Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill, Maui Kahului Airport, 1 Lanui Circle, Kahului, Maui, Hawaii
Ola Brew, 1177 Kilauea Avenue, Hilo, Big Island, Hawaii
Big Island Brewhaus, 64-1066 Hawai'i Belt Road, Waimea, Big Island, Hawaii
Kona Brewing Company, 74-5612 Pawai Place, Kailua-Kona, Big Island, Hawaii
Laniakea Cafe, Terminal 1, Kona International Airport, 73-200 Kupipi Street, Kailua-Kona, Big Island, Hawaii
Stinger Ray’s Tropical Bar & Grill, Near Gate 23, Terminal 2, Daniel K Inouye International Airport, 300 Rogers Boulevard, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
In May of this year, as part of my annual USA visit, I spent a few days visiting cousins in Hawaii. I’d only ever been to this island once, back when I was in my thirties and living in Long Beach, and on that occasion it was to spend a long weekend with my parents at their rented condo on Maui. This year it was on the Big Island, where my cousins have lived, for decades, in Ocean View on the south slope of Mauna Loa. And fortunately for me, Randy and Leigh both like their beer.
And as far as Hawaiian beer goes, I really didn’t know what to expect. I mean, beer has been made in Hawaii since 1812, but commercial brewing didn’t really get started until 1901, when the Honolulu Brewing and Malting Company created its popular Primo Lager. After the end of Prohibition in 1933, brewing picked up a little, but many of these earlier breweries eventually failed. It wasn’t until the 1980s and 1990s that the craft brewers started to appear, and at the present time there are at least 20 separate craft breweries and brewpubs spread out over four of the islands. .
For the first couple of weeks of my visit, I was staying with an old friend in Long Beach, so I flew from there across the Pacific to the Kahului Airport in Maui. As it was lunchtime, and I had four hours until my connection to Kailua-Kona, I decided to check out Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill. The restaurant was quite crowded, but I did find a stool at the end of a long tall table, with a great wide window view of airplanes on the tarmac, with the runway and some mountains beyond.
The beer menu at Sammy’s was a bit limited, so since I didn’t want a lager, which seemed to be the only Hawaiian choice on the menu, I ended up ordering a pint of Hazy Little Thing (6.7% ABV, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, California), figuring I’d only just landed in Hawaii, so there was still plenty of time to find a more exciting beer. For my lunch I decided to go for the Beach Salad. And I must say the service here was impressively quick, and my salad was pretty good, with avocado, shredded feta, jicama, roasted corn kernels, diced tomatoes and onion, and lots of lettuce.
The first time I had Hazy Little Thing was quite a few years ago, and I wasn’t too impressed with it at that time; but it may have had to do with the particular venue that had served it. In contrast, this pint at Sammy’s was quite juicy in character and pleasantly hopped with a great combination of Citra, El Dorado, Magnum, Mosaic, and Simcoe, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill was opened by rock legend Sammy Hagar, who started the Cabo Wabo Cantina franchise as well as the Cabo Wabo tequila company. Besides salads the menu also features ceviche, fish and seafood dishes, and the Hawaiian version of fish & chips, and all the profits from the restaurant and bar are sent to local community children’s charities in Maui through the Hagar Family Foundation. So it made me feel even better to be enjoying my lunch and pint here.
And then I continued on to Kailua-Kona Airport on the Big Island. My cousin Randy greeted me at the airport with a fresh fragrant Lei, and we drove south along the coast. By the time we reached their quirky pet-filled home on the southwest of the island, the day was pretty much over, so we enjoyed a few cans of beer, fortified with an assortment of poke. Yes, I was indeed in Hawaii...
The next morning we headed out across the island, visiting gorgeous black-sand beaches as well as driving through tropical rain on the inland slopes. By noon we had reached Hilo, on the eastern side of the island, so this was a perfect reason to stop for lunch at Ola Brew.
I have to admit that I was looking so forward to my first actual pint of Hawaiian brewed beer, so I mulled over the menu as slowly as I could. Cousin Randy ended up going for a pint of Kiawe Brown Ale (5.3% ABV, Ola Brew, Kailua-Kone, Hawaii). This was very dark and malty, so it was a great choice for those who love malty beers. For instance, Randy’s sister Laurie, who is also my cousin, would really like it.
I was having trouble deciding between two choices, so our server, who was very knowledgeable about the beers, suggested I go for two halfs, which obviously made a lot of sense. My first half was A’A IPA (7.2% ABV, Ola Brew, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii). This was a surprisingly good IPA, nice and crisp with a real hoppy character. My other half was Nelson Rye Double IPA (7.8% ABV, Ola Brew), which was a hazy featuring one of those swoon-inducing hops. Could it be Galaxy? Strata? Nope, it was the obvious one: Nelson Sauvin. This was so good that my cousin Randy ended up ordering a full pint of it for his second round.
For lunch I had the Fried Tofu Sandwich with fries, which was really great. Randy and his wife Leigh shared the crispy shrimp and the pork lechon, which were equally delicious.
Along with this location, Ola has their original brewpub in Kailua-Kona. The brewery’s mission is to encourage growth in Hawaii’s agricultural economy and to sustain the community by purchasing local ingredients from local farmers across the Hawaiian islands. Ola is employee and community owned, with over 4200 small investors and more than 50 employee-owners who make up their 'ohana” which is a Hawaiian term for family, close friends and community. Their beers and food are “āina” inspired, āina being a Hawaiian word for “land,” or “that which feeds”, which is the brewery’s view of the relationship between people and land. Some of the local products they purchase for brewing include citrus fruits, dragonfruit, mangoes, coconuts, lychee, pineapples, macadamia nuts, lemongrass, vanilla beans, avocados, coffee leaves, and cacao nibs, so their beer creations are distinctly Hawaiian.
On the day we were there, a large graduation party was gathered in the back, with the featured graduates wearing the traditional stacks of leis around their necks. So this was a perfect first Hawaiian restaurant experience for me. And with great food and great beers, what’s not to like?
The next day Randy drove me and Leigh up north, beyond Kailua-Kona, and inland a bit to Waimea, which made me think of the Beach Boys’ song “Surfin’ USA”. And because it was lunchtime again, we naturally stopped at Big Island Brewhaus. As we entered I was struck by how pretty and tropical the whole place is. The interior of this brewpub is extremely inviting, especially if one were to sit at the bar, where I could see a handful of what looked like regulars over to one end. But since there were three of us in our party, and it was really a wonderfully pleasant day, we decided to sit out in the front patio, at a partly shaded mango-wood table. Once again our barmaid was very knowledgeable, so I first had a taste of Hoptopias IPA (8.0% ABV, Big Island Brewhaus, Waimea, Hawaii). This was really fine, with a balance of fruitiness and pine-ness, just the way I like it. But as it was only lunchtime, and the Hoptopias delivered a hell of an overboard of flavour with a heavy alcohol taste, I decided to go for the safer Overboard IPA (6.9% ABV, Big Island). This was complicated enough, dark golden and imparting tropical fruit and pine. Apparently it's a multiple award winner, and I was very happy. Randy went for a pint of Red Giant IPA (6.8% ABV), with American hops and light and dark caramel malts, which result in a bitterly malty brew, while Leigh went for the thoroughly refreshing and mildly hopped Paniolo Pale Ale (5.7% ABV), with Cascade, Cashmere, and Citra hops, with Munich and crystal malt.
For lunch there were a lot of choices for a pescatarian like myself. I finally decided on the fish taco, featuring fresh-catch fish marinated in herbs and spices, shredded cabbage, pico de gallo and cilantro aioli. And Randy and Leigh once again shared two items, the fish bites and the garlic fries. While we were basking in the basic wonderfulness, Leigh quietly pointed out the head of a little gecko who was peeking out above our table. That’s all I saw of him (or her), and sadly it was the only gecko I saw on my entire trip.
Big Island Brewing features award-winning beers, including pale ales, IPAs, lagers, pilsners, porters, stouts, bocks, and Belgian beers, and uses traditional brewing techniques. Not only do they serve pints, half pints, 3.5oz samplers, and flights, but they also offer beers to take away in cans, quart and half gallon mason jars, and half gallon growlers. The food menu features locally sourced and home-cooked fresh fish, beef, and produce inspired by Hawaiian, Asian, Mexican, and pub classics. There is regular live music as well, and they have a certification from the Surfrider Foundation as a Platinum Level Ocean Friendly Restaurant, as well as having the distinction of being Hawaii's highest brewpub.
The owners are Tom and Jayne Kerns, and Tom has an impressive brewing CV. He started as a home brewer in 1988 and ended up working for McMenamins Breweries in the Pacific Northwest. He also spent a year in Manila designing, owning, and operating a brewery there. He moved to Maui in 1997, where he opened the Fish & Game Brewing company, which later became the Maui Brewing Company. In 2008 he and Jayne moved to the Big Island, and their new brewery opened three years later.
After lunch Randy, Leigh, and I drove north past Mauna Kea and up to the Pololū Valley Lookout on the north coast of the Big Island. By the time we were driving back through Kailua-Kona it was late afternoon, so we stopped at Kona Brewing Company for a quick half and a snack. This place reminded me of Stone Brewing Company in Escondido, California, in that the outside gardens were vast and sprawling, the main difference being that they were surrounded by a lush jungle and not a Southern California coastal woodland. Considering I always refer to Stone Brewing as Stonyland, I was tempted to call this place Konaland.)
We found a table near the front of the main garden, where I had a half of Castaway IPA (6.0% ABV, Kona Brewing, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii). This beer offered a citrus and tropical fruit profile and was very hoppily drinkable. The three of us shared a very strange pupu plate, Wailua Wheat Blanched Edamame Beans, which were chilled and tossed in sweet and spicy shoyu and were extremely chewy. I mean, were they supposed to be that chewy?
Regardless of the weird appetizer, this is a really comfy place to drink a pint. It’s like sitting in a tiki jungle garden that spreads out over layers.
Founded in 1994 by father and song team Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa, Kona Brewing was started in a converted warehouse, and in 1998 the brewpub was added. In 2020 they opened a newly built, state-of-the-art, sustainable brewery where they currently employ over 200 Hawaiian residents. There is a friendly bar and full kitchen inside, and once again the food and beer are all produced with locally grown ingredients.
On the evening of my departure back to Long Beach via Honolulu, Randy and Leigh were also catching a flight out to spend a month’s holiday in Europe. After a neighbour of theirs dropped us off at Kailua-Kona Airport, we went our separate ways through Security, Randy and Leigh with bags to check and myself with a carry-on only. As we had plenty of time before our respective flights, we arranged to meet inside at the only place in the airport where one can actually get a pint: the Laniakea Cafe. As I arrived well ahead of my cousins, I managed to find the cafe pretty easily, as it’s the only indoor venue in the completely outdoor departure lounge and is glass-enclosed. The cafe is mostly a snack bar, but it also offers beer, mostly from Kona Brewing. I ordered a pint of Gold Cliff IPA (7.2% ABV, Kona Brewing Company, Kailua-Kona, Big Island, Hawaii) and took a seat at the end of a long high table by the glass wall. This beer, quite orange in colour, was very flavourful and hoppy. Brewed with Chinook, Azacca, and Mosaic hops and containing real pineapple, it reminded me of the Pineapple Sculpin’ IPA I’ve had at Ballast Point in Long Beach. This beer is named after Kaunolu Cave, which is located on the island of Lana’i not far from the island’s original pineapple fields.
Once Randy and Leigh finally showed up, they had pints of Longboard Island Lager (4.6% ABV, Kona Brewing), named in honour of the surfing at Waikiki Beach. This is quite an intriguing lager, as it’s brewed with Mt Hood, Hallertau, Sterling, and Millennium hops as well as Pale 2 Row Premium malt.
The cafe itself offers sandwiches, hot dogs, bento boxes, poke bowls, teriyaki dishes, salads, and flight-ready meals, and the fish is all from Umekes Fish Market Bar and Grill, located near the Kona Brewing Company in Kailua-Kona.
On my way back to Long Beach, because I had a connection the next day from the Daniel K Inouye Airport in Honolulu, I spent the night at a hotel near the airport. In the morning I took the shuttle back to the airport for an early check-in. My flight wasn’t due to board until noon, so I had plenty of time to explore this airport. After having to resign myself to a Starbucks coffee because no decent coffee places were open yet, by 9:00 in the morning I was fortunate enough to find the only place open where I could get a pint. The restaurant at Stinger Ray’s was only just opening; but the sparsely populated bar, where a few other people were sitting, was definitely the place to be. So I took a seat at the end of the bar and ordered a pit of Hop Lei IPA (6.4% ABV, Aloha Brewing, Honolulu, Hawaii), a West Coast IPA which tasted strong and very fruity.
As I sipped my decadent breakfast pin, I asked the bartender about a large snake I’d heard about that was supposed to be somewhere in the airport. She told me that a large boa constrictor used to be in a cage on the wall directly opposite this bar. But after the terminal went through some remodelling changes, they moved the snake to somewhere else, but she didn’t know where. And then I asked her about a garden somewhere in the airport that my cousins said I should see. She immediately told me it was between the E, F, and G gates, inside Security.
The peace at the bar was abruptly interrupted for a few minutes by a young, frantic woman who plunked herself on a stool next to me. She said she had only ten minutes before her flight to Maui boarded, but she badly needed a drink. Apparently she had missed her connection while she was flying to the wedding of a very demanding friend. She ended up having a vodka and lemonade, which she gulped down quickly and then hurried off to find her gate.
I lazily finished my pint, replying to messages from various American friends. And then, happy I still had plenty of time, I went off to find the CB Lansing Memorial Garden, which is located completely outdoors and well worth the visit if one has a little time. And then I boarded my flight, which took off over lush green land and beautiful turquoise waters. And I decided I will definitely have to visit Hawaii again one of these days.
Related Links
- The History of Brewing in Hawaii (Hawaiian Craft Brewers' Guild)
- All about Hawai'i, also known as the Big Island (Wikipedia)
- All about geckos in Hawaii (HawaiiBusiness Magazine)