BA's on Maui?

Maui Brewing up in Kahana is your best bet for craft beer. Most other establishments on the island serve Maui stuff, Kona Stuff, or BMC beer. Apparently Monkeypod down in Wailea has a craft beer selection, but the following statement taken from their website confirms my suspicions that they likely have no idea what they're doing:

We serve our beers through a state of the art “Blizzard” system, which guarantees that the beer is served at 29 degrees – the temperature at which beer should be served because that’s when it tastes the best.

 

Was on Maui the first week of June. Maui Brewpub will be the highlight of trip, regarding beer. Pretty good food as well, we found their plate lunch to be the best we tried. I'd bring your East Coast stuff and share some Aloha at the bar, some staff members are pretty knowledgeable. They have beer to go, so I stocked up on a few things to bring on beach days.

The Maui Brewery in Lahaina is fun to do and educational. There's some sort of coupon if you visit both the brewery and brewpub since they're only about 10 mins away from each other.

Monkeypod is a top choice for craft beer on the island. I had Sculpin, Old Rasputin, and some more Maui Brew beers. The food is excellent too. As jtmartino posted, the 'blizzard' system is a total gimmick. Hawaiians want the coldest beer possible. I did hear that Monkeypod got a keg of Abyss earlier in the year, so they're trying.

Visit Whole Foods in Kahului by the airport, you'll find some west coast beers you won't find on the east coast. The Safeway's also have a decent selection and the ABC stores can help in a pinch (sixer of Big Swell and spam musubi). There are a few other threads about Maui you should check out, some BA'ers frequent Maui and have additional nuggets of helpful info.

If you plan accordingly, you won't be forced to have a drop of BMC touch your lips.

 

Hawaii is West Coast playboy...

 

The OP is from the East Coast, playboy.

 

When will you be there?

 

To expand on what has been said:

I was just there in the beginning of May, and found myself drinking Big Swell and CoCoNut Porter the entire time.

I stopped at the Whole Foods, bought a bottle of Sculpin and a bottle of Nøgne Ø Two Captains Double IPA and both were malt bombs way past their primes. So check the bottle dates if they have them.

I stayed in Wailaia and went to Monkey Pod once. I ordered a Sculpin and it was a malt bomb.
My suggestion is if you want something hoppy, make sure it was made on the island. They don't seem to transport the IPAs well by boat to the island.

 

Pretty sure Maui is littered with Cantillon.

 

Hah.

 

Maui Brewing opened their new brewery in February. They had the coconut porter aged in rum barrels aka Black Pearl on tap while I was there along with 40 other beers and lots of variants.

 

Black pearl was amazing.

 

There is a new Tamura's location in Lahaina. Whole Foods continues to be the top spot for bottles. Check out the new Maui Brewing location in Kihei.

 

Tons of Stone distributed beers as well

 

I'm on Maui...not much to add that has not already been said. Maui | Stone distribution started last fall and it has been pretty rad.

Check out Ulu Market in Kihei if you are ever in south Maui. The selection is not as big as WF/Tamuras, but they do carry some different beers and are generally 1-2 bucks cheaper. They also put together their own pre selected mix-6ers if you want to sample a variety.

BCBS is just sitting on the shelves at Whole Foods Kahului if you are so inclined. Maui Brew Fest is on May 16th if you are still around. It's still whale season so keep your eyes on the road when driving on the Pali...

FT: Chocolate covered macadamia nuts // ISO: Cantillon

 

I always get the vibe that the workers there are there for the job, not for a beer job per se.

 

Mmmmm.....Monkey Pod