Kona Brewing Big Kahuna Summer Pack

FWIW, Red Hook wasn't bought out or owned by AB-InBev, as is often stated around here. Red Hook, Widmer, and Kona are part of the Craft Beer Alliance (CBA). CBA is a publicly traded company and AB-InBev is a non-voting, minority stock holder (~32%, I think). For many years CBA has had agreements with AB-InBev to distribute their beer nationally on AB-InBev distribution network, which I'm sure has benefited both of them. Obviously, CBA and it's brewers are not wholly independent, but they are not owned AB-InBev either. I'm not trying to argue over or defend CBA, just stating facts.


I won't turn up my nose at Kona, Red Hook, or Widmer beers, though. Of the CBA's brewers I think Kona is makes the most interesting beers; although I might be biased by fond memories of drinking Kona beers and visiting the Kona brewery on my honeymoon.

 

I just got back from a Hawaii vacation, and yes I visited the Maui Brewing brewery. They had over 20 beers on tap, and all of the brewery-only beers I sampled were high quality, better than their flagship beers. That was the same with the brewery-only beers at Kona too.

Most restaurants we visited on Maui and the Big Island typically only had 2 or 3 of each brewery's flagship beers, like Longboard Lager, Big Wave Golden, and Fire Rock Pale from Kona and Bikini Blonde, Big Swell IPA, and Coconut Porter from Maui. I wished I would have had the chance to drink more of the limited release stuff outside of the breweries.

Overall I would rank the Hawaii breweries I drank this way:

Big Island Brewhaus > Maui > Kona > Kohola > Hawaii Nui

 

Gotta concur with Jess on this one. The ABI Los Angeles brewery is virtually 100% Bud & Bud Light and isn't set up for ales.

ABI produces ales in Baldwinsville, Fort Collins and Fairfield if I recall correctly.

 

Don't forget Kirin Ichiban "The World's Only First Press Beer" (the wha..? Yeah, I get it but...)

 

Yeah...it's a separate facility built on the grounds of the former Busch Gardens. I always forget about that!

 

Hey, no problem - AB themselves used to forget it themselves...until higher authorities stepped in.

Really - a separate facility? Not in AB's 1950s era LA brewery in Van Nuys?

 

It's a little of both. A separate facility on the Van Nuys grounds where Busch Gardens used to be located.

Edit: A little more info: http://www.placesearth.com/usa/california/los_angeles/busch_gardens_vn/buschg1.shtml

 

Oh, damn - I was thinking of the original California Busch Gardens in Pasadena.

Hey, it's been over.... damn...40 years since I lived out there. Next thing you're gonna tell me is
that Lucky Lager and Burgie aren't the best selling beers out there anymore...