Oktoberfest! - Hale Koa Hotel

My favorite time of the beer year is autumn. Festbiers and pumpkin beers I find most delicious; maybe it's the lead up to Halloween or the aroma and spices, I'm never sure.  In the past few years, formal Oktoberfest celebrations have really exploded in Hawai'i. It seems like almost every brewery and bar does their own version with amazing beers and beer and German food.

The last two years we went to the Hale Koa Hotel's Oktoberfest celebrations, which are held the last weekend of the month. They bring in a traditional German polka band for great music and activities. The hotel goes all out with decorations, games, and authentic food not available the rest of the year.  They turn the Banyan Tree room into a Bavarian beer hall. Dancing is encouraged and one of the highlights of the night.  Samuel Adam's Octoberfest beer is our go-to choice of the evening, with pitchers flowing non-stop.  We had bratwurst galore with all manner of fixings like saurkraut, dumplings, bread, red cabbage, and soups. You barely feel the beer when you eat that much!

The contests are silly and fun. They do a stein holding contest for the ladies and gents; there are some amazing shows of strength! The chicken dance contest lets you see people really shake it and let loose.  The chugging contest is tough due solely to the lousy non-alcoholic beer involved, but we won anyway.

I'm thankful for places like this that let a Pennsylvania boy celebrate his roots, and enthusiastic people to join! Prost!

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Barrel Aged Pele's Breath - Waikiki Brewing Company 8/25/2017

It's been a pretty dry week for new brews in the Aloha State. I had been looking forward, however, to Waikiki Brewing Company's Barrel Aged Pele's Breath, which released Friday night.  It's an imperial red ale brewed with house kiawe smoked malt and local chilis. It's aged four months in Buffalo Trace / Manulele Distillers Kohana Rum barrels.

[Manulele is the only hard liquor distillery on O'ahu; they are a self-sufficient farm for sugarcane, lettuce, and talapia. It's worth it to take their tour!]

The beer is very limited with only six barrels produced: two at Waikiki Brewing Company, two at their new Kaka'ako location, one at Village Bottle Shop, and one at Murphy's Bar; once it's gone, it's gone. It's served not super cold

 From my Untappd check-in: Very dark red, sweet aroma, nice mild bubbles, heavy yet balanced smoked flavor, bitter lingering aftertaste, only hint of grilled pepper.

The Street Beer - Honolulu Beerworks Exclusive to The Street 7/25/2017

It had been a while that Kristine and I attended a Yelp event, so we RSVPd for one that sounded fun at The Street A Michael Mina Social House. The concept of the business is like food markets around the world: lots of sights, smells, and flavors all together in one location. Among many food options, they also have three bars each specializing in a different type of booze. Needless to say, the one called simply BEER was my favorite. Thanks to the generosity of the business and Yelp Hawaii, we were each given one of the VIP badges (usually $37) that has 7 stamps for a special dish at each restaurant, a cocktail, or any draft beer.  At the beer bar, they not only had a great selection, but also a locally brewed beer only available for purchase and enjoyment at The Street! Brewed by Honolulu Beerworks in Kaka'ako, The Street Beer was a nice balanced selection, perfect to compliment all the varied food types available. To make it feel more local, it has a light taste of roasted coconut.  Speaking with the general manager, I learned that Michael Mina reached out to all the local breweries but Honolulu Beerworks won the selection process with not only the flavor of the beer, but willingness to work together. If you're in Waikiki, The Street is worth checking out as is The Street Beer!

Very light and crisp, mild aroma, hint of roasted coconut. Perfect for this place!

 

The Street Beer