Mehana Humpback Blue
Hawai'i Nui Brewing / Mehana Brewing Company

Mehana Humpback BlueMehana Humpback Blue
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Hawai'i Nui Brewing / Mehana Brewing Company
 
Hawaii, United States
Style:
Kölsch
ABV:
4.4%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.45 | pDev: 15.94%
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
10
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 23, 2014
Added:
Aug 16, 2008
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bros:

  None found.

Photo of selrahc
Reviewed by selrahc from Hawaii

2/5  rDev -42%
I've lived in Hilo for a while now, so I've consumed a lot of Mehana, while it was still actually Mehana.

I would describe it as taking a so-so beer, then adding a strong flavor of moldy powdered donut. Both green and blue colors of bread mold. That's what Humpback Blue tasted like.

We had a hard time believing it was this bad.
Oct 23, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by GraduatedCashew from California

Jun 24, 2013
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.88/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottle, from the grocery store in Keauhou, on the Big Island of Hawaii.

This beer pours a crystal clear, pale golden amber hue, with two fingers of fizzy and foamy off-white head, which leaves a nice array of sock puppet lace around the glass as it somewhat hastily recedes.

It smells of grainy, kind of biscuity malt, a slightly dry citrus twinge, and crusty, earthy, and musty hops. The taste is more edgy, warm toasted grainy malt, a nice floral/citrus essence, and softly earthy noble hops.

The carbonation is understated and yet lifting, the body a genial medium-light weight, and pretty well uninterrupted in its quotidian smoothness. It finishes still fairly toasty, and warming, but obviously not in a boozy way, which is weirdly heartening.

A pretty bang-on New World incarnation of the style, and in the middle of a tropical, well, ok, paradise, to boot. Damned fine tipple for pool or beach-side beer sippin', I gotta say!
May 15, 2012
Photo of UCLABrewN84
Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

3/5  rDev -13%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Purchased at the Whole Foods in Kahului, Maui, Hawaii. I picked this one up because I have never seen it in California.

Pours a hazy orange with a huge 4 inch fizzy white head that settles to a thick cap. Lots of carbonation bubbles rising in the glass. Random dots of lace stick to the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, and a metallic aroma. Taste is of malt, citrus fruit, citrus zest, and some floral flavors. Mild bitteness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a very high level of carbonation (which would explain the head issue) with a very crisp and bubbly mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average beer all around. I am glad I picked one up to try but I wouldn't get this one again.
Nov 28, 2011
Photo of TippySelenoid
Reviewed by TippySelenoid from Missouri

3.45/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Reviewed from notes.

Poured into a pint glass.

This beer pours a hazy gold color with a giant white head.

It's got a lot of peppery notes in the aroma with a touch of hops and some cereal malts.

This beer tastes like it got some good spices, pepper? Coriander? A bit malty and not very hoppy.

This beer is CARBONATED! It's very bubbly.

Overall this beer was better than their red ale, but nothing I was too crazy for.
Nov 06, 2011
Photo of July2Nov
Reviewed by July2Nov from Virginia

3.82/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Lighter golden color with an ever so slight lacing.

Smell: A bit fruity and sweet.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Light in body. Has a slight corn taste with some grains thrown in. Has a slightly sweet buttery taste at the tail end. Very drinkable and refreshing.

Drinkability: This is a perfect drinkable hot weather beer. It's so refreshing if you want your drinking experience to last longer. Nice.
Jan 08, 2011
Photo of Haybeerman
Reviewed by Haybeerman from Colorado

3.58/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Clear golden/yellow color. Poured a 1 finger fizzy white head that dissipated slowly to an even skim. Decanted lightly. Laced in spots.

S: Wet grains and bread. Light-colored fruit aroma. Mild peppery hops.

T: Bready malt up front. White grape and green apple sweet/tart. Hay and light peppery bitter in a crisp finish.

M: Light body. Moderate to ample carbonation. Sweet, then crisp then slightly dry. Very clean.

D: Very easy to drink. Good malty beer with mute hop character. Clean and refreshing.
Nov 01, 2010
Photo of irishevans
Reviewed by irishevans from California

3.57/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A- Pours with a sudsy short white head, and a medium gold color. looks like a cloud of yeast in the body droping down from the top, behaves much like smoke does in air, but otherwise very transparent.

N- I pick up on a slight toasted bread note, and a bit of citrus in the form of lemon. even smells dry.

T- Not at all as dry as the taste. light green grape flavor, and a bit of some lemon citrus zest. less bread than nose leads on but still there, with an almost sour bite near but not quite on the finish.

M- Crisp, Light, Refreshing, with the illusion of being dry until the finish.

D- hot day session ale, good call for where it's made, as almost every day is a hot day.
Oct 24, 2010
Photo of tavernjef
Reviewed by tavernjef from Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Medium gold hue with a short stack of quickly leaving white foam. A few spots of lace get speckled across the glass.

Aroma is clean and lightly sweet of some blueberry muffin dough and fluffy wheat germ.

Taste is mildly sweet with a simple crystal malt sweetness, lightly doughy with a stitch of pale lemon candy and a tiny, tiny blueberry hint. Finishes with a fluff of dryness hinting at a bit of grassy hops.

Body is nearly medium, perhaps a bit watery or wet at the front, but it gains some nudged effort thru the middle with a fittingly tight little bite of carbonation and crispness.

An OK brew, drinkable yes, simple and ample enough for a what a simple brew can do.
Sep 05, 2009
Photo of Floydster
Reviewed by Floydster from California

3.58/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
12 ounce bottle purchased at the new bar Sammy's inside the Kahlui Airport in Maui for a whopping $7.50, drank three years weeks ago, reviewed from notes, poured into a pint glass there

A-Golden yellow color, soft 1/2 inch foamy white head, stuck around for two to three minutes, some retention, not much lacing
S-Bready malt aroma, pears, white grapes, lemons, orange peel, and mild hops
T-Starts with a big malty flavor that is a bit on the sour side but very faint, middle is packed with a nice bready malt profile, finish is pretty dry and mostly hoppiness, does not change much as it warms, just becomes more crisp
M-Crisp and somehwat dry mouthfeel, body was pretty thin, tons of carbonation, most in any Kolsch I have seen, taste did not really linger
D-Could drink a six pack of this stuff probably, very sessionable, light ABV and not heavy on the stomach, goes down easy and is refreshing

Had not seen this one available anywhere else during my eight day stay, interesting being that it is a traditional German ale with a Hawaiian twist, might drink again when I go back, worth trying when you are over there but you can probably find a six pack of it for close to the price I paid for the single bottle, I start to do stupid things when my flights get delayed
Aug 16, 2008
Mehana Humpback Blue from Hawai'i Nui Brewing / Mehana Brewing Company
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 10 ratings