El Guapo
Honolulu Beerworks

Gold in color with vibrant carbonation. Heavy lacing on the glass. There’s a quarter inch of eggshell white on top. The aroma is of aggressive cilantro and nothing else. I’m tasting cilantro and a hint of lime. The mouth is easygoing and approachable.

Some will say that beer is food. Honolulu Beer Works is fueling this argument by the actual addition of agave, cilantro and lime for a golden ale fit for Hawaiian cuisine.

Pale gold, lightly hazy and teeming with bubbles, El Guapo pours with a zesty appearance, all capped with a frothy white cap. As its scent carries and herbal and citrus scent, a hint of sweetness wraps around the hoppy and fruity aromas. A gentle sweetness hits the tongue with softer suggestions of honey and caramel with a bold agave sweetness by design.

The hops unfold on the middle palate with the gusto of pink grapefruit, orange and lemon along with a secondary taste of passionfruit and pineapple. As the flavors of cilantro and lime additions pull from the hops, it leads to an herbal finish of green tea, lemon verbena, peppery herbs and a soft grassy closure.

Medium light in body, the beer has the sensibility and drinkability of lager but with the charm and flavor of pale ale. This blend creates a perfect island drink for all those hawaiian tacos we’re about to eat.

From the Hawaiian style can, it pours a slightly hazy lighter amber color with a modest white head that soon diminishes and leaves lacing. The nose gets lime and quava, followed by the mouth getting a slightly spicy, yet soapy (from the cilantro), brew that is easy to drink and best for a hot day.

 

 

 

this is the only beer i got to have from these guys while we were in hawaii, but also one of the best i had on the whole trip, clever and thirst quenching and original, a lot packed into a little blonde ale, super creative but not forced, i was incredibly impressed and already wish i could drink more of this, loved every can in the sixer. its brewed with agave, but isnt sweet, sort of lush and floral from it, perhaps slightly sweet in the aroma with some light biscuity character from the grain, but it adds a little body and a unique flavor, subtle as it is. its also made with lime, which is not overpowering, but adds a refreshing and faintly piquant element to the back end, this is in no means aggressively fruity, but the lime makes it summery and clean, and with the agave there is an almost cocktail vibe to it. finally, its also made with cilantro, which intrigued me enough to buy it in the first place, i know coriander is a common beer ingredient, thats the seed, but cilantro as such i have not seen much of, i wonder if its actual green cilantro in this or if it is in fact the seeds, its nutty for a second like the seeds and a little savory, but its also verdant and herbal and could the fresh, which is nuts, faintly soapy in the way it is on the back end but super appealing to me, and lovely with the lime. for having all these elements in it, its actually really cohesive and subtle, not to mention refreshing and crushable, with excellent attention to detail, finishing dryness, and high carbonation, its delicate and distinctive and warms up well. really one of the best beers we had on while we were there, seriously good stuff, neat with the extra ingredients, flawlessly executed. do not miss this one!

 

 

 

Definitely taste the pepper at the end. Nice little refreshing blonde.

Surprisingly refreshing golden ale. Not fuller bodied (and filling) as pale ales these days - more refreshing like a good pils w/obv different hop/yeast profile m. Really appreciate the super subtle harmony of the agave lime cilantro additions, notoriously hard to pull off.

 

Added picture you see
Bought a 6-pack cans $9.99 Times Supermarket
Smell of cilantro and lime
Hazy light golden color
Light mouthfeel
Medium carbonation
Taste of lime and cilantro, agave.
Overall a good beer for hot days. Refreshing and not heavy.