According to my brewery app, there are 17 breweries in the state of Hawaii: two on Kauai, two on Maui, four on the Big Island, and nine on the island of Oahu.
Kauai:
- Kauai Beer Company - a great looking food menu, closed Sundays and Mondays.
- Kauai Island Brewery & Grill - beer, food, pinball, and happy hour every day.
- Koholā Brewery - located in Maui Brewing's previous (non air-conditioned) brew facility, they received the Bronze Medal for their Lokahi Pilsner at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival. "Maui's best kept secret."
- Maui Brewing Company - the brewery and tasting room is located in Kihei with happy hour daily, and an awesome outdoor patio. They also have a brewpub located in Kahana (and Waikiki, Ohau). The brewpub has a food menu while a rotating array of food trucks currently serve the brewery although the brewery plans to add a restaurant.
- Big Island Brewhaus - beer, locally sourced food, and live music. Hawaii’s highest brewpub at 2,764 feet above the sea.
- Hawaii Nui Brewing - one of Hawaii's largest independent breweries, they brew all-natural beers.
- Kona Brewing Company - with distribution to all 50 United States and 26 countries, Kona Brewing is the top selling of Hawaii's breweries. With two brewpub locations (Big Island and Oahu), brewery facilities are located in Portland OR Woodinville WA, Memphis TN, and Portsmouth NH in addition to its main brewery facility in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
- Mehana Brewing Company - owned by Hawaii Nui Brewing, their Tsunami IPA won a Gold Medal in the 2012 World Beer Championship held in Chicago. Their Hapa Brown, Volcano Red, and Southern Cross all won Silver Medals.
- Aloha Beer Company - located a stone’s throw from the historic Honolulu Brewing and Malting Company building in Kaka’ako, they feature food and cocktails in addition to their beer. Closed Sundays.
- Beer Lab HI - Closed Mondays, they are a BYOF (bring your own food) establishment located near the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. Listed in Beer Advocate's Class of 2016: 34 of the Best New Breweries in the US.
- Gordon Biersch Brewery - claiming to be Honolulu's first brewpub, they are located in the Aloha Tower Marketplace on the Honolulu Harbor. Gordon Biersch operates 35 restaurants all over the United States as well as four restaurants in Taiwan. Offering food and beer daily.
- Home of the Brave Brewing Company - aims to remember, honor, and salute the US Military with commemorative beers such as Remember Pearl Harbor Mighty American Ale, D-Day India Pale Ale, and Zamperini Extra Special Bitter. They are host to the largest collection of WWII memorabilia in the Pacific in their museum, Home of the Brave Tour Company, and a Brewseum -"Kaka'ako's best kept secret."
- Honolulu BeerWorks - located in the heart of Kaka'ako, they produce 1500 barrels per year. Offering lunch and dinner menus, they are open Monday through Saturday.
- Lanikai Brewing Company - open Thursday through Sunday, they are located in Kailua. "Paradise in a bomber bottle, best shared with friends." Follow them on Facebook for more information about the brewery.
- Square Barrels - craft burgers and beers in downtown Honolulu, they also feature a happy hour menu. Closed Sundays.
- Stewbum & Stonewall brewing Company - currently closed for expansion, they are due to reopen in 2018. Beers to look forward to include Low Elf Esteem Spiced Winter Ale, and The Days of Our Wives Bitter Ale.
- Waikiki Brewing Company - Waikiki's first brewery with a second location in Kaka'ako, they are supporters of the largest crowdfunding campaign to buy Anheuser-Busch InBev. [Video here.]
I have been to the three Maui locations but it looks like I have some work to do. Most of the bars on Maui feature both Maui breweries on tap as well as beers from Kona Brewing but the only time I've seen other Hawaiian beers is at a liquor store with a good beer selection which speaks to the high cost of distribution between islands.
Well, if the beers won't come to me, I'll just have to go to them. Beer tourism, anyone? If I plan the trip, will you come with me? It's time to do some inter-island beer hunting!
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