I will be staying with an uncle in Kihei over xmas/new years, and was wondering if anyone has been to the brewery and has any advise. I have been out there before, but not since 2006 when MBC was just getting started (I believe). I haven't been able to sample any of their beers here in Milwaukee, but have heard some great things. Anyone been?
I go every time I am in Maui (my parents live there). They do sampler flights, so I would recommend that you try everything they have on tap. Don't miss out on Imperial Coconut Porter if they have it on tap.
Advice? Go there and try everything. Be prepared for some pretty expensive food. I've been there a few times in the past couple of years and have had a handful of beers that I thought were excellent. Be prepared to be underwhelmed by the craft beer scene on Maui - most people there drink BMC stuff. If you'd rather get food somewhere else, you can hit Aloha mixed plate on the way up there. For local fare, hit Kihei Caffe - their chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy is awesome.
Been to Maui Brewery just over a year ago. I make over to the island's a least once a year. Your best bet is to stop at Whole Foods near the airport, pick up whatever bottles you can get (very limited) and make a run over to Maui Brewery before heading to Kihei and drink and pick up a growler or two to take with you. The food has improved a bit. But there are still better places to eat local. And cheaper. They do have a guest beer on tap along with all their own stuff. Check out the tasting room too. In Kihei there are restaurants that are starting to get some craft beer on tap. But still, limited. Seems like they get more of the NorCal and Oregon brews than the SoCal brews. Have fun!
Appreciate the thoughts. I know my Uncle is a member of CostCo... I believe that is the one out there... and that is where we have picked up beverage in the past. If WholeFoods is in Kahalui by the CostCo, I will have to check that out as well. I can't wait for Maui, a good brew, and some Da Kitchen!
I was there in June. Loved the pork nachos! They also had three guest taps from pizza port which was pretty cool. Fresh coconut porter is off the chain.
It's pretty damn good! I was there in Sept and they had about 16 of their beers on tap, including their sour.Double overhead IPA is a solid 100ibu's @ 9.5%.
I agree with the above: try everything. There are some gems that never get canned. They had a great (BA?) barleywine and some kind of fruity wild/sour thing when i was last there. Soild stout too. Plan on a cab to your room/condo/house etc... You will have to put up with quite a bit of Maui douchiness but the bar is big enough you can mostly get away from the Eddie Bauer crowd. I actually love the swag....their tee shirts are well made (rare i find for a brewery). Food was pretty decent too but then compared to what you can get at many of the "fancy" or "local" places in Maui, its nothing memorable. So if you need grub its okay but i'd eat elsewhere first. I think this was maybe 2010? http://i.imgur.com/GVXRh.jpg
I was in Maui this past October, and we also stayed in Kihei. It is quite a drive (albeit beautiful), but expect the drive to take ~50 minutes during non-rush hour times to the brewery and about 10 mins more to the brewpub. The wife and I made the drive 3 times during a 5 day stay. Below are the main differences between the brewery and the brewpub: 1.) Only the brewery offers tours 2.) Only the brewpub has food 3.) Brewpub is open longer hours 4.) Brewpub has guest taps If you have space in your luggage (and provided you don't want to buy a MBC growler), you can bring your own growler from home and they will fill it. If I remember correctly the glass was $11 and fills of Coconut Porter were $11 as well. Definitely get multiple pints (and growlers) of the Coconut Porter, the coconut comes through alot more fresh on draft than it does in the cans. Most likely they will have some variation of Coconut Porter (BA, Imperial) on draft as well, these are very good too. Guest taps vary wildly. We only had late night snacks at the brewpub the two times we went, so I cannot really say much about the food as they only serve a limited menu after 10pm.
