Good Beer on Oahu and Kaua'i

My advice would be not to get your hopes up too much. There are some reasonable beers and spots scattered around HI, but it's really not a beercation spot by a long stretch. The IPAs tend to be really old (no surprise there), and anything strong doesn't really match the weather. Enjoy the Mai Tais...

 

Real A Gastropub in Honolulu is solid - I was told that one of the Shelton brothers (that we all know and....love?) has an ownership stake in the place, which would explain the 'loons in the cooler and the otherwise headscratching selection of a place in Hawaii as one of the worldwide Zwanze Day sites this year and last.

 

I'll cosign Real A Gastropub. They have a good selection on tap and bottles. I didn't get a chance to check out other places, however.

 

The ABC Stores in Waikiki surprised me by their selection of Coronado and Ballast Point beers.

 

Yardhouse in Honolulu/Waikiki.

 

The Kauai Island Brewery on the southern part of the island is a worthy spot. Their beers aren't great, but they are good/decent, and it's a pretty fun place to hang out. I also heard that a new brewery is opening in Lihue sometime soon. It might already be open, I was in Kauai in May.

Maui brews were easy to find, plus Sierra, Kona, Widmer, and Deschutes. But in general, Hawaii isn't a great place for beer.

 

Kauai Island Brewery is only about a year old and worth a visit. Their offerings are decent and there isn't much else on near them. Flexabull pretty much summed it up.

 

Mark, you guys should definitely fly over for Zwanze day. I can't kick the keg all by myself

 

I highly recommend checking out Side Street Inn in Honolulu. Rogue brews a special pale ale just for this establishment and I haven't seen it served anywhere else. The beer isn't mind blowing, but still hit the spot and pairs real well with their famous pork chops.

 

Any Maui advice? I'm leaving in two weeks.

 

Haha, damn you - if you don't earn the Six Pack badge on Untappd off the Zwanze Day beer, I'll be very disappointed.

 

This guy does a pretty good job in keeping Hawaii beer info up to date.

http://beerinhawaii.com/

Hawaii does suffer from being an island. Not a lot of breweries are willing to ship there (freshness issues). For that, craft brewing is growing steadily there. The last time I was there, I really enjoyed the Maui Brewing Company offerings. Look for the cans pretty much everywhere. Big Island Brewhaus is doing well on the Big Island. Hawaiian Island Brewing is also starting up on Oahu.

Here is something for you Californians:

http://beerinhawaii.com/2013/07/09/poll-which-california-brewery-do-you-want-most-in-hawaii/

Many years ago, I used to show up at the beach with a 12 pack of pretty much anything and shared it with anyone who wanted it. That sometimes led to more 'sharing' and sometimes led to some really memorable stories. "do you want to go pig hunting with us" is one of my personal favorites. If you are into stuff like that when on vacation, try packing some good California beer into your checked bag.

Just sharing the Aloha!!!!

 

Maui Brewing has a brewpub in West Maui, it's amazing. There is also a WF by the airport and a bottle shop in Pa'ia.

 

@bugdoc- Almost forgot. Thanks for the info on REAL. That makes total sense now. I knew they had a hookup somewhere based on their selection but never delved into it.

 

They bottle it and sell it around the island. I got a bottle at one of the Tamura's locations.

 

I'm fairly new to the craft beer scene. Can someone tell me what Zwanze day is? I know it's off topic.

 

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=zwanze day

It's an annual event tapping a Cantillon beer at the same time around the world.