,
Schwarzbier, and Altbier. No single judge gets to rate the beer;
instead two or three come up with a consensus average score for the beer
after discussion and sometimes deliberation. It was invaluable learning
from the pros.
Best of Show was done on Friday
afternoon, and I was happy to sit in on that panel as well. This is
done differently: instead of filling out a scoresheet with notes, it's a
simple flight of all Best of Show beers tasted together. Each judge
narrows it down to around three beers, where then the entire panel
shares which were best and eventually ranks the top three placers. Our
group had one clear winner that we all liked, but second and third
required discussion and opinions of each judge. All the winners
will/have been posted here. 
Special
thanks to Square Barrels for the burgers & fries on Thursday, and
Waikiki Brewing Company for the pizza and BBQ on Friday! 
The
"hard work" being done, Saturday was a time to enjoy food, beer, and
awards. Learn to Homebrew Day is a national celebration of homebrewing.
With events all over, it's a great time to learn about the hobby and
watch people at their craft. There were demonstrations, leftover
homebrew tastings including notes from the judges about each, beer
donation by Beer Lab Hawaii, and tons of food contributed by members.
Awards were given out including medals sponsored by the American Homebrewers Association and swag also donated by them. 
